Suppose space flight, exploration of interplanetary space, research of astronomy and its impact on our daily life are exciting topics in your opinion. In that case, you cannot miss these film productions. There are only 10 entries on the list, so the selection was rough and tough.
The space movies category is really broad and includes stories with little to do with space. With such a definition, space movies are the ones that show stories based on real events as well as stories that are invented but highly probable. And also connected to man’s quest to explore the cosmos.
Therefore, it is not every film about space that takes place in space. Sometimes it is a very mundane story but with an ending that involves overcoming the barriers that have enabled man to reach his current level of advancement in space exploration and research.
And sometimes, it’s a story that shows what our lives, or those of our descendants, may look like in the face of the challenges we will inevitably face as we begin to explore the nearest celestial bodies and the solar system intensively. Or sometimes, it’s a well-portrayed story based on real-life experiences.
Part of the proposals that made it to the TOP 10 space movies of all time are certainties and cinematography icons that could not be omitted; another part is films that are difficult to find in VoD archives but worth finding and watching. Stay tuned for the best 10 space movies of all time.
The Right Stuff (1983)
Before a man stood on the moon’s surface for the first time, before he flew into space, years of preparation and dedication of people who felt no fear and were willing to sacrifice even their own lives to overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers were needed.
First Step into Space is just such a story, seven chosen ones (Mercury Seven) doing everything for the first time. They break the supersonic speed barrier, soar to record heights, and finally fly on their first orbital flight. A fact-based story with an all-star cast and a sensational score by Bill Conti.
The movie perfectly shows that in space exploration, it is fascinating not only to strive for the goal, which is, for instance, the landing on the Moon. What is also fascinating and necessary are the intermediate steps, which are often forgotten or lost in the glare of the main success.
The Right Stuff is a screen adaptation of the same name book, written by journalist Tom Wolfe. There is also a TV series with the same title, set in 2020, that follows the same story.
Contact (1997)
If you are wondering what the everyday life of an astronomer, or to be more precise, a radio astronomer working in the SETI program, looks like, Contact is a very good answer. Robert Zemeckis cast Jodie Foster in the lead role. The screenplay was based on a novella by Carl Sagan, the legendary astronomer and science popularizer.
Admittedly, the plot of Contact with an alien civilization appears here, a very important one and crucial for the development of the plot, which might make Contact a typical sci-fi story. Still, it also perfectly shows the everyday life of a scientist. The heroine has to divide her time between pursuing her passion and fighting with institutions that will provide adequate funds. In addition, she must stand up to her supervisor, whose desire to take the cream off the success she doesn’t believe in. Ellie also has to contend with a very sceptical society about her world-shattering discovery.
A large part of the film takes place in Arecibo, where the largest radio telescope in the world was located until recently. Ultimately, not only dominated by twice the diameter of China’s FAST, but its own fatality, and fatigue, led to its collapse in late 2020.
”Astronomy is a beautiful science, as the heroine says at one point, ‘They should send a poet here,’ where engagement is vital. To treat it solely as a business problem does not lead to anything good. The movie also raises the important issue of faith in science and the impact of childhood experiences on adulthood. Still, you will see that for yourself by watching one of the best movies about space exploration, in my opinion.
Don’t Look Up (2021)
It is a fresh story, but one that deals with an old problem, i. e. the reaction of humanity and individuals at different levels of initiation to the prospect of an impending apocalypse. The lead roles, scientists foretelling the end of the world, are played here by Leonardo di Caprio and Jennifer Lawrence. Still, the star list in this film does not end with them.
Don’t look up is a very controversial film, which has gained a huge number of fans and opponents, who very much dislike the motto “Based on highly probable events”. The film can be perceived on many levels. To us, it’s a great illustration of the problem of how to signal scientific discoveries clearly and interestingly to a wide audience that only seems to understand the issue and its possible seriousness.
Moon (2009)
Moon – film about a lone employee of a company that extracts Helium-3 from the lunar globe, working on the side of our natural satellite invisible from the Earth. Even for him, its true nature remains a mystery, which he accidentally discovers while trying to solve the mystery of an accident involving one of the mine’s machines. And all of this in the face of a progressive personality crisis brought on by constant isolation and minimal Contact with people on Earth.
Moon was enthusiastically received by both critics and viewers. The storyline touches upon a very important aspect of man’s work in space, connected with the costs of such activity and the unethical practices of companies focused solely on profit. Sam Rockwell played the title role.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
With relatively few films to his credit, Stanley Kubrick is a director, a producer and a screenwriter who managed to hit the mark in presenting us with each of his stories. His credits include the sensational Full Metal Jacket set in the realities of the Vietnam War and Eyes Wide Shut, which is a study of human lust and desire.
Kubrick co-wrote the screenplay for 2001: a space odyssey with Arthur C. Clarke, utilizing themes from earlier stories by this visionary and acclaimed science-fiction writer. A novel of the same title was based on the film’s screenplay. It tackles the complicated relationship between man and intelligent machines and his reaction to the unknown and unexplainable. Whether it is something that sooner or later we will surely encounter while exploring space.
A Space Odyssey 2001 is an over two-hour-long work with monumental visuals and sound, divided into four seemingly disconnected stories tied together by a mysterious monolith and the mystery of its origin.
The movie is a difficult read, at times needing to be approached to watch it more than once. It may absorb the novel in the process, as the film can be considered an illustration of it, not an adaptation as it usually is in sci-fi cinema, indissoluble from the written word. But it is hard that a journey through time and space towards infinity, perhaps inside us, should be something as simple as a cab ride.
