About 92% of families in the Screenwise community use some form of TV or streaming regularly, and the three big platforms — Netflix, Disney+, and Prime — are all in heavy rotation. Netflix alone has 40% of families with kids actively watching. But when parents go looking for space movies that aren't animated, aren't Star Wars, and aren't just laser fights in the dark, the recommendations get thin fast.

This list is specifically for the 8-12 window: old enough to follow a real plot, young enough that you don't want to throw them into a three-hour Kubrick film and call it a night. These are live-action movies that treat space seriously, that have real human stakes, and that might — genuinely — spark something.

This is the one. If you only watch one movie on this list, make it this one. The true story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson — three Black women mathematicians who were essential to NASA's early space program — is exactly the kind of movie that hits kids differently than adults. For a kid, the revelation that the people who did the math to get John Glenn into orbit were largely invisible to history is genuinely shocking. It makes them ask questions. Good questions.

The movie is rated PG, runs about two hours, and has zero gratuitous content. The drama is real, the stakes are real, and the science is real. It's also just a well-made film — not "well-made for a kids movie," just well-made.

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The 2026 adaptation of Andy Weir's novel is the most exciting entry on this list right now, and it earns its spot. Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut who wakes up with no memory, millions of miles from Earth, with the fate of the sun — and humanity — on his shoulders. The film leans hard into the problem-solving, the science, and the friendship at the heart of the story, and it does so without dumbing anything down.

Kids who've read the book by Andy Weir will be very happy. Kids who haven't will probably want to read it after. Either order works.

Content-wise: it's rated PG-13, there are some intense moments and real emotional weight, but nothing gratuitous. For a confident 10-year-old, this is absolutely in range. For an 8-year-old, wait a year or two.

Also based on an Andy Weir novel, and also about a lone astronaut solving impossible problems with science and stubbornness. Matt Damon is stranded on Mars and has to figure out how to survive until rescue is possible. It's funny, it's tense, and it's legitimately educational about things like growing food in hostile environments and orbital mechanics.

The PG-13 rating here is real — there's some language and one surgical scene that's pretty intense. For an 11 or 12-year-old, it's totally fine. For a sensitive 9-year-old, maybe preview it first.

Christopher Nolan's space epic is stunning, emotionally heavy, and scientifically ambitious in ways that will either fascinate or confuse kids depending on the kid. The story involves astronauts traveling through a wormhole to find a new home for humanity, and it deals with time dilation, relativity, and some genuinely complex ideas about love and time.

Fair warning: this is a long movie (nearly three hours) and the ending is divisive even among adults. Some kids find it deeply moving. Others find it confusing and frustrating. Know your kid. But for the right 11 or 12-year-old, this is a movie that sticks with them for years.

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Based on the true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son in 1950s West Virginia who becomes obsessed with rocketry after Sputnik launches. This is a genuinely great movie that doesn't get nearly enough credit in the "inspiring kids about science" conversation. It's about persistence, about fighting for your dream against everyone who says it's impossible, and about a kid who taught himself rocket science from library books.

PG rating, no real content concerns. This is one you can watch with a 9-year-old without any asterisks.

Yes, it's from 1983. Yes, it's three hours long. And yes, it's still one of the best movies ever made about the early space program and the culture of test pilots and astronauts. The story of Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier and the Mercury astronauts preparing for the first American spaceflights is told with incredible energy and a lot of humor.

Some mild language and a few scenes that are more adult-adjacent (it's the 80s), but nothing that should stop you from watching it with a mature 10-year-old. If your kid is into Hidden Figures and wants more of the Mercury/Gemini era, this is the natural next step.

"Houston, we have a problem." The true story of the failed 1970 moon mission that became one of NASA's greatest survival stories. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, and a crew of engineers on the ground trying to figure out how to get three astronauts home on basically no power and limited oxygen.

The tension in this movie is real even though you know how it ends. That's good filmmaking. PG rating, totally appropriate for the 10-12 range. The scene where they have to calculate re-entry trajectory by hand while freezing in the lunar module is one of the great "math saves lives" moments in cinema.

The Neil Armstrong biopic directed by Damien Chazelle is quieter and more interior than most space movies — it's less about the triumph of the moon landing and more about the psychological cost of being the person who gets there. Ryan Gosling plays Armstrong as a man who processes grief through work, and the film is genuinely moving.

PG-13, and it earns it — there are some intense sequences and real emotional weight around loss. For the right kid, this is extraordinary. For a kid who wants action and adventure, it might be too slow.

This one gets a harder age recommendation because it's genuinely terrifying in places. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are astronauts stranded in orbit after a debris field destroys their shuttle. The film is technically stunning — it might be the most realistic-feeling depiction of what being in space actually looks like — but it is relentlessly stressful.

For a 12-year-old who doesn't have anxiety about confined spaces or being alone, it's a fantastic film. For anyone younger or more sensitive, wait.

The real value of these movies isn't just the 90-120 minutes on the couch — it's what happens after. Some questions worth asking:

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Most of these films are PG or PG-13, and the ratings are generally accurate. A few things to flag:

For context: in the Screenwise community, average weekday screen time is about 4 hours, and weekends run closer to 5. A two-hour movie is a meaningful chunk of that — which is exactly why it's worth being intentional about which two hours it is.

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Q: What's the best space movie for an 8-year-old who loves science?

Hidden Figures is the clear answer — it's PG, it's genuinely exciting, and the science is real. October Sky is another excellent option at this age. Save The Martian and Project Hail Mary for a couple years from now.

Q: Is Project Hail Mary appropriate for kids?

Project Hail Mary is rated PG-13 and is best for ages 10 and up. It has intense moments and real emotional stakes but nothing gratuitous. Kids who are comfortable with the complexity of The Martian will likely love it — the science-problem-solving energy is very similar.

Q: Are there any live-action space movies for younger kids, like ages 6-8?

Honestly? Not many great ones. Most of the genuinely good live-action space films skew older. Hidden Figures pushes it at age 8, and October Sky can work for a mature 8-year-old. For 6-7 year olds, you're probably better served by animated options until they're ready for the real thing.

Q: Is The Martian okay for a 10-year-old?

It depends on the kid. The film is PG-13 and earns it — there's language and one intense medical scene. A mature, science-loving 10-year-old will probably be fine. A more sensitive 10-year-old might find that scene upsetting. Preview it yourself first if you're unsure.

Q: Should my kid read Project Hail Mary before or after watching the movie?

Either works, but reading the book first gives kids a richer experience of the science and the friendship at the center of the story. That said, the movie stands completely on its own and is a great entry point to the book. If your kid is a reluctant reader, let the movie be the hook.

The space movie genre has a real gift for the 8-12 age group right now — especially with Project Hail Mary landing in 2026 as a genuine event film. But the classics on this list — Hidden Figures, October Sky, Apollo 13 — are just as good as they've ever been, and they're the kind of movies that don't just entertain kids, they change what kids think is possible for themselves.

That's a pretty good use of two hours.

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