On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be created as the moon passes before the sun. It’s the first to affect the lower 48 states of the United States since 2017. The next eclipse of this type to traverse Canada and the United States won’t occur until 2044. But in the interim, here’s a list of noteworthy eclipse motion pictures to help pass the time.
Eclipses tend to occur in stories at times of dangerous and negative change, chaos, and confusion, and when there is a significant shift in the plot. Here are fourteen genre movie instances of eclipses.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
The Earth, moon, and sun line up for an eclipse seen from space in the opening scene of this science fiction epic from 1968. Afterward, as they come into contact with an enigmatic monolith the astronauts have an eclipse-like moment. The two scenes are among several iconic moments from the screenplays of Arthur C. Clarke (who also penned the original novel) and Stanley Kubrick. The opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey depicts the Earth and Moon both eclipsing the Sun. The sequence begins with the Sun entirely eclipsed to the camera and ends with the eclipse ending and the Sun emerging beyond the Earth and Moon. The three bodies are aligned with the camera, further out in space. The e
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2. Forbidden Planet (1956)
Directed by Fred M. Wilcox
Very few movies (at least from this era) use this many special effects solely to set the scene. Beautiful images of several moons under purple skies or of a saucer crossing a solar eclipse can be seen throughout Forbidden Planet. They help to reinforce the sense of awe in the movie. These are scenes whose beauty is beyond their mere use in advancing the story. Although it may not be the greatest, Forbidden Planet is unquestionably the most exquisitely made science fiction movie from the 1950s.
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3. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Directed by Frank Oz
“You remember that total solar eclipse that happened about a week ago?” That’s when, in the 1986 musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors, Audrey II, a homicidal plant from space, arrives on Earth and transforms the life of the florist’s assistant Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis). For survival, most plants require sunlight. Maybe that’s why Seymour (Rick Moranis) only notices and brings home an odd little plant during an eclipse. Naturally, this plant doesn’t need sunlight to survive—it feeds on human blood. A black sun would be the only place a bizarre murderous plant would appear normal.
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4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a prequel to Star Wars (1977) released in 2016, a group of rebels stationed on the moon Jedha are on a mission to steal the blueprints of the Galactic Empire’s Death Star. Meanwhile, the Empire is testing a new weapon and aims at the sacred city of Jedha. The weapon is a massive spherical object that briefly passes in front of the sky before launching an attack on the city. The eclipse represents the end of life in the city.
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5. The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
Directed by Val Guest
The impact of weapon experiments on Earth is revealed to Peter Stenning (Edward Judd). He asks Jeannie Craig (Janet Munro) to assist him in locating any pertinent data. It becomes evident that the equator and pole have moved, impacting the climatic zones, and that Earth’s nutation has changed by 11 degrees. Due to rising temperatures, water is evaporating, creating mists that are covering Britain, and a solar eclipse occurs days early. They eventually discover that Earth’s orbit has been disturbed and that the planet is spiraling inward toward the Sun. The eclipse symbolizes the impending doom of Earth.
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6. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Directed by James Cameron
James Cameron’s Pandora is not a planet, but a moon of the gas giant Polyphemus. The latter revolves around Alpha Centauri A, one of the three stars in the Alpha Centauri system. Despite this complex orbital system, Pandora experiences very little darkness, even at night. However, there are times when Polyphemus completely blocks out the sun, resulting in some stunning bioluminescence shots in the film. This causes some fantastic visuals. But during the last battle of The Way of Water, one such eclipse takes place. This suggests a significant change is on the horizon, and that the seemingly weaker Metkayina clan may prevail over the colonial RDA forces. The characters face significant conflicts and tough decisions during the eclipse, which serves as a symbol of impending change.
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7. Flash Gordon (1980)
Directed by Mike Hodges
An eclipse happens at the beginning of the campy film Flash Gordon. NASA says it’s normal. But Dr. Hans Zarkov (Topol) knows better than NASA experts and believes the unexpected eclipse and unusual “hot hail” are a big deal. He takes football player Flash Gordon (Sam Jones) and travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) into orbit to make the necessary corrections. The mystery of the coming attack by Emperor Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow) is foreshadowed by the clouds covering the sun.
