A handful of excellent science fiction and space movies share visual and thematic similarities with Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. For inspiration, here are nine exceptional cases.
Although set in the rare and polarising genre of science fiction space opera, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar was a smashing success thanks to its fulfilling and emotionally engaging adventure and exploration of enormously complex theoretical topics.
Fans have been wondering for a long time if there will be a sequel, but in the meantime, there are a lot of other beautiful movies out there that meet or exceed the same standards. Some of these masterpieces were also influential in the making of the film. The top films in the same genre as “Interstellar” are listed below.
It’s no surprise that interest in Christopher Nolan’s massively popular space opera continues to rise, as it is one of the highest-rated sci-fi films of all time among film fans. This list needs to grow as its devoted following does. If you enjoyed Nolan’s work and want to see more like Interstellar, you should check out these other films.
9 Best Sci-Fi Movies Like Interstellar
Ad Astra (2019)
One of the few recent science-fiction films that may be more gripping than Christopher Nolan’s approaching apocalypse, James Gray’s sci-fi thriller is quite comparable to Interstellar in terms of a direct and linear plot.
In this film, Brad Pitt portrays the emotionally distant son of a missing astronaut who embarks on a mission to learn what happened to his father.
First Man (2018)
Damien Chazelle’s biographical drama about Neil Armstrong’s pioneering journey to the Moon focuses significantly more on Armstrong’s state of mind during the expedition, exemplifying the trend of emotionally detached high-pedigree space pictures of the same era as Interstellar.
By viewing the Apollo 11 mission through Armstrong’s reaction to the death of his young daughter, First Man becomes more than a simple reenactment and instead becomes a powerful and striking drama that, like Interstellar, relies heavily on practical effects and techniques to create a more grounded and real-world experience.
Gravity (2013)
Alfonso Cuarón’s space survival film is the most fast-paced on this list. Still, he never skimps on emotional weight during the film’s frantic action sequences, which follow a theme of grief and emotional detachment amid the harsh environment of space.
The straightforward premise that Sandra Bullock’s stranded astronaut has to deal with a storm of debris swirling around Earth’s orbit enables as many impressive visual effects as a film like Interstellar.
The Right Stuff (1983)
Based on Tom Wolfe’s book of the same name, The Right Stuff offers a slightly more optimistic look at historical aeronautical history through the lens of objectivity without sacrificing the film’s astonishingly well-made visuals.
The Right Stuff is as essential to the history of space movies as big fantasies like 2001 are because they inspired Matthew McConaughey’s portrayal of ace pilot Joseph “Coop” Cooper.
Sunshine (2007)
Unlike the preceding entries on this list, Danny Boyle’s sci-fi thriller is far more imaginative and in the spirit of Jules Verne. It more closely follows the more outrageous theoretical concepts presented in Interstellar.
In Sunshine, we follow an astronaut crew as they prepare to drop a bomb into the dying sun in a last-ditch effort to save humanity. However, the immense stakes of their mission have varying effects on the crew, leading to unexpected difficulties fraught with apocalyptic dangers.
The Black Hole (1979)
This tale of a lost starship discovered lying on the edge of the titular zone of spacetime is one of Disney’s earliest — and still one of its most influential — strange and cherished science fiction cult favorites. The inmates are a crazed scientist and his army of mechanical monsters.
There isn’t a single weird, dark, or horrifying moment in The Black Hole that can’t stand up to its counterparts in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. The unforgettable demonic robot “Maximillian” even manages to out-psycho the real psycho from the movie Psycho, Anthony Perkins. Its vein of adventure is very much in the tradition of Star Wars and Jules Verne, and it shares Interstellar’s aim to see the glories of science from a theoretical — sometimes even spiritual —standpoint.
Mission to Mars (2000)
This version of the Disneyland attraction by the same name was directed by master filmmaker Brian De Palma, known for his dark and violent thrillers. It provides a different take on the plot of the next film on our list.
Some of the concepts of Interstellar are also present in this film, which follows a daring rescue mission to the red planet. Several Mission to Mars’ visual effects not only hold up but are still stunning even today. However, the film’s tonal inconsistency makes it a bumpy ride in spots, and its depiction of the first meeting between humanity and extraterrestrials drew more criticism than even Interstellar.
The Martian (2015)
Ridley Scott adapts Andy Weir’s best-selling novel into one of the most optimistic science fiction survival films ever made, even though he uses many of the same visual elements as in his darker and more gruesome later Alien films. Maybe even the majority of.
The film depicts Matt Damon’s character, a botanist who is mistakenly stranded on Mars after being thought dead. Despite his dire circumstances, the guy maintains an incredible level of hope.
Moon (2009)
Duncan Jones’s feature film debut was an instant cult classic thanks to some smartly simple designs and a stunning lead performance from the always-compelling Sam Rockwell. The film is a much more isolated and claustrophobic slice of science fiction than the operatics of Interstellar but no less thought-provoking.
In Moon, we accompany Rockwell’s lone lunar worker as they learn a shocking truth about the nature of their job, which has profound philosophical ramifications. The movie is terrifying and hilarious, making it a must-see for any fan of the genre that enjoyed Interstellar for its similarly plausible depiction of the future.
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