“Space. The final frontier.” So said Capt. James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise in the original “Star Trek” television series. For explorers like Kirk and also for movie directors, space is a frontier of limitless possibilities. Because no one knows exactly what is out there in the dark, starry night, screenwriters and directors can let their imaginations run wild.
In outer space films, no plot is too outlandish because who can say whatever story the director and screenwriter hatches up is true or not? Crime stories and historical dramas must be rooted in some semblance of reality, but sci-fi features aren’t bound by such restrictions. The scenarios and costumes can be as far out as the earth to Mars.
With advances in special effects technology, movie makers possess another tool in portraying their fictional outer space worlds in vivid detail. And moviegoers enjoy a trip into fantastic, unknown realms from the safety of their seats.
To determine the best movies of all time about outer space — or the creatures who came from there — 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, current as of October 2021. All ratings were weighted equally. Only movies tagged with the keyword “outer space” on IMDb were considered, though not all actually take place or have scenes set on other planets or in other galaxies.
The films on this list are diverse. Of course, “bad-aliens” action movies like “Independence Day” and “Alien” figure prominently. But not all creatures from outer space are bad, as “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” reassuringly tell us.
Click here to see the best movies about outer space
Some outer space movies take a comedic tact, like “Spaceballs” and “Men in Black.” Others are based on real-life stories. “Apollo 13” traces an aborted mission to the moon, and “The Right Stuff” follows a group of test pilots who later become the first astronauts. (For more on real-life space adventures, see the 26 biggest milestones in the space race.)
Although sci-fi movies may sometimes be dismissed as pure fantasy, the films can tell us a lot about our current world. An animated feature set in the far future, “WALL-E” is about a space-traveling robot, yet it warns us to take better care of Earth right now. And of course no list of outer space flicks would be complete without notable entries from the “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” series. (You may think you’re a fan, but can you answer these real “Jeopardy!” clues about “Star Wars?”)
60. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (77,611 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (56,873 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (47 reviews)
> Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
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59. Spaceballs (1987)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (180,117 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (435,206 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 56% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Brooks
58. Prometheus (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7/10 (584,143 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (263,434 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (307 reviews)
> Directed by: Ridley Scott
57. The Tree of Life (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (172,118 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (60,977 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (289 reviews)
> Directed by: Terrence Malick
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56. The Last Starfighter (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (40,353 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (47,517 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (33 reviews)
> Directed by: Nick Castle
55. Independence Day (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 7/10 (549,444 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (977,721 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Roland Emmerich
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54. Treasure Planet (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (109,550 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (68,444 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (149 reviews)
> Directed by: Ron Clements & John Musker
53. Flash Gordon (1980)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (53,790 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (46,761 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Hodges
52. Prospect (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (25,086 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (1,287 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (52 reviews)
> Directed by: Zeek Earl & Christopher Caldwell
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51. Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (6,454 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (1,711 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (17 reviews)
> Directed by: Byron Haskin
50. Contact (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (263,630 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (203,866 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 66% (67 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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49. The American Astronaut (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 7/10 (3,071 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (3,933 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (32 reviews)
> Directed by: Cory McAbee
48. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (737,919 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (33,683,838 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (302 reviews)
> Directed by: George Lucas
47. Sunshine (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (241,344 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (168,447 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (171 reviews)
> Directed by: Danny Boyle
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46. The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (38,717 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (74,499 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 62% (26 reviews)
> Directed by: Nelson Shin
45. Starman (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 7/10 (45,065 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (24,688 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (33 reviews)
> Directed by: John Carpenter
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44. Liquid Sky (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (6,059 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (4,648 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (24 reviews)
> Directed by: Slava Tsukerman
43. Flight of the Navigator (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (46,227 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (59,496 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (31 reviews)
> Directed by: Randal Kleiser
42. First Man (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (178,446 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (8,925 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (457 reviews)
> Directed by: Damien Chazelle
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41. The War of the Worlds (1953)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (34,039 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (65,706 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (34 reviews)
> Directed by: Byron Haskin
40. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (45,153 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (52,295 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Shinichiro Watanabe
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39. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (82,090 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (66,911 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
38. The Fifth Element (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (449,151 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (587,454 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (68 reviews)
> Directed by: Luc Besson
37. Star Trek Beyond (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7/10 (236,743 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (74,786 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (313 reviews)
> Directed by: Justin Lin
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36. Total Recall (1990)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (314,558 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (244,795 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (74 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
