Internet Best Space Films?

[Swigert]

I've seen my fair share of space flicks, but I can easily list my top 5. Please note that this is my opinion! What are YOUR top 5, or 10 favorite space movies?

1) Apollo 13
What was just, as far as the media was concerned, a "routine" flight to the moon, the world had lost interest in space flight. But that all changed until the words "Huston, we've had a problem" were heard at Mission Control. Starring Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon, this is definitely worth seeing if you haven't already.

2) Apollo 18
Although clearly untrue (I've counted about 65 or so pieces of evidence that the film isn't what they say it is), the studios claim that the movies actually recovered mission recordings from the canceled mission Apollo 18. The LMP and Commander encounter, as I describe them, "gray lunar bugs that hatch from rocks". Despite it being fake, the movie is still pretty good.

3) Space Camp
Although about 25 years old, and cheesy in some scenes, this film is still pretty good. 5 kids from Space Camp and an astronaut and director at Space Camp are sent to Space Shuttle Atlantis for the main engine tests. Due to a thermal curtain failure, they are forcefully launched into orbit and use the ISS, which is still under construction at the time, to get back home.

4) Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon (documentary)
This film is pretty educational, more so for kids around age 5-14, but it still teaches about the Apollo program and the moon and whatnot. The kids interviewed in the film are also pretty cute.

5) Astronaut Farmer
Although a very unpopular film, it is still very good and gives out a good message that if you have a dream, you should follow it. A Texan ranch owner, Charles Farmer builds his own functional replica of the Mercury Atlas rocket and launches himself into orbit. This film also gives a good family lesson too, that through thick and thin, families can always work out their conflicts.

What are your favorite space films? Post 'em below!

 

[Ghostrider]

1) Apollo 13: gets stuff right more than it gets wrong, it hammers home the awesomeness of Apollo missions with the strength of an F1 engine strapped to your seat. For the space tech enthusiast, lots of hardcore vintage hardware porn.

2) Gravity: gets a lot of stuff wrong but not in a too-bad-oh-god-rip-my-eyeballs-out-please way. Gets the feeling of being "out there" right. Plenty of modern hardcore hardware porn.

3) Moonshot: yeah, I know, it's a TV movie. But it's good drama and has some softcore hardware porn, suitable for late cable TV. Anyway the moon shot is there, with good closeups. And it's got freakin' Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ON THE MOON!

4) Marooned: an oldie but a goldie. It's the space flick that freaked out a bona fide real-life astronaut's wife. And it's got massive ton of star power IN SPACE. Star. Power. In. Space. It's got Gregory Peck, Gene Hackman and Richard Crenna, by Missael! Again, cool vintage hardware porn, with some artistic license, and mostly the softcore variety.

5) Countdown: now this is a bit of an obscure piece about an attempt to get a man on the Moon ASAP with the intent of, one day, bring him back, which happened to be one of the considered (and rejected) options for a lunar mission back in the good ol' days. It stars James Caan and Robert Duvall. Yeah, you heard it right: Sonny Corleone and Tom Hagen get to play with rockets. Scary. Some nice softcore vintage hardware porn scenes here as well, if you like exotic stuff.

In five minutes I will be banging my head against a wall because I forgot a favourite of mine so I must hit the POST button NOW.

 

[Urwumpe]

1) "Apollo 13", hard to beat
2) "Moon", lots of simple science fiction done right.
3) "Space Cowboys" - who wouldn't want to try this at home?
4) "Elysium", despite not really being a space movie
5) "Star Trek - First Contact" - Magic Carpet Ride!

 

[Loru]

I'll give 2 lists: first for realistic/real/near tech and "close" sci-fi and second for more far in the future/more handwavium

LIST 1

1. Apollo 13 - Simpy the best space movie up to date. Great script, cast, music and visual effects. Also IMO Ed Harris "nailed" Gene Krantz

2. Gravity - Mostly visual feast for spaceflight fan. Characters could be written better. I dropped a tear when shuttle has been destroyed.

3. Right stuff - I loved interpersonal play between characters.

4. Space Cowboys - I consider it very entertaining. Need some suspension of disbelief but pretty solid overall.

5. Marooned - really good for its time.


LIST 2 (not including TV series or spinoffs of thereoff)

1. 2001 A Space Odyssey
2. Alien
3. Sunshine
4. Forbidden Planet
5. Titan A.E.

 

[Kyle]

1. Apollo 13
2. 2001 A Space Odyssey
3. Gravity
4. Contact
5. Moon

Honorable mentions:
October Sky and Space Cowboys

 

[Matias Saibene]

I admit that most are not scientifically correct films (even some are for children), but in my short experience, the following are the 5 films that I liked:

1 - Apollo 13. I loved it, it is also historically correct. The selection of the soundtrack is excellent, and the action scenes and suspense are immersive.

. 2 - Deep Impact.

. 3 - Mission to Mars

. 4 - Wall-E

. 5 - Star Wars - A new hope

 

[Swigert]

I loved Space Cowboys, it's a GREAT film, but it isn't the type I'd be willing to watch again and again.

 

[TMac3000]

1) I don't dare not say Apollo 13--I would be disqualified as a space geek
2) 2001: A Space Odyssey
3) Return of the Jedi
4) Mission to Mars
5) Alien

Honorable mentions:
Deep Impact--awesome visuals and plot (and Tea Leoni:hitit, but just too damn sad. Like a sci-fi version of Titanic

Signs--border-line off-topic, but this was a really thoughtful and heart-wrenching film.