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8. Sunshine (2007)
Directed by Danny Boyle
Alex Garland’s screenplay for Danny Boyle’s film Sunshine doesn’t feature an eclipse visible from Earth. The movie is set in the year 2057 and blends science and psychology, similar to Solaris (1972) or 2001: A Space Odyssey. The plot centers on an eight-person team attempting to reignite our fading sun. The fading of our star creates an atmosphere of primal and terrifying excitement, much like an actual eclipse. Regardless of how much science explains the phenomenon, it’s difficult to remain calm when the sun sets during the day.
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9. Pitch Black (2000)
Directed by David Twohy
In this science fiction-horror movie from 2000, Vin Diesel’s Richard B. Riddick and other characters land on a far-off planet in Pitch Black. The survivors discover that although the planet has nearly constant daylight due to its three suns, there are occasional eclipses, during which the world’s ferocious subterranean creatures emerge to feed on their prey. An eclipse is coming, of course. Fortunately, Riddick—who can see in the dark —is much more resilient and terrifying at night.
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10. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Directed by Simon West
After defeating a robot in an Egyptian tomb, adventurer Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) discovers that the tomb is a training area of her family’s mansion, where she resides with butler Hillary (Chris Barrie) and technical assistant Bryce (Noah Taylor). In Venice, the Illuminati are searching for a key to complete the two halves of a mystery artifact called “the Triangle,” which needs to be finished by the last phase of a planetary alignment, a solar eclipse, as the first phase of the alignment gets underway. Manfred Powell (Iain Glen) informs the cabal that the relic is almost ready, but he doesn’t know its current location.
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11. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Directed by Sidney J. Furie
There aren’t many great moments in Superman IV except one epic fight. Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow) breaks into the Daily Planet building and abducts Lacy Warfield (Mariel Hemingway), taking her into space. Despite being pursued to the Moon, Superman (Christopher Reeve) manages to escape and takes drastic action by pushing the Moon out of its orbit. This put the Earth under an eclipse, which nullified Nuclear Man’s powers, ultimately saving the day. However, Lacy is left stranded in space, presumed dead. It’s ridiculous but exciting.
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12. Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Directed by James Wong
The live-action adaptation of Dragonball named Dragonball Evolution is a sad video game movie adaptation, but it does feature an eclipse. After obtaining all seven Dragonballs, Piccolo (James Marsters) goes to the Dragon Temple and calls forth the Eternal Dragon Shenron. Goku’s (Justin Chatwin) group arrives just in time to interrupt him. In the ensuing battle, Piccolo tells Goku he’s secretly his minion, Ōzaru the Great Ape. He was assigned to destroy Earth when he was older, back when Goku was an infant. When the sun eclipses, Goku becomes Ōzaru.
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13. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949)
Directed by Tay Garnett
The Bing Crosby musical, based on Mark Twain’s novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889), tells the story of Hank Martin (Crosby) a mechanic from 1912 who suffers a head injury and awakens in AD 528 in Arthurian Britain. Twain’s book is one of the first to include the concept of time travel. He befriends King Arthur (Cedric Hardwicke) and uses technology wisely to rise to power. Trouble arises when he meddles in the kingdom’s politics and falls in love with the King’s niece, Alisande la Carteloise (Rhonda Fleming) to which her fiancé Sir Lancelot (Henry Wilcoxon) objects. Knowing an eclipse is coming, Hank terrorizes his captors into releasing him. Hank gets shot and sent back in time as he tries to save Alisande from Merlin’s (Murvyn Vye) grasp.
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14. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1989)
Directed by Mel Damski
This television movie is yet another adaptation of Mark Twain’s classic novel. It stars a young Keshia Knight Pulliam (The Cosby Show) as a girl named Karen. She falls off her horse in England and wakes up in medieval Camelot. Her dark complexion and technological prowess make everyone think she’s a sorcerer. Morgana (Jean Marsh) and Merlin (Rene Auberjonois) become infuriated and attempt to assassinate her on June 21st. As fate would have it, this date coincides with a historical solar eclipse that Karen had learned about in her past life, providing her with a stroke of luck. The eclipse causes a distraction which frees her from her captors.
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Next time there’s an eclipse, grab some popcorn and enjoy a sci-fi classic in the darkness.
Will you be watching the eclipse? Which of these movies do you like? Which do you hate? Are there any we missed?
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