Hollywood has always been obsessed with outer space and has produced some of the best astronaut movies. Whether they’re based on true events or entirely unrealistic, these best astronaut movies have molded the way we see life beyond our planet. While some dream of becoming one of the first people on Mars, others just want a little escape from the problems that trouble our world.
Grab a bucket full of popcorn as we’re about to begin a countdown of the best astronaut movies produced by Hollywood:
Best Astronaut Movies of All Time
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
IMDb Ratings- 8.3/10
Available on- Netflix
Plot- After finding a strange artifact buried under the Lunar surface, astronauts set off on a journey to discover its origins with assistance from intelligent supercomputer H.A.L. 9000. This movie by Stanley Kubrick was made ahead of its time.
The Right Stuff (1983)
IMDb Ratings- 7.8/10
Available on- Amazon Prime
Plot- This is the story of the initial Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants plan to the space program. The movie by Philip Kaufman shows how no one had any clue about running a space program or how to select people for it, back in those days.
Apollo 13 (1995)
IMDb Ratings- 7.6/10
Available on- Amazon Prime
Plot- This movie tells the tale of how NASA devised a plan to return Apollo 13 to Earth securely after the spacecraft encountered extensive internal damage and put the lives of the three astronauts on board in danger. This Tom Hanks-starring flick is based on a novel, Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger.
Interstellar (2014)
IMDb Ratings- 8.6/10
Available on- Netflix
Plot- A team of explorers travels through a wormhole in space to try to assure humanity’s survival. This movie, directed by Christopher Nolan, takes you into a future where Earth is no longer inhabitable.
The Martian (2015)
IMDb Ratings- 8/10
Available on- Hotstar
Plot- An astronaut gets stranded on Mars after his team thinks he’s dead. He needs to rely on his ability to discover a way to indicate his team on Earth that he is alive.
Alien (1979)
IMDb Ratings- 8.4/10
Available on- Amazon Prime
Plot- After a space merchant vessel gets an anonymous communication as a distress call, one of the crew is attacked by a strange life form and the team soon realizes that its life cycle has only begun. The crew of the spaceship Nostromo sets out to investigate the origin of this alien.
Gravity (2013)
IMDb Ratings- 7.7/10
Available on- Netflix
Plot- Two astronauts, Dr. Ryan Stone and Matt Kowalski struggle together to endure after an accident leaves them stranded in space.
Space Cowboys (2000)
IMDb Ratings- 6.4/10
Available on- Amazon Prime
Plot- When retired engineer Frank Corvin is requested to save a dying satellite, he orders that his equally old teammates accompany him into space.
Contact (1997)
IMDb Ratings- 7.4/10
Available on- YouTube
Plot- This is the story of Dr. Ellie Arroway, who after years of searching, discovers definitive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, conveying plans for a strange machine.
Mission to Mars (2000)
IMDb Ratings- 5.7/10
Available on- YouTube
Plot- When the first manned mission to Mars faces a catastrophic and unnatural disaster after proclaiming a mysterious structure, a rescue mission is initiated to examine the wreck and bring back any survivors.
2010 (1984)
IMDb Ratings- 6.8/10
Available on- Amazon Prime
Plot- The movie tells the tale of a collective U.S.-Soviet journey that is sent to Jupiter to discover what befell upon the Discovery, and H.A.L. This movie is supposed to be a sequel of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Solaris (1972)
IMDb Ratings- 8.1/10
Available on- Amazon Prime
Plot- This Russian flick tells the story of a psychologist who is transferred to a station orbiting a distant planet to find what has made the crew go insane.
Marooned (1969)
IMDb Ratings- 5.9/10
Plot- Three astronauts Pruett, Lloyd, and Stone are stranded in space when the main engine of their spacecraft fails. Soon, they face difficulty as there is not enough oxygen for them until the rescue ship comes.
Sunshine (2007)
IMDb Ratings- 7.2/10
Available on- YouTube
Plot- A team of international astronauts is sent on a deadly mission to reignite the fading Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057. This movie by Danny Boyle is too ahead of its time.
Moon (2009)
IMDb Ratings- 7.9/10
Available on- Amazon Prime
Plot- Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially intimate encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, serving alongside his computer, GERTY, transfers back to Earth parcels of a resource that has assisted reduce our planet’s power difficulties.
Solaris (2002)
IMDb Ratings- 6.2/10
Available on- Amazon Prime
Plot- A distressed psychologist is assigned to examine the crew of a private research station orbiting a strange planet. The crew is investigating a spatial phenomenon where people from the crew members’ memories appear and interact with them. This George Clooney-starring flick is bound to intrigue you.
Rocket Man (1997)
IMDb Ratings- 5.9/10
Plot- An accident-prone and annoying man joins a NASA space mission to Mars. During the flight, he manages to put himself and the entire crew in danger. Later on, he emerges as a hero when his colleagues require him to rescue them from the ruthless surface of the red planet.
Passengers (2016)
IMDb Ratings- 7/10
Available on- Netflix
Plot- During a journey to a remote colony planet, Jim Preston’s hypersleep pod suffers a malfunction, and it wakes him up. He and fellow passenger Aurora Lane must work together to stop their spaceship from encountering a disaster.
We hope that these best astronaut movies take you to a galaxy far, far away. Also, click here to know some best detective movies of all time!
