5 movies to watch if you’re excited for Starfield

❘ Published: 2023-09-01T14:56:10

A still from 2001: A Space Odyssey and the poster for Starfield

Warner Bros./Bethesda

The vast expanse of space and all its wonders awaits in Starfield, the biggest game of the year – so, if you’re hyped to play it, here’s five movies to watch before you reach for the skies.

Space is everything and nothing: an inhospitable, interminable vacuum that may never be fully understood, disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence – but its beguiling, enormous majesty is awesome in the truest, biggest sense of the word. We simply can’t wrap our minds around it – and that’s where cinema comes in.

For decades, the triumphs and nightmares of spacefaring travelers, be they human or extraterrestrial, have occupied the big screen, but even their scope is limited. Starfield, the all-new title from Elder Scrolls and Fallout’s Bethesda Studios, is a gateway to near-infinite possibilities, connecting the dots of the cosmos – or at the very least, charting a path you, me, and everyone can take.

For some gamers, the dream is already alive thanks to early access on Xbox and PC. Whether you’re taking a break from your maiden voyage or looking to scratch the itch before its wide release, these are five space movies you should watch to mark the release of Starfield.

5 movies to watch before Starfield

Below, you’ll find five movies you should add to your watchlist to super-charge your Starfield hype and where you can watch and stream them.

Interstellar

What it’s about: In a not-so-far future, humanity is doomed as Earth’s resources dwindle. Joseph Cooper, an ex-NASA pilot, is enlisted for a top-secret mission: to fly through a wormhole and find a new home for mankind.

What we think: Not only is Interstellar a direct influence on Starfield, but it’s arguably the main movie you should watch before playing; the slack-jawed awe it inspires is second to none, but it’s also an unabashed celebration of love, conveyed through one of the most exhilarating deep-space voyages ever put to film.

Where to stream: Prime Video and on-demand

2001: A Space Odyssey

What it’s about: In a saga spanning millennia, we see mankind’s evolution via a mysterious monolith, from apes learning to break bones to a voyage to Jupiter to uncover its origin.

What we think: Starfield is a great excuse to rewatch or discover 2001: A Space Odyssey. Forget genre distinctions: it’s the best movie ever made, period.

Where to stream: Prime Video and on-demand

The Martian

What it’s about: A storm forces a crew of astronauts to abandon their station on Mars – but they leave Mark Watney behind, forcing him to use his scientific prowess to beat the odds and survive while NASA figures out how to get him home.

What we think: The Martian is the best of both worlds: a joyous, edge-of-your-seat crowd-pleaser, but one that emphasises the sci in fi. Starfield isn’t just about exploring space – it’s about thriving in it, and for a large stretch of the movie is essentially replicating an RPG; cultivating, building, and exploring an unknown land.

Where to stream: On-demand

Event Horizon

What it’s about: A search-and-rescue team is sent to the edge of the solar system after a missing spaceship appears in Neptune’s orbit, but sinister forces await their arrival.

What we think: Your Starfield journey will involve boarding other people’s aircraft – some friendly, others nefarious – and let’s just say, there’s no ship more terrifying in the void than the Event Horizon; it is the biggest inspiration behind Dead Space, with its inescapable, mind-invading evil somehow making the lung-crushing inevitability of the ether seem like a comfort blanket.

Where to stream: Paramount+, Showtime, and on-demand

Ad Astra

What it’s about: Roy McBride, a SpaceCom astronaut more comfortable in orbit than on the ground, embarks on a dangerous journey to find the though-to-be-dead head of an extra-terrestrial expedition – who also happens to be his estranged father.

What we think: As you traverse James Gray’s newest foray into the endless void, time will often appear to stop. Not due to some cataclysmic event in our world, but in experiencing the utter awe Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography inspires. Its beauty knows little bounds, stretching across the intimate sorrow of a man’s conflict with himself, into the paralysing abyss of open space. Go forth and fly Ad Astra – to the stars.

Where to stream: FX Now and on-demand

All of these movies can be bought or rented digitally via Amazon Prime, which you can sign up for here. You can also check out our other Starfield coverage below:

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