1. Interstellar

This is a movie that you can watch over and over again and still find something new each time.  This is more of a thinking person’s movie.  The Story of Christopher Nolan has exciting and dense moments that will widen your eyes and will make you hardly breathe. The characters feel incredibly real and their sacrifices will hit you hard because it highlights the importance of family.

Following an astronaut crew that is seeking a planet for humanity to inhabit because of the earth’s current state.  It’s an amazingly constructed character drama with large stakes that will glue your eyes to the screen.

2. The Martian

Survival stories are always interesting. Based on Andy Weir’s acclaimed Sci-Fi novel The Martian, it is a smart, fun and exciting story about an astronaut who is stranded on Mars. He was trying to find a way to let Earth know that he is still up there.

As entertaining and lighthearted as Ridley Scott’s film is, there are moments when we truly feel the film and remind us how dire the hero situation is.  This is a testament to the ability of both the writer and director.

3. A Space Odyssey

This is a 2001 film which showed what is possible in Sci-Fi cinema.  The story was a result of almost two years of intensive discussion between Kubrick and Sci-Fi novelist Arthur C Clarke. It took even longer to execute with the director beginning filming in 1965 and finally in the film’s effects in 1968.  Stanley Kubrick might famously never have one of the Best Director Oscar but he did it take home one Academy Award for 2001 visual effects.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy

One of the best Marvel movies up to date. This movie is a feel good space adventure with a band of characters. The superhero film is surprisingly down to earth given its setting and is not done by dense explanations for plot lines.  The first insight into the Marvel cinematic Universe that has not been really explored before.  It has shared knowledge of infinity stones and closer look at Thanos and also it redefined Chris Pratt as an action actor.

5. Apollo 13

On 11th of April 1970 a crewed Apollo mission was launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.  It was to land on the moon and to establish the early history of both the moon and earth.  Two days into the journey an oxygen tank and the spacecraft’s service module exploded.  This made their flight path change to loop them around the moon and bring them back to earth what’s difficult.  Tom Hanks plays Astronaut Jim Lavelle as a capable man dealing with the crisis.  This painstakingly accurate film remains peerless, utterly convincing in every shot and every gesture.

6. First Man (2018)

First Man is directed by Damien Chazelle.  The movie stars Ryan Gosling who takes the character of Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon.  This is the story of his family life and the difficulty leading up to getting on that mission.

The film focuses more on his family, the medical condition that affected his young daughter Karen and how much pain that cost him and his family.  The crew in the film is phenomenal who performed tremendously in the film.

7. The Right Stuff

This 1983 historical drama based on Tom Wolf’s book of the same name shows the grueling medical and physical tests the Mercury Seven endured to qualify for spaceflight and highlights the dangers they faced in the early space program. The film was heavily praised by critics despite its somewhat shocking lackluster box office returns the right stuff was nominated for Academy Awards including best picture. They won for the sound, original score, sound editing and film editing.

8. Moon

This is a 2009 film by Duncan Jones.   His directorial debut is a moving twist on the stranded and space trope.  It follows Sam Bell who is nearing the end of a free year stint mining Helium on the far side of the moon when he starts hallucinating. It’s a desolate emotional film that stands apart from any other space films in terms of tone with stunning cinematography and Sam Rockwell steering performance as the protagonist.

9. Gravity

A marvelous spectacle, Gravity is a non-stop thrill ride with an amazing backdrop. This is a 2013 film by Alfonso Cuaron, a 7 time Oscar winning outer space thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as stranded astronauts doing whatever it takes to return home.  As evidenced by the earth’s gravity which was received warmly by both critics and fans who looked forward to realistic visual performance on the leads and their incredible score.

The story is fully immersed with the struggle of the astronaut and the way it’s filmed makes us really think that we are in space.

10. Sunshine

This movie is slow and tense but never dull.  These qualities propel Sunshine to greatness. The way it combines multiple subgenres makes it stand out from the ground. There is a large ensemble of characters and each brings something different to the mission, the mission being to reignite the dying sun.

The varied crew personalities and skills work together to create a satisfying journey of discovery and problem solving with a tremendous final act.