35. Space Station 3D (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (1,660 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (2,784 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (23 reviews)
> Directed by: Toni Myers
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34. Star Trek VI: the Undiscovered Country (1991)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (73,062 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (63,178 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (56 reviews)
> Directed by: Nicholas Meyer
33. They Live (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (119,946 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (39,266 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: John Carpenter
32. Galaxy Quest (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (156,807 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (224,393 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (126 reviews)
> Directed by: Dean Parisot
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31. Men in Black (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (535,658 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (1,049,562 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (89 reviews)
> Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
30. Interstellar (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,615,901 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (176,938 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (367 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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29. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (610,740 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (109,639 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (422 reviews)
> Directed by: James Gunn
28. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (580,375 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (105,328 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (456 reviews)
> Directed by: Gareth Edwards
27. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (387,268 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (32,314,349 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (133 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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26. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (472,231 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (313,001 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (293 reviews)
> Directed by: J.J. Abrams
25. Serenity (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (289,170 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (313,280 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (187 reviews)
> Directed by: Joss Whedon
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24. Gravity (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (791,410 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (303,360 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (356 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
23. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (192,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (142,184 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (64 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
22. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (116,510 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (85,576 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (64 reviews)
> Directed by: Nicholas Meyer
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21. Arrival (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (633,887 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (83,786 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (434 reviews)
> Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
20. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (885,086 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (235,773 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (442 reviews)
> Directed by: J.J. Abrams
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19. Forbidden Planet (1956)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (47,116 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (21,506 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (45 reviews)
> Directed by: Fred M. Wilcox
18. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (121,411 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (100,725 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (61 reviews)
> Directed by: Jonathan Frakes
17. Moon (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (345,533 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (100,903 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (194 reviews)
> Directed by: Duncan Jones
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16. Apollo 13 (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (280,730 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (433,114 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (93 reviews)
> Directed by: Ron Howard
15. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (79,521 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (34,285 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Wise
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14. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (646,926 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (95,590 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (436 reviews)
> Directed by: Taika Waititi
13. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (986,400 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (1,014,017 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (96 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Marquand
12. The Martian (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 8/10 (795,046 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (131,961 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (383 reviews)
> Directed by: Ridley Scott
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11. The Right Stuff (1983)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (59,478 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (22,982 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (51 reviews)
> Directed by: Philip Kaufman
10. Star Trek (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (589,910 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (747,981 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (354 reviews)
> Directed by: J.J. Abrams
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9. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 8/10 (1,094,149 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (256,497 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (333 reviews)
> Directed by: James Gunn
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (629,868 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (299,429 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (113 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
7. In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 8/10 (6,701 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (6,164 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (113 reviews)
> Directed by: David Sington
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6. For All Mankind (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (5,495 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,992 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (17 reviews)
> Directed by: Al Reinert
5. WALL·E (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (1,042,798 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (598,663 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (260 reviews)
> Directed by: Andrew Stanton
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4. Aliens (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (678,602 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (430,019 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: James Cameron
3. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
> IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,277,193 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (863,326 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (132 reviews)
> Directed by: George Lucas
2. Alien (1979)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (823,459 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (460,436 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (126 reviews)
> Directed by: Ridley Scott
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1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,205,389 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97% (1,058,608 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (105 reviews)
> Directed by: Irvin Kershner
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