# Space films **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878 "2003-12-31T02:39:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/1 "2003-12-31T02:39:49Z")
A friend and I have been racking our brains for good, realistic space films, and we are coming up with surprisingly few candidates. Our criteria:[ul][li] The films must be “good”. Subjective, I know, but consider this a guideline not to mention films you didn’t like.[/li] [li] The film’s plot must _primarily_ concern the possibilities of space travel. Space opera may occur in space, but it’s really about princesses and evil wizards.[/li] [li] The film must depict space travel in realistic terms. In other words, it must either describe current technology with scientific accuracy, or extrapolate current technology to depict futuristic technology in a sense that seems realistic today. For example, simply assuming FTL travel is possible without explaining the mechanics in a way that agrees with general relativity is a no-no.[/li] [li] No documentaries.[/ul]These criteria rule out space opera (_Star Wars_, _The Fifth Element_) as well as most action/adventure films (_Armageddon_, _Alien_).[/li] The films we have come up with so far:[ul][li] _2001: A Space Odyssey_[/li][li] _2010_[/li][li] _The Right Stuff_[/li][li] _Apollo 13_[/li][li] _From the Earth to the Moon_ (HBO miniseries)[/li][li] _Solaris_ (US)[/li][li] _Solaris_ (RU)[/li][li] _Tintin’s Moon Adventure_ (seriously)[/ul] Personally I am ruling out _Space Cowboys_, _Mission to Mars_ and _Red Planet_ purely based on their lack of artistic merit.[/li] Suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/2 "2003-12-31T03:19:31Z")
Don’t forget **Destination Moon** , with script by Robert Heinlein, art direction by Chesley Bonestell (!), and produced by George Pal. Pal followed it up with **Cnquest of Space** , which deserves at least an honorable mention. It features a space station and a trip to Mars. Heinlein followed up with **Operation Moonbase** , which deserves a look. The TV series **Men Into Space** was well-done, good SF from 1959, featuring a surprisingly realistic and restrained depiction of space travel. At least, that’s what I recall from my childhood. To my knowledge, it has never been syndicated, or made available on VHS or DVD. (Although there is a surprisingly detailed website devoted to it.) **Robinson Crusoe on Mars** was a wel-made SF film circa 1965. Hokey title, and some hokey stuff, but, again, surprisingly restrained (for the most part) film about an astronaut (and his monkey) marooned on Mars and struggling to survive. They even manage to throw in a Man Friday. Also notable as the very first movie I know of that featured a space ship with b a “Dstruct” feature. And it’s _not_ ued for an explosive climax. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/3 "2003-12-31T03:39:35Z")
There’s _Marooned,_ another sixties epic about astronauts trapped aboard a capsule that can’t get back to Earth, and the emergency rescue mission to save them. The years haven’t been kind to it, but it was realistic enough by the standards of the time. The George Pal films Cal mentions above were pretty good, even now, although the science doesn’t quite stand up under the test of time. ---
**Author:** ![burntsand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@burntsand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burntsand)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/4 "2004-01-01T20:13:14Z")
One that’s not bad is **Silent Running** , with Bruce Dern as the caretaker of Earth’s last forests, now located in orbit. As I recall, the technology was fairly realistic - nuclear powered space ships, long communication delays, relatively simple robots. And apparently, Pan Am is goimg to make a comeback some day - hold onto those stock certificates 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/5 "2004-01-01T21:32:02Z")
**burntsand** , the freighters in _Silent Running_ had American Airlines logos on them. You may be thinking of the Pan Am shuttle that took Dr. Floyd to the space station in _2001_. **gentle** , excellent choice on _The Right Stuff_, my favorite movie of all time. If documentaries are allowed, put **For All Mankind** on the list. When the Apollo missions were happening, all the pictures we saw were video images that the news could get on TV quickly. but the astronauts also shot thousands of feet of film (16mm, and even 35mm, I think), that wasn’t developed until after they brough it back. Al Reinert went through all the footage in the NASA archives and edited the best shots into this film. The quality of the images is breathtaking. ---
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/6 "2004-01-01T21:50:17Z")
Thanks, people. I will check these out. _Silent Running_ sounds particularly interesting. **Robot Arm** , _The Right Stuff_ is also one of my favourite films, and definitely my favourite “space” film. As a minor space buff, _For All Mankind_ sounds wonderful. My quibble with _From the Earth to the Moon_, the miniseries, was that focus tended to drift away from the stuff going on out in space. (A particularly egregious example is the episode about Apollo 13: it had no scenes from the Apollo 13 shuttle, and barely any scenes from the control room; instead, the plot was almost completely concerned the internal struggle between fictional reporters in a fictional TV network, with the Apollo 13 incident merely a backdrop. The story probably reflected the kinds of conflicts and changes going on in media at the time, but it wasn’t what I wanted to see in a miniseries like this.) ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/7 "2004-01-01T21:59:35Z")
When _From the Earth to the Moon_ was produced, the movie _Apollo 13_ was pretty recent. I think that’s why they decided to deal with stuff that hadn’t been covered in the film. Tom Hanks was involved in both projects. I’m sorry to say, I can’t think of too many movies that really fit the criteria in the OP. I guess we can rule out _Space 1999_. ---
**Author:** ![burntsand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@burntsand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burntsand)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/8 "2004-01-01T22:03:08Z")
One warning I should have given about **Silent Running** - you have to remember that the film is very much a product of the era when Watergate, Vietnam, and **Silent Spring** had destroyed everyone’s faith in the future and trust in human institutions and governments. The environmental doomsday scenario of the film is laughable now, and the hippie environmentalist (good!) versus militaristic good-ole-boy (bad!) stereotypes of the main characters are severely dated. If you can get past that, and some awful Joan Baez songs, it’s an enjoyable movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/9 "2004-01-01T22:31:50Z")
I was going to suggest _Saturn 3_, but on reflection, it was pretty shite. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/10 "2004-01-01T22:42:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Master Wang-Ka \* > \*\*There’s _Marooned,_ another sixties epic about astronauts trapped aboard a capsule that can’t get back to Earth, and the emergency rescue mission to save them. The years haven’t been kind to it, but it was realistic enough by the standards of the time. > \*\* An aside: This movie was repackaged as _Space Travellers_ and used as episode #401 of **Mystery Science Theater 3000**. ---
**Author:** ![haardvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@haardvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haardvark)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/11 "2004-01-02T00:20:08Z")
[Journey to the Far Side of the Sun,](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0064519/) aka Doppelganger, is somewhat slow and dated but takes fairly realistic approaches to the problems of spaceflight. [Space Camp,](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0091993/) emphasis on _camp_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-films/221878/12 "2004-01-02T17:35:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, aka Doppelganger, is somewhat slow and dated but takes fairly realistic approaches to the problems of spaceflight. To quote Roger Ebert (who was talking about another film) I hated, hated, hated this movie. Pretty bloody awful. Slow moving as hell, with a “clever” concept (There’s another Earth! On the Other Side of the Sun! And it’s just like ours! Except Everything’s backwards!) that’s pretty obvious. One movie that fits the criteria (but I als hate) is the incredibly obscure **Countdown** , starring a then little-know James Caan. The Lunar Lander looks like a Gemini capsule placed on top of a LEM base. **Red Planet** pretty much fits the criteria, but I hate it, too. I also pretty much hate **Deep Impact** and **Armageddon** , too. Why are so many near-future spaceflight movies so damned bad?