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Best space movies since 2000: Collider's top 6

From 'The Martian' to 'Dune: Part Two', these six films stand out as the best space-set sci-fi movies of the 21st century so far, according to Collider.

Priya RamanPublished · 2 min read
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Collider has ranked the six best movies set in space released since 2000. The list spans hard sci-fi, space operas, animation, and blockbuster epics, all using outer space as a central setting.

The Martian (2015)

Ridley Scott's survival drama stars Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars. Collider calls it one of Scott's best 21st-century movies and a love letter to the scientific method and human ingenuity. The film balances exciting blockbuster sequences with grounded scientific realism.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Gareth Edwards directed this planet-hopping prequel that fills in plot holes from the original Star Wars. Collider notes that it became the best Star Wars film of the 21st century, with thrilling action set pieces, a vast ensemble cast, and a tragic story that feels old-school. It grossed over $1 billion.

WALL-E (2008)

Pixar's animated masterpiece blends silent comedy and climate fiction. Collider describes it as part romantic comedy paying tribute to silent classics, part environmental warning. The film starts on a polluted Earth but becomes a planetary romance when WALL-E travels into space, appealing to all ages.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

Based on Andy Weir's novel, this hard sci-fi film stars Ryan Gosling and is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Collider calls it a love letter to science and one of the few flawless hard sci-fi movies. It features a charming human-alien dynamic reminiscent of E.T. and treats space as a realm governed by physics.

Interstellar (2014)

Christopher Nolan's space opera is a deeply moving story about family and love, set against a backdrop of space travel. Collider highlights Hans Zimmer's rousing score, stunning visual effects, and world-building. It remains one of Nolan's most fun and emotionally powerful films.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Denis Villeneuve's conclusion to Frank Herbert's adaptation is, per Collider, the best blockbuster of the 2020s so far and the closest thing to this generation's The Empire Strikes Back. Though most of the narrative stays on Arrakis, space travel is crucial. The film earns praise for its score, cinematography, performances, and direction.

  • Collider
  • Dune: Part Two
  • ranking
  • Sci-Fi
  • space movies
  • The Martian

About Priya Raman

Priya Raman is a staff writer at TV & Movies, where she writes Three Episodes In, the site's verdict on new series after their first three episodes. She spent four years as a writers' assistant on two network dramas and later read scripts for production companies in Chicago and Los Angeles. She has a BA in English from the University of Michigan and an MFA in screenwriting from DePaul University. She covers prestige drama, limited series and workplace comedies. Favorites: The Wire, Halt and Catch Fire, Abbott Elementary. She has opinions about cold opens and will share them if asked.

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