Latest additions: Solaris, Life, Spaceman
Most divisive: Ad Astra
Over 1.1K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of More Science, Less Fiction
The best astronaut movies offer thrilling adventures that combine the mysteries of space exploration with the human spirit's resilience and determination. Featuring movies about astronauts that are realistic, engaging, and critically acclaimed, these rankings are based on votes from thousands of cinephiles, ensuring that the list reflects a broad consensus of what truly captivates audiences. This collective input makes it necessary to feature a list of astronaut movies that offer authenticity, stellar performances, and impactful storytelling that resonates with space travel enthusiasts.
Among the top movies, some titles consistently draw praise and high rankings. Popular films like Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, showcase the incredible true story of the ill-fated lunar mission. Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, featuring Matthew McConaughey, takes viewers on a visually stunning journey through wormholes to find a new home for humanity. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey remains a timeless classic, pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling and philosophical exploration. These good films, along with The Martian, Gravity, First Man, The Right Stuff, Contact, Moon, and Hidden Figures, are just a glimpse into the diverse storytelling within this genre.
Each movie brings something unique to the table. The Martian demonstrates human ingenuity and survival against impossible odds with Matt Damon delivering a captivating performance. Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, creates an atmospheric, edge-of-your-seat thriller about an astronaut’s harrowing journey to survive after a disaster leaves her stranded in space. Hidden Figures adapts the inspiring true story of African American women at NASA who defied racial barriers to help launch John Glenn into orbit, bringing an essential historical perspective to space travel narratives and diversity in the space program.
Readers are encouraged to vote for their favorite astronaut movies on this crowd-ranked list. Your input is crucial in highlighting the movies that best capture the essence of space exploration and the human spirit. Dive into these incredible stories and vote up the films that you believe make the greatest impact in this genre.
- 1Apollo 13, a gripping space docudrama, chronicles the real-life, perilous lunar mission of 1970. The film features astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), command module pilot Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise), and flight director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris). When an oxygen tank explodes, the spacecraft's crew must abort their moon landing, transforming their mission into a struggle to return home safely. Directed by Ron Howard, Apollo 13 masterfully blends historical accuracy with cinematic suspense. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards in 1996, underscoring its significant impact on the genre of true-story films.
- Released: 1995
- Directed by: Ron Howard
- 1Kevin Bacon15 Votes
- 2Bill Paxton19 Votes
- 3Tom Hanks14 Votes
- 4Gary Sinise20 Votes
- 2
Check out more shows and movies like Interstellar!
In Interstellar, humanity's survival hangs in the balance. Former NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is tasked with navigating the cosmos to find a new home for mankind. Astronaut Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway) accompanies him on this perilous journey through wormholes and across galaxies. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this sci-fi epic won an Academy Award for its stunning visual effects. A tale of exploration and sacrifice, it underlines the power of love as a force transcending space and time.- Released: 2014
- Directed by: Christopher Nolan
- 3When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission.
- Released: 2015
- Directed by: Ridley Scott
- 4An imposing black structure provides a connection between the past and the future in this enigmatic adaptation of a short story by revered sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke. When Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and other astronauts are sent on a mysterious mission, their ship's computer system, HAL, begins to display increasingly strange behavior, leading up to a tense showdown between man and machine that results in a mind-bending trek through space and time.
- Released: 1968
- Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
- 5This adaptation of the non-fiction novel by Tom Wolfe chronicles the first 15 years of America's space program. By focusing on the lives of the Mercury astronauts, including John Glenn (Ed Harris) and Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), the film recounts the dangers and frustrations experienced by those involved with NASA's earliest achievements. It also depicts their family lives and the personal crises they endured during an era of great political turmoil and technological innovation.
- Released: 1983
- Directed by: Philip Kaufman
- 6In this Zemeckis-directed adaptation of the Carl Sagan novel, Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) races to interpret a possible message originating from the Vega star system. Once first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence is proven, Arroway contends with restrictive National Security Advisor Kitz (James Woods) and religious fanatics bent on containing the implications of such an event. An incredible message is found hidden in the signal, but will Arroway be the one to answer its call?
