Are you obsessed with space? Would you rather be stuck on Mars or deep-diving into an asteroid belt to look for a missing cargo ship? Do you prefer movies that take you out into the stars?
Netflix is no stranger to sci-fi movies, and many of those films take place out in the vast deepness of space. There really is no better streaming service if you love outer space movies.
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Here are some of the best space movies you can watch on Netflix right now. All of these titles are available on the platform as of this writing. Get ready, grab your blasters, and off we go!
11.Godzilla: The Planet Eater
Godzilla: The Planet Eater is the third and final entry in Netflix’s Godzilla universe. This set of computer-animated movies is set 20,000 years in the future after Godzilla took over the planet.
The Planet Eater follows the soldier Haruo as he returns to Earth in pursuit of his life-long dream: to kill Godzilla. But an even greater threat also arrives on Earth, complicating matters.
The whole series if worth watching if you like kaiju and planet-shaking events, as it’s an interestingly new take on modern Godzilla films.
10.Beyond Skyline
Beyond Skyline follows an LAPD detective and his estranged son as they’re abducted onto a spaceship at the start of an alien invasion. They have to do all they can to get off before they’re turned into alien soldiers against their will.
Beyond Skyline is a sequel to Skyline , but takes place at the same time as the other film. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, it’s a fast-paced, action-packed, visually interesting bit of sci-fi.
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9.Jupiter Ascending
Jupiter Ascending is almost like a cross between Star Wars and The Matrix —which makes sense when you realize that it was created by the same writer-director duo behind The Matrix .
It follows the story of an everyday cleaning woman who discovers that she’s the heiress to an intergalactic dynasty. And not only that, but Earth is in danger of destruction and only she can stop it.
While you shouldn’t expect Jupiter Ascending to be anything close to the culture-defining The Matrix , it’s a fun movie to sit through as long as you turn off your mind and accept the story beats as they come.
8.The Cloverfield Paradox
The Cloverfield Paradox is the third entry in the Cloverfield franchise, but you’re better off going into this movie as if it were a standalone sci-fi movie. There’s very little that connects it to the other movies.
The basic premise of The Cloverfield Paradox is that a team of scientists on an orbiting space station test out a new reactor that’s meant to solve the energy crisis on Earth. But the test flings them out into space along a rip in time, resulting in strange phenomena.
This movie is one of those “the journey is more interesting than the destination” types, as it does fumble a bit toward the end. But if you like mystery and suspense, this has both in spades.
7.Iron Sky
When the Allied forces won in 1945, a group of Nazis fled to the dark side of the Moon and set up a secret base. In 2018, they’re ready to come back to Earth—with a space fleet that’s equipped to conquer.
Iron Sky has an entirely ridiculous premise, and you can expect the movie to play out as ridiculously as that premise. But you have to give it credit for originality. And it’s not a bad movie to watch for some mindless fun that feels in line with the silliest movies of the 90s.
6.Orbiter 9
A young woman has spent her entire life alone on a space station, traveling from Earth to a distant planet, cared for only by the on-board computer. But one day she falls in love with a space engineer who boards her ship, and he reveals the truth of her life.
Orbiter 9 is a tense romance-drama movie with a large dose of sci-fi, and it works surprisingly well. It’s the kind of movie that fares better with critics than mainstream audiences, but there’s a lot to like even if you aren’t a “cinephile.” Especially the ending!
5.The Wandering Earth
In the far future, the Sun is on the verge of becoming a red giant, threatening to incinerate Earth as it expands. Humanity comes together with one goal: migrating Earth out of the Solar System and into the neighboring Alpha Centauri system.
The Wandering Earth is an epic sci-fi tale that’s rooted in reality, thanks to the film’s collaboration with scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the movie’s science. But more importantly, it’s an emotional and transcendent story worth experiencing.
4.Zathura: A Space Adventure
Two brothers, their sister, and an astronaut find a mysterious board game that transports their house to outer space. They have to work together to survive the board game’s various obstacles and complications if they want to make it back home alive.
