Science Fiction movies transport their viewers into unknown territories. It’s an enjoyable visual trip to other dimensions. Additionally, it is an excellent opportunity to explore the universe. In this article, 11 Movies Like Interstellar, we’ll discuss this exciting genre. So gather your family and friends and cook the popcorn for a Sci-fi movie night.
All About Interstellar (2014)
The movie Interstellar may come to mind when you think about the sci-fi genre. Maybe, you have even seen it once or twice. This Christopher Nolan masterpiece revolves around time travel and space exploration. It also tackles family relationships and other social issues. It also deals with scientific accuracy, making it more relatable and believable.
This movie casts Hollywood stars such as Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey. It tackles a future where the Earth is uninhabitable. It also shows how the Earth ceases to be livable due to food shortages and lack of oxygen. A team of NASA engineers, pilots, and scientists explored interstellar travel. They aimed to find a new home for the human race.
The movie explores the concept of time and space. These two most crucial elements support humanity’s search for answers about the universe. It allows viewers a glimpse of the unique solar system. Meanwhile, it reveals the unbreakable bond between parent and child. It touches the heart by showing that the family always comes first.
The film’s direction, cinematography, and visual effects are top-notch. The actors provided memorable performances and gave depth to the characters. You will feel that love knows no bounds or logic. A parent will always have an unbreakable bond with their child that defies time and space.
Hans Zimmer provided an original score that transports viewers to space. The mesmerizing music provided an atmosphere filled with emotional intensity.
Many of Christopher Nolan’s fans believe this is his best movie. He perfectly harnessed human emotions to convey a universal concern. It allowed the moviegoers to look deeper into their relationships and existence.
11 Movies Like Interstellar
1. Ad Astra (2019)
English Norwegian 2h 3m IMDb
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga
Ad Astra meaning “to the stars” in Latin, is a sci-fi movie about space travel. Brad Pitt plays Roy, an astronaut whose mission is to find his father in space. The film opens with a string of flight accidents. Mysterious power surges that threatened the stability of Earth caused these disasters.
Authorities soon discovered that the problem’s root was an old mission. Scientists referred to it as the Lima Project. Roy’s father led the mission aimed at seeking intelligent life in space.
Yet, the ship and its crew could not go back to Earth. No one heard from them again. Like Interstellar, this film tackled parent-child relationships. The love for family remains a priority no matter what happens. The stunning visual effects and the cast’s breathtaking acting built this powerful film.
2. The Martian (2015)
English Mandarin 2h 24m IMDb
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig
The Martian is a critically acclaimed and award-winning movie starring Matt Damon. This 2015 film is based on an Andy Weir novel. It revolves around an astronaut who was left to survive on his own on Mars.
Director Ridley Scott perfectly narrated a man’s story of solitude and survival. Interestingly, The movie also showed creative methods of producing oxygen and food on Mars. On the other hand, NASA tries to help the astronaut come back to Earth alive through remote communication.
Like Interstellar, The Martian explores space travel and survival on another planet. It allows viewers a glimpse into resilience and tenacity, especially during trying times. This film shows the possibility of humans existing on a planet aside from Earth.
Thousands of audiences raved about this movie, while critics hailed the film’s storyline, special effects, and production value. It won several awards, including BAFTA and the Golden Globe, and was nominated for the Oscars.
3. Passengers (2016)
English Spanish Japanese French 1h 56m IMDb
Director: Morten Tyldum
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are the stars of Passengers, a sci-fi movie that also touches on romance. It took inspiration from a comic book story entitled 50 Girls 50. The film revolves around the two main characters’ voyage to a distant galaxy. The ship bringing them there carries thousands of other people meant to inhabit a new colony.
It treads on the same storyline as Interstellar since it involves interstellar travel. The destination is 60 light years away, creating a complex journey that’s literally out of this world.
All the ship’s passengers have been put into a 120-year hibernation except for Pratt’s character, Jim. Due to technical glitches, he wakes up from his deep sleep. He then wakes up Aurora (Lawrence) for company.
They have adapted to living on board and fell in love with each other. However, they soon realize that the fate of the ship and the 5000 passengers are in their hands.
4. Gravity (2013)
English Greenlandic 1h 31m IMDb
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris(voice)
A movie starring two award-winning actors rarely disappoints. Gravity is one example: this George Clooney and Sandra Bullock sci-fi blockbuster showcases awe-inspiring visual effects and a riveting storyline. The film, set in space, revolves around two stranded astronauts’ struggles as they fight for survival.
Space debris damaged the astronauts’ shuttle. The movie touches on how the real-world issue of space junk can affect the future of space travel. It also tackles what it takes to survive in the unimaginable environment that is space.
Due to its astounding visual effects and thought-provoking musical score, Gravity brought home seven Academy Awards. These accolades include the best direction, music, and visual effects. It’s also one of the highest-grossing Sci-fi movies of all time and one of the most successful films of Clooney and Bullock. These achievements prove that the vast budget was all worth it.
5. Sunshine (2007)
English 1h 47m IMDb
Director: Danny Boyle
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans
Sunshine features a story that takes place in 2057. This sci-fi and psychological thriller shows Earth freezing out as the sun’s power diminishes. A team of astronauts aims to bring the sun back to its glory by using a nuclear fission bomb. However, they face several challenges causing throughout their mission, causing severe panic on Earth.
