Entertainment
Ranking The 25 Best Space Movies Of All-Time
By Joshua Tyler
| Published
When most people think science fiction, they first think of outer space. But space movies are hard to make, and most SF filmmakers instead opt for something easier and more budget-friendly, like time travel or robots.
When a creator takes a risk and gets space sci-fi right, they become a legend. It’s why names like Kubrick, Lucas, Cameron, and Scott will live on long after the men who made them famous are gone.
I’ve spent my entire life watching, reading, and writing about space science fiction. That lifetime of love and obsession is paying off, for all of you, right now in one perfect, as unbiased as possible, ranking of space movies.
For the purposes of this list, I’m defining space movies as any movie that is not primarily set on Earth. So, for example, even though Avatar is largely set on one alien planet and very little of it takes place in outer space, it’s eligible for this list. Will Avatar make the cut? Stick around and find out.
Full power to engines, these are the best space movies of all time.
25. 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most groundbreaking movies of all time. How do you follow that up? If you’re MGM, you wait 16 years and then release a sequel that’s the exact opposite.
That sequel is 2010: The Year We Make Contact, and while the script was written by Arthur C. Clark, the sci-fi master behind the books, Stanley Kubrick, the auteur who made 2001, wanted nothing to do with it. So 2010 leans hard into over-explaining its plot as a way to compensate for the vague approach of 2001. That hampers what is otherwise a fascinating story of exploration and mystery against the backdrop of worsening political tensions between the USA and USSR.
The cast is one of the best ever assembled, with Roy Schneider and John Lithgow hitchhiking with a crew of Russians led by Helen Mirren. The production design leans into the gritty 80s space aesthetic, and while it’s not as impressive as 2001’s look, it establishes its own distinct style while also revisiting Hal 9000 and the abandoned Discovery.
24. Pitch Black (2000)
Director David Twohy’s little indie movie about a transport ship crashed on an alien planet is probably best remembered now as the thing that launched the career of Vin Diesel. With all due respect to the Fast and Furious movies, Pitch Black is so much better than anything Diesel has done since.
Diesel’s character anchors it, but a one-of-a-kind premise involving hordes of killer aliens that emerge when it’s dark. And oh by the way, the planet is headed for a total eclipse. Pitch Black is a wild ride and a ton of fun, effective both as horror and sci-fi all at once. And that’s something few other movies can pull off.
23. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
There’s no denying that Star Trek: First Contact is heavily inspired by the movie Alien, but if it’s a ripoff, it’s a really good one. Many have tried to copy what Ridley did with his space-horror movie, but none have done it better than First Contact.
Captain Picard and the Enterprise must chase his old foes The Borg back in time to prevent them from changing Earth’s history. Along the way, they meet the inventor of Warp drive, a drunken weirdo living in the woods of Montana, and engage in a life-or-death struggle as the Borg terrorize and murder everyone aboard their ship.
22. Event Horizon (1997)
Event Horizon recently topped our list of the most extremely graphic space movies, and it earned that spot. In addition to being super gory and crazy scary, it’s also just a really good space movie.
It begins when the crew of a search-and-rescue vessel finds a missing ship adrift in space. Her name is the Event Horizon, and her mission was to test humanity’s first faster-than-light drive.
The interior of the ship is the stuff of nightmares. What they find inside the Event Horizon will make them question everything. And in the end, it all goes straight to hell… literally.
21. The Martian (2015)
The Martian, based on an acclaimed novel by Andy Weir, strands astronaut Mark Watney on Mars after a storm forces his crew to bail out without him.
NASA thinks he’s dead, but he wakes up and immediately starts solving problems using math, swearing, and improvised plumbing. He grows potatoes in Martian dirt, hacks a way to talk to Earth, and turns survival into an engineering marathon.
Meanwhile, NASA scrambles to mount a rescue that won’t get anyone else killed. The movie becomes a tribute to stubbornness and human ingenuity: one man refusing to let Mars make him a casualty.
20. The Fifth Element (1997)
In The Fifth Element, Parisian writer/director Luc Besson took us into the future and beyond, following the story of a girl wrapped in white straps and destiny.
Like some brilliant Blade Runner meets Galaxy Quest mashup, the movie starts with Bruce Willis as a futuristic flying taxi driver embroiled in some mystery surrounding a priest and a half-naked girl. Before long, he’s launched into space alongside squeaky-voiced Chris Tucker, fighting alien bounty hunters and protecting the girl, Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), as she’s drawn inexorably to her destiny.
The special effects are glitzy and eye-popping, and the movie was a career-maker for Jovovich and Tucker. And Luc Besson, if he knows anything, it’s how to shoot action.
19. The Last Starfighter (1984)
In the 80s, it seemed like video games were only a step or two away from reality, giving birth to movies like Tron and, in this case, The Last Starfighter. A video game-addicted teen beats his local coin-op, only to discover the machine is actually a recruitment program for an alien defense force. Whisked up into the stars and teamed up with an alien pilot named Grig (Dan O’Herlihy), he’s the galaxy’s last hope to save us all from a malevolent invading force.
The film’s special effects are dated, but the plot is universal, hero stuff, and that’s the kind of thing space operas do better than almost anything else. It’s all the little details that make this one so special: Beta Alex, the earthly robot replacement for our hero, the strange background of Grig’s family, and most of all, Robert Preston as the enigmatic Centauri.
Ok, The Last Starfighter is not perfect. That whole Death Blossom thing is kind of a copout. But even that seems pretty cool in the moment.
18. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t this a superhero movie? Sure, technically, Thor: Ragnarok is one of Marvel’s superhero movies. All the Thor solo movies contain some element of taking place in a fantasy version of outer space, though, and this one is not only the best Thor movie, it’s the spaciest.
Where the other Thor movies are largely confined to one planet besides Earth, Thor: Ragnarok is a Galaxy-hopping tale. It sees both Thor and Hulk leaping through space on a wild and incredibly funny adventure.
17. Passengers (2016)
In Passengers, Chris Pratt plays a mechanic who wakes up 90 years too early on the spaceship Avalon. He’s alone.
After a year, he stumbles across the sleeping pod of Aurora Lane, played by Jennifer Lawrence. He contemplates suicide, and he resists the temptation to wake her for months, until one day he snaps, and he wakes her up. So now Aurora’s stuck on a gigantic, empty ship with no one to spend time with, except the guy who ruined her life, only she has no idea what he’s done.
The ship on which it happens is a triumph of set design, and the story is risky, complex, and thought-provoking in the best traditions of great sci-fi. Passengers deserves more credit.
