It’s impossible to say when, exactly, mankind first dreamed of traveling into outer space, but ever since we got the idea in our heads we never let it go. We’ve been telling stories about alien worlds for longer than anyone has been alive, and we’ve been making movies about flying to the moon since practically the dawn of cinema.
As visual effects expanded and space travel itself became a reality, movies have become more and more obsessed with sci-fi stories about star treks, star wars, and just about anything star-related. In the 21st century, those films are often big, giant blockbusters but visual effects technology has also reached the point where small, independent comedies and dramas can also realistically take place on space ships, space stations, and other planets.
When it came time to curate a list of the best space movies of the century (so far), we knew that we had to limit ourselves somewhere. What’s the point of a “Top 20” list if most of the entries are sequels or prequels toStar TrekandStar Wars? How manyGuardians of the Galaxyfilms do we really need to write about before you get the general idea that they’re good?
So, to free up space (all puns intended) for underrated and underappreciated films, we’re limiting ourselves to one film per franchise and spreading the love in our list of the best space movies of the 21st century, so far! Put on your helmets, strap in, and get ready to venture into the farthest reaches of the galaxy in pursuit of action, adventure… and ennui.
RELATED:The Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 21st Century So Far
Titan A.E. (2000)
The last feature film, so far, from animation iconDon Bluth, co-directed byGary Goldman, the ambitiousTitan A.E.sought to build a massiveStar Wars-esque universe in the world of feature animation. Audiences balked, but the results are exciting, with sparkling dialogue and unexpected turns courtesy of writers Ben Edlund (The Tick), John August (Go) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
Matt DamonandDrew Barrymorelend their voice talents to an imaginative outer space adventure, set in a future where humans have been displaced throughout the galaxy and no longer have a homeworld. When our heroes discover the key to locating a second Earth, it’s up to them to save their species. Clever and unusual,Titan A.E.warrants rediscovery.
Solaris (2002)
Steven Soderbergh’s remake ofAndrei Tarkovsky’sSolarismight not stand up to the sprawling original, but for a condensed version of a trippy, thoughtful sci-fi narrative, it’s impressively complete.George Clooneystars as a grieving psychologist sent to investigate a faraway space station, in which the crew members all refuse to come home. When he gets there he finds all but two of the crew are dead, but the space station isn’t empty… it’s filled with the dead loved ones they left behind.
Using the furthest reaches of space to examine figurative and literal concepts of the infinite has been the ambition of many great science fiction stories, and Soderbergh’sSolarisis an excellent example. Clooney abandons his superstar halo and gives one of his most humane performances, and Soderbergh’s insistence on keeping this high-concept sci-fi story grounded in character is noble, and affecting.
Treasure Planet (2002)
It’s bizarre to imagine thatTreasure Planet, one of Disney animation’s last great 2D masterpieces, was such a monumental flop on its original release. Perhaps people still had/have trouble accepting animation as an action-packed thrill ride. Perhaps “steampunk” was still too esoteric back in 2002 to be understood by the mainstream. But whatever the reason, audiences missed out.
Treasure Planetis a futuristic adaptation ofRobert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, about a boy who finds a treasure map, only to bond with and later make an enemy of a bloodthirsty pirate. The relationship between Jim (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and the cyborg John Silver (Brian Murray) is as rich and complicated as any in the Disney canon, and the animation is jaw-droppingly stunning. DirectorsRon ClementsandJohn Musker(Moana) reimagine space flight as romantically soaring on solar sails, and successfully ignite the sense of awe and wonder than many sci-fi tales are missing.
Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
Jon Favreau’s first foray into pop filmmaking, and the film that got him the gig directingIron Man, is this wonderfully creative adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’sZathura. Ostensibly a companion piece toJumanji, the story once again revolves around bored children playing a board game that unexpectedly flings into larger-than-life adventure. Except this time, it literally shoots their suburban house into the farthest reaches of space.
Zathurais full of offbeat sci-fi imagery, and Favreau wisely pulls his VFX way back, and lets much of the film appear handmade. The alien monsters are impressively scary creations, the sets believably practical. It doesn’t send the protagonist careening into a virtual reality world, it brings a very real world of spacemen and space aliens into their house, where the unknown is just as tangible as anything else in their living room. It’s a breathlessly creative motion picture.
Sunshine (2007)
The sun is dying, and the only way to reignite it is to send a team into space and hurl a nuclear bomb into it. In the hands of a mainstream Hollywood filmmaker,Sunshinewould probably have been dumb as hell, but directorDanny Boyle(Slumdog Millionaire) and writerAlex Garland(Ex Machina) aren’t nearly that boring. They fillSunshinewith big ideas, rich characters and a sense of existential menace that beautifully amplifies this story of outer space survivalism.