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3.Prospect
In Prospect , a father and daughter have secured a lucrative contract to travel to the Moon and harvest gems from the Moon’s poisonous forests. But they soon learn that they aren’t the only ones out there, and things take a dangerous turn.
Prospect is a restrained movie that accomplishes a lot without spectacle, particularly when it comes to character development and evolving relationships. And even without a lot of special effects, there’s plenty of worldbuilding to take in and enjoy.
2.Over the Moon
Over the Moon is a computer-animated musical movie that centers on a young girl who builds a rocket ship and travels to the Moon to meet a legendary immortal goddess.
This family-friendly film may not bring anything particularly innovative or groundbreaking to the table, but it delivers a satisfying story with a unique flavor that stems from its Chinese-American elements.
1.Expelled From Paradise
After a catastrophe leaves most of Earth uninhabitable, most of humanity now lives in a virtual reality environment aboard a space station. But one special agent is given a physical body so she can return to Earth in pursuit of a dangerous hacker.
Expelled From Paradise is a visually stunning movie with likable characters and high-stakes plot. Even if you aren’t an “anime watcher,” this one’s worth watching. It doesn’t achieve the same heights as, say, Studio Ghibli’s anime movies, but it’s still pretty good!
Next Gen is a gem. Full stop. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, but once I sat down to watch it I couldn’t look away.
In a utopian future where everyone has their own personal robot and almost everything is automated, teenage Mai Su has an issue with the status quo. Her dad left her when she was little, and her mom turned to robots to keep her company.
Mai, feeling rejected, has taken this abandonment out on robots everywhere. When she runs into a military-grade machine her assumptions on AI are challenged. She and the robot must then work together to protect the ones they love.
It’s so good I cried. Like, twice.
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The Good
I really, really enjoyed this movie beyond the fact that I’m biased towards robots. The animation is fantastic and the character designs are adorable. Think WALL-E meets Inside Out , but in a thriving utopian metropolis.
I will admit I was a bit shocked by how violent the film got in parts. Nothing with blood in it—because this is still a children’s film—but the robot battle at the end was a knock-down, drag-out brawl, full of ripped off limbs and missing eyeballs.
The story was engaging. Mai Su reminded me a lot of myself when I was younger and I felt like the world was against me.
And while I grew frustrated with her at parts—she’s manipulative towards the robot who adores her—I had to take a step back and think about her predicament. When I did, I realized that she was reacting in a way that made sense for her situation.
As mentioned, Mai’s father left her when she was young, and her mother turned to robots to fight off her own crushing loneliness. Mai blames machines for this, and in a world where everyone loves them, this has led to people ostracizing her for shunning them.
The story behind 7723—the robot—is also great. As a military machine designed to kill, it’s incredibly touching to see how the robot rejects this programming once he gains a sense of self and turned towards pacifism.
7723 insists quite candidly throughout the film that we are more than where we came from. That we can become good if we choose to be good, and he does.
Even more touching is how the film pushes the idea that it is better to cling to the good memories of those we love instead of hanging on to old wounds. It’s an incredibly optimistic view of the future and a great message to send to children.
I was also happy with the dynamic between Mai and 7723. You can tell they are both lonely, and it was so interesting to see how they took that loneliness out on others.
A robot capable of great violence eschews it, while a girl with no power desperately seeks violence in order to protect herself. It was a lovely juxtaposition.
The Bad
There was very little I disliked about this movie, beyond the “Tech Bro” character of Justin Pin being too close for comfort with how much he echoed the Silicon Valley stereotype.
The show also falls into the dreaded Purple Hair Trope with the character of Mai Su, which is rightly criticized as a whole and is a critique I agree with.
The Verdict
The plot twist to Justin Pin’s arc was really good, and despite my dislike of the Tech Bro stereotype, I think they pulled it off well.
The film also got me thinking about the ethical implications of robotic assistants, and how we might be more susceptible to their influence if we’re lonely.