16. Starship Troopers (1997)
In theory, Starship Troopers is based on the brilliant Robert A. Heinlein book of the same name, but in practice, you’ll enjoy Paul Verhoeven’s film a lot more if you ignore the fact that Heinlein’s novel exists. Veerhoven’s vision of this world is completely different from Heinlein’s, and even if it’s not quite as good, it’s still really, really good.
Starship Troopers follows a group of soldiers in a far-off future where humanity is at war with a vicious group of alien insectoids. Violent and completely messed up at every turn, Veerhoven was trying to make a complex social commentary. Along the way, he ended up with a viciously R-rated, completely crazed, and a little ridiculous, in a good way, space-faring war movie.
15. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
It’d be easy to dismiss the Guardians films as just another entry in the Marvel universe, but since they don’t take place on Earth, they’re more of a galaxy-spanning adventure. The movie follows Peter Quill, a human boy taken into space by aliens and raised there. He’s grown up to become a space-faring Indiana Jones-style character, and this first Guardians movie follows his adventures to save the galaxy and build a family with his crew.
The banter between the film’s characters carries the story, and the movie’s stunning visual effects turn its fantasy version of outer space into a feast for the eyes. Guardians of the Galaxy, even more than its also good sequel, is the most absolute fun you’ll have with any movie on this list.
14. Dune (2020)
There have been many attempts to turn Frank Herbert’s classic Dune novels into a movie. It wasn’t until 2021 that filmmaker Denis Villeneuve got it right.
His movies capture the essence of Frank Herbert’s novels and distill them into a stunning, creative, visual feast unlike anything else seen on screen. He does it with virtually no dialogue. A necessity when adapting a book in which much of the narrative is propelled by characters’ thoughts.
There’s a sequel, which is really part two of the same story, and so I’m lumping both of them together as one entry.
13. Stargate (1994)
Stargate is now best known as a multi-media science fiction franchise, but the movie that started it all was always great, original science fiction.
Humans uncover an ancient piece of alien tech buried in Egypt that, when activated, opens a gateway to another world. Kurt Russell leads a team of explorers through that Stargate and discovers an alien planet where humans are kept as slave laborers in service of an alien masquerading as an ancient Egyptian God.
Worst of all, now that they’re through the stargate, they have no way of getting back, unless they can crack the code to gate travel and defeat an alien god in a flying pyramid.
12. Aliens (1986)
Directed by James Cameron, Aliens takes the terrifying premise of Alien and amps it up into a full-on space marine action movie. The ensemble cast, led by Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, and Bill Paxton, is brilliant, and the Xenomorphs are both more plentiful and much bigger.
It’s this movie that cemented Ripley as a total badass, and that proved the concept of Alien could be an entire universe, not just a one-off horror film.
11. Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)
Unfairly maligned in its time for being the middle in one of the all-time great movie trilogies, The Search for Spock has aged like fine Romulan Ale. It gets better with every viewing.
The first half is a perfect heist movie, with Kirk and the crew plotting to steal their own ship. Starfleet’s finest officer goes against them to save his friend, and our space friends are all on board. Watch Shatner’s reaction to the death of Kirk’s son if you’re looking for proof of his acting talent.
The death of the Enterprise is incredible and wrenching; it fits perfectly into the movie’s theme of life, death, and rebirth. McCoy sums it up best as the crew stands there on the surface of a dying planet, watching the hulk of the Enterprise blaze a trail of fire across the sky.
There, McCoy tells Kirk it was, “What you had to do, what you always do. Turned death into a fighting chance to live.”
10. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
In 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick invented the modern space sci-fi genre. Based on Arthur C. Clarke’s work, it starts with apes learning murder from a black monolith and ends with an astronaut drifting into a psychedelic extradimensional waiting room designed by something that absolutely isn’t human.
The plot is minimal, relying on imagery, geometry, silence, and the uncomfortable suggestion that humanity only advances when something smarter shoves us forward.
Its special effects haven’t aged at all, but the movie’s pacing has, which means it may not be as enjoyable to watch for modern audiences as it once was. If this were a list of the most important space movies, I’d have it higher, but being the best must be about more than that, so 2001 sits comfortably right here.
9. WALL-E (2008)
WALL-E isn’t Pixar’s best movie, but with all due respect to Titan A.E., it’s the only animated movie outside of anime to get space opera right. It starts in a garbage heap, the humblest of beginnings, and ends up in a massive journey to bring mankind back home from the stars.
It’s incredible that a story this big centers entirely around a tiny robot who can’t even talk. WALL-E doesn’t need words to connect with the audience, and the story of a little robot who refuses to give up is a universal way to connect with anyone.
I’ve never found WALL-E’s vision of the future in which all people ride around in floaty chairs getting fat as terrifying as it’s supposed to be. It seems relaxing. Maybe WALL-E should have left humanity out there, hanging around in space. Making them get up may not have been the right move. The ship’s captain sure doesn’t seem to be having much fun.
8. Dark City (1998)
Putting Dark City on this list at all is an automatic spoiler, but if you haven’t seen it, click away and go watch now. Dark City has to be on here.
Dark City is the ultimate in sci-fi noir. It’s a mystery, sort of, and the story of a man without a memory looking for clues to explain what’s happened to him.
It takes place in a city where it’s always night, and strange beings with psychokinetic powers stalk the streets between slinky music sets performed by peak Jennifer Connelly. It’s not until the end that our main character, John Murdock, learns he’s actually in outer space, and once he discovers the truth sets to work on re-creating a world he only thinks he remembers.
7. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
As an allegory for the Cold War, The Undiscovered Country felt edgy and topical, being released shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991. Today, it’s only a great story well told, with elements of relevance woven in as beloved characters grapple with their own personal prejudice in the face of a new world.
Star Trek VI follows Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise on their last mission before retirement, tasked with leading hated rivals to a peace conference. There’s a murder, a mystery to solve it, and a race against the clock to engage an enemy starship with a secret weapon before it can destroy the last, best hope for peace.
6. Apollo 13 (1995)
If you believe in the moon landing, then Apollo 13 is meticulously based on the true story of what happened to the Apollo 13 astronauts as they tried to orbit the moon. If you think the landing was faked, then Apollo 13 is a great piece of fiction. Either way, it belongs high on this list of movies set off planet.
Directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton, the film recounts the harrowing story of NASA’s third planned lunar landing, as it turned into a desperate survival mission after an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft.
Every malfunction, every improvised solution, from repurposing CO₂ scrubbers to calculating burn times manually, builds in tension. Apollo 13 proves that you don’t need aliens or lasers, just math, duct tape, and calm under pressure to make space terrifyingly compelling
5. Serenity (2005)
It’s amazing that this movie managed to get made at all and that it’s also really good, which makes Serenity an achievement of an entirely different level. Based on the canceled television series Firefly, the movie works by creating an entire world to play around in and populating it with fantastically well-drawn and performed characters.
