Ever since the start of the 2020s, the world has been treated to some exceptional movies belonging to one of the most exquisitely entertaining categories of science fiction out there: Space sci-fi. Whether we’re talking about space operas like Project Hail Mary or space-faring superhero blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, several of the greatest science fiction movies of the last six years have happened to find their settings in outer space.
It’s rather unsurprising, of course, considering that space has been the setting of many of history's greatest sci-fi movies. Different people may have different standards for what counts as a movie set in space, but as long as the film spends a substantial portion of its runtime between the stars, or as long as space travel plays a crucial role in its narrative, it counts for the purposes of this list. The best part of it all is that there are many ways for a film to take advantage of its space setting, whether that’s emphasizing its vast and terrifying nature, exploring the wonders of its infinite size, or simply using it as a springboard to tell a particularly engaging story on a planet other than Earth.
6
‘Space Sweepers’ (2021)
Image via Netflix
Space Westerns are often some of the most irresistibly entertaining sci-fi movies that can possibly be set in space, and as far as this subgenre goes, the 2020s hasn’t had much better to offer than Jo Sung-hee‘s South Korean gem Space Sweepers. It’s one of those forgotten Netflix action movies that are perfect from start to finish, regarded as the first true major South Korean space sci-fi blockbuster. It’s a space opera set in the year 2092, where Earth has become an uninhabitable wasteland. The dysfunctional, debt-ridden crew of a junk-collecting ship finds Dorothy, a young girl rumored to be a humanoid weapon of mass destruction. What ensues is a hich-octane space adventure unlike any other that the last six years have offered.
Space Sweepers isn’t perfect. There are many a familiar sci-fi cliché, and the story is somewhat bogged down by some exposition dumps and logical leaps. For the most part, however, this is about as charming, fresh, action-packed, and entertaining as space sci-fi movies get. The world-building is delectably vibrant, the emotional core provided by the characters and their dynamics is awfully effective from start to finish, and Jo’s direction sharply tackles timely issues like corporate greed, class divides, and environmental decay. There may not be very many narrative surprises here, but it’s all so wonderfully produced that it’s hard not to have a fantastic time with it all.
5
‘Last and First Men’ (2020)
Image via Shudder
Last and First Men is an odd example of a sci-fi film that’s technically set in space, even if some may find its inclusion to be a bit of cheating. Based on the 1930 novel of the same name by English author Olaf Stapledon, it’s the only feature film that legendary composer Jóhann Jóhannsson ever directed, released two years after his untimely death from a drug overdose. Accompanied by one of the most rousing scores Jóhannsson ever composed, Last and First Men‘s visuals consist entirely of shots of World War II monuments and memorials in former Yugoslavia, while the real story is a tale narrated by Tilda Swinton about the final generation of humanity facing total extinction in the far future.
A movie that consists of 70 minutes of a disembodied narrator telling an epic multi-million-year history is, needless to say, not for everyone; but those interested in such a concept will quickly find that Last and First Men is not only great, but one of the most perfect sci-fi movies of the 21st century. It’s a beautifully surreal and experimental meditation on the passage of time and the fragility of human civilization, one where space is not necessarily seen as an exciting frontier of exploration, but rather as an eerily indifferent and ultimately fatal cosmos.
4
‘Alien: Romulus’ (2024)
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