Nida Faraz looks at some exceptional Films dealing with outer space
Films dealing with outer space have been an in-subject in the movie world and Hollywood has produced some outstanding movies about it. Some of them have been so well-made that they have become the stiff of the legend. They are a treat to watch and are highly rated.
The Martian (2015) was directed by Ridley Scott and had a stellar cast of Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig. Botanist Mark Watney (Damon) is presumed dead by his mates, who were aboard the Ares III mission to Mars. With only a handful of supplies, he utilizes his intelligence to survive in hostile conditions as well as send a signal to Earth.
Interstellar (2014) was directed by Christopher Nolan casting Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain. In a dystopian world where humans are struggling to survive, a former NASA pilot (McConaughey) and a group of astronauts travel through a wormhole to space to find a new home for humanity.
Gravity (2013) was directed by Alfonso Cuarón and the cast included Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris. While aboard the space shuttle Explorer, veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) and medical engineer Ryan Stone (Bullock) meet with an accident and are left stranded in space.
Avatar (2009) was directed by James Cameron casting Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver. Set in the 22nd century, the film focuses on humans colonizing Pandora, a habitable moon in the Alpha Centauri star system. As Jake Sully (Worthington), a paralyzed former Marine, embarks on his mission, he falls for a local Na’vi woman Neytiri (Saldana) and is torn between following orders and his heart.
Planet of the Apes (2001) was directed by Tim Burton casting Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth. An astronaut (Wahlberg) crash lands on a planet inhabited by apes and where humans are treated as slaves. In an attempt to go back to Earth, he starts a rebellion with the help of an ape called Ari.
Apollo 13 (1995) was directed by Ron Howard with the cast of Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon. Based on the aborted Apollo 13 lunar mission of 1970, the film focuses on astronauts Jim Lovell (Hanks), Fred Haise (Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Bacon), whose spacecraft undergoes massive damage following an on-board explosion. As the moon landing is called off, NASA’s flight controllers struggle to get them back to Earth safely.
Alien (1979) was directed by Ridley Scott and its cast was Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt. During its return trip to Earth, commercial starship Nostromo detects an unknown transmission, which they believe is a distress call. Things go awry when one of the crew members is attacked by a mysterious organism, beginning a horrific turn of events.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) was directed by Steven Spielberg casting Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr. The film tells the story of Roy Neary (Dreyfuss), an electrician in Indiana, and how his life changes after he meets an alien. Neary’s obsession with the creatures from outer space leads him to an extraordinary experience. TW
