Earlier this month, we had recommended a list of some of the must-watch survival movies which you can watch on Indian OTT platforms. For this article, we have further narrowed down the genre to a list of five must-watch survival films which belong to the science fiction genre. Owing to its theme, these kinds of films are usually intense and dark yet gripping in their execution. So, here we go.
Alien (1979, Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar)
‘Alien’ is regarded by many as the mother of all sci-fi survival movies. It was directed by veteran filmmaker Ridley Scott and featured Sigourney Weaver in the lead role of Ripley. The film is set in the distant future and follows the crew members of a commercial spaceship. They land on a moon that is transmitting a distress signal. However, they soon learn that the signal was actually a warning about a mysterious alien entity that eventually enters the spaceship.
Gravity (2013, Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
This visually stunning sci-fi survival thriller follows a shuttle mission comprising an experienced astronaut (George Clooney) and a medical engineer (Sandra Bullock) and their desperate attempt to return to Earth against all odds after the destruction of their shuttle. The movie was directed by Alfonso Cuaron.
Moon (2009, Streaming on Sun NXT)
‘Moon’ is a well-executed sci-fi survival film by Duncan Jones despite its modest budget. The film’s plotline follows a man named Sam Bell (played by Sam Rockwell), who is on the verge of completing his 3-year long mining project at a lunar mine. He hopes to soon reunite with his family on Earth, but things take a drastic turn when he makes a shocking discovery about himself and the mission.
The Martian (2015, Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar)
Another Ridley Scott’s directorial on this list (unsurprisingly). The movie follows the story of an astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), who is assumed dead on a mission to Mars and thus left behind on Mars planet by his crew. Now, in a race against time, he must use his wits to survive and find a way to contact Earth to rescue him.
Apollo 13 (Streaming on Netflix)
Helmed by virtuoso filmmaker Ron Howard, the film narrates the events of the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 space mission to the moon. When the ill-fated flight’s oxygen tanks explode, the crew Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon), and Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) abort the moon landing. The stranded astronauts and NASA must now find a way to bring the crew safely back to Earth.