And what a cast:Chris Evans,Cillian Murphy,Michelle Yeoh,Rose Byrne,Benedict Wong, the list goes on, and they’re all trapped in a powder keg together, waiting to go off. It’s a piercing sci-fi adventure, and although some might argue that the film’s third act goes off the rails, maybe - just maybe - it’s what the movie was really about all along.
WALL-E (2008)
In the distant future mankind has abandoned the planet Earth, leaving behind only trash compactor robots to clean up their mess and make the environment inhabitable again. It may not have worked. There’s only one robot left, his name isWALL-E, and all he really cares about is that he’s very, very alone.
Until one day, another robot lands on Earth, and all that changes. Directed byAndrew Stanton,WALL-Esuccessfully spans the whole galaxy, taking an unlikely hero on a seemingly impossible adventure, and throwing a vital chaos element into a drudging society that has all but given up on improving its circumstances. It’s cynically apocalyptic but argues, successfully, that hope eventually wins out. Inventively presented, adorably designed, with a great sense of humor and a visceral sense of awe,WALL-Edoesn’t feel like just another a major studio product. It was an instant classic right out of the gate.
Star Trek (2009)
TheStar Trekuniverse got even bigger withJ.J. Abrams’ impressive 2009 reboot, which smartly created an alternate reality, preserving all the precious continuity from the original shows and movies while striking out in an all-new direction. A perfectly cast crew - featuringChris Pine,Zoe Saldana,Zachary Quinto,Simon Pegg,John ChoandAnton Yelchin- find themselves thrust into a life-or-death mission with a vengeful Romulan travel into the past to take his revenge on the planet Vulcan.
Die-hard Trekkies may quibble about the film’s approach to production design (and sure enough, Abrams’ signature lens flares areeverywhere), but this first rebooted outing successfully marries spot-on character work with an exciting storyline, and manages to tell that rare prequel story in which literally nothing is preordained. Anything can happen, and although not everyone likes where the series went from here, 2009’sStar Trekquickly cemented itself as one of the best films in a beloved franchise.
Moon (2009)
The debut feature fromDuncan Jonesis a quirky, lonely sci-fi story about Sam (Sam Rockwell), a miner who’s running a space station on the moon all by himself, with only an artificially intelligent smiley face to keep him company. The ennui is overpowering and vaguely funny, until he makes a shocking discovery that puts everything about his mission into question.
Jones demonstrates a canny sense of tone in his directorial debut, crafting a tale that’s vaguely absurdist but frustratingly plausible. But the glue holdingMoontogether is Rockwell’s astounding performance as a man whose routine gets thrown into utterly unexpected disarray and is forced to confront the tragedy of his own existence in a nearly unthinkable way.
Pandorum (2009)
Christian Alvari’sPandorumis one of the most criminally underseen and underappreciated sci-fi thrillers of the century (so far). The film starsDennis QuaidandBen Fosteras astronauts who wake up in the middle of hypersleep, in a cavernous spaceship that needs fixing. The sudden removal from hibernation leaves them without memories and possibly suffering from serious psychosis, and when they run across man-eating creatures on the ship it seems like their situation can’t get any worse. (Spoiler alert: it can.)
Pandorummines the isolation and infinite void of space for an almost Lovecraftian atmosphere, kind of likeEvent Horizonif the filmmakers weren’t trying to impress you with how cool the ship looks, and instead focused all their energy on freaking you out. The surprising storyline keeps the suspense shifting throughout the film, and the ending is a real stunner.
Gravity (2013)
It’s hard to make deeply personal films on a gigantic budget, but that’s just whatGravityis.Sandra Bullockstars Ryan Stone, as a rookie astronaut who gets sent soaring into space when a debris field obliterates her ship and her co-pilot, played byGeorge Clooney. Breathtakingly realized by directorAlfonso Cuaron(who won an Oscar for this), much of the film appears to take place in long takes that emphasize just how completely screwed our hero is. Maybe more than any other movie character in history.
With no villains to face and already suffering from an overwhelming sense of despair, it falls to Stone to attempt to save herself for the sake of saving herself, because life is worth it no matter how desperate the situation seems. Cuaron’s masterful, handsomely realized VFX masterpiece gradually reveals itself to be not just a thrill ride but an exhilaration intervention, a call to everyone in the audience to keep striving against the desire to give up and let life end. It’s one of the ultimate examples of cinematic inspiration, and it’s teeth-shatteringly exciting to boot.
