The Best Space Movies of the 21st Century – It is impossible to say exactly when humanity first dreamed of traveling into space, but since this idea was born in our heads, we have not let it go. We've been telling stories about alien worlds longer than anyone has been alive, and we've been making moon landing films almost since the dawn of cinema.
Put on your helmets, buckle up and get ready to travel to the far reaches of the galaxy in pursuit of adventure.
Titan: After the End of the Earth (2000)
AmbitiousTitan A.E. is the latest feature film produced by the animation iconDon Bluth, co-directed byGary Goldman. He sought to create a vast universe in the style of "star warsin the world of artistic animation. Audiences were outraged, but the results were breathtaking, with sparkling dialogue and unexpected twists courtesy of screenwriters Ben Edlund (Teak ), John August (Go ) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer ).
Matt Damon andDrew Barrymore lend their voice talents in an imaginative space adventure set in a future in which humans have been displaced across the galaxy and no longer have a home world. When our heroes discover the key to finding the second Earth, it's up to them to save their species. Smart and quirkyTitan A.E. needs to be reopened.
Solaris (2002)
remakeSteven Soderbergh «Solaris" Andrei Tarkovsky, may not stand up to the sprawl of the original, but for a condensed version of trippy, thoughtful sci-fi storytelling, it's impressively complete.George Clooney plays a grieving psychologist sent to investigate a distant space station where all the crew members refuse to return home. Upon reaching the site, he discovers that all but two of the crew members are dead, but the space station is not empty... it is filled with the dead loved ones they left behind.
Using the far reaches of space to explore the figurative and literal concepts of infinity has been the goal of many great science fiction stories, and "Solaris" Soderberga is a great example of this. Clooney sheds his superstar halo and gives one of his most humane performances yet, and Soderbergh's insistence on keeping this conceptual, character-driven sci-fi story alive is noble and impressive.
Treasure Planet (2002)
It's strange to imagine that"Treasure Planet", one of Disney's last great 2D animated masterpieces, was a massive flop in its original release. Perhaps people still had trouble accepting animation as an exciting adventure. Perhaps in 2002 "steampunk" was too esoteric to be understood by the mainstream. But whatever the reason, the audience missed the chance.
"Treasure Planet" - futuristic adaptation of the classic novel Robert Louis Stevenson about a boy who finds a treasure map to get close to a bloodthirsty pirate and then turn him into an enemy. The relationship between Jim Joseph Gordon-Levitt ) and cyborg John Silver ( Brian Murray ) are as intricate and complex as anything in the Disney canon, and the animation is breathtakingly amazing. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker ( Moana ) reimagines space flight as romantic soaring on solar sails and successfully ignites a sense of awe and wonder that is lacking in many sci-fi tales.
Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
John Favreau 's first foray into pop cinema, and the film that got him a directorial gigiron Man, is Van Allsburg's amazingly creative adaptation ofZathura. History allegedly relatedJumanji, once again revolves around bored kids playing a board game that suddenly turns into an incredible adventure. Except this time, he literally shoots their country house into the far reaches of space.
Zatura full of offbeat sci-fi imagery, and Favreau prudently brings his visuals back and lets much of the film look hand-crafted. The alien monsters are impressively intimidating creatures, and the sets are plausibly practical. It doesn't send the protagonist into a virtual reality world, it brings into their home a very real world of astronauts and space aliens, where the unknown is as tangible as everything else in their living room. This is a breathtaking creative film.
Inferno (2007)
The sun is dying, and the only way to revive it is to send a team into space and drop a nuclear bomb at them. In the hands of a leading Hollywood directorsunshinewould probably be fucking dumb, but the directorDanny Boyle («Slumdog Millionaire" ) and writerAlex Garland («Former car" ) is not so boring. They fillsunshine with grand ideas, rich characters, and a sense of existential menace that perfectly complements this story of survival in space.And what is the cast:Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Benedict Wong, the list goes on and they are all locked in a powder keg together, waiting to be released. It's a poignant sci-fi adventure, and while some might argue that the film's third act goes wrong, maybe - just maybe - that's what the movie has actually been about all along.