Much like the movie Interstellar, Sunshine tackles the struggles of traveling to space and preventing the mission from failing. It presents the conflicting ideals and palpable fears of the crew in a relatable way. It immerses its viewers in the ship’s environment as if they were experiencing the same thing.
The movie may not have the same box office success as other Sci-fi films in this article. However, its DVD release sparked interest and a cult following from many fans. The ensemble cast includes Rose Byrne, Sam Cook, and Michelle Yeoh, who brought their A-game to this movie.
6. Event Horizon (1997)
English Latin 1h 36m IMDb
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan
An award-winning cast, including Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill, brought this movie to life. Released in 1997, Event Horizon features a space mission to find a missing space shuttle.
When the spaceship approaches Neptune, the crew discovers that the spacecraft has been a testing ground for questionable experiments. It left the universe vulnerable to destruction due to the space-time continuum rift it caused.
It tackles the challenges a spaceship and its crew face when on a mission, just like Interstellar. However, this movie deals with sinister beings in the abandoned space shuttle. It reveals evidence of horrific events that took place in the past.
The movie did not have a glaring box office performance and accolades. However, it became a favorite of Sci-fi fans after its DVD and home release. It has become a famous movie reference and pop culture icon.
7. Stowaway (2021)
English 1h 56m IMDb
Director: Joe Penna
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson
Toni Collette and Anna Kendrick lead the cast of this 2021 Sci-fi film released on Netflix. The plot revolves around a Mars mission operated by a three-person crew. An unexpected passenger became the root of all the challenges inside the ship. Scary and life-threatening events forced the team to make an impossible choice.
The movie, just like Interstellar, discusses several moral issues like choosing right from wrong. It touches the beauty of the human spirit as it connects on a deeper level with others. The mission digs into the mind and soul and deals with the unusual situation thousands of miles away from Earth.
Stowaway may have tried to recreate elements from Gravity and Interstellar, but it fell short on some factors. However, it’s still worth discovering the ultimate sacrifice that everyone made in the movie. It proves that unique challenges peppered with scientific exploration are still a successful combination.
8. Oblivion (2013)
English 2h 4m IMDb
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Stars: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough
Oblivion, starring Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman, is an homage to the 1970s science fiction genre. This post-apocalyptic film, set in 2077, is based on an unpolished graphic novel by its director, Joseph Kosinski. It reveals the aftermath of Earth’s destruction because of an alien invasion.
Just like Interstellar, the humans had to relocate to another place, in this case, Titan, to survive. It shows the journey of spacecraft technician Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) as he comes back to Earth.
His mission was to repair a drone used to fight the aliens. In an exciting turn of events, he rescues one survivor. An extraterrestrial being captured them, but they soon joined forces to fight a more significant threat.
Many critics believe this movie is one of Tom Cruise’s best performances. It reveals a unique perspective on space missions and alien invasions, making it a must-watch with fellow sci-fi lovers.
9. Elysium (2013)
English Spanish French Afrikaans Ukrainian 1h 49m IMDb
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley
Elysium, starring award-winning actors Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, is a dystopian sci-fi film that reveals a devastated Earth in 2154. The privileged few lives on an artificial planet named Elysium, based on a NASA-designed advanced space station. The rest of the human race stays on Earth, ravaged by destruction and poverty.
The lead character (Damon) starts his mission to bring equality and justice to the Earth’s people by disrupting the lives of Elysium’s inhabitants. However, the pampered place’s secretary, played by Foster, does everything in her power to stop him.
It shares a lot of movie themes with Interstellar. It deals with relocating people from Earth to another place to avoid destruction. However, this film divided the human race and showed how social class occurs during disasters. Its apocalyptic theme parallels other Sci-fi movies. It may not have performed well at the box office, but it garnered positive reviews from critics.
10. Moon (2009)
English Spanish 1h 37m IMDb
Director: Duncan Jones
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey(voice), Dominique McElligott
Moon is a science fiction drama starring Sam Rockwell. Released in Sundance, it reveals itself to be an art film combined with the mysteries of the sci-fi genre. The 2009 movie follows the astronaut Sam Bell’s mission to mine the moon’s far side for Helium-3. Towards the end of his three-year voyage, he starts to experience an existential crisis.
The movie treads along the lines of Interstellar’s theme by tugging on the viewer’s heartstrings. It allows its audience to relate to Sam’s character and his journey to self-discovery. It provokes deep thought and an inspection of the human psyche.
The film had a small budget compared to big studio releases, and its limited release did not help spread the word. However, it earned high praise from critics and the audience. It also won numerous awards for the director, inspiring a sequel in 2018 called Mute.
11. Life (2017)
English Japanese Vietnamese 1h 44m IMDb
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds
Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, and Rebecca Furguson are the stars of Life, a sci-fi thriller released in 2017. The plot revolves around six astronauts operating the International Space Station.
They discovered the first signs of alien life as they landed on Mars. It turns out that this seemingly harmless microorganism is an aggressive and intelligent life form. The research team quickly finds out that they have a terrifying dilemma.
It involves studying another planet to check for possible life forms to see if it’s inhabitable, much like Interstellar. It showcased superb acting from Hollywood giants Gyllenhaal and Reynolds, making it another blockbuster.
Some viewers frown upon the predictable plot, but others praised its visuals, screenplay, and acting.
Summary
Sci-fi is a timeless genre that will never go out of style. Space and time travel are exciting movie elements. On the other hand, apocalypse and the search for another inhabitable planet are themes worth exploring. Let the 11 Best Movies Like Interstellar be your handy guide if you want more science fiction on your to-watch list.