Writer/director Joss Whedon’s sharp, witty banter quickly develops a sort of group personality for them, and best of all, he does it in the midst of the action. There’s no mood-killing stop-down for a moment of character development. Han kissed Leia for the first time in the middle of trying not to get blown up, not while taking a break to ride a cow, and that’s the sort of perfect character development you’ll see in Serenity. We get to know these people intimately while on the run, as it should be in anything resembling a good adventure movie.
Serenity’s so good, consistently, through and through, that picking out any one great moment seems impossible. Is it Chiwetel Ejiofor as one of the best villains on screen since Khan, that’s worth remembering most? Are you in love with Mal Reynolds (who isn’t)? Wash’s heart-wrenching death scene? It’s all perfect. Re-watch Serenity right now. I aim to misbehave.
4. Interstellar (2014)
Writer/director Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is not a perfect movie, but it’s so ambitious you can forgive its minor missteps. The movie takes place in a near future where Earth has been blighted, and man needs to escape the planet. Efforts to construct a ship that could take us somewhere else are underway, but first, we need a place to go. Interstellar follows the crew sent to find our new home.
What they find along the way is both more and less than they expected. Wrapped around the event horizon of a black hole, it’ll test the very limits of human endurance and nature.
Capped by epic performances, incredible cinematography, and one of the best scores of all time, Interstellar is a work of art. There’s nothing else quite like it, and I hope you saw it on the big screen. Because, like all grand space stories, that’s where it thrives most.
3. Alien (1979)
I’d always preferred James Cameron’s sequel Aliens to Ridley Scott’s original movie… until I finally saw Alien in an actual movie theater, during the movie’s re-release a few years ago. Wow. The inky depths of space don’t feel as big or as terrifying stuck at home on your couch.
Most of the film takes place aboard a starship, with a group of humans struggling to survive while being stalked by an alien creature of malevolence beyond their comprehension. More than the sheer scare factor of it, Scott creates an entire universe in his film, one which ended up being so much fun to run around in that we’re still making movies set it in now. None of those subsequent movies captures the deep, dark of space the way Scott’s did.
What’s more terrifying than being stuck in space with a creature bent on your destruction? A creature bent on your destruction through creative pro-creation:
2. Star Wars: Original Trilogy (1977 – 1983)
Look up the definition of what a space opera is, and you’ll see the original Star Wars trilogy. All three original movies, of course, belong on this list. Everyone has their own way of ranking them. Personally, I’d single out Return of the Jedi as my favorite, Ewoks and all. Most people seem to lean towards Empire. It doesn’t matter.
Star Wars has to be here because it’s Star Wars. Modern space operas wouldn’t exist without it. That doesn’t, however, mean it has to be number one.
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Not just the greatest space movie ever produced, but also the greatest submarine movie ever made, Wrath of Khan substitutes the dark of space for the watery deep in telling the tale of two ship commanders locked in a battle to the death.
In Khan Noonien Singh, actor Ricardo Montalbán creates one of the greatest villains ever to appear on the screen. His presence echoes throughout every movie that’s followed. Even now, you’ll hear filmmakers talk about wanting to make the villain of their new movie equal to Montalbán’s. But Khan has no equal.
With or without him, Wrath of Khan would deserve its place at the top of this list, with gripping performances from everyone in the cast and one of the most wrenching, unforgettable deaths in movie history. The words “I have been, and always shall be, your friend” still echo in my head, and that moment at the end of the film when Kirk starts to fall apart at Spock’s funeral as he pronounces him “human” is utterly heartbreaking.
For decades now, Star Trek has defined what it is to be a space franchise, leaving its mark on our culture in a way unmatched by almost anything else.
Hey, why’d you leave off my favorite space movie?
If you’ve stuck with this list til the end, congratulations, you win a tribble.
If I could change anything about this list, I’d put Galaxy Quest on it. But the copyright gods demonetize our videos whenever we show Galaxy Quest footage, so I left it off.
If I were adding one more entry, it’d probably be Total Recall. Or maybe Forbidden Planet.
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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Will Trent Season 4, Episode 5.
This week’s episode of Will Trent, Season 4, Episode 5, “Nice to Meet You, Malcolm,” switches things up by putting Faith (Iantha Richardson) front and center instead of Will (Ramón Rodríguez). While investigating the murder of a matchmaker, Faith expresses her recent cynicism due to a string of bad dates, only to then meet her dream guy.
“Nice to Meet You, Malcolm,” balances between Faith’s whirlwind romance and its two major cases, as well as a hilarious subplot of Heller (Todd Allen Durkin) and Franklin (Kevin Daniels) building a stroller for Angie’s (Erika Christensen) baby, before ending on a wild cliffhanger. The episode is a fun and intense installment that sets up some really exciting storylines to come, both in terms of a major case, as well as regarding some ongoing character-centered storylines.
In ‘Will Trent’ Season 4, Episode 5, The GBI Investigates the Murder of a Matchmaker
This week, the GBI investigates the murder of a professional matchmaker named Sawyer Jennings, who ran a business called Jennings Luxury. In the hours before Sawyer was killed, he called his business partner, Liv Somerman (Marguerite Moreau), several times. Faith brings Liv in for questioning, but Liv tells her that she and Sawyer had a good partnership and that the business was doing well. The investigation then takes Will and Faith to Anna Martello (Greyson Chadwick), a matchmaking client who’d met with Sawyer at a diner the night he was killed.
Anna tells Will and Faith that she’d recently been matched with a wealthy man named Brody Evans (Logan Michael Smith). Brody drugged and sexually assaulted Anna, and she told Sawyer, who’d confronted him and had planned to expose him. Brody has an alibi for the time that Sawyer was killed, and Will and Faith realize that Liv killed him. Brody wired Liv $100,000 to keep Sawyer from exposing him, so she killed her own business partner. Liv had gone to a lot of trouble to craft a fake alibi, but thanks to a street camera, Will and Faith are able to prove that she’s guilty.
In ‘Will Trent’ Season 4, Episode 5, The APD Investigates a Bank Robbery That Is More Than Meets the Eye
While the GBI looks into Sawyer’s murder, the APD investigates a bank robbery where one person was killed. The only evidence they have are photos of the robbers wearing animal masks, as well as a tattoo on the arm of someone wearing a cheetah mask. Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) is now done with chemo, and this is his first case since returning to the field. He feels good – almost too good as he notices that his vision is better than it was before his tumor, and his senses are heightened.
