6 Best Space Colonization and Off-World Settlement Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 8, 2026

Humanity’s dream of settling among the stars, and the moral costs it demands, has powered some of cinema’s most visionary science fiction epics. In Interstellar (2014): A team of explorers travels through a wormhole in search of a new habitable planet for humanity. Equally memorable is Avatar (2009): A paraplegic marine embedded among an alien race on a distant moon must choose between his mission and his new home.

Ad Astra (2019)

IMDb ★ 6.5 RT 83% Metacritic 80

An astronaut travels to the edge of the solar system to confront his father, whose research threatens the survival of Earth.

Directed by James Gray · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 1 Oscar11 wins & 75 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Passengers (2016)

IMDb ★ 7.0 RT 30% Metacritic 41

A man wakes up decades early from suspended animation aboard a colony ship, facing an impossible choice of solitude or deception.

Directed by Morten Tyldum · 1h 56m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 2 Oscars2 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Interstellar (2014)

IMDb ★ 8.7 RT 73% Metacritic 74

A team of explorers travels through a wormhole in search of a new habitable planet for humanity.

Directed by Christopher Nolan · 2h 49m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 Oscar45 wins & 148 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Elysium (2013)

TMDB ★ 6.5

A dying factory worker fights to reach an exclusive orbital habitat reserved for the wealthy elite.

Directed by Neill Blomkamp · 1h 49m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Avatar (2009)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A paraplegic marine embedded among an alien race on a distant moon must choose between his mission and his new home.

Directed by James Cameron · 2h 42m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Silent Running (1972)

TMDB ★ 6.9

An idealistic astronaut defies orders to destroy the last surviving forests preserved aboard a deep space freighter.

Directed by Douglas Trumbull · 1h 29m · Rated G

Where to watch

Rent or 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, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best Space Colonization and Off-World Settlement Movies

Ad Astra (2019)

Passengers (2016)

Interstellar (2014)

Elysium (2013)

Avatar (2009)

Silent Running (1972)

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