Quiz: Can You Identify the Space Movie From a Screenshot?: HowStuffWorks
Can You Identify the Space Movie From a Screenshot?
By: Ian Fortey
7 Min Quiz
Image: Stanley Kubrick Productions
About This Quiz
One of the very first movies ever made was a movie about space. "A Trip to the Moon" dates back to 1902 and features a rocket ship going to the moon and getting stuck in the man in the moon's eye. It was revolutionary stuff back in the day, and it shows that, for as long as we've been able to make movies, we've been pretty fascinated by ones that take place in space. It's the one place we can never wholly explore, the one mystery of reality we will never fully get to know. Even as technology progresses and we develop the ability to leave our world, how could we ever explore the eternal expanse of space and the billions upon billions of worlds in it? That mystery is great fodder for film, and that's why there are so many movies about outer space.
Whether you're into creepy space horror like "Aliens" or something sweeping and full of adventure like "Star Wars," there are space movies that are right for you. Maybe you need a space western like "Firefly" or a comedy like "Spaceballs." Perhaps you want a true-life tale like "Apollo 13" or a realistic fiction like "The Martian." If you're a fan of outer space, you can have it all. Now, let's see if you can ID it all.
The villain in which of these movies dies quoting "Moby Dick"?
"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" is widely considered the best "Star Trek" movie of the franchise. The movie was made without creator Gene Roddenberry, whose idea for Trek II involved Klingons preventing the assassination of JFK and then Spock having to assassinate him.
You can watch the White House explode in this movie. What is it?
"Independence Day" involved a heck of a lot of destruction. The military was on board with the movie at first, and producers could have used a lot of legit military resources, but the Area 51 references made them back off and drop the movie.
Which movie made "Houston, we have a problem" famous?
"Apollo 13" is the true story of the almost disastrous Apollo mission to the moon. Ron Howard went all out to film the movie, and part of it was even filmed in NASA's zero-gravity trainer KC-135 jet.
This movie featured Charlton Heston. What was it?
The original "Planet of the Apes" came out in 1968 and featured Charlton Heston as an astronaut who finds a really wonky Earth. To pull off all the ape effects, the movie needed 100 makeup artists on hand.
Scott Free Productions / Kinberg Genre / TSG Entertainment
A potato farm is an important part of which of these movies?
"The Martian," based on the book by the same name, stars Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars. Damon got a legit taste for solitude as all of his scenes were filmed while he was alone. He didn't meet most of his co-stars until he was done filming.
20th Century Fox / Brandywine Productions
Which of these movies features the character Ellen Ripley?
"Aliens" is one of the few sequels that most people agree surpassed the original. Sigourney Weaver reprises her role as Ellen Ripley and got quite a pay boost. Her salary of $35,000 for the first movie became $1 million for the sequel.
This movie starts with a rendition of a song by the band Redbone. What is it?
A surprise hit from the MCU, "Guardians of the Galaxy" was based on a comic book with which few people were familiar. The character of Groot was really old and first appeared in "Tales to Astonish" in 1960.
Lightstorm Entertainment / Dune Entertainment / Ingenious Film Partners
Do you know which of these was the highest-grossing movie of all time until "Avengers: Endgame" surpassed it?
"Avatar" was really much more complex than many people realize. For instance, the costumes the aliens wear were designed for real, even though no one wore them. The animators needed the real fabric and texture to see and feel in order to design them virtually.
Touchstone Pictures / Jerry Bruckheimer Films / Valhalla Motion Pictures
Aerosmith famously played on the soundtrack to which of these films?
"Armageddon" was one of the biggest space films of the '90s. The movie was mocked for its science, and even star Ben Affleck mentions on the commentary track that he questioned director Michael Bay about it not making sense. Bay told him to shut up.
DreamWorks Pictures / Gran Via Productions
This movie was a parody of the "Star Trek" franchise. Do you know it?
The parody "Galaxy Quest" was surprisingly popular, especially among "Star Trek" fans. There was actually going to be a sequel to the movie, and the cast wanted to do it, but Alan Rickman's untimely death seems to have put that idea to rest.
Heyday Films / Esperanto Filmoj
George Clooney and Sandra Bullock star in which of these movies?
"Gravity" took 4.5 years to make thanks to extensive animation. The space and technology you see in many scenes is all animated, and the only real parts are the faces of the actors. It took over two years just to do the animation.