The investigation into the tattoo takes Angie and Ormewood to one family, but they’re unable to narrow it down to one of the ten siblings. During the investigation, they have an elevator run-in with Faith and Will. It’s mostly pleasant, but Will doesn’t know how to be around Angie now, even though he’s still been chatting with Ava (Julia Chan). A hurt Will leaves the elevator while Faith and Angie are talking about the baby. Later, Angie and Ormewood finally find the owner of the bank vault, a man named Wyatt Fernsby (Marc Levasseur). Wyatt is attempting to end his life when they find him, but Angie and Ormewood save him.
Wyatt reveals that he works for Biosentia Pharmaceuticals. The company made him shred documents for work, but he kept a copy in his safe deposit box. Someone from the company found out that he had the copy, so they stole it. Afraid of what his former company would do to him, Wyatt tried to end his life. It’s not yet revealed what is in the documents, but it’s bad enough that Wyatt won’t speak about them without a lawyer present. The case is much more than a bank robbery – it was a company trying to hide its illegal activities by hiring an accomplished team of robbers to steal the evidence for them. Because of this, Angie and Ormewood then take this case to the GBI.
‘Will Trent’ Season 4, Episode 5 Gives Faith a New Love Interest – and Delivers a Shocking Twist
Faith goes to a hotel bar for a date with a guy she met on an app, but he gives her the ick before he even gets there. Faith cancels the date, but she is soon swept off her feet by a charming stranger named Malcolm (DeVaughn Nixon). Faith and Malcolm have the perfect night together. The only problem is, she gave him a fake name and job when they first met, and this lie could end up ruining everything between them. Malcolm just gets better the more Faith learns about him. He’s the wealthy owner of the hotel where they met, and he’s enamored with Faith.
Three dates in, things are looking promising for Faith and Malcolm. He puts in a lot of effort and money to make her feel special, and he remembers the little things that she tells him. For a while, it looks like Faith’s lie will be the thing to make this romance collapse. There’s also another exciting obstacle that this episode sets up. In the elevator, Ormewood teases Faith about spending two nights in a row away from home, but there’s a hint of something else beneath his teasing. Sure enough, while on a stakeout with Will, Ormewood and Will have a surprisingly deep talk. Will suggests that Ormewood’s heightened senses are his way of rediscovering who he is after his body failed him. The two joke about Faith’s new romance, but when Will says offhandedly that Faith is happy, Ormewood looks heartbroken when he asks, “She seem happy to you?”
This stakeout scene has two major reveals. Ormewood’s feelings for Faith seem pretty clear at this point, though not outright stated, but they’re not a surprise. This potential romance has been developing since they moved in together last season, and it makes perfect sense. The second reveal of this scene is a major twist. Ormewood found the robber who wore the cheetah mask with the unique tattoo. While investigating this person, Will and Ormewood learn that the robber is Malcolm, and that Faith is with him at that very moment. Will calls Faith to warn her, and the episode ends there, with Faith now having to find a way to keep from blowing her cover, while dealing with this devastating news.
Will Trent airs Tuesdays at 8:00 P.M. EST on ABC.
- Release Date
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January 3, 2023
- Directors
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Howard Deutch, Eric Dean Seaton, Holly Dale, Lea Thompson, Patricia Cardoso, Sheree Folkson, Bille Woodruff, Erika Christensen, Gail Mancuso, Geary McLeod, Jason Ensler, Mark Tonderai, Paul McGuigan
- Writers
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Inda Craig-Galván, Henry ‘Hank’ Jones, Karine Rosenthal, Adam Toltzis, Antoine Perry
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Ramón Rodríguez
Will Trent
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Erika Christensen
Angie Polaski
Pros & Cons
- This episode sets up a compelling case for both the GBI and the AD, with a major plot twist regarding the central suspect.
- This episode centers the characters and their individual conflicts, delivering some important moments for its best dynamics.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell was admitted into the hospital after suffering “flu-like symptoms” over the weekend.
According to a statement provided to People by a representative for McConnell, 83, on Tuesday, February 3, the longest serving Senate party leader in U.S. history checked himself into a hospital one day prior.
“In an abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night,” the statement read.
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It concluded, “He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.”
It is unclear how long McConnell is expected to remain in the hospital.
Us Weekly has reached out to a representative for McConnell for comment.
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The tumble occurred while McConnell was being questioned over his perspective on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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One of the Most Remarkable Movies Ever Made About Space Is Now Available To Watch on Netflix
Space travel has been a subject that has long fascinated filmmakers, as the silent classic A Trip To The Moon was one of the earliest examples of cinema predicting real events. Although the science fiction genre has frequently speculated about the possibilities of space travel, the 1969 NASA lunar mission visualized what it would actually look like, leading to an even greater expansion in imagination. Although it is one of the most important historical moments of its century, the NASA space trip to the lunar surface was not fully realized on film until the 2019 documentary Apollo 11, which assembled previously unseen footage to explore every step of the journey. It’s not only one of the most brilliantly crafted documentaries of the 2010s, but an important work of historical documentation that serves as a reminder of what technological advancements have achieved.
The footage of Neil Armstrong stepping onto the lunar surface is an undeniable part of popular culture, but the technology did not exist to distribute all the footage of the NASA mission in 1969, given the amount of material. It was only after director Todd Douglas Miller and his team of editors spent the time to search through hundreds of hours of both footage and audio experts that they were able to pinpoint the most important material needed to tell the story, all whilst polishing the quality to meet contemporary standards. The result is a documentary that has none of the hallmarks of the medium; Apollo 11 plays so seamlessly that someone with no knowledge of the situation could mistake it for an original piece of dramatic filmmaking.
‘Apollo 11’ Is Edited Like No Other Documentary
Apollo 11 is unique when compared to most documentaries because the film does not include any talking heads, introductory information, narration, or recreations that would break the momentum of the story. What’s being shown is taken from the original film negatives recorded during the original mission, which were only used as a matter of historical record. A majority of these videos were never displayed to the public, giving Apollo 11 the opportunity to blend in unseen aspects of history. The story of the mission itself is so filled with stakes that there was no need to provide any sort of additional drama. It was a sign of bravery on Miller’s part that he trusted the audience to have some degree of awareness of the situation, but it also doesn’t take a scientific expert to enjoy Apollo 11. Even for those who don’t know every step of NASA’s process or understand the different programs that are being cited, Apollo 11 provides a complete portrayal of the many different departments that played a role in the spectacular achievement.
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Seeing the image crystalized in such vivid detail is almost jarring, as the imagery is so crisp that it nearly feels like the film is taking place in real time. Although Apollo 11 obviously did not show every step of the process, as the mission itself was preceded by years of research and testing, the film helps to contextualize the enormity of NASA’s achievement. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin may have walked away with the most fame, but the scientists who planned the ordeal, the engineers watching the controls, and the journalists who helped to record the event all played a part in pulling off a groundbreaking leap forward for mankind. The focus on showing the team effort is not only an important theme to convey, but an explanation for something that otherwise might seem like science fiction.
