Most science fiction movies and those set in space that takes place outside of Earth usually focus on the Moon, Mars, or fictional planets. The remaining planets in the Solar System are mostly overlooked by movies and TV shows alike even though they’re just as fascinating as Mars and the Moon are. Venus is a good example of that.
Despite being the planet closest to the Sun and relatively close to Earth as well, there aren’t that many science fiction movies set on Venus. The best of them, however, have the power to entertain all fans of the science fiction genre or great movies in general.
5 The Illustrated Man (1969)
Even those sci-fi fans who take the care to watch all movies set on Venus often forget to include The Illustrated Man in their list. The reason for this is simple. The Illustrated Man is an anthology movie that includes three different sci-fi stories. And only one of them, titled The Long Rain, is set on Venus. More specifically, this story focuses on a group of explorers who get lost in the rainy environment on Venus.
Based on a book by the celebrated science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man is one of the underrated, thought-provoking science fiction movies. Only slightly over 3 thousand people rated the movie on IMDb, proving it was one of the overlooked sci-fi jewels of the late 1960s. From today’s point of view, most actors in the movie won’t be familiar to the audience, but that only makes it easier to get drawn into the story and be right there with the astronauts on Venus.
4 Abbot And Costello Go To Mars (1953)
The duo Abbott and Costello faced many challenges in their multiple movies – from fighting Dracula and other monsters to traveling to different planets. Despite the movie’s title, Abbott and Costello don’t end up on Mars but get to Venus instead. To their surprise, they find out that the planet Venus is occupied solely by women.
The movie also takes the audience and the heroes alike to New Orleans during the carnival season, offering more than one colorful location. It’s interesting to see what will Abbott and Costello do next, and who they’ll come across. The movie keeps a fast pace and offers plenty of jokes for those fans who are looking for a mixture of science fiction and comedy.
3 Planeta Bur (1962)
Best translated as Planet of Storms, Planeta Bur is one of the rare science fiction movies that are hard to come by and watch. Planeta Bur is an entertaining, Russian B-list movie about a group of astronauts who land on Venus as the first people in history. Their joy of discovering the planet doesn’t last long since they’re attacked by local creatures and also threatened by a disease for which they might be no cure.
Its special effects haven’t aged well, and these days, the movie looks very retro, but that can serve to heighten the nostalgia in older viewers and let the younger audience get a glimpse into a piece of science fiction movie history. So even though Planeta Bur doesn’t entirely avoid the political context of the era, it’s still one of the better sci-fi movies set on Venus.
2 Venus Wars (1989)
While widespread colonization of space is still far away, everything is possible in the realm of science fiction movies. Even more so in the case of the animated ones since animation, while it takes a long time to finish, it’s still less difficult to make than complex CGI effects. That was at least the case in 1989 when this Japanese movie premiered. It’s set in the 21st century and shows humans living peacefully on Venus for several generations. They at least did live peacefully until an invasion happens and the main hero Hiro Seno is forced to fight for his life.
The movie is full of action, doesn’t spare the characters, its visual side doesn’t disappoint, and it shows that war, even a future war, is intense and unkind to those caught in the middle of it. With less than 2 thousand ratings on IMDb, Venus Wars is one of the underappreciated 80s sci-fi movies that deserve more attention from the audience than it got.
1 All Summer In A Day (1982)
One of the best-rated sci-fi movies set on Venus is the 25-minute-long movie All Summer in a Day, once again inspired by the iconic sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury. It centers on a young girl who moved to Venus, and she remembers what it was like to live in a world full of sunshine since the Sun can only be seen for a very short period of time on Venus.
Just like some of Bradbury’s best work, All Summer in a Day has the power to make the audience think. The actors give excellent performances and the movie creates a strong atmosphere. Thanks to its length, it’s easy to return to the movie over and over again and always find something new in it, some detail that they might have missed before.