With Gravity, The Martian and Interstellar, movies about astronauts found, in the recent years, three wonderful, although very different, variants. However, not always astonishing special effects were necessary in order to picture cosmic explorations on the silver screen: starting already with Méliès’ Trip to the Moon, filmmakers proved a strong interest in spaceships, planets and space crafts. Among comedies and animated movies, there are many remarkable films, and, to mention at least two, it is impossible not to think of Kubrick’s Odyssey and the likewise powerful Solaris by Tarkovsky, considered by many the soviet response to the American masterpiece.

Best movies about space: true stories

One of the most fascinating sides of this topic is its position in the limbo that both divides and links actual astronautics and science fiction. Generally speaking, a univocal definition of science fiction is basically impossible: there are too many possible variations, and, in addition to this simple assertion, technological progress makes real and possible what was just considered futuristic speculation just a few decades ago. Just over a century passed from Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon to First Man, however, between this two works there was the landing on the moon, and what seemed to be a foolish fantasy in the former became a detailed chronicle in the latter. Who knows if one day we will be able to say the same about 2001: A Space Odyssey? Also Apollo 13 and The Right Stuff are included in the list of movies based upon real events, and so are Hidden Figures and October Sky, even if a proper setting in space is missing from these movies; they focus more on physics and ballistic science.

The different genres: movies about Russian astronauts and those on Mars and on the Moon

Opposed to realistic astronautics, there are movies set in a distant or indefinite future, and for this setting the Star Wars and Star Trek sagas are obviously unmissable. “Star wars” was also the term used to describe, in the second post-war period, the race for the space led by the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. through space missions. Notoriously, the first great blows were scored by the Soviets: Gagarin - First in Space is the perfect movie to learn something about the famous cosmonaut, whereas the recent Salyut-7 tells the story of a mission that took place in 1985. From a strictly cinematic point of view (which means that these movies are not inspired by real events), the most important among the Russian movies about space are Solaris, already mentioned, and On the SIlver Globe.

Those who have in mind some more accurate astronomical references may focus on the movies about Mars (among the many, Red Planet and Mission to Mars deserve a mention) or turn to films about the Moon, such as First Man, already mentioned, or the wonderful Moon.

Space movies for kids and youngsters

For those who want to explore the stars with their children there is nothing better than WALL·E, even though the theme of the space mission is a little undertone in comparison to the ecological message. Zathura - A Space Adventure” is a pleasant family movie with a somehow excessive debt towards Jumanji. For youth a little more grown-up, October Sky remains a masterpiece, but also The Martian can work pretty well as a family movie. Apollo 13 is often chosen by secondary school teachers to be seen with students: its main quality is the perfect balance between emotion and historical accuracy, and moreover there is the involvement coming from the fact that it is a true story.

Recent movies about astronauts: in 2019, “Ad Astra”, starring Brad Pitt

If the history of space movies holds no more secrets for you and you thirst for something new, keep in mind that the list, by default, is sorted by release date, starting from the most recent movies about space: in addition to many of the movies that were already mentioned, there is the interesting case of The Cloverfield Paradox. Life is a valid science fiction thriller, sadly penalised by the excessive affinity with the unmatchable Alien. Geostorm is a passable sideshow only for those looking for cheap entertainment and spectacularity. Passengers is a rare example of a science fiction romance, a mix that turned out well, all things considered, also thanks to the good couple of protagonists. Ad Astra, starring Brad Pitt, was presented at the Venice Film Festival in 2019.