Yes, we know you loved The Martian. It had Matt Damon growing potatoes in poop—how could you not? Maybe your first space fling was Star Wars, or Armageddon, or that brief but passionate relationship with Interstellar, which you’ve now watched approximately 187 times while pretending to understand the fifth dimension.
We get it. Space movies do something to us. They show us what’s possible when you leave Earth behind: vast galaxies, AI tantrums, low-gravity emotional breakdowns. All the essentials.
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And now, with sci-fi staging a proud return to the big screen, Ryan Gosling is launching himself into orbit this autumn, you might want to prep. Whether you're still in recovery from Blade Runner 2049’s ending (understandable) or just enjoy yelling “plot hole!” at the screen during wormhole scenes, we’ve curated a collection of mind-expanders that belong on your space watchlist.
Space Movies To Add In Your Watchlist
The Midnight Sky
Where to Watch: Netflix
Synopsis: George Clooney plays a bearded, dying scientist trying to warn a spaceship crew not to return to a post-apocalyptic Earth. It's bleak, snowy, and full of contemplative stares into the middle distance.
Why You Should Watch: Because you’ve always wanted to see what happens when George Clooney stops being handsome and starts being... astrophysically responsible. Also, it’s a rare film where space and climate catastrophe get equal screen time. Double existential dread.
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Spaceman
Where to Watch: Netflix
Synopsis: Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Adam Sandler), realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), he is helped by a mysterious creature from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship.
Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano) works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it is too late. Directed by Johan Renck and based on the novel Spaceman of Bohemia, the film also stars Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin, and Isabella Rossellini.
Why You Should Watch: Because someone has to save humanity, and it might as well be a twenty-something with a tragic backstory and surprisingly good cheekbones.
Mickey 17
Where to Watch: TBA (probably wherever the good stuff lives—Netflix or your local streaming overlord)
Synopsis: Robert Pattinson plays a disposable employee on a space colonisation mission who repeatedly dies and gets regenerated. Yes, that’s the plot. It’s Groundhog Day, but with cloning and dread. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, so expect class commentary in zero gravity.
Why You Should Watch: Because you've always wanted to see Edward Cullen get repeatedly murdered in space. Also, Bong Joon-ho doing sci-fi is the cinematic equivalent of a Michelin-star chef making a pot noodle. You just have to taste it.
The Moon
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Synopsis: South Korea’s high-budget space thriller, where an astronaut gets stranded on the Moon, and the nation must figure out how to bring him back. It’s like Gravity, but with more heart and fewer Sandra Bullock tears.
Why You Should Watch: Because South Korean cinema never does anything halfway. Also, the Moon deserves a bit more screen time, it’s been up there, silently judging us, since forever.
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Ad Astra
Where to Watch: Netflix
Synopsis: Brad Pitt travels across the solar system to find his missing father (Tommy Lee Jones), who may or may not be responsible for intergalactic mayhem. There are space pirates, lunar shootouts, and lots of daddy issues.
Why You Should Watch: Because space pirates on the Moon. And also, it’s refreshing to watch Brad Pitt have a slow, teary breakdown in a space helmet. It is like the Heart of Darkness but with zero gravity and emotionally unavailable astronauts.
Rebel Moon
Where to Watch: Netflix
Synopsis: Zack Snyder’s interstellar epic about a group of freedom fighters battling an oppressive regime in a galaxy far, far away that is absolutely not Star Wars.
Why You Should Watch: Because Zack Snyder made it, which means slow-motion explosions, brooding antiheroes, and dramatic lighting decisions. Also, this is part one of a two-part saga, so it’s your duty to understand what’s going on before the next big spaceship explodes.
So, there you have it. Six films that take you far away from this overheating rock and into the terrifying, exhilarating, occasionally existential void of space. Watch them all and develop a healthy mistrust of AI, governments, and gravity. Or at the very least, get some new desktop wallpapers.