The 26 funniest space movies of all time

The classic comedic duo Abbott and Costello went to Hollywood in 1945, met Frankenstein in 1948 and Boris Karloff in 1949, but in 1953, they blasted off to Mars. However, despite the film’s title, Bud and Lou never actually made it to the red planet in this film, and instead accidentally ended up in New Orleans and later landed on Venus (uh, don't think about the science). As usual, plenty of laughs followed them on their journey.

 Was Ed Wood’s 1959 sci-fi film "Plan 9 from Outer Space" any good? No. Was it a comedy? Nope. Yet the combination of these two facts make "Plan 9" unintentionally hilarious, as it was so terrible that it was actually enjoyable. A lot of this can be blamed on the film’s poor transition into full-screen formatting, which ludicrously exposed boom microphones, stage equipment, and even scripts from which the actors were reading off-screen. At times, the dialogue is also terrible, the acting is questionable, and the editing is haphazard. Be sure to locate the full-screen version of the film, and then get ready to laugh until you hurt.

Although the 1964 sci-fi film "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" is often listed as a comedy, we assure you that this wasn’t the original intention. The result, however, was a laughably bad film in the same vein as the aforementioned "Plan 9 from Outer Space." The difference with "Santa Claus" is that you can’t blame all the bad press on mistakes and slip-ups. The premise, the script, the acting, and the special effects never stood a chance, and the result was simply terrible. Or terribly hilarious, at best.

Years before "Assault on Precinct 13," "Halloween," and "The Thing," John Carpenter made his feature-film directorial debut with "Dark Star," an oft-forgotten 1974 science-fiction film. Although originally mismarketed as a drama, “Dark Star” is more of a satire or black comedy, and its initial mediocre critical reception was eventually replaced with a cult following.

"Airplane II: The Sequel" wasn’t quite as funny as the original, but then again, few films are. The movie managed to reunite Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, and Peter Graves for another round of laughs, except this time, the gang flew into trouble on a spaceship headed for the Moon. And this one also featured William Shatner!

What’s that? You’ve never heard of "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension"? You’re not alone. Not many people knew what to make of the sci-fi romantic adventure comedy when it was first released, but it has since become a cult film that owns a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The cast includes Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, and Christopher Lloyd - and Lithgow still considers it one of his favorite films. Not surprising, considering the fact that "Buckaroo Banzai" is absurdly silly, absurdly smart, and absurdly entertaining.

1986’s "Howard the Duck" didn’t make this list because of its intentional humor, even though it’s a sci-fi comedy. The film is here because it’s so bad - from the plot and dialogue to the acting and special effects - that it’s actually hilarious. It was nominated for seven Razzies, almost tanked the career of star Lea Thompson, and only made $15 million versus a budget of $30 million - making it one of the biggest box-office bombs of all time. It has since garnered a cult following.

To simply call Mel Brooks’ 1987 comedy "Spaceballs" a spoof of "Star Wars" doesn’t do justice to the brilliance of the film. Brooks (who also starred in the film) teamed up with Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, John Candy, Daphne Zuniga, Joan Rivers, and Dıck Van Patten to perfectly parody everything from "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" to "Planet of the Apes" and "Alien." Although the film received a mixed reception from critics, most audiences found it absolutely hilarious, and it was even praised by George Lucas himself.

"Earth Girls Are Easy" is silly, goofy, and predictable... just like a lot of other ‘80s films. However, the musical romantic-comedy never attempted to be anything more - nor did it need to be - and that was enough for most audiences and critics, including Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin. The sci-fi film was also aided by its star-studded cast, which included Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans, and Julie Brown, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

The 1988 horror-comedy "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" wasn’t critically praised initially, but it has since reached cult film status, and a planned sequel has been discussed for decades. The original film stars Grant Cramer and Suzanne Snyder, who attempt to protect their town from homicidal alien invaders dressed as clowns. It was written, directed, and produced by the Chiodo Brothers, the same puppeteers behind 2004’s "Team America: World Police."

The 1993 "Saturday Night Live" spin-off comedy "Coneheads" didn’t get a whole lot of positive reviews from critics, but it sure got a lot of star power... and we’re not just referring to the scenes with interplanetary travel. The star-studded cast includes Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Michael McKean, Chris Farley, David Spade, Sinbad, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander, Phil Hartman, Ellen DeGeneres, Jon Lovitz, and many others - including a large number of additional "SNL" alumni.

Although we’ll admit that some of us were frightened by the creepy, large-headed aliens from Tim Burton’s 1996 comedy "Mars Attacks," it was definitely a funny film in retrospect - even with the abundance of freaky space violence. Plus, the ensemble cast included superstars such as Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Michael J. Fox, Martin Short, and Danny DeVito, so it was hard to go wrong. In fact, the film apparently just missed an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.

