Spacecraft Films
Since 1902, filmmakers have explored space through cinema. However, few movies capture the sheer awe and wonder of humanity’s first steps into space quite as powerfully as First Man does.
Pandorum and Alien: Covenant feature stories of space travel gone horribly awry, while High Life presents more existential horror as its society descends further into hedonism and despair.
1. First Man
Space movies tend to take one of two approaches when it comes to directorship: they either focus on the technical specifications of an endeavor (Hidden Figures), or they use fantasy elements to evoke a grandiose journey into space (Apollo 13).
Damien Chazelle, director of La La Land and Whiplash, presents something entirely unique in First Man. While its moments of spectacle remain captivating, First Man also explores Neil Armstrong’s inner world while he works towards accomplishing his single greatest achievement.
Gosling and Foy give exceptional performances as lead protagonists of this movie, which covers much of what happened during the Apollo program without getting bogged down in unnecessary details. Making an accurate space movie without overdoing things is no small task!
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 space epic is widely recognized as an influential sci-fi classic, exploring both human technology and its possible perils. HAL 9000 symbolizes how problems may arise when humans attempt to design machines whose inner workings they don’t fully comprehend.
The film opens with an iconic sequence depicting a leader ape throwing a bone into space and match-cutting to a missile, symbolizing evolution’s progression from tool to weapon. Actor Gary Lockwood mentions in the audio DVD commentary of this scene that the first satellite was actually an armed nuclear weapon, making the “bone-to-weapon” cut all the more striking.
Kubrick created his Jupiter scenes using what critic Michael Benson describes as “abstract, nonrepresentational space-time astonishments,” inspired by his observations of space flight sequences found in Graphic Films’ To the Moon and Beyond.
3. The Martian
The Martian serves as an important reminder that science is more than facts and figures; it’s about creativity, problem-solving and perseverance.
Families can use the movie to discuss how science and engineering combine to build spacecraft and explore space technology. Furthermore, they can study its characters which were inspired by real astronauts and NASA scientists.
The film stars an ensemble cast, including Matt Damon as Mark Watney stranded on Earth; Chiwetel Ejiofor as mission director; Jeff Daniels as JPL head; Kristen Wiig as public relations director for NASA; Sean Bean and Benedict Wong rounding off Ares 3 crew.
4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Fans were delighted by Harrison Ford and Chewbacca’s return, yet Daisy Ridley proved herself as a key component in Star Wars: Rogue One by performing Rey. Daisy Ridley proved herself as an extraordinary actress while also showing that the franchise is ready to move beyond gendered conventions in its portrayals of female characters.
One of the key moments in Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes when Luke stops for a moment on Tatooine to observe a binary sunset; it symbolizes Kepler’s discovery of planet diversity while showing that this franchise no longer needs a dystopian narrative to resonate with modern audiences.
There are still a few holes in The Force Awakens that it would be easy to chalk up to Disney’s use of its Expanded Universe for backstory purposes, yet these issues remain relatively minor quibbles.
5. The Martian
As opposed to other sci-fi films that pull you from reality (Alien, Blade Runner), The Martian brings the future alive both spectacularly and mundanely. Matt Damon gives an outstanding performance as the protagonist while infusing humor into critical technical issues that threaten human life.
The Martian, based on Andy Weir’s novel, follows an astronaut stranded on Mars after an intense sand storm and thought dead by his crewmates. Instead, he finds ways to survive on this distant world and continue with NASA training despite their presumed presumed demise. Jessica Chastain as Commander Lewis provides a terrific example of female leadership roles without becoming romantic subplots with male leads.