World Space Week: ten films that show space in different lights

World Space Week brings a reminder of cinema's fascination with space

World Space Week is marked globally from October 4 to 10, with the dates tied to two milestones: the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957, and the entry into force of an international treaty on October 10, 1967, that set out basic principles for the exploration and use of outer space. To mark the occasion, the streaming service Disney+ has highlighted ten films that portray space in strikingly different ways.

The list opens with the "Star Wars" franchise, which since 1977 has shaped generations' image of space through distant galaxies and the struggle between good and evil, introducing characters such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo. By contrast, Ridley Scott's 1979 "Alien" presents space as a dark, claustrophobic threat, following a cargo ship crew that encounters a lethal alien organism.

Disaster cinema is represented by 1998's "Armageddon," about a team racing to stop an asteroid from colliding with Earth, and the animated "Titan A.E." (2000), set after Earth's destruction as humanity searches for a new home. The sci-fi thriller "Sunshine" (2007) follows a mission to reignite a dying sun, while Pixar's "WALL-E" (2008) blends humor and warmth with a serious environmental message about an abandoned, polluted Earth.

The selection also includes "Prometheus" (2012), which explores questions about humanity's origins; Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014), offering a colorful and witty take on cosmic adventure; Ridley Scott's "The Martian" (2015), about an astronaut's struggle to survive alone on Mars; and "Hidden Figures" (2016), a true story about three African American mathematicians whose work supported NASA's space program in the 1950s and 1960s.