Must Watch Space Movies

This week is World Space Week, and what better way to honor a holiday that few have ever heard of, than to sit on your couch and watch movies. Here is Subset's list of space movies we think you just have to watch... and a few bonus space facts thrown in along the way.  Chuck’s PickProspect - 2018There are so many great choices of movies that take place in space or distant planets, and many of them span across all genres, not just sci-fi. Action, historical, drama, fantasy, etc. My “must watch” falls strangely in the sci-fi western category. No, not “Cowboys vs. Aliens”. Prospect (2018)  combines elements of deep space travel with gunslingers, lawless wilderness and the hopes of striking it rich. A girl and her father fight natural elements, outlaws and the blurred lines of good and bad for survival.  Fact: Space Does Not “technically” have a temperature. In order to have temperature one must have particles with mass. The speed of movement of particles generates heat. Particles that move fast are hot, and particles moving slow are cold. In a perfect vacuum there is a total absence of particles, therefore, no temperature. Space however is not completely void. We are able to measure wavelengths between particles left over from the big bang to determine what temperature a human might “feel” in space. This felt temperature varies depending on the location in space, but averages about 2.7 kelvin (-455ºF). Just a smidge above absolute zero. Claire’s PickThe Martian (2015) The ultimate survival tale of a man who is mistakenly left behind on Mars when his crew thinks he's dead. Using limited resources must cope with the realization help may never come and he has to choose between holding on to hope or facing death.     Fact: Astronauts often return to earth a few inches taller than when they left. This is due to the lack of gravity allowing their spines to stretch out. It’s like the ultimate chiropractor! Fact: There is a website where you can check how many people are in space on any given day. (There are 10 as of Oct. 6th 2022 and all have been there for 300+ days) https://www.howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com/ Jake’s PickAlien (1979) Space is scary, even scarier when you realize in space, nobody can hear you scream. And Ridley’s Scott take on the traditional movie monster certainly is enhanced by its setting. Revered by both fans of the horror and sci-fi genres, the film sets up the ultimate movie villain the titular Alien, aka the xenomorph, vs iconic hero Ripley.   Fact: Space doesn't have air or atmosphere. It's a vacuum, so sound waves can't travel.  (See above, re: the screaming)Fact: The number of stars in the universe is incalculable.  There are so many stars in space that it's impossible to count them all. Scientists and astronomers use the number of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way, to estimate. That estimation is somewhere between 200-400 billion, which would then need to be multiplied by the billions of estimated galaxies, hence a very large and unknown number. Ben’s PickSpace Cowboys (2000)I can hear Justin Timberlake in my head already; “Why-yi-yi-yippie-yi-yay-yippie-yi-yo-yippie-yi-yay”. When a Russian military satellite goes on the fritz, there is only one team of old timers with enough grit to get the job done. Clint Eastwood. Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner team up to save the planet in the only way this group of grumpy old men know how. Not saying it’s the best space movie ever made, but it’s certainly one everybody should see at least once.   Joel’s PickStarship Troopers (1997)“The only good bug, is a dead bug”. What can we say about this little flick. Is it so bad that it’s good, or is it just good, good? A pseudo-satire on military and fascism, this film has action, romance, campy military propaganda, and (surprise) Neil Patrick Harris performing giant bug telepathy. Star studded with all the best and worst faces of the late 90’s action genre, including Mr Krabs as Sgt. Zim, this is arguably the ugliest masterpiece of American cinema.