Television series
The New Frontier
A brisk, optimistic look at space exploration's near future, made when private companies were just beginning to reshape the final frontier. Narrated with crisp clarity, these bite-sized episodes survey what's coming: lunar returns, Mars missions, asteroid mining, the works. It's for anyone who wants to feel the pull of possibility without heavy lifting.
If you liked this
Cosmos1980
Carl Sagan's vision remade with modern visuals and Neil deGrasse Tyson's infectious wonder. Sweeping, beautifully shot, and makes you feel small in the best way possible.
But At 13 episodes, it's a bigger commitment than The New Frontier, and more philosophically weighty than you might want.
For All Mankind2019
Alternate history where the space race never stopped. Gorgeously designed, thrilling, and captures that sense of limitless possibility The New Frontier chases.
But It's fiction dressed as history, which some find confusing. Also leans heavily into 1970s-80s drama alongside the space stuff.
Apollo 131995
The gold standard of space survival storytelling. Real, tense, and celebrates human ingenuity under impossible pressure. Tom Hanks and Ron Howard at their best.
But It's about a mission that failed to land, so you know going in it won't have the triumphant ending you might crave.
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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
High Life2018
Where The New Frontier imagines optimistic futures, High Life imagines space exploration's darkest possibilities—the same horizon, inverted.
A spacecraft sent to mine a black hole. Robert Pattinson alone with a child, haunted by the ship's dark history. Claire Denis makes the infinite feel claustrophobic and strange.
But It's deliberately slow, cryptic, and ends in ambiguity. Expect no plot clarity and no comfort. Some see it as pretentious; others find it transcendent.
More like this (8)
Hidden Figures2016
Space exploration through the eyes of the Black women mathematicians NASA couldn't function without. Vital, funny, urgent, and deeply satisfying.
But Its inspirational arc sometimes softens the weight of institutional racism it's depicting, if you're looking for something less conventionally uplifting.
First Man2018
Neil Armstrong's moon landing from inside his head—intimate and unglamorous. Damien Chazelle's direction is hypnotic; the launch sequences are visceral.
But It's deliberately quiet and introspective, not a rousing space spectacle. Some find it glacial where others find it meditative.
The Right Stuff1983
The birth of American spaceflight told with humor, swagger, and real stakes. Chronicles the Mercury Seven with energy and affection for its subjects.
But At nearly three hours, it asks patience. And its tone—rollicking, masculine—doesn't match how we talk about space now.
Gravity2013
Space as a place of terrible beauty and absolute isolation. Sandra Bullock in a masterclass of survival acting; visually stunning and deeply claustrophobic.
But It's essentially a 90-minute anxiety attack. If you want wonder over dread, this isn't it.
Orbiter 92017
A young woman wakes on a spacecraft with no memory. Clever sci-fi mystery with genuine twists and a small, intimate scale that lets you sit with ideas.
But It's in Spanish, and the budget shows—some effects look cheap. The final act divides people sharply.
The Martian2015
Stranded on Mars, an astronaut sciences his way home with humor and grit. Ridley Scott makes problem-solving feel triumphant; Matt Damon carries it all effortlessly.
But Its relentless optimism and disco-heavy soundtrack can feel saccharine. It's fundamentally a feel-good film disguised as hard sci-fi.
When Worlds Collide1951
Both documents are rooted in 'what if we had to leave Earth?'—The New Frontier explores routes forward, this explores what desperation might demand.
A planet on collision course with Earth forces humanity to build an ark. 1950s sci-fi at its most earnest and visually audacious. A genuine precursor to modern space-colonization thinking.
But The effects are dated by any modern standard. Pacing is glacial; sexual politics are actively retrograde.
Planetary2015
Same year, same optimistic register, but where The New Frontier surveys future ambitions, this celebrates the wonder of understanding what's actually out there now.
A feature-length documentary about planetary science told through stunning NASA imagery and interviews with researchers who love what they study. Quiet, gorgeous, genuinely moving about curiosity.
But It has no narrative arc or conflict. If you need a story, this is pure observation—beautiful but austere.
People
Cast
- Stuart SykesNarrator
Writing
- Andrew ThomsonCreator