Chandrayaan 2: 8 space movies to watch, as India lands on the Moon

Around all the buzz going on about ISRO's Chandrayaan 2 mission, we bring to you 8 space movies that you can binge-watch to set the mood for the landing scheduled for 1:30 AM IST on September 7^th.

WATCH | ISRO Quiz Winners are all set to experience live Chandrayaan-2 landing

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey 

2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic sci-fi movie directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick. The movie is inspired by a short story written by Arthur C. Clark. The film deals with the theme of human evolution, and the signs of extra-terrestrial life that has affected it. The plot of the movie revolves around a featureless alien artifact which is responsible for granting humans the gift of intelligence. The 50-years-old movie is still a must-watch for those who love science fiction.

2. Armageddon 

Armageddon is a sci-fi disaster movie directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It features Bruce Willis and an ensemble cast which comprises of Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Oven Wilson, and others. Armageddon opens with a massive meteor shower that almost destroys New York City. A group of blue-collar deep-core drillers are sent to deal with a humongous perpetual threat that will cause an extinction-level event if not dealt with in time.

3. Gravity

Gravity is a 2013 sci-fi thriller directed by Alfonso Cuaron. It stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The movie is about two American astronauts, played by Sandra and Clooney, who get stranded in space after the mid-orbit destruction of their space shuttle. The two now have to survive in space and return to Earth unharmed. Gravity is one of the best space movies out there and is a must-watch for space nerds. 

4. Interstellar

Interstellar is an American sci-fi movie directed and produced by Christopher Nolan. It was released in the year 2014 and stars Matthew McConaughey, Anna Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Bill Irwin. Interstellar is set in a dystopian future where humanity is struggling to survive as their planet is dying. To tackle this and find an alternative a group of astronauts travel into the deep space through a wormhole in search of a new home for humanity. Interstellar is one of the best works of Christopher Nolan and has been compared with movies like Inception.

5. Star trek

Star Trek is a movie franchise based on the television series of the same name. Star Trek, as the name suggests, is a sci-fi movie that revolves around the thrilling adventures of the crew lead by James T. Kirk. They work under the government entity known as The Federation. The crew undertakes missions in intergalactic space through the means of hyperspace jumps.

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!”  - the film made this phase very popular. Even ISRO, after the launch of Chandrayaan 2 to the dark side of the moon, proudly stated that India has boldly gone where no other nation has gone before. 

READ | ISRO future missions: Aditya L-1 to Sun,Gaganyaan space station

6. Avatar

Avatar is a 2009 epic sci-fi film directed by James Cameron. The movie is set in a not-so-distant future where humans have colonised a newly found habitable moon they call Pandora. The film deals with the exploits of Pandora by humans, to obtain a mineral called Unobtanium. Avatar had dominated the box office records and was the highest-grossing film until it was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame.

7. Mission Mangal

Mission Mangal is a 2019 Indian Hindi language drama movie by Jagan Shakti. The film features an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Sharman Joshi, and others. It is loosely based on the life of scientists at the ISRO, who contributed to the Mars Orbiter Mission, India's first interplanetary expedition. Mission Mangal managed to earn a total of ₹ 269 crores.  

8. The Martian

The Martian is a 2015 Science fiction directed by Ridley Scott. The film stars Matt Damon. The movie is an adaptation of a novel by the same name, written by Andy Weir. The film depicts the struggle of an astronaut who is stranded on the planet Mars, as he is left behind by his crew. The film was nominated for the Academy Awards.

If you have a favorite space-y movie that's not on this list, do let us know in the comments below. For updates on ISRO's Chandrayaan 2 mission, visit Chandrayaan 2 Live Updates.

READ | ISRO mission Chandrayaan 2 and future plans of space exploration