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On April 10th, Artemis II landed safely back on Earth after a nine-day lunar flyby mission. On March 20th, Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, was released and grossed over $500 million at the box office. It’s looking like the year of space, so naturally, I had to compile a list of some of the best space travel films of our time.
- Interstellar (2014)
To start things off with a classic, and one of my all-time favorite films, we have none other than Interstellar. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar is the story of a father (Matthew McConaughey) who embarks on a risky space mission to find a new planet to inhabit in the face of Earth's environmental collapse. In return, he must leave behind his children for a devastating amount of time.
Interstellar is probably one of the most well-known space travel films out there, and for good reason. It features stunning cinematography that immerses the audience in unimaginable ways. The story is one of love and determination, a father's journey to preserve his children’s future, while also missing out on it.
- Apollo 13 (1995)
Apollo 13 was directed by Ron Howard and stars Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon. This is a film I only recently watched, inspired by the actual Apollo 13 mission in 1970, in which a lunar mission is called off after an oxygen tank explosion, and the real mission becomes about trying to survive the journey home.
Whenever I see Tom Hanks in a film, I’m ready for an emotional rollercoaster. Apollo 13 was no different. This film went beyond space travel, and I enjoyed getting a real look into the astronauts' personal lives. This made the peril they found themselves in more high-stakes for the audience, because at that point, we knew these characters, their personalities, and their families. While the crew are in space, we get to see the effects this complication has on the home base, as well as in their home lives.
I also appreciated the focus on the scientists that made it all happen; this is an aspect that is sometimes left up to the astronauts in many space films. But in Apollo 13 we get to see the work done behind the curtain, and follow the team that attempts to save the lives of the crew.
- Passengers (2016)
This next film differs a bit from the others in the list, as it’s more of a romance film that takes place in space. Passengers is directed by Morten Tyldum, and stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. During a journey through space carrying thousands of passengers to a space colony, Jim and Aurora’s cryopods malfunction, causing them to wake up 90 years earlier than everyone else. They’re trapped in a spacecraft with every luxury at their fingertips, but once they discover the ship is damaged, they must find a way to save the lives of everyone on board.
Passengers tells the story of what isolation can do to a person; humans are social creatures after all. In moments of desperation and loneliness, you could be capable of making devastating choices. This is definitely the most romance-filled film on the list, but it doesn’t overshadow the sci-fi elements and balances the two well.
- The Martian (2015)
I would be remiss to leave out yet another classic, The Martian, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon. The film follows astronaut Mark Watney, who’s left behind on a space mission to Mars after he’s presumed dead. He must figure out a way to survive on a seemingly uninhabitable planet.
What I love about this film is that despite following one character for the majority of the film, you never feel bored. It’s also pretty funny, which is an aspect I always welcome in my sci-fi films. Despite being a space film, there are times when it doesn’t necessarily feel like one, and not in a bad way!
If you enjoyed Project Hail Mary and found yourself dreaming of exploring space, be warned that these films will leave you with even more ideas of jetting out of the atmosphere.
