Movies in Space

What you are about to read is a short list of the greatest space movies.

Firstly, I want to name the runner-ups who didn't make the list solely because not enough of the movie took place in space to be called a "space movie":

The Fifth Element
Stargate
Enemy Mine
Pitch Black
Aliens

And so, before I go on a defensive tangent explaining the logic behind each selection and how I haven't seen every single movie ever set in space yet firmly stand by this list as being very hard to improve upon, here is the list:

Silent Running (1972)

I'm not sure what it is about this hippie-inspired space snoozer I find so entertaining, but it clearly works on some levels. The plot follows a young man who has the meaningful job of tugging along one of Earth's last forests in a biodome spaceship (Pauly Shore does not make an appearance). When he's ordered to blow up his cargo, he rebels and takes off into space with what has now become the very last rain forest. It's like Ferngully, only live-action, no fairies, loggers, or magical shrinking, and set in space. Of course, our hero is accompanied by two obligatory robots, which apparently was a make-or-break for studio execs in the 70s and 80s. Overall, the film succeeds, and it's worth watching if you're curious about what hippies would do with money and a film crew. Also, it's sort of a sleeper cult thing, if that's even a real label; basically, you're cool with about twenty-five sci-fi snobs if you like this movie.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Yes, it's on the list. It's not exactly sci-fi, but it is set in space. It'd be weird if I didn't include it. Alright, let's do it this way: imagine you live in 1952, and this movie somehow entered a time portal and ended up at your local movie theater. Now it's sci-fi. And think, no one does make fictional space movies like this. There's always aliens or an exploding sun or a dying sun or an event horizon. I think a boring movie about a space malfunction could turn out to not be so boring if it's done well. We'll see. In the meantime, I hope the people in 1952 enjoy this.

Spaceballs (1987)

As you may have read in previous entry, I've had bad experiences with spoofs. Luckily, most of what Mel Brooks has done is brilliant, and combined with the work of pre-Scary Movie Zucker Brothers, you can rest assured that there are plenty of good spoofs out there. What makes Mel Brooks' movies unique, though, is that they're all great entries in the respective genres they're spoofing. Of course, a true spoof is characterized by a perpetual awareness of what it is and what it's doing. Further in the list you'll read about a satire that also fits well within its genre, and I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone not to confuse the two. Spaceballs is completely irreverent, ridiculous, and doesn't have a single sight gag based on cum or pubic hair. You probably don't realize how ingenious that last sentence was, but I assure you it's a neutral tagline that the studio could use to promote a re-release, while at the same time a rival studio uses it to draw attention to how lame Spaceballs is. The most important thing about Spaceballs is that as however zany it gets, it's still a delightful space adventure you can watch again and again. Unfortunately, there are no plans to have Princess Vespa cum-plastered to the ceiling in any future re-release.

Not in Spaceballs

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Apart from being the aforementioned shining satire on the list, Galaxy Quest is possibly one of the best science fiction films ever made. The plot goes like this: decades after the cancellation of their (transparently) Star Trek-esque cult show Galaxy Quest, the disgruntled actors are contacted by real, live space aliens who, not understanding the concept of fiction, mistake them for their respective roles and persuade them to fight an intergalactic war. Not only does the movie provide one of the most clever, not-exactly-deprecating satires of Star Trek and its fan base, it also works better as a space adventure than more than half of what the Star Trek franchise has put out. Not only that, but each member of the cast inexplicably gives the 2nd best performance of his or her career. I made a chart:

Best Performance

2nd Best Performance
Tim Allen
 Okay, Galaxy Quest
  Galaxy Quest, if you watch it again
Siguorney Weaver
 Aliens
  Galaxy Quest
Alan Rickman
 Die Hard
  Galaxy Quest
Tony Shalhoub
 Monk
  Galaxy Quest
Sam Rockwell
 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
  Galaxy Quest
Enrico Colantoni
 Veronica Mars
  Galaxy Quest

Alien (1979)

Alien is the kind of movie that is so bizarre, it can never really be replicated. A space salvage ship makes a detour to investigate a radio signal, finding a crashed ship on an undocumented planet. Through a series of strange and cleverly placed events, an alien predator ends up on their own ship and proceeds to kill them one by one. On the surface, it sounds like a Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie. Yet every aspect is so unique, so well-done and so effective that it stands as one of the greatest movies of all time. You expect that they find an alien planet and are boarded by one if its indigenous species. You expect that the alien hides for a while and then kills them when they have nowhere to go. You expect the main star to be the protagonist. You even expect, foolishly, that everyone's human. What makes Alien so amazing is that all of your expectations are blown out the window as the film progresses. The famous tagline, "In space, no one can hear you scream", sums up why this is one of the greatest space movies ever made.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