‘Apollo 11’ Is an Important Historical Time Capsule
Apollo 11 was given a limited distribution in IMAX theaters, as the scope of the imagery was so detailed that it justified the extended format. Miller was precise in directing the story to show which details would be most important to highlight at given times; even if the process was filled with some slower moments, Apollo 11 is able to navigate between different players involved so that the pacing never came to a halt. There are also components of the film that were left out of most newsroom accounts at the time, including the manner in which NASA prepared for different potential outcomes. It’s easy to forget that the mission could have ended in tragedy, and that there was no guarantee that NASA had both conceived of any possible issues with the mission and properly prepared to deal with them.
Apollo 11 is as detailed of a historical encapsulation as historians could ask for, but it also shows the emotional effect that documentaries can have. No recreation would have the same impact of seeing the real reactions of everyone involved in Apollo 11, as the film does seem to celebrate a grandiose moment that expands beyond any one person, institution, or country. Interestingly, Apollo 11 came only a year after Damien Chazelle’s First Man dramatized Armstrong’s personal journey during the same period; the films serve as perfect companion pieces, as First Man is a creative version of the grounded facts that Apollo 11 brought to life. Nonetheless, Apollo 11 was such a laborious documentary to put together that it feels like an achievement in its own right, and one that benefits all involved. Not only should it serve as an inspiration for those interested in the science of space travel, but as an indication to aspiring filmmakers what the medium may be capable of.
Apollo 11 is now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
- Release Date
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March 1, 2019
- Runtime
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93 minutes
- Director
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Todd Douglas Miller
To say that the Netflix catalog is a hit-or-miss situation is hardly controversial nowadays. As a matter of fact, the same statement can be made about almost all of our giant, non-curated streaming services. It isn’t that rare for amazing movies and TV shows to pop up on these platforms, but quite often they tend to get buried under piles of titles that range from okay at best to horrifyingly bad. If you’re a horror fan, for instance, you might have missed one of the coolest, scariest, most disturbing films to hit Netflix in quite some time, arguably one of the best to hit our screens this year. After all, to finally come across Luis Javier Henaine’s Disappear Completely, one has to dig deep — almost as deep as the movie’s main character in his search for a cure to the curse that threatens to turn him into a kind of living corpse, a karmic punishment for his own misdeeds as a photojournalist specialized in crime scenes.
After premiering in 2022 at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, Disappear Completely debuted on Netflix in April 2024. And while it made its way to the streamer’s Top 10 in its native Mexico, it has struggled to find an audience in other countries where it is readily available. It’s a pity: Henaine’s film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is indeed a gem that deserves to be seen. Why it has not conquered audiences worldwide is hard to say. Perhaps Netflix hasn’t marketed it enough, or maybe it’s something to do with that pesky one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles. After all, it isn’t rare for international films — particularly genre films — to be overlooked only to be, years later, included in lists of underrated projects.
What Is ‘Disappear Completely’ About?
As it is so new in the world of streaming, Disappear Completely still has a chance of being recognized in its time. The film, which relies more on psychological horror than on traditional jumpscares, is a character study surrounding a man’s relationship with his profession, and his family. The premise is creative and terrifying from the get-go: Santiago (Harold Torres), a photojournalist who sells pictures of crimes and accidents to tabloids, falls victim to a curse after shooting a particularly gruesome scene featuring a still living, but completely unresponsive politician partly devoured by rats. Unbeknownst to him, Santiago’s camera has captured the presence of a demonic entity that traps him in the same web as the senator (Juan Sahagun) he just photographed. Little by little, Santiago starts to lose all of his five senses.
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As Santiago races against time to find a cure for his predicament, going from doctors to shamans to the very demon that has hexed him, his girlfriend, Marce (Tete Espinoza), faces troubles of her own. Pregnant with Santiago’s child, she wishes to have the baby and build a happy family. However, Santiago claims that they are not ready to have a child, and pressures her to have an abortion. This relationship with Marce and his unborn baby ends up being essential to how Santiago deals with his curse, being completely responsible for sealing his fate. By the end of the movie, just as he is about to lose the eyesight that is so dear to him, Santiago refuses to deliver his child’s life to the demon in exchange for everything he has lost and therefore becomes forever locked in a tomb made of his own flesh.Mixing an urban vibe with folk horror, Disappear Completely is a movie that dabbles in witchcraft, superstition, and politics, with the cursed senator having been victimized by a political rival. However, the focus of the plot is Santiago himself. The movie asks us to place ourselves in his shoes, forcing us to wonder what it would feel like to be in such a terrifying predicament. The final scenes make this invitation to identify with the main character all the more obvious: as Santiago is losing his sense of hearing, we can barely understand the sounds around him. Eventually, in the blink of an eye, the whole movie goes quiet. As he loses his sight, the image becomes blurry, until it… disappears completely. Seven long, despair-inducing seconds of dark screen stand between the last image of Marce calling Santiago’s name and the film’s end credits.
‘Disappear Completely’s Director Was Intentional About Creating a Personal Film
Director Luis Javier Henaine was intentional in creating an immersive, realistic experience for the audience while filming Disappear Completely, as he shared during an interview with Eye For Film. Rather than relying on jump scares or musical cues, he aimed to “make a more personal film with more down to earth issues,” while still balancing the element of witchcraft and folk horror. He said:
“Here in Mexico, witchcraft is something that people take very seriously and something very, very real for the majority of our population. And I like to reflect that in a way. So, all the time, I was trying to say, ‘Okay, this has to look real, this has to feel real, this has to be very realistic.’ And that’s how I tried to go throughout the whole film, with the production design and with the cinematography and with everything. Our references were real things, how people behave in these environments. . . ”
Placing the audience in Santiago’s shoes is one of the reasons Disappear Completely is so unnerving – it feels personal. At the heart of the film is Santiago’s struggles with being a potential father and a supportive partner for Marce. When reading the script, Henaine envisioned “a very immersive filmmaking style,” one that would make the audience active participants rather than passive observers of Santiago’s slow descent into a tomb of his own flesh. “I thought it would be great to just when, when he starts losing his sense of hearing, just play slowly with the whole film as well, make it subjective, put the audience in the character’s mind,” Henaine explained.
