If you’re still trying to recover from the emotional and cerebral whirlwind that is Interstellar – the wormholes, the time-slipping heartbreak, and all that stunning cosmic grandeur – you’re probably looking for some more movies like that. Luckily, the world of science fiction is full of stories which blend mind-bending science with big feelings and unforgettable visuals. Here’s a top-10 countdown of space films that will flip your lid, shake your heart, and possibly even bring a tear to your eye—just like Interstellar.
10. Proxima (2019)
Before we even leave the launchpad, Proxima grounds the emotional weight of space travel in very human terms. Eva Green stars as an astronaut training to spend a year on the International Space Station, while attempting to maintain a relationship with her small daughter. It’s a low-key, earthy narrative about the sacrifices spaceflight requires—and the ripples those decisions have on personal lives. It’s not a wormhole or alien movie, but the emotional tension is off the charts.
9. Aniara (2018)
Being lost in space has never been so eerie. This Swedish thriller tracks a cohort of travelers on a ship that’s set to deliver them to Mars—until something goes awry and they’re diverted from course. With no rescue in sight, the film becomes a slow, contemplative slide into existential terror. It’s all visually captivating and emotionally wrenching, asking the question of what happens when meaning is lost and time yawns interminably before us.
8. Moon (2009)
This is a slow-burn classic. Sam Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, a solitary laborer who’s been working on the moon and is preparing to go home—until things begin getting extremely strange. The movie keeps you guessing while going deep into issues of identity, memory, and loneliness. The atmosphere is low-key and creepy, and it lingers long after the credits have rolled. It’s the sort of movie that feels small-scale but huge in consequence.
7. Sunshine (2007)
Imagine being the last hope of humanity to revive a dying sun. That’s what Sunshine is about, and it’s just as heavy as it’s made out to be. The film begins as a space mission thriller but soon devolves into psychological horror, with breathtaking imagery and an increasing sense of foreboding. It’s not hesitant to pose big questions—or be a little bizarre—and it downright succeeds at atmosphere and emotion.
6. Contact (1997)
Starring Jodie Foster, Contact tells the story of a scientist who receives a message from intelligent life and constructs a machine in order to meet them. It’s an equally haunting and optimistic story about belief, faith, and what it means to be human. The film perfectly balances science, awe, and religion in a way that neither Alien nor Aliens could. It’s a film that’s more concerned with the potential for human connection and exchange than with the risks of extraterrestrial contact.
5. Gravity (2013)
It’s not so much theoretical physics, but pure survival—but Gravity still packs a punch. Sandra Bullock gives a physical and emotional performance as her character struggles to survive after a space station accident. The visuals are stunning, tension is never relieved, and it captures the awe-inspiring horror of space better than most movies can. It’s also an incredible story of rebirth and resilience.
4. Arrival (2016)
If you enjoyed Interstellar’s time tricks and emotional heft, Arrival is a must-see.AmyAdams stars as a linguist attempting to crack an alien language—and the way time is handled in this film will leave your head spinning (in a good way). It’s cerebral, yes, but also profoundly emotional, focused on motherhood and loss. It’s the kind of sci-fi that gets you both in the heart and the head.
3. The Martian (2015)
Stranded on Mars with only a few potatoes and sheer determination, Matt Damon’s Mark Watney is the ultimate survivor. More down-to-earth and humorous than Interstellar, The Martian still explores themes of solitude, cleverness, and determination to return home. It’s comedic, for certain, but the emotional risk and breathtaking Martian vistas make it a gratifying sibling to Nolan’s blockbuster.
2. Ad Astra (2019)
Brad Pitt takes a slow, introspective journey to the edges of the solar system to find estranged father—and, maybe, the meaning of existence. Ad Astra is gorgeous and meditative, full of quiet tension and philosophical musings. If you’re into the emotional weight of space travel and the loneliness it can bring, this film delivers in spades. It’s more about what space does to the soul than what it does to time.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
No such list is ever complete without 2001. Kubrick’s magnum opus is hypnotic, bizarre, and endlessly argued over. It’s more of an experience than a story—one that spans human evolution, artificial intelligence, and the unknowable secrets of the cosmos. You may not know everything by the end, but that’s sort of the idea. If you enjoyed the scope and ambition of Interstellar, you owe it to yourself to (re)see this sci-fi classic.
So whether you’re looking for space horror, emotional drama, philosophical questions, or just more mind-melting visuals, these films will scratch that Interstellar-shaped itch. And who knows? One of them might just become your new favorite trip through the stars.