 Technically, all the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" episodes take place in space, as Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo are in a constant state of imprisonment in the Satellite of Love high above Earth’s atmosphere. The hilarious 1996 film version of the show, however, is a double-whammy, as the trio is forced to watch a film that also takes place in space. (1955's "This Island Earth," for the record.)

"Space Jam" grossed a whopping $230 million worldwide, making it the most successful basketball film of all time, and its soundtrack was certified 6x Platinum as well. Although the critical reception was mixed, the cast of assorted Looney Tunes characters, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and numerous other NBA stars carried the comedy throughout. Oh, and Bill Murray. We must never forget about Bill Murray. (A sequel was released in 2021, but it was essentially a flop.)

If aliens really did try to settle on Earth undetected, we’re not sure if Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones would be the best men to handle the job... but at least it would be entertaining to watch. Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1997 film holds a 92% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, raked in more than $250 million at the U.S. box office alone, spawned three sequels and an animated series, and boosted Ray-Ban sunglasses sales by $5 million. You know the difference between this and other space films? They made it look good.

The 1997 sci-fi comedy "RocketMan" was crude, childish, and a catastrophe in terms of scientific accuracy... but what do you expect from a Disney film starring Harland Williams? We expected to laugh, and that’s exactly what happened (especially when we were kids). What we didn’t expect, however, was the film receiving three out of four stars from Roger Ebert.

When a faraway alien race needs saving, Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Daryl Mitchell are called in to save the day... even though they’re not astronauts, they’re actors who played astronauts on TV. Although it sounds like the plot could easily get too cheesy, 1999’s "Galaxy Quest" actually received quite a few laughs, quite a bit of critical praise, and a 90% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

If you thought we’d ever leave the Muppets off a list, then you are sadly mistaken. The intergalactic antics of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzy Bear, and Gonzo were on point in this 1999 comedy, which was the sixth feature film starring the Muppets and the first with an original Muppet-focused plot since the passing of Jim Henson. "Muppets from Space" was the last installment to involve legendary puppeteer Frank Oz.

Originally a radio comedy created by Douglas Adams, "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" was also converted into a stage show, novels, comic books, a TV show, a video game, and, in 2005, a feature film. The movie starred Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, and Stephen Fry and made $104 million worldwide - much of which was thanks to the franchise’s devoted cult following. Sadly, Adams died in 2001, just before production of the film began.

  It’s hard to top a cast that includes Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Amy Poehler, Hugh Laurie, and Will Arnett, even if "Monsters vs. Aliens" only used their voices. The 2009 DreamWorks film received positive reviews overall, grossed more than $381 million worldwide, and boasted plenty of laughs throughout. Rogen’s blob-like B.O.B. character easily provided the most consistent chuckles.

You might not immediately think of 2010’s "Despicable Me" as a space movie, but remember: Gru’s mission throughout the entire film was to steal the moon, and he eventually blasted off into space to achieve this goal. Plus, this animated film is a riot; it stars comedians Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, and Will Arnett (and actress Miranda Cosgrove), and its $543 million haul at the worldwide box office makes “Despicable Me” one of the most successful animated films of all time.

"Paul" was the third buddy comedy to feature Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in the lead roles. Seth Rogen also starred as the voice of Paul, an alien who is attempting to return to his mothership while avoiding Secret Service agents, played by Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, and Sigourney Weaver. Although it doesn’t quite meet the standard set by "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," the 2011 film generally received positive reviews for its original writing and satirization of everything from "E.T." to "Star Wars."

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones returned to battle evil aliens in 2012’s "Men in Black 3," which also added Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, and Emma Thompson to the cast. Although not nearly as funny as the first film, “MIB 3” was generally praised and earned a rightful place on this list, which is more than we can say for its predecessor, 2002’s “Men in Black II.”

After Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s "Paul" failed to reach the bar set by "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," the duo reunited with director/screenwriter Edgar Wright. The result was 2013’s "The World’s End," a film about (spoilers!) an alien race that invades Earth and slowly replaces humans with identical androids. The reunion was successful, as the bar-hopping sci-fi flick currently holds an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" kept a much lighter, cheekier tone than a lot of other recent superhero movies, leading to a surprising amount of laughs for many theatergoers. Of course, that’s somewhat to be expected with funnyman Chris Pratt in the lead role. The 2014 James Gunn film also earned critical praise, won numerous awards, grossed more than $773 million worldwide, and spawned a sequel in 2017.

Speaking of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel, here it is! The full cast returned for this installment, which also added Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone. It wasn't received quite as well as the original but avoided the sophomore slump to the tune of an 85% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.