K-Pax

 

[RisingFury]

LIST 2 (not including TV series or spinoffs of thereoff)

1. 2001 A Space Odyssey
2. Alien
3. Sunshine
4. Forbidden Planet
5. Titan A.E.

This just shows a profound lack of space movies out there...

 

[Screamer7]

Everybody mentioned 2001 A Space Odyssey.
What about it's sequel, 2010?
In my view it was one of the best Space movies at that time.

 

[Codz]

1-2001: A Space Odyssey.

2-Apollo 13.

3-Moon.

4-The Right Stuff.

5-Europa Report.

6-2010: The Year We Make Contact.

7-Mission to Mars.

8-Red Planet.

9-Space Cowboys.

10-From Earth to The Moon.(miniseries)

 

[Unstung]

1. Moon
2. Apollo 13
3. The Right Stuff
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey
5. In the Shadow of the Moon


A decent space feature film is quite rare. Including science fiction would give a lot more options. I ran out of ideas for #5. Three of them are documentaries, two being docudramas. There are a handful of IMAX documentaries on the subject. More options are out there, two of which haven't been mentioned surprisingly: Contact and Silent Running.

Good miniseries includes From the Earth to the Moon, When We Left Earth, and Moon Machines.

 

[Izack]

I hate listing favourite films or books, because for one thing I always forget certain items, and my opinion changes pretty much weekly. I daren't break the Apollo 13 combo, though, so...

1. Apollo 13
2. 2001
3. Gravity
4. Alien
5. 2010

List subject to frequent drastic change.

Everybody mentioned 2001 A Space Odyssey.
What about it's sequel, 2010?
In my view it was one of the best Space movies at that time.

2010 is a far better film, film-wise. 2001 I personally thought was a cooler experience, though.

 

[GEScott71]

Great thread, as I see already a few movies I need to watch - haven't seen several of the movies listed above so not on my list doesn't mean they won't be at the top later.

At first I was thinking only 'realistic-ish' movies or documentaries, based on historical or likely near-future space stories. I just don't think of Aliens as a space movie, even though it is easily in my top 5 of all movies. If Aliens is a space movie, then is Transformers 3? But yet Aliens clearly fits in my list below...

And Apollo 13 is such an obvious top of the list that I left it off mine:

1)October Sky - Based on the true story of Homer Hickham, a coal miners son born in the 40's who built model rockets long before Estes, and became a NASA engineer. Surprised no one mentioned it yet. I watch it every October.

2)Event Horizon - Space horror, starship disappears on it's maiden voyage and is found later, awesome cast with Kathleen Quinlan, Lawrence Fishburne, and Sam Neill.

3)Serenity - Space Western. First movie I ever watched in HD. Bought my first HD TV for it. Continuation of the TV series by Joss Whedon (yes the Buffy guy).

4)Pandorum - Space horror, crew wakes up from hypersleep and all is not well.

5)Star Trek - First Contact - My favorite of all the Star Trek movies, as Urwumpe said Magic Carpet Ride!

6)Space Cowboys - Space Western. James Bond. Enough said.

7)The Challenger Disaster - Discovery Channel's documentary about physicist Richard Feynman's role in the Rogers Commission investigating the Challenger disaster.

 

[Andy44]

Apollo 13 is great, of course.

But if I was on a desert island and could bring only one movie with me, it would be 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's one of Kubrick's masterpieces, it's the "Lawrence of Arabia" of sci fi films. Beautiful. I can watch it over and over.

2010 is really good, too, as a space movie, but it's not even close to being the art film that 2001 was. The story was good, characters were good, writing, even the science was good (Discovery was tumbling end over end for a good reason! NOt just because it looked cool).

I second Marooned. It's basically a 1970 version of Gravity, but with better science.

Gravity is really good, too, of course, but mainly for the visuals, the survival drama, and Bullock's acting. The realism doesn't stand up to scrutiny, but the movie is still stunning.

Moon. A recent film starring Sam Rockwell which I think is pretty fantastic. I love that no CGI was used; it's all old school models and special effects, a work of love and a good story, too.

Too many others to list.
Destination Moon
Alien
Aliens
Wrath of Khan
Red Planet (don't flame me, bro! They at least tried with some of the science)
Silent Running

Lots of good movies that feature space travel but aren't really "space" movies, too.

 

[Castor]

1. Apollo 13
2. The Right Stuff
3. Contact
4. Gravity
5. Moon

 

[Urwumpe]

I still have my problems considering Serenity a Space Movie... But it sure is great. :lol:

 

[Wally]

In no particular order: Apollo 13, The Right Stuff, From the Earth to the Moon, Moonshot, Gravity, plus Armageddon, Space Cowboys, Alien and Star Trek, for entertaining.

 

[TMac3000]

Everybody mentioned 2001 A Space Odyssey.
What about it's sequel, 2010?
In my view it was one of the best Space movies at that time.

Agreed--that was a fantastic one. Especially that moment where Bowman turns into a Star Child right in front of Floyd. Mega-creepy, man
It was more action-oriented though, not so cerebral like 2001.

 

[martins]

While maybe not strictly space movies, I'd like to throw in
Contact, and The Dish.