Season 2, Episode 8 of The Space and Science Show #AskAbby series

Presented by TheMarsGeneration.org

What are the 10 Best Space Movies Ever?

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In the eighth episode of Season 2 of #AskAbby, please join Astronaut Abby as she talks about what she thinks are the best space movies ever! Looking for a recommendation for your next movie night or a film that will make you think more deeply about space? You’re in good hands! We’re going to be counting down our favorite, must-see space films.

Includes discussion on both the scientific accuracy and cinematic qualities of E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982) directed by Steven Spielberg, Interstellar (2014) directed by Christopher Nolan, Apollo 13 (1995) directed by Bill Paxton, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) directed by Stanley Kubrick, and many more! Feel free to comment down below if you think there’s any out-of-this-world space films that YOU think belong on this list that we didn’t get the chance to mention!

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Transcription of WHAT ARE THE 10 BEST SPACE MOVIES EVER

For all my sci-fi fans out there, grab your popcorn and silence your phones, because today we’re talking about the 10 best space movies of all time.

Hi everyone, I’m Astronaut Abby, an aspiring astronaut with the goal to be the first person to walk on Mars. Welcome to Ask Abby, where I answer questions about space and science submitted by you, the viewers! This week’s question is, “Abby, what are your favorite space movies?”

Oh boy….

So not necessarily a science question, but as a big sci-fi geek, I think this is really fun. So let’s dive right in! I’m going to be counting down my top 10 space movies. Make sure to watch until the end to see what my very favorite space movie is.

To kick things off with number 10, is E.T. — The Extraterrestrial, directed by Stephen Spielburg and released in 1982. This 4-time Oscar winning film explores alien life through the eyes of a child, which conveys a sense of wonder for the unknown. So is E.T. accurate? Well, we can’t say that an alien like in E.T. doesn’t exist, but if you check out the episode that we did on the truth about extraterrestrial life, you’ll see that it’s pretty unlikely. So go ahead and click on the video. Although I will say, if we ever do encounter alien life, it will be a lot smaller, dumber, and way less cute than E.T.

Number 9: the extremely iconic 2001: Space Odyssey. Because no science fiction list would be complete without having this film on it. Directed by Stanley Cubric and released in 1968 (it’s the oldest film on our list), it deals with the evolution of human kind and our grand transcendence into higher beings. While the heavy breathing, floating baby head, and people jumping around in monkey suits might be a little too out there for some people, it did win an Oscar for best special effects. It’s also incredibly artistic and forces you to think outside of our normal conventions. You might love it, you might hate it, but it’s definitely one that you need to see.

Moving on to number 8, the adorable film, Wall-E, directed by Andrew Stanton and released in 2008. What I really love about this film is it makes its intended younger audiences think about the consequences of consumerism and the value of our home, Earth. While Wall-E is a really funny and lighthearted film, the message about not taking care of our planet is very dark and real. The film won the Oscar for best animated feature film. And c’mon, that fire extinguisher scene between Wall-E and Eve? Still a better love story than Twilight.

And now for number 7–Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan and released in 2014. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain. From the music to the advanced science, the different worlds, and the incredible acting, Interstellar opens our eyes to more radical science, but through the filter of more normal human relationships. The cinematography and visuals are gorgeous and keep your attention throughout the entire film. And, while the science might not be the most accurate, seeing as we don’t yet know if wormholes are real or how they work, it does explore some of science’s most radical theories and is arguably one of the most original sci-fi films out there.

Number 6: Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard and released in 1995. This two-time Oscar-winning film stars Tom Hanks and Bill Paxton, and is one of my absolute favorite space movies of all time because it shows the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the early NASA space program. The film centers around the real life Apollo 13 mission, which nearly ended in disaster after the ship suffered massive internal damages. Apollo 13 shows the fight to keep the three astronauts on this mission alive. The film stays true to what actually happened and doesn’t add anything extra. But it doesn’t need to either since the story itself has everything from action, to near tragedy, to adrenaline, to humor, and even some romance. And the acting is quite good, make sure to grab your tissues because the end can be a real tearjerker.

Number 5: This one is actually a comedy spoof–Spaceballs. Released in 1987 and directed by Mel Brooks. If you’re a Star Wars fan like me, you’re going to love this parody film. It includes many iconic lines. Such as, “The Schwartz!”

Number 4 was a huge box office hit: Guardians of the Galaxy, released in 2014 by director James Gunn, it included stars such as Chris Pratt, Zoey Saldana, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper. I loved all the different characters in it, but especially Groot and Rocket. Plus, it blessed us with these hysterical moments.

Now we’re getting close. My number 3 favorite space movies is–Star Trek. Ok, so there are actually a lot of Star Trek movies, 13 to be exact, but I’m going to include all of them here for the sake of time and because, well, it’s Star Trek. The representation of a futuristic society peacefully exploring our universe is extremely powerful. And, let’s be honest, we’ve all dreamt about being in the Star Fleet Academy.

And now for my top 2 favorite space movies. And possibly–no, definitely–a controversial choice: Star Wars! And yes I put Star Wars above Star Trek. Fight me! While it may not be the most scientifically-accurate portrayal of space, it does allow our imaginations to run wild, and had incredibly compelling heroes and villains. (Cuts of Abby going on and on about the merits of Star Wars until it’s 80 years later and she had a grey beard.) It just doesn’t get better than that. It really doesn’t.

And finally, my number 1 favorite space movie of all time–The Martian! The Martian, which was based on the book by the same name by author Andy Weir, which was really good and you should definitely read, was released in 2015 and directed by Riggly Scott. And it was nominated for 7 Oscars, which is pretty amazing. What I really love about this movie is how incredibly accurate it is. Not only is it exciting and futuristic, but it also stays true to real science, and it’s a depiction of what we could be seeing happen in space exploration within our lifetimes. I think that’s pretty exciting. However, it does have some inaccuracies, so you definitely shouldn’t take it for fact. But it’s the closest we have to a realistic depiction of modern space exploration. And the inaccuracies in The Martian play an important part in moving the plot forward, so, we’ll allow it.

Well, that’s it for my top 10 favorite space movies! Do you guys agree? Would you add anything or take anything out? Go ahead and comment down below, and either way, I hope I gave you some good ideas for your next movie night!

That’s all the time we have today for Ask Abby, thank you all so much for joining me for this segment of the Mars Generation’s Space and Science show. If you liked it, which I hope that you did, go ahead and click the thumbs up button to give us a like, and also subscribe so that you don’t miss our next episode, which is going to be a countdown of the absolute worst space movies of all time. Also, as always, if you would like to ask a question and potentially see it answered here on Ask Abby, make sure to go ahead and tweet it to me using the hashtag #AskAbby or submit it at TheMarsGeneration.org which is linked below. Until next time, farewell fellow travelers of spaceship Earth.