Space keeps luring as well as challenging scientists and Hollywood filmmakers alike

Almost every film has a random shot of the sky in contrast to a given surrounding However very few ventures make an attempt towards exploring that space right above us A reason strong enough to appreciate those movies that give us a peek into an alternate worldWith the advent of cuttingedge technology the finer details that make space exquisite more and more films are moving beyond the earthly comfort zones mdash while being firmly planted on the planetMoreover Christopher Nolans recently released 165million endeavour titled Interstellar is expected to further push the cinematic boundaries In the meantime hitlist takes you on a walk through the gradual progress in spacerelated cinema2001 A Space Odyssey 1968Director Stanley KubrickLowdown If theres one feature film that has contributed immensely to filmmaking mdash not just scifi as a genre mdash then it has to be this timeless masterpiece What makes 2001 more intriguing is Kubricks attention to the minutest of details And coincidentally if you may the film released exactly a year before man landed on the moonSolaris 1972Director Andrei TarkovskyLowdown The movie revolves around an astronomer who is pondering about life before embarking on an interstellar journey A part of him tells him that its going to be an illfated operation but a part of him also persuades him to check whether hes capable of making the journey Being the auteur that he was Tarkovsky ensures we fully understand his dilemma with images conveying a lotDark Star 1974Director John CarpenterLowdown John Carpenter wrote produced and directed this aheadofitstime film while also composing the music for it Put bluntly the entire film is one mans vision about a world when technology would make humankind so superior that wed not stop at destroying our planet but even look into space to exploit more planetsStar Trek II The Wrath of Khan 1982Director Nicholas MeyerLowdown There has been no dearth of Star Trek films from the neverending franchise but if one were to pinpoint one movie from the series it has to be this one The earthly conflicts promote themselves up to the galactic sphere where two fighting parties wont possibly let the other gain space mdash no pun intendedThe Right Stuff 1983Director Philip KaufmanLowdown On being asked what comes close to the tone set in Interstellar director Christopher Nolan mentioned this film before adding how underrated it really is Understandably ahead of its time this Box Office dud featured seven astronauts who were packaged off into the space to avert damage to their planet2010 1984Director Peter HyamsLowdown For some reason a joint USRussian space programme ends up on a moon revolving Jupiter What ensues is a series of intriguing incidents on an unknown celestial body that is more than just hostile towards the visitors In this sequel to the Stanley Kubrick classic Bob Balaban peculiarly played an Indian scientist named Dr ChandraAliens 1986Director James CameronLowdown Going with the cinematic motif associated with this director the female character Sigourney Weaver is indeed strong and doesnt give up mdash ever She had a brushwith aliens earlier and despite heavy reluctance on her part initially she finally decides to confront another batch of dangerously creepy space creatures with aplombContact 1997Director Robert ZemeckisLowdown Almost 20 years in the making this scifi drama turns into an adventure as the protagonist travels through space mdash wormholes to be precise mdash and coming very close to the third kind Starring Jodie Foster in a striking role the film makes an attempt to not only reach out into the sky but also look for living beings hiddenin thereThe Fifth Element 1997Director Luc BessonLowdown Once the most expensive French productions this scifi action film starring Bruce Willis Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman takes a plunge into the future without abandoning the home planet Although the futuristic world is filled with spaceships and weird characters the onus of Earths survival falls squarely on happygolucky charactersDark City 1998Director Alex ProyasLowdown A man suffering from memory loss is accused of murder leaving him with no choice but to escape arrest During his run he sinks deeper and deeper into the labyrinth he thought he was escaping In the end it becomes obvious that hes not really where he assumes he is In fact hes not even on the planet he was on onceWALLmiddotE 2008Director Andrew StantonLowdown 2014 marks the first year for Pixar in over a decade to not have a single release Regardless this Pixar creation from the noughties was of a different league It was set in the space and on a machineled planet About 40 minutes into the film and you dont hear one exchange of dialogues The visuals are so captivating that you dont miss them eitherMoon 2009Director Duncan JonesLowdown Unlike the title the film revolves around an astronaut Sam Rockwell who is on a contractual visit to mine moons surface Needless to mention he is far away from his loved ones but the question really is Are they far away from him too What comes as a shocker to him turns out to be a bigger shocker to the unwitting audiencesAnother Earth 2011Director Mike CahillLowdown What if theres another planet out in the sky exactly like ours Better still what if people who perished on Earth are to be found on that replica planet Yes too many what ifs it seems And thats also something this wonderfully tragic indie film addresses without actually concluding anything in any planets favourGravity 2013Director Alfonso CuaroacutenLowdown The 17minute opening scene redefines the term epic before ensuing on an unforgettable journey About an astronaut Sandra Bullock who hopes to return home read Earth after a terrible accident on the space station the film touches several chords while the protagonist keeps floating from one testing situation to another