Mars Mission: Most popular movies based on outer space

Be it natural calamities, the end of the world or space explorations, Hollywood is a pro in making good movies based on real life incidents. Today, as India has created space history by becoming the first country in the world to enter Mars' orbit in its maiden attempt, we list some of the most popular movies that have been made on space exploration, outer space and aliens.

Armageddon: Considered as one of the most popular movies on outer space and boasting of A-league stars such as Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton and Liv Tyler, Armageddon beautifully captures the struggle faced by astronauts who are on a space voyage. The story is about a group of deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Considered as a box-office success, the film got both positive as well as critical reviews.

Mars Attacks! This science fiction movie of aliens had a comic twist and boasted of top league actors such as Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Natalie Portman and Sarah Jessica Parker. The movie was about an army of Martians who surround Earth with flying saucers and with an intention to colonise the Earth and how the American President played by Jack Nicholson and his team deal with the threats. The movie had several funny moments and is a favourite among children. This movie deserves a special mention as we celebrate our Mars mission today.

Independence Day: Another interesting movie that shows a war between the human race and aliens is Independence Day. This film too boasted of popular actors like Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum and Mary McDonne. Since the final war between the aliens (who enter the Earth orbit via 500 km wide alien mothership) and humans (represented by Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum) is on July 4, the same date as the Independence Day holiday in the United States, the movie was named Independence Day. The movie had several wow moments and did extremely well at the box-office. The bromance between the lead actors was also appreciated.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: One of the most popular alien movies that is adored by children across the globe, E.T. is a story about a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth and how he along with his friends help him to return to his home. The movie beautifully captures human emotions, friendship and love. The movie was directed by famous director Steven Spielberg and was appreciated for its storyline, performances and the cute little Drew Barrymore. Several movies have been inspired by E.T. and Rakesh Roshan’s Koi Mil Gaya was also on the same lines.

Mission to Mars: This is a futuristic science fiction movie that explores the subject of space exploration beautifully. In 2020, a manned Mars exploration mission backfires. American astronaut Jim McConnell then plans and coordinates a rescue mission for his colleagues. The movie was high on special effects but failed to do magic at the box-office.

Star Trek into Darkness: The Star Trek series is a very famous American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. Each and every film of this series is an interesting watch as it explores the mysterious world of outer space, planets, galaxies and stars. As per reports, most Star Trek stories depict the adventures of humans and aliens who serve in Starfleet, the space-borne humanitarian and peacekeeping armada of the United Federation of Planets. Several games, novels, movies, toys as well as comics have been inspired by this series.

Interstellar: This is an upcoming sci-fi movie which is on the same lines of the Oscar winner Gravity. The movie is the discovery of wormhole which is supposed to connect widely-separated regions of space time. The film will be an interesting watch as explorers and scientists come together to embark on a journey through it, transcending the limits of human space travel. This one is expected to be a refreshing change at the end of the year. The movie stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain.

Gravity: Among the most recent space adventure films, Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts, who are stranded in space after the mid-orbit destruction of their space shuttle and their subsequent attempts to return to Earth. The movie was appreciated by both masses as well as critics and won seven prestigious awards like the Oscars, the BAFTA as well as Golden Globe Awards. The movie had several wow moments and incorporated spiritual or existential themes as well.