Universal Pictures / Amblin Entertainment / DreamWorks Pictures / Temple Hill Entertainment / Phantasma
Neil Armstrong is the focus of which of these movies?
Based on Neil Armstrong and the real-life moon landing, "First Man" stars Ryan Gosling as Armstrong. The actual moon landing in 1969 was watched by an estimated 530 million people around the world.
Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar Animation Studios
Do you know which of these movies was made by Pixar?
"Wall-E" is one of the most adorable robots in movie history, ranking right up there with R2-D2. That makes sense since both Wall-E and R2-D2 were voiced by the same actor. Sound designer Ben Burtt made them both come to life.
QED International / WingNut Films / TriStar Pictures
This movie featured an alien slum in South Africa. What was it?
"District 9" proved to be a really popular movie, and one day there may be a sequel, if the director ever gets around to it. Casting shouldn't be an issue for the aliens since every single alien in the first movie was played by the same actor.
TriStar Pictures / Touchstone Pictures / Jon Davison Productions
Do you know which of these movies featured many alien arachnids?
"Starship Troopers" is based on a novel by Robert Heinlein. Despite that, director Paul Verhoeven didn't actually read the entire thing. He tried to, but he thought it was so bad, he didn't want to finish it.
Do you know which of these is a parody of "Star Wars"?
Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs" is a classic sci-fi comedy that clearly parodies the "Star Wars" franchise. Brooks reportedly approached Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks to star in the movie, but both of them turned it down, and Bill Pullman got the role.
New Line Cinema / Saltire Entertainment
This movie was based on a classic TV show. What is it?
Based on the classic '60s TV show "Lost in Space," there were hopes that this '90s version would start a new film franchise. The actors were all contracted to a three-picture deal until the first one kind of bombed and plans for more movies were scrapped.
What movie do you need to watch if you want to see Kuato?
The first "Total Recall" starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and featured a lot of action on Mars. Schwarzenegger was initially turned down for the movie for being too manly. But he convinced another company to buy the production house out so he could be cast in the film.
Columbia Pictures / Gaumont
Which of these was the most expensive non-U.S. movie ever when it was made?
"The Fifth Element" was produced in Europe with a budget of $70 million. Initially, the casting of the movie had Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts in the lead roles and Prince playing Ruby Rhod.
Bad Robot Productions / Skydance Productions / K/O Paper Products
Benedict Cumberbatch played the villain in which of these movies?
"Star Trek Into Darkness" featured Benedict Cumberbatch as the legendary villain Khan Noonien Singh. Cumberbatch filmed his audition for the movie on an iPhone in a friend's kitchen. It looks like it worked out.
Which of these was the fastest movie to get to $1 billion at the box office?
"Avengers: Infinity War" was obviously a huge success at the box office and has grossed over $2 billion. Despite all that money, it's only the fourth highest grossing film of all time, though. "Endgame" is No. 1.
Do you know which of these movies features a robot called K-2S0?
"Star Wars: Rogue One" was the first "Star Wars" movie that didn't feature a Jedi as a main character and also the first one that didn't have an opening text crawl. It's also the first one that isn't part of the main franchise.
Scott Free Productions / Brandywine Productions / Dune Entertainment
Do you know which of these movies was a prequel?
Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" is a prequel to the "Alien" franchise. Michael Fassbender plays the android David, which followed the weirdly alphabetical pattern of androids in the previous movies — Ash in "Alien," Bishop in "Aliens" and Call in "Alien: Resurrection."
Douglas Adams wrote the book on which this movie was based. What is it?
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is based on the very popular book by Douglas Adams. Adams has an appearance in the movie, sort of. His head appears briefly as a planet in a tour of the galaxy.
Stanley Kubrick Productions
Which one of these movies had the working title "Tunnel to the Stars"?
A classic of the genre, "2001: A Space Odyssey" was directed by Stanley Kubrick. Nearly the entire movie was filmed indoors and the iconic black monolith was just wood painted with custom black paint.
If you want to see a porg, which of these movies are you going to have to watch?
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" was clearly the most elaborate film of the entire franchise. The Canto Bight casino set covered two entire soundstages and took 16 weeks to build. The outside scenes were filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Christopher Nolan directed which one of these movies?