WALL-E (2008)
In the far future, humanity has abandoned planet Earth, leaving behind only garbage compactor robots to clean up their mess and make the environment habitable again. Maybe it didn't work. There is only one robot left, his name isWALL-Eand all he really cares about is that he's very, very lonely.
Until one day another robot lands on Earth and that all changes. DirectorAndrew Stanton, WALL-E successfully spans the entire galaxy, sending an unexpected hero on a seemingly impossible adventure, and throwing a vital element of chaos into a debilitating society that has all but given up on improving its circumstances. It's cynically apocalyptic but successfully proves that hope wins out in the end. Inventively designed, charmingly designed, with a great sense of humor and a visceral sense of awe,WALL-E doesn't feel like just another big studio production. It was an instant classic right after the gate.
Star Trek (2009)
Universe "Star Trek» got even bigger with an impressive rebootJay Jay Abrams 2009, which skillfully crafted an alternate reality, retaining all the precious continuity from the original shows and movies, while taking a whole new direction. The perfect team -Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, John Cho andAnton Yelchin — find themselves thrown into a deadly mission with a vengeful Romulan traveling back in time to exact revenge on the planet. Volcano.
Die-hard Trekkies can argue about the film's approach to production design (and, of course, Abrams' signature lens flareeverywhere ), but this first reboot successfully combines character work with a compelling storyline and manages to tell the story of that rare prequel where literally nothing is predetermined. Anything can happen, and while not everyone likes where the show has taken off from, "Star Trek" 2009 quickly established itself as one of the best films in the beloved franchise.
Moon 2112 (2009)
Debut feature filmDuncan Jones is a whimsical, lonely sci-fi story about Sam (Sam Rockwell), a miner who single-handedly runs a space station on the moon with only an artificial intelligence emoji to keep him company. The boredom is irresistible and mildly amusing until he makes a shocking discovery that casts doubt on everything about his mission.
Jones displays a sly sense of tone in his directorial debut, crafting a story that's slightly absurd but depressingly believable. But the glue holdingMoon together is a startling performance by Rockwell as a man whose routine is suddenly disrupted and forced to confront the tragedy of his own existence in an almost unthinkable way.
Pandorum (2009)
«Pandorum" Christian Alvari is one of the most underrated and misunderstood sci-fi thrillers of the century (so far). Filmed in the filmDennis Quaid andBen Foster the roles of astronauts who wake up in the middle of hypersleep in a huge spaceship that needs repairs. Sudden awakening from hibernation leaves them with no memories and possibly severe psychosis, and when they encounter man-eating creatures on the ship, their plight becomes worse. (Spoiler alert: maybe.)
Pandorum develops the isolation and endless emptiness of space to create an almost Lovecraftian atmosphere, likeEvent Horizon, if the filmmakers weren't trying to impress you with how cool the ship looks, but instead focused all their energy on making you mad. The amazing storyline keeps the tension going throughout the movie and the ending is just amazing.
Gravity (2013)
It's hard to make deeply personal films on a gigantic budget, but that's what it is.gravity. Sandra Bullock plays Ryan Stone as a rookie astronaut who is sent into space when a debris field destroys her ship and her co-pilot, played byGeorge Clooney. Amazingly thought out by the directorAlfonso Cuaron (who won an Oscar for it), much of the movie seems to be taking place in long takes that highlight just how completely screwed up our character is. Maybe more than any other character in history.
With no villains to face and already suffering from an overwhelming sense of desperation, Stone falls to trying to save himself for his own salvation, because life is worth it, no matter how desperate the situation may seem. Cuarón's masterfully executed visual effects masterpiece is slowly turning out to be not just a thrill ride, but an exhilarating intervention, a call to all in the audience to keep fighting against the urge to give up and let life end. It's one of the clearest examples of cinematic inspiration, and one that is breathtakingly captivating.
