A Glean movie guide
Hard Science: The Most Realistic Space Movies
No sound in a vacuum.
From historical NASA missions to physics-based sci-fi, these films keep it grounded.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Apollo 13
A masterclass in technical problem-solving and engineering under extreme pressure.
The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.
- 02
The Martian
A thrilling survival story that celebrates botanical science and orbital physics.
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
- 03
2001: A Space Odyssey
A visionary epic famous for its silent vacuum and realistic artificial gravity designs.
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
- 04
First Man
A visceral look at the volatile and claustrophobic reality of early lunar missions.
A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
- 05
The Right Stuff
An epic chronicle of the engineering risks and grit required for the first human spaceflights.
At the dawn of the Space Race, seven test pilots set out to become the first American astronauts to enter space. However, the road to making history brings momentous challenges.
- 06
Interstellar
A visually stunning journey built on theoretical physics, black holes, and time dilation.
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
- 07
Salyut 7
A gripping depiction of the technical ingenuity needed to save a dead space station in orbit.
USSR, June 1985. After contact with the Salyut 7 space station is lost, cosmonauts Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh dock with the empty, frozen craft, and bring her back to life. Based on actual events.
- 08
Gravity
A tense survival thriller that captures the terrifying momentum of zero-gravity environments.
Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer, is on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
- 09
Proxima
A grounded look at the intense physical and psychological preparation for life in orbit.
Sarah is a French astronaut training at the European Space Agency in Cologne. She is the only woman in the arduous program. She lives alone with Stella, her seven year old daughter. Sarah feels guilty that she cannot spend more time with her child. Her love is overpowering, unsettling. When Sarah is chosen to join the crew of a year-long space mission called Proxima, it creates chaos in the mother-daughter relationship.
- 10
Europa Report
A documentary-style exploration of the scientific method on a mission to Jupiter's moon.
A crew of international astronauts are sent on a private mission to Jupiter's fourth moon.
- 11
Moon
A quiet, industrial take on the psychological isolation of long-term lunar mining.
With only three weeks left in his three-year contract, Sam Bell is eager to return to Earth. Stationed alone at a Moon-based facility with his computer assistant GERTY, an unexpected accident sets off a series of unsettling events that shake his isolation.
- 12
Stowaway
A tense drama focused on the hard mathematical limits of life support systems.
A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.