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
- 7Hoping to reach the moon by the end of the decade, NASA plans a series of extremely dangerous, unprecedented missions in the early 1960s. Engineer Neil Armstrong joins the space program, spending years in training and risking his life during test flights. On July 16, 1969, the nation and world watch in wonder as Armstrong and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins embark on the historic Apollo 11 spaceflight.
- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Damien Chazelle
- 8Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission. Her commander is veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), helming his last flight before retirement. Then, during a routine space walk by the pair, disaster strikes: The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Ryan and Matt stranded in deep space with no link to Earth and no hope of rescue. As fear turns to panic, they realize that the only way home may be to venture further into space.
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
- 9Astronaut Sam Bell's (Sam Rockwell) three-year shift at a lunar mine is finally coming to an end, and he's looking forward to his reunion with his wife (Dominique McElligott) and young daughter. Suddenly, Sam's health takes a drastic turn for the worse. He suffers painful headaches and hallucinations, and almost has a fatal accident. He meets what appears to be a younger version of himself, possibly a clone. With time running out, Sam must solve the mystery before the company crew arrives.
- Released: 2009
- Directed by: Duncan Jones
- 10Three brilliant African American women at NASA -- Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson -- serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world.
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: Theodore Melfi
- 11On a routine journey through space to a new home, two passengers, sleeping in suspended animation, are awakened 90 years too early when their ship malfunctions. As Jim and Aurora face living the rest of their lives on board, with every luxury they could ever ask for, they begin to fall for each other, unable to deny their intense attraction until they discover the ship is in grave danger. With the lives of 5,000 sleeping passengers at stake, only Jim and Aurora can save them all.
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: Morten Tyldum
- 12Brave explorers are headed for the far reaches of the galaxy in the continuation of the story that began with "2001: A Space Odyssey." Their destination is Jupiter, where the Russian and American astronauts will conduct their investigation. Drs. Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider), Walter Curnow (John Lithgow) and R. Chandra (Bob Balaban), along with shipmates Tanya (Helen Mirren) and Dave (Keir Dullea), aim to uncover what led to disaster for the deceased astronauts who preceded them.
- Released: 1984
- Directed by: Peter Hyams
- 13Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner star as a group of pilots whose time has come to serve their country and fulfill their dream of going to space. In 1958, the members of Team Daedalus, a group of top Air Force test pilots, were ready to serve their country as the first Americans in space. When NASA replaced the Air Force for outer atmospheric testing, they were pushed aside for a chimpanzee. The team retired, but the dream of going into space never died.
- Released: 2000
- Directed by: Clint Eastwood
- 14Astronauts (Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds) aboard the International Space Station are on the cutting edge of one of the most important discoveries in human history: the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. As members of the crew conduct their research, the rapidly evolving life-form proves far more intelligent and terrifying than anyone could have imagined.
- Released: 2017
- Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
- 15When unmanned probes suggest that a hidden ocean and single-celled life exists on one of Jupiter's moons, six astronauts embark on an ill-fated exploratory mission.
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Sebastián Cordero
- 16A spaceship missing for seven years finally re-emerges and sends out a distress signal. But when a team is sent out to investigate, they discover that something sinister has taken over the craft.
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
- 17In the not-too-distant future, Earth's dying sun spells the end for humanity. In a last-ditch effort to save the planet, a crew of eight men and women ventures into space with a device that could revive the star. However, an accident, a grave mistake and a distress beacon from a long-lost spaceship throw the crew and its desperate mission into a tailspin.
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Danny Boyle
- 18The first manned mission to Mars in 2020 ends in disaster when three of the crew are seemingly killed and the fourth, Luke Graham (Don Cheadle), is stranded with no way to contact Earth. Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), Woody Blake (Tim Robbins), Phil Ohlmyer (Jerry O'Connell) and Terri Fisher (Connie Nielsen) are sent on a rescue mission to rescue any survivors and find out what happened. The team uncovers startling evidence that Mars may not be a dead planet after all.
