{"id":501531,"date":"2026-03-29T09:17:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T09:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/501531\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T09:17:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T09:17:24","slug":"the-12-best-space-films-from-gravity-to-solaris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/501531\/","title":{"rendered":"The 12 best space films, from Gravity to Solaris"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hollywood\u2019s prayers have been answered by Project Hail Mary \u2013 a tale of interstellar high jinks and alien friendship starring a never-more-charming Ryan Gosling<\/a> and which has become the biggest box office debut of the year so far. It is a reminder that few genres are more awe-inducing than science fiction that focuses on the literal nuts and bolts of putting people in space and which sets out to deliver zero-G thrills with at least a degree of realism.<\/p>\n

These films lean into the scientific aspects of space exploration, while the more fantastical likes of Star Wars<\/a> or Star Trek<\/a> handwave them away and reach for their lightsabers and transporter beams. That commitment to authenticity makes for riveting viewing, as the following countdown of the best space movies ever demonstrates. <\/p>\n

12.\u00a0Ad Astra\u00a0(2019)<\/p>\n

\"ThisBrad Pitt\u2019s charm lifts a slow-paced tale of an astronaut searching for his father in deep space (Photo: Francois Duhamel\/ 20th Century Fox \/ AP)<\/p>\n

Brad Pitt\u2019s<\/a> movie-star charm puts the rocket boosters under the slow-paced tale of an astronaut who heads into deep space in search of his missing father. On his journey from Earth to Neptune, Roy (Pitt) is exposed to the wonders but also the horrors of the cosmos \u2013 including Mad Max-style raiders on the Moon and, further out, an angry space baboon. That makes Ad Astra sound like Brad Pitt-does-Star Wars. But this is, in fact, an elegiac movie, full of wonder and grounded by a sombre central turn by Pitt. It also goes nicely OTT in the final face-off when Pitt\u2019s character tracks down his dad \u2013 also an astronaut and played with bug-eyed zeal by Tommy Lee Jones.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Netflix<\/a> and Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n

11.\u00a0The Right Stuff\u00a0(1983)<\/p>\n

\"Film:\u2018The Right Stuff\u2019 is based on Tom Wolfe\u2019s non-fiction chronicling of the American space programme from the 1940s to 1960s<\/p>\n

The daunting task of turning Tom Wolfe\u2019s non-fiction chronicling of the American space programme from the 1940s to the 1960s into a movie is carried off with verve in Philip Kaufman\u2019s love letter to Nasa\u2019s formative decades. Starting with dashing test pilots such as Chuck Yeager and telling the story of the first Americans in space, the movie manages to be both a forensic chronicling of Nasa\u2019s conquest of the final frontier and also a breathless tribute to the courageous figures who boldly went where no one had gone before. Headed by a dashing Sam Shepard as Yeager and Ed Harris as John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, a quality cast seals the deal.<\/p>\n

Available to rent or buy on YouTube<\/a>, Apple TV<\/a>, Prime Video<\/a> and Sky Store<\/a><\/p>\n

10.\u00a0Gravity\u00a0(2013)<\/p>\n

\"Film:Sandra Bullock stars as Ryan Stone, an astronaut left tumbling to Earth<\/p>\n

Sandra Bullock faces the challenging task of holding the camera\u2019s attention for 90 minutes here, with her portrayal of an astronaut left tumbling in Earth\u2019s orbit after a spacewalk goes awry and her fellow astronaut (George Clooney<\/a>) meets a sticky end. While there\u2019s not much to Gravity beyond Bullock hyperventilating in the void, bravura film-making by Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n makes it thrilling to watch. Viewers will feel they\u2019re up there with Bullock, tumbling about in the dark as she uses scientific know-how to strategise her return to Earth. A huge hit, it also created a splash during awards season, winning seven Oscars including Best Director for Cuar\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Now<\/a><\/p>\n

9.\u00a0First Man\u00a0(2018)<\/p>\n

\"ThisRyan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong in a scene from \u2018First Man\u2019 (Photo: Universal Pictures \/AP)<\/p>\n

Damien Chazelle\u2019s biopic about the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong<\/a> (the clue is in the title), didn\u2019t quite achieve lift-off on its release and was considered a box-office failure. However, rewatched today, it dazzles as an ode to stoicism in the face of challenges both professional and personal. Ryan Gosling is gripping as a no-drama astronaut who goes straight back to his desk after he almost dies in a test flight, but whose love for his late daughter is ultimately revealed to be the force that drives him to go further than anyone has ever gone before.<\/p>\n

Available to rent or buy on YouTube<\/a>, Apple TV<\/a>, Prime Video<\/a> and Sky Store<\/a><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Sunshine\u00a0(2007)<\/p>\n

\"FILM...Cillian Murphy leads the cast in Danny Boyle\u2019s elegant sci-fi thriller \u2018Sunshine\u2019<\/p>\n

Up close, the sun is revealed to be a hellish horror in Danny Boyle\u2019s<\/a> elegant sci-fi thriller about a mission to the heart of the solar system that goes disastrously awry. The, ahem, stellar ensemble cast is headed by Cillian Murphy<\/a>, Rose Byrne and Michelle Yeoh, while Mark Strong is the villainous deranged space captain. However, the real draw is Boyle\u2019s cool directorial eye and the way he matter-of-factly depicts the terrifying majesty of the great ball of fire upon which we all depend for life.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Disney+<\/a> and Prime Video<\/a><\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Apollo 13\u00a0(1995)<\/p>\n

\"Film,Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton in zero gravity in a scene from the film \u2018Apollo 13\u2019 (Photo: Universal\/ Getty)<\/p>\n