‘Disappear Completely’ Presents Photography as the Ultimate Horror
Disappear Completely presents us with a kind of horror that would be disturbing no matter who it befell. Still, when we take into consideration Santiago’s profession, the film gains additional layers. At the same time that Henaine and his fellow screenwriter Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes ask us to identify with Santiago in his plight, they also make it pretty clear that he is someone we should despise. Santiago is not a tabloid photographer because that’s the only job he can find. On the contrary, he seems to enjoy taking pictures of mangled bodies and even attempts to make it into a form of high art. The movie shows us that he has fun creating tasteless titles for the stories that will accompany his pictures, and right in the beginning we learn that he is trying to sell some of his photos to art galleries. This is, in itself, terrifying: in a way, the biggest horror in Disappear Completely is becoming the subject of one of Santiago’s photographs.
A Susan Sontag quote that opens the movie gives us the key to interpreting the story in this sense. “Photography converts the whole world into a cemetery. Photographers, wittingly or unwittingly, are the angels of death.” In Disappear Completely, a still picture is not just a tomb in a graveyard because it depicts someone who might already be dead, but because having your picture taken is already a kind of death. You become unmoving, unfeeling, blind, and deaf, all at once. You might say something, of course, in the sense that all works of art say something, but you will never again respond to any stimuli.
When he is cursed, Santiago is doomed to become one of his own photographs. His fate is, in a way, an ironic punishment: he has condemned so many dead people to a living death that he will, himself, become a tomb in the cemetery that is the entire world. Disappear Completely is definitely a movie with something to say, and it turns its eyes specifically to the art of creating images. To an extent, it is even fitting to watch Santiago’s downfall happen in a movie instead of, say, reading about it in a book, for the image is essential for us to understand what is happening to him. As we gaze at Santiago, we wonder if what is happening to him might one day happen to us as well. After all, in the age of smart phones and social media platforms where privacy goes to die, haven’t we all produced our own fair share of images that trap people in a single, unchangeable moment?
‘Disappear Completely’ Also Focuses on Santiago’s Relationship with His Unborn Child
But while photography, particularly Santiago’s kind of predatory photojournalism, and its meanings are at the center of Disappear Completely, Henaine and Aguado-Fentanes also go beyond the professional aspect of their protagonist. Well, in a way. Santiago’s relationship with Marce and their unborn child is marked by his career: it is because he hasn’t yet succeeded as a serious photographer that he believes it isn’t yet time for them to have a baby. When confronted with the opportunity to preserve the one sense that he needs for working in exchange for his child, though, Santiago chooses to let himself disappear completely.
Santiago sacrifices himself for his unborn child and, by extension, for the sake of Marce’s happiness. After all, she is the one who wants to have a child. But will Marce still want that baby now that her life has been upended so completely, now that she doesn’t have Santiago by her side anymore? What he does is completely remove himself from Marce’s life, thus leaving her alone to make a decision about her pregnancy and deal with the consequences. It is a selfish choice, but the reality is that there is no decision that Santiago could make that would not be selfish, as trading his baby’s life for his senses would prove tragic for both him and Marce. Either way, the demon forces Santiago to wallow in the selfishness that has ruined his life.
Disappear Completely ultimately wraps up with a fitting conclusion for Santiago. In his infinite suffering, he decides that the world would be a better place without him, for there is no answer that would satisfyingly end his suffering. He has already done too much to be forgiven. He’s already drowned in hubris, having been a man who mocked the death of others and who refused the happiness of the woman who lived with him. He turns the world into a cemetery and thus deserves to be buried alive. Is it a sad conclusion? You bet it is. But, quite often, the best horror stories have a tinge of tragedy to them.
‘Disappear Completely’ Is One of the Best Horror Movies to Hit Our Screens in 2024
With all of that in mind, it is no stretch to call Disappear Completely one of the best horror movies of 2024, despite having started its festival run all the way back in 2022. After all, what counts is when a movie is made available to general audiences, and, even in Mexico, Disappear Completely only managed to get itself a proper theatrical release in February of this year. And, well, considering how divisive the year has been for its horror releases, to watch a movie that isn’t particularly revolutionary, but that does the basics so well can feel like a breath of fresh air. Sure, movies like Longlegs and The Substance have won over hearts and minds all around the world, but they have garnered equally large legions of detractors. As for Disappear Completely; well, it’s not the kind of film that will change your conceptions about what horror can be, but it will definitely scare you and make you think about the themes being laid out on screen.
This should by no means be construed as negative criticism of the film. Simple and straightforward doesn’t mean mediocre. You don’t have to purport to change the genre to create something truly sublime. Sure, a The Bear-like meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant might be life-changing, but a good, old bowl of mac ‘n cheese can be just as tasty and satisfying. From Huesera: The Bone Woman to When Evil Lurks, Latin America has been producing some incredible horror films over this past decade, many of which are available on Prime Video, Netflix, and other streaming services. Thus, why stop at one amazing work of art? After you finish this beautiful, tragic, and terrifying film, take a few days to expand your spooky horizons. Results may vary, of course, but you certainly won’t regret such a rich meal.
- Release Date
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February 29, 2024
- Runtime
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106 Minutes
- Director
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Luis Javier Henaine
- Writers
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Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes, Luis Javier Henaine
Sherri Shepherd’s time as a daytime talk show host has officially come to an end. It was recently announced that her self-titled show “Sherri” has been cancelled after four seasons.
The news comes on the heels of another daytime talk show confirming the end of its run, as “The Kelly Clarkson Show” will also not return for additional seasons.
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‘Sherri’ To End This Fall After Four Seasons
Per Variety, “Sherri” has been cancelled and will not continue following the conclusion of its current season, set to wrap up in the fall. Debmar-Mercury, which distributes the show through producer Lionsgate, issued a statement confirming the news.
“This decision is driven by the evolving daytime television landscape and does not reflect on the strength of the show, its production – which has found strong creative momentum this season – or the incredibly talented Sherri Shepherd,” Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus via joint statement.
“We believe in this show and in Sherri and intend to explore alternatives for it on other platforms,” the statement continued.
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” Sherri” premiered in fall 2022, initially taking over the time slot of the long-running “Wendy Williams Show,” which ended after 13 seasons due to the ongoing health and personal issues of the former talk show host.
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Shepherd Previously Expressed Her Happiness About ‘Sherri’ Being Renewed
In March 2025, it was announced that “Sherri” had been renewed for a fourth season, and at the time, Shepherd shared her happiness at continuing.
“I don’t take it for granted that people welcome me into their homes daily,” Shepherd said, per Variety.
“I work so hard to bring escapism to viewers’ lives through joy, laughter, and inspiration, and I’m grateful that the audience has embraced what we do. I look forward to raising the bar and turning up the volume as we plan for our season four return,” she continued.
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Sherri Shepherd Joins Kelly Clarkson As A Now-Former Talk Show Host
Speculation circulated for weeks that “The Kelly Clarkson Show” would end its seven-season run this year, and the news was confirmed on Monday, February 2.
