7 space movies that you should watch

Few genres mix technical ingenuity with pure wonder like space movies. Since Georges Méliès rocketed audiences to the Moon in 1902’s A Trip to the Moon, filmmakers have used new sound, image, and effects tools to turn star-filled voids into canvases of dread, hope, and deep thought. From silent black-and-white illusions to computer-rendered vistas, space movies fling viewers beyond Earth’s atmosphere while mirroring the anxieties of life back home.

Be it 2001: A Space Odyssey or Interstellar, these space movies are milestones in an ever-expanding galaxy of science-fiction storytelling. Each movie spotlights a distinct angle, hard science puzzles, high-adventure quests, claustrophobic terror, or gritty survival, so newcomers and veterans alike can find the flavor they crave.

Disclaimer: The following space movies are ranked in no particular order. This article solely contains the writer’s opinion.

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7 essential space movies for your watchlist

1) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A still from 2001: A Space Odyssey (Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Spanning prehistory to a Jupiter mission, Stanley Kubrick’s epic follows a mysterious monolith that spurs evolutionary leaps.

Astronauts Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) share the Discovery One with HAL 9000, a sentient computer whose flawless logic slips into lethal paranoia. After HAL kills the hibernating crew, Bowman severs the AI and enters a psychedelic “stargate,” confronting realities that redefine humanity’s place in the cosmos.

Premiering in 1968, well before commercial spacewalks, Kubrick’s rotating centrifuge sets, balletic zero-g movement, and classical music cues still outshine many CGI blockbusters of this day, and it is probably one of the most groundbreaking space movies. Refusing expository hand-holding, he fills the screen with silent vistas that emphasize space’s cold indifference.

Where to watch: HBO Max, Hulu

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2) Interstellar (2014)

A still from Interstellar (Image via Paramount Pictures)

Dust storms and crop blight foretell Earth’s collapse, so ex-pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) joins a secret NASA mission through a wormhole near Saturn. Racing for new homes, the crew endures time-dilating black-hole orbits and a marooned astronaut’s betrayal.

Hours on alien worlds equal decades for loved ones, forcing Cooper toward a five-dimensional tesseract where quantum data and parental devotion intertwine to save humankind. Christopher Nolan used physicist Kip Thorne’s math to craft Gargantua, a credible black hole that grounds the film’s heartfelt stakes.

Hans Zimmer’s cathedral-pipe score and the aching father-daughter thread give cosmic distances intimate weight. The bootstrap paradox finale sparks debate, yet its blend of relativity and emotion secures Interstellar’s spot in the canon of great space movies.

Where to watch: Paramount+

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3) Gravity (2013)

A still from Gravity (Image via Warner Bros. Pictures)

During a routine spacewalk, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and veteran Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) lose their shuttle when satellite debris shreds it to ribbons. Tumbling over 500 km above Earth with dwindling oxygen, they hop ruined craft and deserted stations, aiming for a Chinese escape capsule.

Stone’s fight through orbital mayhem doubles as an inward rebirth, turning survival mechanics into a raw meditation on loss. Alfonso Cuarón’s 2013 thriller unspools in a tight 91 minutes, its digitally stitched long takes mimicking real-time peril.

The camera darts through helmets, around solar panels, and into weightless spins that disorient viewers as thoroughly as the protagonist. Bullock’s visceral performance grounds the spectacle, proving that the best space movies amplify every human heartbeat.

Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

Also read: 7 best coming-of-age movies of all time

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4) The Martian (2015)

A still from The Martian (Image via 20th Century Fox)

Left for dead after a Martian dust storm, botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) survives by farming potatoes with crew waste, hacking rover parts, and blasting disco hits to stay sane.

While he video-logs gallows humor, NASA and international partners craft a perilous rescue involving ion engines and gravity slingshots, fusing orbital mechanics with caper-movie timing. Ridley Scott adapts Andy Weir’s novel into a celebration of practical science.

Each crisis, be it a hydrazine explosion or airlock ruptures, triggers inventive problem-solving that swaps gunfights for chemistry lessons. Watney’s wit keeps tension buoyant, and the film’s cooperative spirit recalls Apollo-era optimism, making Mars feel less like myth and more like humanity’s next construction site.

Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

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5) Apollo 13 (1995)

A still from Apollo 13 (Image via Universal Pictures)

Ron Howard dramatizes NASA’s 1970 mission where an oxygen-tank explosion cripples the spacecraft. Commander Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) and crew retreat to the Lunar Module, rationing power and water while Houston engineers jury-rig carbon-scrubber adapters.

A precision Moon fly-by sets up a fiery re-entry blackout that threatens to bury a nation’s hope along with its astronauts. Skipping fictional villains, the film wrings suspense from volts, angles, and burn times. Weightless scenes shot aboard NASA’s “Vomit Comet” give cabin footage unmatched authenticity.

Only 25 years after the real crisis, Apollo 13 doubles as a cinematic nail-biter and historical tribute, proving that ingenuity can snatch triumph from vacuum-cold disaster, making it one of the most memorable space movies made.

Where to watch: Starz, Hulu

Also read: 7 complex movies that you should watch

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6) Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

A still from Star Wars: A New Hope (Image via 20th Century Fox)

When the Galactic Empire builds the Death Star, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) hides its stolen plans in droid R2-D2. Farmboy Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) teams with smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Jedi mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) to rescue her, then leads X-wings on a desperate trench run.

A pair of well-placed proton torpedoes detonates a pop-culture supernova whose glow still blankets cinema. More mythic fantasy than astrophysics, George Lucas’ 1977 opus forged the modern blockbuster: scrolling prologues, merch-ready designs, and a lived-in galaxy of battered starships.

John Williams’ soaring leitmotifs turned dogfights into symphonies, while Industrial Light & Magic’s model work rewrote visual-effects playbooks, paving paths for later grounded space movies like Gravity.

Where to watch: Disney+

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7) Alien (1979)

A still from Alien (Image via 20th Century Fox)

Commercial tug Nostromo answers a mysterious signal on desolate LV-426. After Executive Officer Kane (John Hurt) falls victim to a parasitic egg, a biomechanical xenomorph stalks the crew through air ducts and strobe-lit corridors.

Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) push for quarantine pits human caution against corporate greed, culminating in a desperate escape pod showdown. Ridley Scott fuses body horror with industrial grime, commissioning artist H.R. Giger to design a creature both erotic and terrifying.

The ship’s computer, nicknamed “Mother,” hints at icy oversight, while dripping chains and steam turn passageways into nightmares. Alien crystallizes space’s darkest truth: isolation magnifies every scream no one can hear, making it a standout among space movies.

Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+, AMC+

Also read: 7 time-travel movies that every sci-fi fan should watch

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From Kubrick’s cosmic ballet to Scott’s claustrophobic terror, these seven space movies reveal space as a mirror, a battleground, and an endless frontier. Whether one craves astrophysical rigor, emotional odysseys, or heart-pounding survival, this lineup of essential space movies proves the heavens are great cinema’s favorite sounding board for human hopes and fears.

Edited by Ankita Barat