The Best Space Movies of All Time – Men’s Health

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Before we begin ranking space movies and incurring the wrath of correctional commentsbecause, invariably, we will exclude the one film you have on VHS, which is really a banger but doesnt get enough love and so, of course, is ignored from yet another list by yet another incompetent writer who has the film taste of a child, etc., etc.we should get definitional.

Were going to be strict with this list. Movies just involving beings from space, either invading or just sort of hovering therethink Arrival or District 9were excluding. So, too, are we ignoring movies set on futuristic Earths, which have technically achieved deep space travel, but where the central plot takes place only on our familiar terrestrial plane. So movies like Blade Runner or the Fifth Element are also absent.

Were talking about movies set in space. Movies where the central action involves characters who exist in space. Movies where space is the antagonist or the frontier or the battlefieldnot simply the highway between other more interesting worlds. Were talking about movies where space is so much a part of the film that without space the movie is simply incoherent nonsense. Could 2001: A Space Odyssey take place on a school bus? No. Then it's a space movie.

Sure, well probably skew a bit more modern with these picks, if only to make it easier to stream our choices (well provide links). But space may be that cinematic genre which only gets better with time.

Here are the best space movies of all time.

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Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott taught us something about space we didn't learn in science class: it is terrifying. Frickin' terrifying. All the nights we spent lying awake as kids wanting to be astronautsgone. We say, leave us the hell on this planet.

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Dune (2021)

Dune is more political fantasy (the term, we think, is "space opera") than straight space exploration. And we dig it. Predating and inspiring Star Wars (that other space opera), Dune's depiction of outerwordly hegemony and planetary colonization feels more real than any work of cinematic realism.

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The Martian (2015)

If planetary colonization was real, The Martian may be the most accurate depiction of this future enterprise. Unlike other very serious films on this list, The Martian also maintains a welcome sense of levity, giving the film just the right ratio of botany humor to existential terror.

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Spaceballs (1987)

Parodying just about every film that predates it on this list, Spaceballs is an absolute delight. It's also exceedingly dumb. It's perfect.

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Solaris (1972)

Your film studies friends cannot stop talking about Andrei Tarkovsky and this is why. The Russian director's adaptation of the 1961 novel of the same name brought something new to the genre of science fiction: grounded emotionality. We take this for granted in contemporary science fiction. Tarkovsky was one of the first to really pull it off.

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Star Trek (2009)

As early as 1968, the creators of the popular TV series were already wondering how to turn the story into a film, a prequel. And while there had already been ten films in the franchise, 2009's iteration finally found the winning formula. It's truly a blast.

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Interstellar (2014)

One of director Christopher Nolan's more divisive films, Interstellar really goes there. The team consulted with actual astrophysicists and remains one of the few films to actually depict relativity theory in a plausible way. It's not a short movie, nor one that can be appreciated on the first viewing. But it is epic.

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Apollo 13 (1995)

Entering historical realism are three films we think best capture actual space exploration. The first (and maybe the best) is Ron Howard's docudrama.

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First Man (2018)

While it will be compared to others in the genre of historic space exploration, First Man finds a way to stand out from the space race competitionif only for its IMAX cinematography during one of the most awe-inspiring moments of any film on this list. You'll know it when you see it.

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The Right Stuff (1983)

Based on the book by Tom Wolfe which chronicled NASA's first team of astronauts, The Right Stuff captures all the terrifying, inspiring, maddening moments of early space exploration. It remains a near-perfect blend of Hollywood and history.

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Moon (2009)

Moon is perfect science fiction. Filmed on a small budget and and depicting just one character (well, kind of) in one location (kind of), the movie manages to do more, say more, and affect you more than probably any other on this list. Read nothing about it. Just watch.

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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

We know, we know. There are many Marvel films that could be considered "space movies" insofar as they involve intergalactic wars. But Guardians of the Galaxy really is Marvel's space movie, and maybe the most fun and free-wheeling film in the entire MCUand the moment when Marvel realized they could sell us anything.

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Sunshine (2007)

Danny Boyle's trip through space to save a dying sun by dropping a nuclear bomb on it may be one of the more outlandish plots on this this list, but the film delivers. What begins as conventional science fiction turns into something more horrifying and existential and strangely beautiful.

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Gravity (2013)

Gravity is probably the most space movie of any space movie, in that it takes place entirely in space with its characters floating (for most of the film) entirely in space. Director Alfonso Cuarn delivers an absolute masterclass in tension, pacing, and visual language. The man deserved that Oscar.

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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

It takes about 20 minutes of apes grunting and throwing bones before we arrive in space, but once we get there, oh boy. Is it the greatest space movie of all time? Will flying into a monolith transport you across space-time and reincarnate you as the star child? Um, yes.

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Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

This one's a bit of a deeper cut. We're not sure if you've heard of it, but try and give it a watch if you can. We think it had some kind of impact on space cinema. It's pretty good.

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The Best Space Movies of All Time - Men's Health