All you need to know

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The first Star Wars film was fun, shockingly rich, a bit campy, but altogether great. Then the fans (Star Wars fans between 1977 and 1980 made up that demographic known as "everybody who drew breath") were teased about the sequel for three years. They piled into the theaters, played "Wookie hookie" yet again, and stuffed their gluttonous faces with popcorn and Skittles and Resse's Pieces and Milk Duds and giant jugs of corn syrup-based soft drinks like soda pop and cheap lemonade. They wondered amongst themselves what goofy, mind-blowingly awesome antics their favorite characters were bound to wind up in. Then they were all treated to a masterpiece of American cinema. Had I been there, I would have been very confused.

The Empire Strikes Back is responsible for tricking an entire population of sci-fi/adventure junkies into seeing deep, challenging, expertly executed movie and thoroughly enjoying it. It's not perfect, and it is of course still a Star Wars film, but it set the bar so high for good sci-fi adventure films, that studios are still struggling to outdo it. The last movie on this list would not have been possible had it not been for Empire's ballsy trickery. Each character, no matter how silly or two-dimensional they had been, suddenly has an personal or emotional journey to take. Our hero separates from the core cast and spends the entire movie undergoing a trial of spiritual discovery and training. Taking his place as leader of the group is the arrogant smuggler, who shows everyone watching that sexual harassment is the only way to a girl's heart. In another ballsy move that paid off, the lovable comic relief duo is separated for the entire movie. Yeah, they went there.

As I can't find any videos on the web showcasing Han Solo's date-rape behavior, I'll wrap this one up. The asteroid scene, brilliantly scored by John Williams, is one of two space battles that should be played on loop in museums.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Much of 2001 acts as a sort of simulation- most of the movie is like an incredibly beautiful, space-age installment of the video game Myst. You are given the opportunity to look at things. A lot. And it's amazing. Embedded there is a plot: an enormous spaceship travels across the solar system to find an object known as the monolith, which seems to have powers related to the evolution of the human race. The ship's computer, HAL, contracts what seems to be a computer version of space dementia and goes fucking batshit insane. Then, when the problem's fixed and the plot's about to wrap up, a title card appears that essentially warns the audience that the movie, in order to deal with how weird and cool its been so far, is about to take a big fucking tab of acid.

And so it does. For 23 minutes, you are invited on a full-fledged acid trip in space. Don't worry if you forget to get high beforehand; you will end up feeling high no matter what.

Sunshine (2007)

I trust Danny Boyle, director of 28 Days Later, Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary. Because of this trust, I held a firm belief that his latest movie, Sunshine, would be incredible despite how ridiculous it sounded. I was right.

A ship full of scientists travels across the solar system in order to rejuvenate our dying sun. Sound stupid? A lot of people who were hoping for Armageddon 2 when they saw it will probably confirm that it is indeed stupid. They'll tell you about how this awesome-looking space adventure tricked them into seeing an arthouse psychological case study set in space. On the other hand, for the people of the world who wake up and wonder why there aren't enough arthouse psychological case studies set in space, this movie is here for them- and anyone who isn't an idiot. Not only does it provide a terrifying window into the human psyche, but it keeps your heart beating intensely throughout. Sunshine is, without a doubt, the greatest non-adventure space movie.

Serenity (2005)

Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, stepped up even more and made a show called Firefly, which was essentially a western set in space. After only a few episodes, Fox, notorious cancelers of television brilliance, did what Fox does best. Fox did not have the last laugh: the DVDs were soon released, and after realizing the sales were record-breaking and unprecedented, Whedon decided it was time to take it to the big screen.

Serenity is a movie about armed robbers- the crew of a retired military fighter called a Firefly. You find out that these thieves are actually war veterans from a failed resistance against globalization and thought-control years ago. Now, unwilling to give in, they stay out in space, occasionally dropping in on the imperialist semi-Utopias to steal and keep their ship moving. Their way of life is perpetually muddled, however, by the various tenants who pay to live on the ship, notably a successful surgeon on the run for rescuing his telepathic sister from government study.

The movie focuses on what happens when the government decides to go all-out in getting their subject back, and more importantly what the rag-tag group of cynical outlaws does to fight back.

Serenity is the space adventure. Everything you could possibly expect- not just from a space movie but from any movie- is in here. You don't have to have seen the show at all to fall in love with it, although it's highly recommended you do. Serenity belongs at #1 because, although not yet considered a classic like some of the entries listed above, it proves that having decades of film history behind us can yield something besides cartoonish effects and cheap rip-offs; Serenity is a shining beacon of what it means to make something better and more meaningful than anything that's come before.




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