Space travel stands as one of the most interesting, complex, and fascinating aspects of human life. The fact that humans have landed on the Moon is simply incredible - especially when one considers that it happened all the way back in 1969. And while the moon landing often gets the most attention (as is deserved), space travel in any capacity proves endlessly fascinating.
Luckily for history buffs and movie lovers everywhere, there is no short supply of historical space movies. Some are obviously better than others, but the good ones are often really good. What is more interesting? The movie itself, or the real story at its core?
First Man (2018)
Directed by Damien Chazelle, First Man is based on the official biography of Neil Armstrong, appropriately titled First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. The movie stars Ryan Gosling as Armstrong himself and Claire Foy as his concerned wife, Janet. While the movie does cover the moon landing in extensive detail, it is more concerned about Armstrong's personal life and the emotional journey that he underwent on his way to the moon. It's a great movie, and Gosling is spectacular as the broken and haunted Armstrong.
Apollo 13 (1995)
Apollo 13 proves such an extravagant and unbelievable tale that viewers would be forgiven for thinking it was a piece of fiction. Rather, it's based on the non-fiction book Lost Moon, written by astronaut Jim Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger. It concerns the disastrous Apollo 13 mission from 1970, which saw a crew of three (including Lovell) surviving inside a damaged lunar module for five days. It's an expertly made film that proves both exciting and incredibly intelligent through its approach to engineering and problem-solving.
The Right Stuff (1983)
The Right Stuff is an epic period piece that goes all the way back to the beginning. The movie covers the first human spaceflight program in American history, which is known as Project Mercury. Mercury ran from 1958 to 1963 and concerned the Mercury Seven - a group of seven military pilots and astronauts who were selected to fly the spacecraft. One of these men was Alan Shepard, who became the first American to enter space. His craft, the Freedom 7, officially entered space on May 5, 1961.
Lucy In The Sky (2019)
Lucy in the Sky is loosely based on the life of astronaut Lisa Nowak (Lucy Cola in the film, played by Natalie Portman). Nowak flew into space in July of 2006 and subsequently controlled the robotic arms of the International Space Station.
Nowak received international attention in February of 2007 when she attacked Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman after learning that she was romantically involved with her boyfriend, fellow astronaut William Oefelein. She was later charged with felony burglary of a car and misdemeanor battery, fired by NASA, and dishonorably discharged from the Navy.
Gagarin: First In Space (2013)
Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space, and he was the subject of a 2013 docudrama titled Gagarin: First in Space. Gagarin was an Air Force pilot who later flew in the space capsule Vostok 1. On April 12, 1961, Gagarin became the first human being in space when the Vostok 1 completed a successful orbit of the Earth. In the film, Yaroslav Zhalnin plays Gagarin and Mikhail Filippov plays Sergei Korolev, the lead spacecraft engineer and designer who was responsible for getting Vostok 1 into space.
In The Shadow Of The Moon (2007)
Released in 2007, In the Shadow of the Moon is a documentary about the American Apollo program. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, the documentary contains a certifiable who's who of participants, including Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins of Apollo 11 and the aforementioned Jim Lovell of Apollo 13. It's a spectacular documentary - both for what it covers and who participates. In fact, it remained the leading documentary about space travel for some time.
Apollo 11 (2019)
Edited, produced, and directed by American filmmaker Todd Douglas Miller, Apollo 11 is a documentary concerning the fateful Apollo 11 mission (the one that landed Neil Armstrong on the moon).
Without any type of documentary "flourishes" like narration or interviews and consisting solely of archival footage (some of which was filmed in beautiful 70mm), Apollo 11 is an absolutely brilliant and personal look into one of mankind's greatest achievements. It received widespread acclaim and is rightfully heralded as one of the greatest documentaries of all time.
Hidden Figures (2016)
Hidden Figures isn't about astronauts per se, but the people who help astronauts get into space. The true story follows three African American women who served as NASA mathematicians and engineers during the Space Race of the early 1960s - Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. The Mercury Seven also make a brief appearance in the movie when they visit Langley Research Center, with Glen Powell playing the first American to orbit Earth, John Glenn.
Apollo 11 (1996)
Developed after the positive response to Apollo 13, Apollo 11 is a television movie that aired on The Family Channel in November 1996. Like First Man, it primarily concerns the tense lead-up to the fateful Apollo 11 mission. Buzz Aldrin worked on the film as a technical consultant, and the TV movie was later nominated for an Emmy for Sound Mixing for a Drama, Miniseries, or Special. It's obviously no First Man, but it's an entertaining film in its own right.
Moonshot (2009)
Yet another TV movie based on the Apollo 11 moon landing, Moonshot aired on the History channel in 2009. It stars Daniel Lapaine as Neil Armstrong, James Marsters as Buzz Aldrin, and The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln as the command module pilot Michael Collins. The TV movie is also notable for including real, original footage that was digitally remastered for the film. It's certainly a unique creative decision, and it helps Moonshot stand out from the pack.