"Interstellar" was one of Christopher Nolan's most popular films. They actually grew 500 acres of corn to use in the movie for the cornfield scene and then sold it at a profit after the movie wrapped.
Village Roadshow Pictures / Start Motion Pictures / Original Film / LStar Capital / Wanda Pictures / Company Films
Two people wake up way too early on a deep space trip in which of these movies?
"Passengers" is billed as a sci-fi romance movie, although the plot is a little creepy. The movie had a very negative response when it came out due to the choices made by Chris Pratt's character, which are less romantic and more scary and creepy.
The first line of dialogue in which of these movies is "Did you hear that?"
"Star Wars: A New Hope" is the first "Star Wars" movie any of us ever got to see. The first line of dialogue is spoken by C-3P0. There was a time when the movie was going to be called "The Star Wars: From the Adventures of Like Starkiller."
This movie originally received an NC-17 rating. What was it?
"Event Horizon" was a pretty grisly and terrifying film, but the original cut of the movie was so much worse, it received an NC-17 rating. Director Paul W. S. Anderson had to cut an entire half hour of the movie to make it work.
Kings Road Entertainment / SLM Production Group
Lou Gossett Jr. had to wear some elaborate space frog-looking makeup for which of these movies?
1985's "Enemy Mine" is a bit of an underrated classic starring Lou Gossett Jr. and Dennis Quaid. The alien language spoken in the movie was based on Russian but spoken in reverse.
Fox Animation Studios / David Kirschner Productions
Do you know which of these movies featured Bill Pullman, Drew Barrymore and Tone Loc?
"Titan AE" was an animated movie from the year 2000. Though the movie didn't make a big splash when it showed up, it's significant for being the first movie ever to be created and shown entirely digitally.
ABC Motion Pictures
Which of these movies features a robot named Jinx?
"SpaceCamp" was a tragic victim of bad timing when it came out. It was slated to be released right around the same time as the real-life Challenger explosion. The studio naturally pulled the movie, and when it was released, it was pretty much a dud. It later became kind of a cult favorite.
Crystal Lake Entertainment / Friday X Productions
This film is part of a franchise that began in 1980. What is it?
"Jason X" is the 10th move in the "Friday the 13th" franchise that inexplicably takes place on a space station in the year 2455. Producers of the film came up with the idea after tossing out every ludicrous idea they could think of, including one version that involved NASCAR.
Moving Picture Company / DNA Films / UK Film Council / Ingenious Film Partners
Which of these movies was directed by Danny Boyle?
The movie "Sunshine" explores the idea of the sun facing a catastrophic event that may destroy it. The movie was reworked numerous times, and there were 35 different drafts of the script!
EuropaCorp / TF1 Films Production / Fundamental Films / BNP Paribas / Orange Studio / Novo Pictures / River Road Entertainment / Belga Films Fund
Do you know which of these was the first movie to ever use a Beatles song in a trailer?
As hard as it may be to believe, not a single film before "Valerian and the City of 1000 Planets" ever used a Beatles song in the trailer. Director Luc Besson got permission from Paul McCartney himself.
Stage 6 Films / Liberty Films / Xingu Films / Limelight
David Bowie's son directed which of these movies?
Sam Rockwell stars in "Moon," and he wasn't just the first choice for the movie, he's the actor for whom the movie was written. Duncan Jones had wanted to work with Rockwell, but they could never find the right project, so Jones made a movie for him.
Columbia Pictures / Skydance Media / Mockingbird Pictures
Ryan Reynolds starred in which of these movies?
2017's "Life" is a sci-fi horror movie starring Ryan Reynolds. He was meant to be the star of the movie, but scheduling forced him to take a bit of a smaller role, which ended up being a surprise for the audience.
Trimark Pictures / VIDMark Entertainment / Blue Rider Productions
Which of these was the fourth movie in a franchise?
The "Leprechaun" franchise headed to space with its fourth installment. If that sounds crazy, it's worth noting both "Friday the 13th" and "Hellraiser" also took their franchises into outer space. It's where a horror movie goes when it has nowhere else to go!
Davis Entertainment Company / Original Film / Dune Entertainment / Ingenious Media / Troublemaker Studios
Which of these was actually the third movie in a franchise?
"Predators" was the first Predator movie to take place on another world. In the original movie, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast as the alien, but he got fired for complaining too much.
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