According to Deadline, Clarkson’s contract was up at the end of the show’s current season. However, the recent personal issues she is dealing with are believed to have been the determining factor in her decision not to continue the show.
Last year, Clarkson’s ex-husband and the father of her children, Brandon Blackstock, died due to cancer in August 2025.
Clarkson issued a heartfelt goodbye via an official statement.
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“There have been so many amazing moments and shows over these seven seasons. I am forever grateful and honored to have worked alongside the greatest band and crew you could hope for, all the talent and inspiring people who have shared their time and lives with us, all the fans who have supported our show, and to NBC,” her statement read in part.
“Because of all of that, this was not an easy decision, but this season will be my last hosting ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show.’ Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives,” Clarkson continued.
The singer ended her message, adding, “I want to thank y’all so much for allowing our show to be a part of your lives, and for believing in us and hanging with us for seven incredible years.”
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Daytime Talk Show Ratings Are Down Across The Board
Although “The View” continues to maintain its long-standing number one ranking, daytime talk show ratings overall have continued a steep decline throughout the years, despite talk shows being led by big names such as Jennifer Hudson, Drew Barrymore, Tamron Hall, and the aforementioned Shepherd and Clarkson.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, “the marketplace for daytime talk shows (and frankly, TV talk shows in general) has deteriorated in recent years amid pay-TV declines, a challenging advertising environment and fierce competition from video podcasts on platforms like YouTube.”
Sherri Shepherd Has Other Things To Fall Back On
Before she entered the world of daytime TV courtesy of “The View,” she had a long career as a comedian and actress. Her prior path in Hollywood would be the most obvious way to continue her career.
Shepherd starred in a variety of television and film projects during both of her talk show stints, something she will likely continue now that “Sherri” has come to an end.
Entertainment
Lisa Rinna 'knew nothing' about Colton Underwood's past during “The Traitors”: 'He got what he asked for'
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“Listen, if you ask me to be a Housewife, I’m going to come at you however I’m going to come at you,” the “Real Housewives” alum tells EW.
Apple TV has just blessed us with its 2026 slate — at least for the first half of the year — and it looks like we’ll be watching every minute of the day going by the boatload of prestige TV they just dropped, as the streamer plans to roll out new originals nearly every single week, mixing prestige drama, buzzy thrillers, returning fan favorites and limited series with big stars dipping their toes in the episodic water.
The big headline, of course, is the return of Ted Lasso for Season 4, but that’s just one piece of a lineup that also includes fresh seasons of Shrinking, For All Mankind, Sugar, and more. Add in new shows led by Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, Amy Adams, Javier Bardem, and Anya Taylor-Joy, and Apple is clearly aiming for a “prestige TV every month” vibe. The full year’s breakdown of today’s announced series can be found below.
Apple TV’s 2026 Series Release Schedule
Ted Lasso is back — but with a twist. Season 4 sees Ted coaching a second-division women’s football team, which feels like exactly the kind of heart-forward, underdog energy the show thrives on. And of course, it’s Apple, the home of prestige science fiction, which can only mean one thing: sci-fi fans are eating well. For All Mankind keeps pushing deeper into space in Season 5, while Monarch: Legacy of Monsters expands the MonsterVerse with more Titan chaos. For the crime enthusiasts, prestige thrillers are everywhere. Imperfect Women (Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington), Cape Fear (Amy Adams, Javier Bardem), and Criminal Record Season 2 all lean into darker, character-driven mysteries.
And of course, don’t forget about the giggles too, because between Shrinking, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, and the very chaotic-sounding Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Apple is still delivering the laughs as regularly as the dystopia.
|
Series Title |
Season |
Premiere Date |
|---|---|---|
|
Shrinking |
Season 3 |
Now Streaming (2026) |
|
The Last Thing He Told Me |
Season 2 |
February 20, 2026 |
|
Season 2 |
February 27, 2026 |
|
|
Imperfect Women |
Limited Series |
March 18, 2026 |
|
Season 5 |
March 27, 2026 |
|
|
Your Friends & Neighbors |
Season 2 |
April 3, 2026 |
|
Margo’s Got Money Troubles |
Season 1 |
April 15, 2026 |
|
Criminal Record |
Season 2 |
April 22, 2026 |
|
Widow’s Bay |
Season 1 |
April 29, 2026 |
|
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed |
Season 1 |
May 20, 2026 |
|
Cape Fear |
Season 1 |
June 5, 2026 |
|
Season 2 |
June 19, 2026 |
|
|
Lucky |
Limited Series |
July 15, 2026 |
|
Ted Lasso |
Season 4 |
Summer 2026 |
What Movies Are Coming to Apple TV in 2026?
Apple TV has also revealed an impressive lineup of films coming to the streamer this year, from Elizabeth Olsen‘s afterlife romance Eternity, premiering next weekend, and Ryan Reynolds‘ long-awaited Cold War movie coming this fall, to Keanu Reeves‘ latest comedy Outcome and John Cena‘s hotly anticipated Matchbox movie. See the streamer’s full movie slate below.
|
Movie Title |
Starring |
Release Date |
|---|---|---|
|
Eternity |
Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner |
February 13, 2026 |
|
Outcome |
Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz, and Matt Bomer |
April 10, 2026 |
|
The Dink |
Jake Johnson, Ed Harris, and Mary Steenburgen |
July 24, 2026 |
|
Mayday |
Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh, and Maria Bakalova |
September 4, 2026 |
|
Matchbox The Movie |
John Cena, Jessica Biel, and Danai Gurira |
October 9, 2026 |
|
Way of the Warrior Kid |
Chris Pratt, Linda Cardellini, and Jude Hill |
November 20, 2026 |
Stay tuned at Collider for more!
- Release Date
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November 1, 2019
- Network
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Apple TV
- Directors
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Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Andrew Stanton, Meera Menon, Dan Liu, Allen Coulter, Craig Zisk, Dennie Gordon, John Dahl, Lukas Ettlin, Wendey Stanzler, Seth Gordon, Sylvain White, Michael Morris, Maja Vrvilo, Sarah Boyd
- Writers
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Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi, Bradley Thompson, David Weddle, Nichole Beattie, Joe Menosky
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for High Potential Season 2, Episode 12.Last week’s episode of High Potential ended with Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) rekindling things with his ex-fiancée, Lucia (Susan Kelechi Watson). Despite supporting Karadec and encouraging him to try again with Lucia, Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) had a sad look on her face as she watched them leave together. This seemed to be a clear set-up for the beginning of a possible feelings realization arc for Morgan, and sure enough, this week’s episode takes this to the next level in the very best way.
