Our Top 5 Space Movies
See who made our lists in a genre packed with all-timers
The space movie has a rich history, dating all the way back to Georges Melies’ silent film A Trip to the Moon in 1902. Between then and now, there have been countless trips to space on film, some of them fun escapades, some of them terrifying depictions, and still others that innovate the filmmaking in astounding ways. As a tie-in with the release of Pixar’s Lightyear this weekend, Drew and Billy are each running down their top 5 space movies.
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Drew’s Top 5
2001: A Space Odyssey
Since 1968 everybody making a space movie has been squinting up in awe at the granddaddy of them all, Stanley Kubrick’s epic masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. This film looks and sounds so breathtaking and impossibly ahead of its time that some people have taken up the conspiracy that Kubrick helped the government fake the moon landing one year later. While the technical accomplishment is mind-blowing even today, the deliberate pacing and oblique storytelling of a movie made at this scale is completely alien to the blockbusters we have today. This ambiguous (or impenetrable) quality contributes to the timeless mystery that keeps us gazing up at 2001 in wonder over 50 years later, and it’s part of why nobody will top Kubrick’s visionary space odyssey.Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
From a one-of-a-kind trailblazer to one of the great sequels of all-time, space movies can contain multitudes. It’s safe to say the pop entertainment of Star Wars doesn’t happen without the example set by 2001. And while the original Star Wars could easily take this spot, The Empire Strikes Back is the darker and even more compelling continuation of the saga. George Lucas made it possible for space movies to be simultaneously fun and a home for epic storytelling.
Alien
Outer space is scary and unforgiving enough, so Ridley Scott said, let’s make a horror movie where a deadly alien is set loose on a spaceship. With excellent writing and direction, terrifying effects work, and an outstanding performance by Sigourney Weaver, Alien will always stand the test of time for both how good it looks and how unnervingly suspenseful it is. It’s difficult to see how another space movie could match both its innovative craft and still possess the same white-knuckle terror at its heart.
Gravity
Since Gravity rocked my world when I saw it in theaters almost a decade ago, I’ve been surprised that it hasn’t had the staying power of other movies that came out around the same time (like #5 on my list). To me, this is not only one of the best space movies ever, but one of the best cinematic accomplishments of the 21st century. Alfonso Cuaron’s tale of two astronauts stranded in space trying to make their way back to Earth merges artistic vision, exhilarating set pieces, and an emotional core into one wild ride. It’s the kind of movie that resets what you thought was possible for cinema.Interstellar
If you’re looking for the most ambitious movie of the last couple decades, Interstellar has a good argument. Coming off The Dark Knight trilogy, there was no better time for Christopher Nolan to make his grand space story. Everything about this movie – the stunning visual effects, complex storytelling, and heady themes – was designed to blow you away. I think Nolan succeeded in doing this, but even if you don’t hold Interstellar in the same regard as I do, there’s no denying he set out to make the most ambitious space film this side of 2001.
Billy’s Top 5
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
To be honest, my list is dangerously close to Drew’s, and to give you all some variety I wanted to give you five more movies that are different and should be added to your list… except this one. This just needs to be at the top of the list. The visually most interesting Star Wars entry and many of the tropes we know and love at its origin. Because of pure exhaustion George Lucas decided to hand off the reins to his beloved series that wasn’t quite a beloved series yet, so quite a bold move. Director Irvin Kershner took the helm and should be given more credit for what Star Wars is today.
Galaxy Quest
Sorry for writing about this one again so soon, but I’m on a poppy space movie kick in my top 3. From Spaceballs to the Star Trek universe, but with a caveat. Galaxy Quest is actually cosplaying as a Star Trek movie, a story that folds in on itself and is acutely aware of what it is doing without incessantly winking at the audience. The winking happens at the beginning with a ton of hilarious bits, but once we delve into the “reality” of this story each actor completely commits to an absurdly fun space story.Aliens
Sequels… they can annoy me as much as anyone, but when they are done well it really is so exciting. Aliens is our follow up to Alien. The original being an incredibly simple story that is one of the more effective horror experiences of all-time. Easily the scariest movie ever set in space. So following up is quite the risk because horror sequels often lose their steam when the formula is rehashed again for the sequel. Luckily, the sequel is in the hands of the greatest sci-fi director of all-time in James Cameron. He toned down the horror, only slightly, and added absurd (in the best possible way) action to take down these horrifying aliens. Ellen Ripley gets even more badass while being a motherly protector towards our newly introduced orphan, Newt.First Man
Damien Chazelle’s most recent movie and a really odd follow-up to his Oscar-winning La La Land. A biopic about Neil Armstrong, an iconic figure, but one that has always felt like an enigma. Not out in the limelight all that much. Rumored actor in a Stanley Kubrick production. A quiet individual with not seemingly much baggage to put on screen. Well, that is exactly the character that is put on screen. Ryan Gosling plays Armstrong and is portraying him as quiet, subverting, and distant. Yet, that is part of the reason why this biopic is so unique. That is why I enjoyed being with this character. He seemed to encompass a lot of men from that generation. A man thrown in the limelight without ever wanting it. Or at least, never letting on that he liked it. When a friend of mine, who is a new father to a wonderful boy, got to the end of this movie he lost it, prompting me to re-watch recently, and man, I forgot how this movie packed a punch. It Trojan horses you into being incredibly emotional at the end. Chazelle is one of our best living directors and this is by far his most underrated.WALL-E
Pixar’s most inventive story. Essentially a silent film masquerading as a movie for kids. Don’t worry parents, it is for sure a movie for kids, but doesn’t have many of the things that kids love. Hence why WALL-E has probably aged better than any Pixar movie thus far. The world WALL-E is set in is the world it warns the audience it will get if we live the way we are living now. Seeing these human characters finally come into play about an hour in is a grotesque moment. Automation dependent and a disregard for being stewards to the world we have been gifted. Luckily our little WALL-E is a constant ray of hope that is worthy of following on this strange and poignant adventure. Plus, WALL-E has a crush which is so damn cute. Love this little guy.
Links
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With Lightyear hitting theaters, The Ringer has been celebrating Pixar movies all week. Head over there to see who’s winning the Pixar character bracket and more. Also, check out our Top 10 Pixar movies ranking from late 2020.