A Glean movie guide
Survival & Science
When science is the only way home.
Gripping space dramas that celebrate human ingenuity and the power of problem-solving.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Apollo 13
The gold standard for real-world engineering problem-solving 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
Gravity
A visceral, high-stakes experience that captures the terrifying isolation of space.
Dr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.
- 03
Interstellar
An ambitious, scientifically grounded epic about humanity's desperate search for a new home.
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.
- 04
Hidden Figures
An inspiring look at the brilliant minds at NASA who made space flight possible through sheer intellect.
The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
- 05
Moon
A thoughtful, character-driven story that explores the psychological toll of long-term space isolation.
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.
- 06
First Man
A gritty, realistic portrayal of the technical and personal costs of the race to the Moon.
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.
- 07
Contact
A grounded, intellectual approach to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
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.
- 08
Europa Report
A tense, documentary-style mission that prioritizes scientific protocol and discovery.
A crew travels to Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon, to investigate signs of life in its subsurface ocean, but disaster cuts them off from Earth, leading to a tense and dangerous exploration.