The best films and documentaries about space exploration

Our knowledge of space is both limited and constantly expanding. For decades, space exploration has been the inquisitive center of several features on the silver screen. Some have been mind-altering science fiction stories; others have been "how is this real?" documentaries. Exploring the cosmos has never been easier or more effortless. 

'2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)

A classic of the space-movie genre, Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" has left its mark. "Audiences who came to '2001' expecting a sci-fi movie got, instead, an essay on time," said The New Yorker. The movie follows a spacecraft manned by two men and a supercomputer on its journey to Jupiter to study the origins of a lunar artifact. "2001" made history, "encompassing everything from the dawn of man, the space race, artificial intelligence, space exploration and trans-dimensional travel," said New Scientist. (Max)

'When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions' (2008)

This documentary series by the Discovery Channel chronicles the first 50 years of space travel through accounts by the people who made it happen. The series "captures the excitement and danger inherent in the quest to explore the cosmos," said Pep Talk Radio. The series uses archival footage and expert testimonies to paint a picture of the journey into space. "Indeed, you'll find yourself not wanting to leave the TV, let alone the planet," said Robert Pearlman at The Space Review. (Hulu, Philo)

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

'The Martian' (2015)

When "The Martian" was released in 2015, everyone yammered about it and for good reason. The sci-fi film follows the journey of an astronaut (Matt Damon) who is stranded on Mars and his subsequent journey to return home. While exaggerated scientifically, the movie is a "bracing survivalist yarn with a reliable charm," said TimeOut. "The Martian" is a "trip that takes you into that immensity called the universe and deep into the equally vast landscape of a single consciousness," Manohla Dargis said in a review for The New York Times. "It's unambiguously on the side of science and rationalism." (Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play Movies)

'Expedition Mars' (2016)

This documentary details the journey of putting the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on the surface of Mars. The film "brings all the drama to life with never-before-seen footage from the archives of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, first-person recollections by mission scientists and engineers, and vivid, realistic animation of the rovers in the actual terrain they explored on Mars," said National Geographic. The documentary shows real space-flight footage and conveys the difficulties of getting equipment and people to Mars. "Alongside the drama, Expedition Mars outlines real tech being developed for future Mars exploration, like advanced rockets, habitats and rovers," said Peptalk Radio. (Disney+)

'Interstellar' (2014)

Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" is an epic science fiction tale following an astronaut (Matthew McConaughey) and crew through their journey across space in an attempt to find a suitable planet to relocate the people of a dying planet Earth. "Interstellar" also presents dazzling visuals. The film spans space and time and might enter the "pantheon of space movies because it answers an acute earthly need, a desire not only for adventure and novelty but also, in the end, for comfort," said A.O. Scott at The New York Times. (Amazon Prime Video)

'Cosmos: Possible Worlds' (2020)

Host Neil DeGrasse Tyson takes audiences on a "series of spiritual voyages of exploration," said National Geographic. "The show reveals previously uncharted realms, including lost worlds, worlds yet to come and the worlds that humans may one day inhabit." The series discusses the human pursuit of deep-space exploration, the potential of extraterrestrial life and "presents both the wonders that could await and the consequences of neglecting our duties to each other and the world we currently inhabit," said a review in IndieWire. "Cosmos: Possible Worlds" aims to chart the "connections between outer space and the shared history of our civilization," said Pep Talk Radio. (Google Play Movies, Tubi)