Films To Inspire Us To Get Back To Space

Today marks the final launch of the Space Shuttle and while it's pretty tragic, I like to be optimistic about the future of the space shuttles and space travel. Nasa.gov are you listening? My reasons for this aren't really that complicated: space, space travel, space exploration, aliens, x-wings, jedis, galaxies, planets, comets, the borg, Oa, are extremely exciting and awesome. So while it's easy to get down that there won't be any space shuttle launches for a while, check out some films that will hopefully inspire us to return to the cosmos

2001
I mean where does one start with this flick. It's both incredibly detailed in how it envisions space travel to evolve and wickedly heady in terms of it's cosmic implications about....everything.......brahhhhhh. I recently saw it on the big screen for the fist time and the level of detail and care put into showing space exploration is astounding. If anyone in NASA needs a shot of inspiration check out this flick, just don't drop any acid when you do, everyone knows how that works out. 

Star Wars: A New Hope
Yo...N.A.S.A. the sooner you create X-Wings, Y Wings, A-Wings, and hire frog people like Admiral Akbar the sooner the public will be ready to get back to space! While you're at it, have some other government agencies make some lightsabers!

Michael Bay
Now before you Wes Anderson junkies start freaking out about including this divise director on the list. Remember that he made "Armageddon" a movie which NASA both loves and hates. The message in that flick is clear that: A) Anyone can be a space hero B)N.AS.A has tons of cool space tech C) Respect space or it will drop fiery rocks on you. Bay also has successfully linked real life Space missions to his transformers reality both in the plot lines and trailers of first and third film. I mean the guy has the real life Buzz Aldrin meetings Optimus Prime in the new one! Respect!

Apollo 13 

I saw this flick on opening night and it blew my mind. As real as it gets when it comes to NASA and space flight this movie is so accurate we watched in science class, and not because my science teacher sucked, but because of it's brilliant lessons of problem solving and teamwork that film conveys. Also the explosions in the launch sequence are choice, also Tom Hanks is the man.

Star Trek (2009)
The deep space jump on the rig that's destroying the planet with some shady red-matter science is a long way off (maybe 20 years tops) but this sequence is enough to get anyone fired up to go to space. Unlike "Star Wars" it has kind of basic connection to science and reality and that scores major points.

Event Horizon & Alien
Just kidding, don't watch these unless you want to start signing petitions for NASA not to explore space/hell/the abyss.

The Right Stuff
Yikes I've never seen this flick, but I had to include because I know my Dad and my older readers who care about space would think I was a real rookie/ferengi (that's for you JP) if I didn't include it.

Sunshine (Update)
My Dad pointed out this title was missing from my list. Not only is it from Academy Award winning director Danny Boyle but it also features real life science in a practical sci-fi setting. I dig how the ship makes it's own oxygen via plant garden, the physicist is the most important person on board, and kick ass soundtrack.

Honorable Mentions
"Space Cowboys" is pretty good, I never bothered to see "The Astronaut's Wife," but apparently it's wack so don't bother. "Galaxy Quest" is notable for being hilarious and "The Last Starfighter" is also notable for being the bomb.com

I'm gonna miss the space shuttle, but sense of wonder in the cosmos in strong. This is mainly in part for a desire to go on my own personal trench run (with my boy Jay Judah as Wedge) to save the galaxy and because I read Astronomy Picture of the Day every day of my life. Go Space!

Cred Confessions: 2001

My credibility confessions continue with my screening of 2001 last night. When I say screening it means I watched it on Blu-Ray with my three buddies who have seen at least 10 times each. When I asked if they wanted to watch, one of my friends simply referred to it as "The Masterpiece." And I gotta say, this movie really took my mind, blasted into outer space, than grilled it in a english muffin pizza with extra mozzarella. I'm not sure I have truly recovered.

Now I will say, I did see this film with my Dad when I was really little and I remember thinking "where the hell are the aliens?" Now that I'm older, wiser, and more informed about the nature of space, time, and extra-terrestrials I found myself mesmerized by it. Every camera movement in this film feels revolutionary and every shot feels like a space painting. Any other statement I make about how technically amazing this film is, both now and when it came out, just makes me sound like a rookie.

However what struck me about about it was the overall message about the relationship between men and machines. As we progress further into the future, our dependency on our machines (Droids, Iphones, Ipads, TVs, space-ships) all seem to be developing to a point that is reflected accurately in the film (the year is a little off, but who cares). However it seems that in the film that technology eventually leads us to understanding what it means to be human, and I'm not sure that is the case today. Facebook, twitter, four square, and everything else seems to connect us to each other even more, but at the same time it limits our face to face interaction. So are the machines making us or more less human? I guess we'll have to wait for the monolith to answer that!