Best movies like Approaching the Unknown
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Captain William Stanaforth is on a one-way solo mission to take the first steps in colonising Mars. Like all pioneers throughout history, Stanaforth will face insurmountable odds and life and death decisions as he rockets bravely through space.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, tense, suspense, futuristic, suspenseful, disturbing
Best tv shows and movies like Approaching the Unknown (2016):
Similar in 84%
Missions (2017)
Plot Summary:
The first manned mission to Mars is now approaching the red planet. The crew includes top-flight scientists and a young female psychiatrist, responsible for their mental health. But just as they are about to land, something goes wrong.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: France
Duration: 26 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 89%
Settlers (2021)
Plot Summary:
Remmy and her parents, refugees from Earth, have found peace on the Martian outskirts until strangers appear in the hills beyond their farm. Told as a triptych, the film follows Remmy as she struggles to survive in an uneasy landscape.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, South Africa
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, minimal cast
Similar in 84%
3022 (2019)
Plot Summary:
A group of astronauts living in the haunting emptiness of deep space awakens to find earth has suffered an extinction-level event.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, futuristic, suspenseful, disturbing, visually appealing, apocalyptic, existential
Similar in 87%
Dune Drifter (2020)
Plot Summary:
When the trainee pilot and her mortally wounded gunner are shot down, they crash land on a nearby planet. An enemy craft offers the chance of spare parts to fix her ship, but then she spots another survivor - an enemy alien soldier with no intention of letting her escape.
IMDB Rating: 3.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, tense, captivating, funny, contemplative
Similar in 80%
Beyond White Space (2018)
Plot Summary:
When a deep space fishing vessel is robbed by a gang of pirates, the Captain makes a daring decision to go after a rare and nearly extinct species. His obsession propels them further into space as the crew spins toward mutiny and betrayal.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Hungary, Japan
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, futuristic, disturbing, action adventure
Similar in 75%
Hunter Prey (2010)
Plot Summary:
The Prometheus has dropped out of orbit. Communications and life support systems are down. Situation Critical: Status of Crew and Prisoner unknown. With orders to catch their Alien Prisoner alive the surviving crew of the spaceship Prometheus pursue a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with their escaped prisoner on a deserted and barren planet. But, who is the hunter and who is its prey?.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, tense, captivating, suspense, exciting, rough, independent film
Similar in 78%
Rubikon (2022)
Plot Summary:
The company soldier Hannah and the scientists Gavin and Dimitri are researching an algae project on board the Rubikon space station, which is supposed to permanently supply humanity with oxygen and food. But suddenly the earth disappears below them in a brown, toxic fog and all contact is broken off - are they the last survivors of humanity? Should they initiate the safe station, dare the return flight and thereby risk their lives?.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Austria
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, futuristic, suspenseful, disturbing, apocalyptic
Similar in 76%
The Beyond (2017)
Plot Summary:
Set in 2019, The Beyond chronicles the groundbreaking mission which sent astronauts - modified with advanced robotics, through a newly discovered wormhole known as the Void. When the mission returns unexpectedly, the space agency races to discover what the astronauts encountered on their first of its kind interstellar space journey.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: futuristic, tense, enigmatic, captivating, suspense, disturbing, cerebral, mockumentary, thought provoking
Similar in 77%
Solitary (2020)
Plot Summary:
A man wakes up inside a room to discover he's a prisoner sent into space to form Earth's first colony, and worse - his cell mate Alana is hell bent on destroying everything.
IMDB Rating: 3.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, futuristic, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 87%
Capsule (2015)
Plot Summary:
Guy is an experienced British fighter pilot who is in command of Britain's first manned mission to space. He has trained for this for three years at the height of the Cold War and now he is alone in space with a malfunctioning capsule. He has limited contact with the UK, some unusual communication with the US and some unorthodox communication with Roscosmos deep in Soviet Russia. Who will help him? Will he make the right choice?.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, History, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 83%
Orbiter 9 (2017)
Plot Summary:
Helena, a young woman on a deep space mission, has been alone for 20 years. Her parents abandoned ship after a technical malfunction made it impossible for all three of them to reach their intended destination. Alex, an isolated engineer, is about to enter her life and turn her world upside down.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Spain, Colombia
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: captivating, surprise ending, exciting, suspense, clever, twisted
Similar in 89%
Stranded (2001)
Plot Summary:
A team of astronauts on the first mission to Mars crashes onto the surface, losing contact with Earth. With no other recourse, and help millions of miles away, the crew is forced to make desperate choices in order to stay alive. Will they be able to survive as the minutes slip away?.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Spain
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, suspenseful, tense, surreal, hispanic, cyber, bleak
Similar in 86%
Stowaway (2021)
Plot Summary:
A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: futuristic, suspense, minimal cast, exciting, tense, captivating
Similar in 80%
Love (2011)
Plot Summary:
After losing contact with Earth, Astronaut Lee Miller becomes stranded in orbit alone aboard the International Space Station. As time passes and life support systems dwindle, Lee battles to maintain his sanity - and simply stay alive. His world is a claustrophobic and lonely existence, until he makes a strange discovery aboard the ship.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama, Music, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: futuristic, psychological, mind bending, thought provoking, surreal, minimal cast, psychological thriller, uplifting, intellectual, indie film
Similar in 82%
Red Planet (2000)
Plot Summary:
Astronauts search for solutions to save a dying Earth by searching on Mars, only to have the mission go terribly awry.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: futuristic, bleak, atmospheric, suspenseful, stylized, suspense, space horror, psychotronic, intellectual, breathtaking
Similar in 81%
400 Days (2015)
Plot Summary:
4 would be astronauts spend 400 days in a land locked space simulator to test the psychological effects of deep space travel but, when something goes terribly wrong and they are forced to leave the simulation, they discover that everything on earth has changed. Is this real or is the simulation on a higher level than they could have ever imagined?.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: psychological, twist ending, suspense, suspenseful, harsh, enigmatic, captivating, realistic, smart, cerebral
Similar in 79%
Trapped in Space (1994)
Plot Summary:
After an accident during a routine trip to Venus, a spaceship has only enough oxygen left for three people... out of five on board.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 503
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, tense, captivating, space horror, psychotronic, surprise ending, twist ending, independent film, minimal cast
Similar in 76%
Voyagers (2021)
Plot Summary:
With the human race's future at stake, a group of young men and women embark on an expedition to colonize a distant planet. But when they uncover disturbing secrets about the mission, they become helpless for pleasure, hunger, and power once avoiding drinking the 'Blue'. The Blue is a drug that keeps them from having sexual feelings and for not having power and strength. They then begin to explore their most primordial natures and try and find a way out of the spaceship.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Czech Republic, Romania, UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspense, suspenseful, captivating, disturbing, intellectual, cyber, visual, disgusting
Similar in 75%
Virtuality (2009)
Plot Summary:
Twelve extremely talented men and women have been chosen to be part of the Phaeton mission, a 10-year trek to explore a distant planetary system. In order to endure the stress of being confined to their high-tech vessel, the crew passes the time using advanced virtual reality modules that allow them to take on various identities. But as the ship approaches a critical phase of their journey, a deadly flaw is discovered in the virtual system, forcing them to question if someone onboard might be a killer.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: exciting, atmospheric, suspenseful, futuristic, space horror, intellectual, cyber, serious, stylized
Similar in 75%
The Astronaut's Wife (1999)
Plot Summary:
When astronaut Spencer Armacost returns to Earth after a mission that nearly cost him his life, he decides to take a desk job in order to see his beautiful wife, Jillian, more often. Gradually, Jillian notices that Spencer's personality seems to have changed, but her concerns fade when she discovers that she's pregnant. As Jillian grows closer to becoming a mother, her suspicions about Spencer return. Why does it seem as if he's a different person?.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 57000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, psychological, surprise ending, suspense, scary, psychological thriller, serious, disturbing, psychotronic, gloomy
Similar in 82%
Life (2017)
Plot Summary:
The six-member crew of the International Space Station is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life, which proves more intelligent than ever expected.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 247000
Genere: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: scary, suspense, apocalyptic, tragic ending, tense, suspenseful, surprise ending, space horror, captivating, futuristic
Similar in 77%
Mission to Mars (2000)
Plot Summary:
When contact is lost with the crew of the first Mars expedition, a rescue mission is launched to discover their fate.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 76000
Genere: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: France, Canada, USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: futuristic, serious, suspense, sentimental, atmospheric, suspenseful, stylized, anamorphic, psychological, psychological thriller
Similar in 89%
Passengers (2016)
Plot Summary:
A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 436000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Australia
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: futuristic, romantic, scenic, dramatic, exciting, thought provoking, suspense, entertaining, visually stunning, intellectual
Similar in 85%
Gravity (2013)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 853000
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspenseful, scenic, suspense, minimal cast, intense, breathtaking, visually stunning, visual, serious
Similar in 86%
Ad Astra (2019)
Plot Summary:
An astronaut travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. He uncovers secrets which challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 256000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, China, Brazil
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, futuristic, touching, captivating, suspenseful, psychological, psychotronic, philosophical, fairy tale
Similar in 85%
Cargo (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story of CARGO takes place on rusty space-freighter KASSANDRA on its way to Station 42. The young medic LAURA is the only one awake on board while the rest of the crew lies frozen in hibernation sleep. In 4 months will Laura's shift be over.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Switzerland
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: futuristic, suspenseful, suspense, tense, philosophical, apocalyptic, space horror, atmospheric, twist ending, psychological thriller
Similar in 78%
Sunshine (2007)
Plot Summary:
Fifty years into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is threatened by arctic temperatures. A team of astronauts is sent to revive the Sun — but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team is sent to finish the mission as mankind’s last hope.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 263000
Genere: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: futuristic, suspense, philosophical, psychological, atmospheric, thought provoking, tense, suspenseful, captivating, intense
Similar in 90%
The Martian (2015)
Plot Summary:
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 904000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, UK, Hungary, Jordan
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: futuristic, biting, clever, serious, captivating, realistic, intellectual, suspenseful, suspense, uplifting
Similar in 90%
Moon (2009)
Plot Summary:
With only three weeks left in his three year contract, Sam Bell is getting anxious to finally return to Earth. He is the only occupant of a Moon-based manufacturing facility along with his computer and assistant, GERTY. When he has an accident however, he wakens to find that he is not alone.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 372000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, philosophical, futuristic, bleak, cerebral, mind bending, minimal cast, mindfuck, intense
Similar in 86%
Prospect (2018)
Plot Summary:
A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They've secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon's toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: mysterious, psychotronic, cyber, psychological, futuristic, realistic, independent film, suspense, suspenseful, harsh