Ron Howard\u2019s folksy film-making style is the perfect match for this unashamedly stirring tale of the doomed Apollo 13 mission \u2013 and of the professionalism of the crew both in orbit (played by Tom Hanks<\/a>, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon) and back at Mission Control (led by Ed Harris), who together ensure that no lives are lost as disaster strikes.<\/p>\n

Available to rent or buy on YouTube<\/a>, Apple TV<\/a>, Prime Video<\/a> and Sky Store<\/a><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Armageddon\u00a0(1998)<\/p>\n

\"FILM:\u2018Armageddon\u2019 features a wonderful gonzo turn by Bruce Willis<\/p>\n

Michael Bay\u2019s over-the-top romp is today remembered as much for Ben Affleck\u2019s withering commentary as for anything in the film itself. Invited to share his thoughts on the movie that helped seal his stardom for its DVD release, Affleck expresses his disdain for the ludicrous plot about a crack squad of oil drillers who must travel to an asteroid and excavate its core so that a nuclear bomb can be used to destroy it. <\/p>\n

Why not just train astronauts to drill and send them instead, says Affleck, unable to hide his scorn for the popcorn premise. You wonder if Affleck was missing the point of this ludicrous film. Armageddon brings the over-the-top style of 1990s action cinema to the world of science fiction with results both ridiculous and riveting \u2013 and featuring a wonderful gonzo turn by Bruce Willis<\/a> as the father of Affleck\u2019s girlfriend (Liv Tyler).<\/p>\n

Streaming on Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0The Martian\u00a0(2015)<\/p>\n

\"TheIn \u2018The Martian\u2019, Matt Damon plays an astronaut stranded on the Red Planet (Photo: Aidan Monaghan\/Twentieth Century Fox)<\/p>\n

Before Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir was best known for his breakout novel The Martian, about an astronaut stranded on the Red Planet who survives through sheer ingenuity. The book is brought faithfully to the screen by Ridley Scott. His smartest move was casting Matt Damon as an everyman deep-space explorer who keeps his wits \u2013 and his witticisms \u2013 about him as he plots his survival and keeps Nasa updated via wisecracking video messages beamed back to Earth.<\/p>\n

Streaming on BBC iPlayer<\/a> and Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Silent Running\u00a0(1972)<\/p>\n

\"Film,\u2018Silent Running\u2019, starring Bruce Dern, captures the sheer, empty horror of space (Photo: Sci-Fi Channel)<\/p>\n

The sheer, empty horror of space is captured in this 1970s classic about an interstellar botanist (Bruce Dern) who has created a nursery of plants that have gone extinct on Earth. When he receives orders to destroy the garden, he rebels and heads out into deep space with nobody for company apart from a trio of quirky androids. Silent Running combines the cold grandeur of space with the gritty chill of 1970s cinema while robots Huey, Dewey, and Louie offer light relief from the bleakness with their cutesy personalities.<\/p>\n

Available to rent or buy on YouTube<\/a>, Apple TV<\/a>, Prime Video<\/a> and Sky Store<\/a><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Solaris\u00a0(1972)<\/p>\n

\"Film:Tarkovsky\u2019s \u2018Solaris\u2019 gets inside the head of a cosmonaut<\/p>\n

This chilly classic from Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky conveys the eerie horror of leaving Earth behind for the mysterious vastness of space. Slow-moving and sometimes surreal, it gets inside the head of cosmonaut Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) as he is sent off to a space station orbiting a fictional planet (Solaris), which is governed by an alien intelligence that can remake the rules of reality itself.<\/p>\n

Available to rent or buy on YouTube<\/a>, Apple TV<\/a>, Prime Video,<\/a> and Curzon<\/a><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Interstellar\u00a0(2014)<\/p>\n

\"IceChristopher Nolan made the ultimate big-brained blockbuster in \u2018Interstellar\u2019 (Photo: Warner Brothers Pictures)<\/p>\n

Coming off his Dark Knight movies, Christopher Nolan<\/a> left the Batcave and blasted off into space with the story of an astronaut (peak \u201cMcConaissance\u201d Matthew McConaughey) who signs up for a mission to save the Earth even though he knows it will rip apart his family. A teenage Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet<\/a> plays Tom, Coop\u2019s son, but the movie\u2019s heartbeat is a riveting performance by Jessica Chastain as Murph, the daughter Coop leaves behind when he bounds across the galaxy. With Nolan behind the lens, you know you\u2019re going to get the ultimate big-brained blockbuster. He digs into the physics of long-distance space travel, showing how the further you get from Earth, the more time can be bent and reshaped.<\/p>\n

Streaming on HBO Max<\/a><\/p>\n

1.\u00a02001: A\u00a0Space\u00a0Odyssey\u00a0(1968)<\/p>\n

\"GaryThe haunting chronicling of a mission to Jupiter is a cinematic landmark (Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer\/Getty)<\/p>\n

Kubrick\u2019s haunting chronicling of a mission to Jupiter is a cinematic landmark for a reason. Not only did he give us the first weaponised AI in the bonkers HAL 9000, but the film also pushed the envelope with its stunning special effects. The movie\u2019s ending is admittedly confusing \u2013 why is there a giant baby floating in space? \u2013 but for sheer spectacle, this classic is in a category of its own.<\/p>\n

Streaming on Prime Video<\/a>, Apple TV<\/a> and Sky Store<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hollywood\u2019s prayers have been answered by Project Hail Mary \u2013 a tale of interstellar high jinks and alien…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,120794,2839,416,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-501531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-film-guides","tag-movies","tag-space","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}