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The best space movies ever made

From Alien to 2001, these space movies show what the setting can do.

By
Matthew McConaughey on Insterstellar.
Paramount Pictures

Space is a subject that has fascinated filmmakers since long before man set foot on the moon. Space, with all of its possibility and terror, has been the setting for great movies for decades. From alien invasion stories to ones more grounded in reality, Hollywood has long sought to depict the realities of space without actually sending anyone up there.

We’ve pulled together this list of the very best space movies ever made. Obviously, many of these could also be defined as science fiction, and we have a list for that too. Space, though, is a smaller subset and a setting that has fascinated me for years. I never wanted to be an astronaut, but that’s partly because I knew these movies could give me all the space-related thrills I would ever want.

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Alien (1979)

Alien
117m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction
Stars
Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Watch on Peacock
The original Alien is probably one of the scariest movies ever made. Set almost entirely on a spaceship that has been invaded by a deadly alien, the movie plays out like a sci-fi slasher movie, and its ensemble cast are all excellent. What really helps Alien stand apart, though, are the details of its world building. This is a future filled with working class space crews, and part of the movie’s surprise comes from which members of that crew actually surprise. Featuring amazing production design and one of the best directing jobs of Ridley Scott’s career, Alien is a classic for a reason.
Alien Trailer HD (Original 1979 Ridley Scott Film) Sigourney Weaver

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey
149m
Genre
Science Fiction, Mystery, Adventure
Stars
Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Directed by
Stanley Kubrick
Watch on max
Stanley Kubrick’s[/internal-link] only sci-fi film is naturally regarded as one of the best every made. 2001 is an episodic film that follows various members of humanity in the aftermath of the appearance of several obelisks spread across the galaxy. The film’s most memorable and discussed chunk involves two astronauts who have to do battle with their malfunctioning artificial intelligence system. The film’s final sequence is a panoply of memorable, hard to explain imagery. Kubrick’s sci-fi classic might not be totally accessible, but 2001 has endured for a reason.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Trailer

Star Wars (1977)

Star Wars
121m
Genre
Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Directed by
George Lucas
Watch on Disney+
The entire Star Wars saga has become one of the defining franchises in Hollywood history, but none of the sequels have managed to recapture the magic of the very first movie. From the second you first hear John Williams’ fanfare, you know you’re in for one of the great adventure movies ever made. Following a humble farmer who discovers that his destiny is far bigger than he ever could have imgained what may surprise you about the original Star Wars is how little lightsaber play there is in it. This is a story about mysticism and air battles, and it’s still thrilling today.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar
169m
Genre
Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine
Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Watch on Netflix
Christopher Nolan’s[/internal-link] space movie was not universally beloved when it first debuted in 2014, but in the decade since, it has become widely regarded as a classic, and with good reason. The film, which tells the story of a pilot who leaves his children behind to go on an interstellar mission to save humanity, is ultimately about the love parents have for their children, and the way that love can survive almost anything. Of course, Interstellar also has some amazing technical effects, and one of Matthew McConaughey’s best performances at its center.
Interstellar Movie - Official Trailer

Ad Astra (2019)

Ad Astra
123m
Genre
Science Fiction, Drama
Stars
Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga
Directed by
James Gray
Watch on Hulu
Ad Astra may have the most honest depiction of what near future of space colonization would look like (there’s an Applebee’s on the moon, etc.) Its core story, though, is of a man who travels to the edges of the solar system in order to track down his father, who went missing, and possibly save the planet. While most space movies are overblown, though, Ad Astra is understated. Brad Pitt’s central performance is all about the emotion he carefully hdes, and the way we come to understand this man’s journey as one toward a father he never fully understood.
Ad Astra | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

Sunshine (2007)

Sunshine
107m
Genre
Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans
Directed by
Danny Boyle
Watch on Apple TV+
One of the great movies about the end of the world ever made, Sunshine follows a crew that have been sent to restart the sun in order to save the planet. As they move closer and closer toward the giant ball of gas, though, they come across the wreck from the first crew that was sent to complete their mission and start to realize just how unlikely it is that they’ll be able to return home. Director Danny Boyle assembles in an incredible international cast here, and every element of Sunshine coheres into the kind of space movie that’s difficult to forget.
🎥 SUNSHINE (2007) | Movie Trailer | Full HD | 1080p

The Martian (2015)

The Martian
141m
Genre
Drama, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars
Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig
Directed by
Ridley Scott
Watch on max
The reason The Martian is as successful as it is all comes down to one man: Matt Damon. The film tells the story of an astronaut who has to survive on Mars for more than a year after he is inadvertently stranded there by his crew. In order to keep himself sane and meet his basic needs, he has to solve a wide array of scientific problems, even as a crew back on Earth starts to realize that he isn’t actually dead. The Martian is a basic story about the triumph of the human spirit, but one told with exceptional amounts of verve.
The Martian | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

Solaris (2002)

Solaris
99m
Genre
Drama, Science Fiction, Mystery
Stars
George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Viola Davis
Directed by
Steven Soderbergh
Watch on Amazon

Steven Soderbergh’s remake of Andrei Tarkovsky’s classic space film is undoubtedly the most divisive film on this list, but it deserves its spot. The film follows a psychologist who travels to a space station hovering above a distant planet in order to investigate what is happening to the people on board. Once he arrives at the space station, though, he gets haunted by ghosts from hispast, and begins to realize that the grief he believed was in his past is more present than he realized. It’s a surreal, movingfilm, and one that deserves a radical reappraisal.

SOLARIS (2002) - Official Movie Trailer
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Joe Allen
Joe Allen
Former Writer
Joe Allen is a freelance writer at Digital Trends, where he covers Movies and TV. He frequently writes streaming…
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