Apollo 13 (1995)
![APOLLO 13 (1995) - MODERN TRAILER [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Y_rkXC9HH9k/hqdefault.jpg "10 Best Space Movies of All Time 6")
Realistic and brilliantly acted by the cast, this is the film adaptation of the story of one of the most crisis-ridden episodes in the Apollo program and probably the entire history of space exploration to date.
The story is no surprise since it is based quite accurately on real-life facts, i.e. the fully failed Apollo 13 mission, during which the three astronauts had to face the failure of an oxygen tank in the service module. Not only was the landing in the Fra Mauro Crater area abandoned, but the crew’s very lives hung in the balance.
Suppose the movie had been interlaced with statements of the characters from the real events described in the book The Lost Moon by mission commander Jim Lowell (played by Tom Hanks). In that case, it could have been considered a fictionalized documentary. The lack of such insertions, however, does not detract. Apollo 13 shows that life can create fascinating horror stories. Even today, people who fly into space are very brave.
Hidden Figures (2016)
![Hidden Figures | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5wfrDhgUMGI/hqdefault.jpg "10 Best Space Movies of All Time 7")
This is yet another film in which space is not the location of the action but merely the goal to which the protagonists aspire. Or, in practice, heroines, as Hidden Activities is the story of the forgotten creators of NASA’s success in the 1960s. The movie was nominated for 3 Oscars and did not win any statuettes, but this confirms that the laurels do not always go to the most deserving ones.
This is a biographical drama presenting the lives of three African-American women whose mathematical talent contributed to the success of the USA in the Space Race. Like Apollo 13, the screenplay is based on true events, though this time those less known to a wider audience due to the troubling nature associated with the problem of both the treatment of women and racial segregation that may have negatively impacted NASA’s positive image.
The film is, in a way, paying tribute not only to Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson but also to others who worked on the Apollo program, whose participation did not live to see their rightful place in history of space exploration in the 20th century.
Capricorn One (1978)
The 1970s was a golden age for space exploration. People were flying to the Moon; the first space stations were placed in orbit. Research on distant regions of the Solar System was initiated by sending the Pioneer and Voyager probes. Humanity at that time had its nightmares, like the ending of the Vietnam War, but was also full of hope for rapid technological development and progress in the conquest of space. Hope, though, isn’t always enough; moreover, the success of the Apollo program came too soon. And this reality is the beginning of the movie Capricorn 1, where three astronauts embark on a flight to Mars with the help of lunar technology.
Was this trip a success, or was it mystified from the start after all? And what does success even mean for a human-crewed space mission? How to sell it to the public so that regardless of the outcome, it is well remembered? Those are some of the questions that Capricorn 1 provides answers to. It is a must-see for fans of conspiracy theories.
The movie was directed by Peter Hyams, who a couple of years later took up the second part of the Space Odyssey – the screen adaptation of the novel 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke.
The Martian (2015)
![The Martian | Teaser Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ue4PCI0NamI/hqdefault.jpg "10 Best Space Movies of All Time 9")
Will the lonely man, left alone on the surface of Mars, manage to survive? And how will NASA, who sent our hero to the Red Planet, act in the face of such a crisis? These are only two of the questions answered by the film The Martian. It’s the story of Mark Wattney, who finds himself stranded alone on the surface of Mars, without any chance of an immediate return to Earth, as the rest of the crew sets off on their journey due to an unfortunate coincidence home.
The movie was based on Andy Weir’s book of the same name. Ridley Scott, famous for his bravura space horror Alien: 8th passenger Nostromo, undertook the adaptation. This time, it is a story about how peace of mind, the ability to associate the facts and a bit of luck make it possible to survive on a foreign planet and successfully come back to Earth.
Martian is one of those stories whose course is marked by difficult choices, unexpected twists of action, and a dash of humor, ultimately leading to a happy ending. The Martian is an opportunity for the viewer to see a realistic visualization of the manned mission (but not all the phenomena, because the storm is completely unrealistic here), which will not get boring after the first 30 minutes. It is also a chance to reflect on the functioning of such organizations like NASA or JPL and the enormity of the problems whose solution is only seemingly reduced to simple decisions.
Interstellar (2014)
The vision of our world’s future, where humanity is on the brink of existence. The earthlings suffer from food shortages, crops decimated by pests, and an increasingly unfriendly nature.
The movie was produced by Christopher Nolan and won an Oscar for special effects. Kip Thorne supervised the accuracy of the scientific layer. It is not without reason, since one of the problems touched upon in the film is the issue of travelling through space-time tunnels and manoeuvres near the event horizon of a black hole, whose consequences. However, they seem paradoxical for a layman, from the perspective of the current knowledge about the universe is most probable.
And, after all, Kip Thorne is one of the discoverers of gravitational waves, having been awarded a Nobel Prize in 2017. He made sure that the film did not remain just a science-fiction tale but carried the hallmarks of plot probability and visuals.
Like in other Nolan productions, the protagonists are entangled in a chain of events that often loops and forces the viewer to follow the threads of the story carefully. The movie shows how troublesome the colonization of space can be in practice and how unfriendly the laws of nature can be. The solution to the problem may seem improbable, but we won’t reveal it because perhaps some of you haven’t seen the film yet.
Interestingly, the main character of Interstellar is played by Matthew McConaughey, who also acted in the film Contact.