This week’s episode sees Major Crimes investigating the murder of the wealthy founder of a wellness company. Meanwhile, Oz (Deniz Akdeniz) tries to get his father’s headstone ready in time for a planned memorial service. This is a strong and fast-paced episode throughout, and it benefits from giving focus to each of the characters, and in particular, giving Oz his first subplot that’s completely separate from a case. Best of all, the case puts Morgan and Karadec in what appears to be a near-death situation, and it brings them closer than ever.
In ‘High Potential’ Season 2, Episode 12, Major Crimes Investigates the Murder of a Man Trying to Live Forever
In Season 2, Episode 12, “The Faust and the Furious,” the Major Crimes team investigates the murder of Gabe Rafferty (Brad Raider), the founder of a wellness-focused technology company called Genegevity. Gabe was stabbed inside his house, but there’s no clear sign that somebody got through his very elaborate security system. Morgan and Karadec speak to Gabe’s assistant, Renata (Lyla Porter-Follows), who reveals that he shared his biodata with her through the Genegevity app. After Renata’s mom died, Gabe became a mentor to her and gave her a job. The goal of the company was to stop the aging process so that people could live forever, which started with the treatments that he was using on himself.
The investigation process takes Major Crimes to a number of people who would have had the motivation to kill Gabe. A woman named Siobhan McBriar (Hallie Samuels) was suing Gabe because Genegevity changed the ingredients in her vitamins without telling her, which disrupted her birth control and got her pregnant. Later, they learn that Gabe was embezzling money from Genegevity, and that he had cleverly found ways to make all of his employees blame each other for the company’s financial discrepancies. A message from Gabe beyond the grave assures his company that someone will be taking over for him soon if he’s ever killed. It turns out all of this money was going into creating a new robot version of Gabe that had all of his previous memories and knowledge uploaded.
Robot Gabe speaks to Morgan and Karadec and tells them that the Do Not Disturb system in Gabe’s house was adjusted by someone other than Gabe on the night of his death, making it turn on earlier than usual. Robot Gabe also gives them a list of people who had been threatening Gabe, then the robot is shut down and can no longer talk to them. Morgan and Karadec go to see Mika Aster (Brandon Engman), the founder of the tech start-up that created the robots. Gabe bought the company promising to keep Mika on, but then he pushed Mika out. Morgan and Karadec visit Gabe’s house and briefly get stuck in the room where he was killed. They realize that Gabe was locked in when the Do Not Disturb feature was turned on, and that the candles he lit in the room were laced with arsenic, so Gabe stabbed himself to die faster instead of slowly being poisoned.
The killer turns out to be Renata, who teamed up with Micah to kill Gabe, both for their own reasons. While Micah wanted revenge and his company back, Renata felt betrayed and hurt because Genegivity had originally been researching the genes responsible for her mother and sister’s cancer, which she also carries. When Micah went to confront Gabe about taking over his company, Renata learned that all the money for the research had gone into the robots instead. Renata ultimately confesses after Morgan and Karadec confront her, but she stands by what she did.
In ‘High Potential’ Season 2, Episode 12, Oz Tries To Get a Headstone for His Father’s Grave
It was revealed last season that Oz’s father had died the year before. In this episode, Oz’s family tries to have a belated memorial for him, because they’ve been waiting for his headstone to be ready for a long time. A few days before they’re supposed to have the memorial (after it’s already been moved twice), Oz learns that the headstone was never confirmed with the cemetery. Oz goes to see his mom (Jacqueline Antaramian), and she says she used his father’s life insurance money to pay for the headstone. The costs then piled up, and before she knew it, the money was gone, and there was still no headstone.
Oz is angry with his mom, and she has to call Daphne (Javicia Leslie) to check on him because he won’t take her calls after that. Selena (Judy Reyes) then calls Oz in for a meeting, and he tells her that his mom spent $20,000 on a headstone that is now stuck in a shipping facility. Selena says that the funeral home took advantage of Oz’s mom, but Oz blames himself for not being there for her during his grief. Selena relates to Oz by telling him about her mother’s death, then she encourages him to stop being so hard on himself. Selena steps in to call out the funeral home for its predatory practices, and Oz’s mother gets a full refund. Oz’s father’s grave finally gets a headstone, and they have a memorial service for him. Oz gives a touching eulogy where he comes to terms with his grief, and then he calls the Major Crimes team his family.
In ‘High Potential’ Season 2, Episode 12, a Perceived Near-Death Experience Brings Morgan and Karadec Together
Karadec and Lucia are still seeing each other after reconnecting last week, and they’re already getting serious again. The episode shows how Karadec’s job is no longer the obstacle in their relationship, and it seems to hint that Morgan will become a new obstacle. Morgan shows up to Karadec’s apartment to ask for a ride to work, where she sees Lucia. In the car, Morgan asks Karadec about his relationship, and he tells her that he’s happy.
Later, Morgan and Karadec are investigating Gabe’s house, when they get locked in the room where Gabe was killed, and they believe that the room is filled with the poison that killed Gabe. Morgan has a panic attack, terrified that she doesn’t know what to do, and that there is no way out. She tries to do a grounding exercise, but her mind is full of images of the people she loves the most and will lose if they both die there: her three kids and Karadec. Karadec hugs Morgan to calm her down, and then the door opens, and it’s revealed that there was no poison in the room. It’s one of Morgan and Karadec’s best moments yet, because, on this rare occasion where Morgan feels a loss of control, Karadec is the one who’s able to keep her grounded.
When he gets home from work, Karadec has a conversation with Lucia where they talk about their past breakup and start to move forward together. It’s clear that Karadec has learned his lesson from their breakup, but he also already clearly has feelings for Morgan, even if he doesn’t realize it. After Oz’s father’s memorial, Morgan and Karadec talk about what happened. She feels mortified and ashamed about falling apart instead of being able to help out in that situation, but Karadec tells her that they count on each other, and that she would’ve done the same for him. The show then sets up an upcoming breakdown for Karadec. He tells her that at some point he will have a moment like she did, and that he knows that out of everyone in his life, she’ll be the person who will know how to get him through it. The episode makes it clearer than ever that Morgan will be the obstacle in Karadec’s relationship with Lucia this time around, and based on his facial expression after that last conversation, he may know it, too.
High Potential airs Tuesdays at 9:00 P.M. EST on ABC.
- Release Date
-
September 17, 2024
- Showrunner
-
Todd Harthan
Pros & Cons
- This episode puts Morgan and Karadec in a suspenseful near-death situation, in what is a phenomenal scene, with excellent acting from both Olson and Sunjata.
- This episode gives Oz his first big storyline outside of work, making the ensemble cast feel more balanced.
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