A Glean movie guide
Science vs. Survival: Beyond The Martian
Science your way out of it.
Grounded sci-fi and high-stakes survival stories where logic is the only way home.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Apollo 13
A gripping true story of NASA engineers using logic and grit to bring a damaged crew home.
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
Interstellar
An ambitious epic that blends theoretical physics with a desperate race to save humanity.
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.
- 03
Gravity
A relentless survival thriller that focuses on the terrifying physics of orbital mechanics.
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.
- 04
Moon
A quiet, atmospheric character study about a lone worker managing a lunar facility.
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.
- 05
First Man
A visceral look at the dangerous engineering and personal sacrifice behind the Apollo 11 mission.
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.
- 06
Stowaway
A tense drama centered on life-support logistics and impossible ethical choices during a Mars transit.
A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
- 07
Europa Report
A realistic, found-footage style exploration of the technical risks of deep-space discovery.
A crew of international astronauts are sent on a private mission to Jupiter's fourth moon.
- 08
Contact
A cerebral celebration of the scientific method and the engineering required to reach the stars.
A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.
- 09
Arrival
A methodical sci-fi masterpiece where linguistics and logic are the primary tools for survival.
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
- 10
Arctic
A stripped-back survival story that mirrors Mark Watney’s resourcefulness in a frozen wasteland.
A man stranded in the Arctic is finally about to receive his long awaited rescue. However, after a tragic accident, his opportunity is lost and he must then decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his camp or embark on a deadly trek through the unknown for potential salvation.
- 11
All Is Lost
A masterclass in solo survival, focusing on technical repairs and navigation against the sea.
During a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean, a veteran mariner awakes to find his vessel taking on water after a collision with a stray shipping container. With his radio and navigation equipment disabled, he sails unknowingly into a violent storm and barely escapes with his life. With any luck, the ocean currents may carry him into a shipping lane -- but, with supplies dwindling and the sharks circling, the sailor is forced to face his own mortality.
- 12
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
The 1964 classic that pioneered the 'stranded on the Red Planet' survival subgenre.
Stranded on Mars with only a monkey as a companion, an astronaut must figure out how to find oxygen, water, and food and companionship on the lifeless planet.