There are so many movies set in and around space, that it's easy to get overwhelmed. To celebrate China's Chang'e-4 spacecraft landing on the Moon's mysterious far side this morning however (the first time it has been done in history), we've decided to go back and pick out some of our favourites.
Here are the five most memorable moon landing movies.
5) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
This Stanley Kubrick masterpiece may have been released a year before the world's first-ever real Moon landing, but the director managed to pull off a beautiful and authentic depiction of what would eventually come to pass. In fact, he made the prospect of landing on the Moon look like child's play.
Not much can be said about this film that will do it justice; it's one of those that you truly have to experience to wrap your head around. The score is gorgeous; the special effects are of their time but impressive; it's just one of those movies that you need to see in your lifetime.
4) Superman II (1980)
The Moon may have only played a small part in Superman II's narrative, but it's a wonderful thing to see a trio of DC super-villains come together on the planet and interrupt a NASA mission that's simply collecting rocks for testing.
Zod, Ursa and Non - played by Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran respectively - fly to the Moon in an attempt to discover how to increase their powers. They realise that the answers lie elsewhere, and so their Moon landing is cut short. Still, that doesn't stop it from being memorable!
3) Apollo 13 (1995)
This American space docudrama film was directed by Ron Howard and has gone on to become one of the most beloved space movies of all time.
Starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris, Apollo 13 adapts the real-life story of the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission. It was supposed to be NASA's third Moon landing, but quickly descended into chaos when an on-board explosion deprived the spacecraft of oxygen and electricity.
Going from what should have been another brilliant moment for America, to a struggle to save the lives of the astronauts on board, this is an emotionally-draining (in the best way) flick that will have you on the edge of your seat the first time you watch.
2) Operation Avalanche (2016)
Whilst not exactly a film about a real moon landing, this American-Canadian found footage conspiracy thriller is brilliant enough to be included on this list.
Co-written by Matt Johnson and Josh Boles, the former of whom also directed, it sees two CIA agents infiltrate NASA to expose a potential mole, before becoming caught up in a conspiracy to fake the Moon landing portions fo the 1969 Apollo 11 mission.
This is a conspiracy that has been rampant in the real world ever since Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the Moon, but one that doesn't really hold any factual foundation. Still, that doesn't stop Operation Avalanche from being a compelling fictional piece, that still pushes the audience to think, "what if?".
1) First Man (2018)
Ryan Gosling takes on the role of Neil Armstrong here, alongside Corey Stoll as Buzz Aldrin, in last year's take on the legendary space mission that led to Armstrong becoming the first man to ever walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
Directed by Damien Chazelle, First Man delves deeply into the astronaut's personal life as well as the space mission, with Claire Foy giving a particularly strong performance as Janet Armstrong. She shatters any preconceptions that Janet was just "a wife" to Neil, instead showcasing that she may have in fact been the strongest half of the partnership.
MORE: What does it mean to dream about the Moon?
Tagged in Movies