- Released: 2000
- Directed by: Brian De Palma
- 19In Armageddon, a NASA executive (Billy Bob Thornton) recruits a ragtag team of drillers, led by Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), to save the world from an approaching asteroid. Meanwhile, Grace Stamper (Liv Tyler), Harry's daughter, is romantically involved with A.J. Frost (Ben Affleck), one of the team members. This action-packed sci-fi thriller, directed by Michael Bay, intertwines elements of suspense and drama as humanity's last hope embarks on a high-stakes space mission. The film won multiple awards for its visual effects and original song I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith.
- Released: 1998
- Directed by: Michael Bay
- 1Bruce Willis18 Votes
- 2Ben Affleck17 Votes
- 3Keith David12 Votes
- 4Peter Stormare19 Votes
- 20Space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life-form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.
- Released: 2024
- Directed by: Fede Alvarez
- 21After the end of all botanical life on Earth, ecologist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) maintains a greenhouse on a space station in order to preserve various plants for future generations. Assisted by three robots and a small human crew, Lowell rebels when he is ordered to destroy the greenhouse in favor of carrying cargo, a decision that puts him at odds with everyone but his mechanical companions. Lowell and his robots are forced to do anything necessary to keep their invaluable greenery alive.
- Released: 1972
- Directed by: Douglas Trumbull
- 22Thirty years ago, Clifford McBride led a voyage into deep space, but the ship and crew were never heard from again. Now his son -- a fearless astronaut -- must embark on a daring mission to Neptune to uncover the truth about his missing father and a mysterious power surge that threatens the stability of the universe.
- Released: 2019
- Directed by: James Gray
- 23Mission Commander Kate Bowman is the pilot and commander of the most important mission of the 21st century: saving the human race. It's 2050, earth is dying, and colonizing Mars is the only alternative to obliteration. Bowman and her crew have made this journey to investigate what went wrong with the malfunctioning Mars Terraforming Project, and to repair it. But what happens when they get there is far more terrifying than anyone could have guessed.
- Released: 2000
- Directed by: Antony Hoffman
- 24A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
- Released: 1972
- Directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky
- 25A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
- Released: 2021
- Directed by: Joe Penna
- 26American astronauts Buzz (Gene Hackman), Jim (Richard Crenna) and Clayton (James Franciscus) are stranded in space on their return journey from a new space station when malfunctioning rocket boosters bring the craft to a halt. With the men drifting in orbit, facing death from declining oxygen levels in the shuttle, NASA director Charles Keith (Gregory Peck) quickly mobilizes to launch a bold rescue mission -- but a hurricane headed for the launch site may ensure the astronauts' demise.
- Released: 1969
- Directed by: John Sturges
- 27Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton), a rancher who once trained to be an astronaut, decides to fulfill a lifelong dream: He builds a rocket in his barn and plans to pilot it into space. Though he faces foreclosure on his ranch, the disbelief of his neighbors and threats from the government, Charles remains determined to reach for the stars.
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Michael Polish
- 28Apollo 17 was the last U.S.-sponsored lunar voyage -- or was it? Hours of found footage, classified for decades, point to a subsequent moon mission -- Apollo 18 -- that ended very badly. Astronauts John Grey (Ryan Robbins), Nathan Walker (Lloyd Owen) and Benjamin Anderson (Warren Christie), on a mission to install radar scanners, discover a Soviet space capsule nearby. The men also discover a dead cosmonaut, and unfortunately for them, learn how he died.
- Released: 2011
- Directed by: Gonzalo López-Gallego
- 29When astronaut Spencer Armacost (Johnny Depp) returns to Earth after a mission that nearly cost him his life, he decides to take a desk job in order to see his beautiful wife, Jillian (Charlize Theron), more often. Gradually, Jillian notices that Spencer's personality seems to have changed, but her concerns fade when she discovers that she's pregnant. As Jillian grows closer to becoming a mother, her suspicions about Spencer return. Why does it seem as if he's a different person?
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Rand Ravich
- 30Astronauts (Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai) on Mars contend with a microbe that turns those it infects into zombielike killers.
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Ruairi Robinson
31Salyut 7
Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Pavel Derevyanko.Facing numerous challenges, cosmonauts embark on a daring mission to rescue the malfunctioning Soviet space station Salyut 7 and secure a significant victory during the Cold War era.
