The idea of space travel first began fascinating filmmakers decades before space flight became a reality; some of the earliest short films imagined traveling to the Moon, or even beyond. And to this day, movies remain fascinated by the possibilities that might lie in the stars. In films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Alien, and Interstellar, we get to see the wonders possible outside of our own atmosphere — as well as the dangers.
Space, after all, seems like a very scary place to be sometimes. For one thing, it’s a vacuum that’s constantly trying to kill you. And even if you’ve got a top-notch spacesuit and/or spaceship, who knows what you might encounter out there? Or who? Movies set amongst the stars span a whole range of genres, from comedy to drama to adventure to horror, leading to a wild diversity of stories. So many of the great filmmakers have found themselves captivated by the possibilities of the inky black beyond. So many, indeed, that cutting this list to 30 was a tough task.
Below, find Consequence’s ranking of the best space movies, a genre that’s not showing any signs of slowing down (hat-tip to Ryan Gosling for March 20th’s Project Hail Mary and the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter). Perhaps one day, real-life scientists will be able to take humanity as far as some of these stories do. When that happens, though, we’ll know what inspired them.
— Liz Shannon Miller
Senior Entertainment Editor
Related Video