Space, the final frontier. Or just the themed party taking place at Penryn Campus this Saturday.
Space can be a hard theme to confront, especially for a party where not only a costume is involved, but also make-up and a general ‘spacey’ attitude. Some may see space as a hard theme to emulate, whilst others embrace it without fear. To get your countdown running and your rocket blasting off, here are 5 movies you can watch that will put you in the spacey spirit!
5. Gravity
This cinematic masterpiece by Alfonso Cuaron features breathtaking views of space and views from above the Earth itself. Disregarding the fear of being stranded alone in outer space, the main character’s journey offers a glimpse into what’s really out there beyond our atmosphere.
4. Interstellar
Forget the science and the time-travelling aspects of this movie. Focus instead on its representation of space as a place yet to be discovered, and all of the other things it can offer to human knowledge and imagination.
3. The Martian
Admittedly, this movie takes place on only one planet in our solar system: the titular Mars. But, by incorporating actually gorgeous shots of the surface of Mars with a killer storyline, we’re afforded an insight into what would happen if humans really had a place out in space, and have to invent a new way to live.
2. Wall-E
Yes, this is a Pixar movie, so what? It’s sweet, heartwrenching, and funny all at once. It features the kind of space that might possibly exist in the distant future, admittedly with a touch of Disney added, of course. The characters interact in space as well as on earth, and their trials and tribulations provide a lesson which could potentially prove useful to us mere earthlings.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
Considering I resisted listing Star Wars as this final entry, I’m still glad this movie exists. A thought-provoking, complex adventure of epic proportions, this movie could easily feature space as one of its actual characters, and the cinematography is simply amazing.
Space may be something that we, as university students, might not know as much about as we would like to. But inhabiting the realms of space presented to us by Hollywood may aid us in furthering our understanding – fact is always mingled with fiction. Use these movies for inspiration if you wish, perhaps for costume ideas, or maybe just watch them in preparation for the epic space party this weekend. Enjoy!