6 Best Mars Mission and Exploration Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 7, 2026

The red planet has fuelled some thrilling science fiction. The Martian has an astronaut stranded alone using his ingenuity to survive, John Carter has a Civil War veteran transported into a conflict on Mars, and Red Planet, Ghosts of Mars and Mission to Mars send crews into trouble. Total Recall is the wild one.

The Martian (2015)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 91% Metacritic 80

An astronaut stranded on Mars has to engineer his own survival with almost nothing.

Directed by Ridley Scott · 2h 21m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 7 Oscars40 wins & 199 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

John Carter (2012)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A Civil War veteran mysteriously transported to Mars becomes embroiled in an epic conflict between its peoples.

Directed by Andrew Stanton · 2h 12m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ghosts of Mars (2001)

TMDB ★ 5.1

A police unit sent to transport a dangerous prisoner discovers a colonised Martian mining town possessed by an ancient force.

Directed by John Carpenter · 1h 38m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Red Planet (2000)

IMDb ★ 5.7 RT 14% Metacritic 34

A crew sent to investigate Mars's failing terraforming project crash-lands with a malfunctioning robot.

Directed by Antony Hoffman · 1h 46m · Rated PG-13

1 nomination

Where to watch

Stream: Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mission to Mars (2000)

IMDb ★ 5.7 Metacritic 34

A rescue crew investigates a mysterious disaster that struck the first manned Mars mission.

Directed by Brian De Palma · 1h 54m · Rated PG

3 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Total Recall (1990)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 80% Metacritic 60

A man's implanted vacation memory unravels into a real, planet-spanning conspiracy.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven · 1h 53m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars7 wins & 16 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Mars Mission and Exploration Movies

The Martian (2015)

John Carter (2012)

Ghosts of Mars (2001)

Red Planet (2000)

Mission to Mars (2000)

Total Recall (1990)

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