The Best Space Mission Films

Christopher Nolan directed and co-written dystopian futuristic film that shows us a grim future for humanity just to take us on the most important space mission in history, in search of a last glimpse of hope – a new home on a distant planet. Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey plays pilot-turned-farmer after a catastrophe that brought the world on its knees. Interstellar takes you on a see-saw of emotions which is unexpected for a sci-fi film, and the cast complemented it very well. The best part of the audio-visual experience is Hans Zimmer's soundtrack. Even the moments when music stops are strikingly powerful, the moments where the lack of sound amplifies the atmosphere. Rent it on 4K Blu-ray and experience it like never before.

If you want a space mission than this is one of the best looking on screen. Armageddon is on the best Space Mission films list because it has a formidable cast, a mission that doesn't involve trained astronauts and a great soundtrack. We all know Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing. Armageddon is a sci-fi disaster film directed by Michael Bay, starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Will Patton, Steve Buscemi and many more. Earth has only 18 days before it's hit by a giant meteor, so NASA's executive director calls in a team of oil drillers whose mission is to land on the asteroid and drop a nuclear warhead into its core. Being scientifically accurate or not, this film is a great watch for all sci-fi enthusiasts.

We continue the best Space Mission films with Apollo 13, a docudrama adventure film directed by Ron Howard, starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris. This film is a breath-taking true story involving courage, faith and ingenuity in a race to bring a group of astronauts home when their spacecraft is damaged. Three astronauts are on the mission for America's third Moon landing when on-board explosion deprives their spacecraft of most of its oxygen supply and electric power. The film is an adaptation of the book by astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. Be sure to check out two-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions with plenty of additional content for any film buff, but especially those who love science fiction.

The Right Stuff is based on Tom Wolfe's best-selling book of the same name, and it tells the tale of America's early journeys into space. The plot of the film is set around the original Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho approach to the space program. The film stars Ed Harris, Sam Shepard, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glen among others. Chuck Yeager is the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, and continues to do so in this film recounting the formation of America's space program - covering some 15 years. Notably, in 2013 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

2001: A Space Odyssey is a countdown to tomorrow, a road map to human destiny, a quest for the infinite. It is a dazzling, Academy Award-winning visual achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. It may be the masterwork of director Stanley Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) and it will likely excite, inspire and enthral for generations. To begin his voyage into the future, Kubrick visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever conceived) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman into uncharted realms of space, perhaps even into immortality.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comic sci-fi film and one of the greatest and most improbable adventure on the best Space Mission films list. Seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) and his alien friend Ford Prefect hitched a ride on a Volgon spacecraft. This is only where their story begins and it gets crazier with every scene. The film is based on the first book in the series of the same name which is widely known as a trilogy in five parts. If you haven't seen it, then it's time you do so. Even better, check it out on DVD and Blu-ray and take a peek, there are many special features waiting for you.

Mission to Mars is a science fiction film directed by Brian De Palma, and perfect for the best Space Mission films list. In the year 2020, the first manned mission to Mars lands safely on the red planet, commanded by Luke Graham (Don Cheadle). But after disaster strikes, NASA launches the Mars Recovery Mission to bring back any survivors. When the team lands on Mars, they make a discovery so amazing, it takes your breath away. The film additionally stars Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, Connie Nielsen and Jerry O'Connell. For an extra taste of space missions, rent Mission to Mars on DVD and indulge in special features like Visions of Mars: Original Documentary; Visual Effects Analysis; Animatic to Scene Comparisons; Production Art Gallery.

Welcome to the year 2058 on the best Space Mission films list, and join stars William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Heather Graham and Gary Oldman in the film Lost in Space. The film centres around the Robinson family, who undertake a voyage to a nearby star system to begin emigration from a soon-to-be uninhabitable Earth. But when a stowaway sabotages the mission, the Robinsons find themselves hurtling through uncharted space. There's no shortage of thrills on this ride, so here's a good film for your sci-fi movie night. Rent it on DVD and Blu-ray to get even more interesting content including featurettes: Building the Special Effects and The Future of Space Travel.

We're continuing the best Space Mission films list with a documentary about the United States' manned missions to the Moon. Only 12 men walked upon its surface and they remain the only human beings to have stood on another world, and in this film, some of the crew members of NASA's Apollo missions tell their story. Contemporary interviews include Al Bean, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, to name a few. If you're an admirer of space travel then this is the documentary you must see. There's more to see in special featurettes and documentaries on DVD and Blu-ray; Behind the shadow – 57 minutes of unseen footage and fascinating astronaut stories from Apollo, Scoring Apollo – 10-minute feature about the film's music, and more.

Deep Impact is our next entry on the best Space Mission films. This sci-fi disaster film directed by Mimi Leder was released around the same time as Armageddon. The countdown to Doomsday begins when two astronomers discover a comet is on a collision course with Earth, and humanity embarks on the fight for survival. All-star cast includes Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, and Morgan Freeman. Peek at Deep Impact DVD and Blu-ray editions with a direct access to additional content such as commentary with director Mimi Leder and visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar, and featurette Creating the Perfect Traffic Jam.