- Released: 2017
- Directed by: Klim Shipenko
- 32
400 Days
Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz, Ben FeldmanIsolated astronauts in outer space begin to lose their grip on reality.- Released: 2015
- Directed by: Matt Osterman
- 33An astronaut struggles to maintain his grip on reality during a possibly compromised mission to Saturn's moon, Titan.
- Released: 2024
- Directed by: Mikael Håfström
- 34Six months into a solo mission, a lonely astronaut confronts the cracks in his marriage with help from a mysterious creature he discovers on his ship.
- Released: 2024
- Directed by: Johan Renck
- 35
Approaching The Unknown
Mark Strong, Luke Wilson, Sanaa LathanAn astronaut heads on a solo mission to Mars, confronting both technical failures and personal doubts as he pushes the limits of human survival and ingenuity.
- 36Gardner Elliot, the first human born on Mars, begins an online friendship with Tulsa, a teen in Colorado. On his maiden voyage to Earth, the 16-year-old finally gets to experience all the joys and wonders of a world he could only read about. Problems arise when scientists discover that Gardner's organs can't withstand the atmosphere. United with Tulsa and on the run, the interplanetary visitor races against time to unravel the mysteries of how he came to be, and where he belongs in the universe.
- Released: 2017
- Directed by: Peter Chelsom
- 37With the future of the human race at stake, a group of young men and women -- bred for intelligence and obedience -- embark on an expedition to colonize a distant planet. When they uncover disturbing secrets about the mission, they defy their training and begin to explore their most primitive natures. As life on the ship descends into chaos, they soon become consumed by fear, lust and an insatiable hunger for power.
- Released: 2021
- Directed by: Neil Burger
- 38Based on the classic science fiction novel by Stanislaw Lem, "Solaris" centers on a psychologist (George Clooney) sent to investigate unexplained behavior of key scientists on a space station orbiting the planet Solaris. Once aboard he, too, falls victim to this unique world's mysteries -- as well as to an erotic obsession with someone he thought he had left behind.
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
- 39An astronaut is shipwrecked on a long-decimated Earth during a research mission. With her crew mates killed or wounded, she alone must decide the fate of the wasteland's remaining populace.
- Released: 2021
- Directed by: Tim Fehlbaum
- 40Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station when a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Soon, the U.S. and Russian astronauts each receive orders from the ground: take control of the station by any means necessary.
- Released: 2023
- Directed by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
- 41Countdown is a 1968 film directed by Robert Altman, based on the novel The Pilgrim Project by Hank Searls. It stars James Caan and Robert Duvall as astronauts vying to be the first American to walk on the Moon as part of a crash program to beat the Soviet Union.
- Released: 1968
- Directed by: Robert Altman
- 42Lucy in the Sky (a.k.a. Pale Blue Dot) is a 2019 American drama film directed by Noah Hawley, loosely based on astronaut Lisa Nowak's alleged criminal activities. An astronaut (Natalie Portman) returns to Earth after a lengthy mission, begins an affair with a fellow astronaut, heads into a downward spiral as she loses her connection to her family, and when her lover begins another affair with an astronaut trainee, the bottom drops out.
- Released: 2019
- Directed by: Noah Hawley
- 433022 is a 2019 American science fiction film directed by John Suits. A group of astronauts living in the haunting emptiness of deep space awake to find earth has suffered an extinction level event.
- Released: 2019
- Directed by: John Suits
- 44
Astronaut: The Last Push
After a catastrophic accident truncates a pioneering mission to Jupiter's moons, a lone astronaut battles isolation and despair in deep space while striving to complete the mission.
- 45Adam and Jane are three years into a NASA mission that has gone very wrong: Their ship is broken and drifting between Jupiter and Saturn. Finding ways to pass the time as they become certain that no one is coming to save them, they argue over what to do. One day, Adam poses that maybe they should sleep together; Jane laughs the idea off, but it prompts a flirty debate about whether they're better off spending their remaining days as friends or something more.
- Released: 2023
- Directed by: Kristian Mercado
