20 of the Best Middle School Science Movies for Teens

The middle school years are a great time to introduce your teens to the many different career fields that are available in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). We have put together a list of the best middle school science movies as a great way to spark your teen’s interest in the STEM field.

The 20 Best Middle School Science Movies for Your Homeschool

Some of the best ways that my children have learned is by being immersed in what they are learning. This can be done in a variety of ways such as: field trips, hands-on experiments, crafts, activities and even movies! My children love learning through movies and documentaries, and they are a great way to engage your children and get them excited for what they are learning.

From space exploration to life science and learning about the animal kingdom, these are some of the best middle school science movies and documentaries. Many of these movies also have a book that they were originally created from. 

This is especially great for older students as they can first read the book, then watch the movie and discuss the differences. You could even have high school students dig deep into some of the science fiction aspects and write a book report and then a movie review.

Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of this post for our free Movie Response Printable Pack to use with any movie you watch in your homeschool.

Science Movies for Middle School Students

These science movies are rated either PG or PG13. A few of them have intense scenes, mature themes, or brief, partial nudity. Yet they are good stories and a perfect introduction to many different STEM fields. It is up to your discretion to watch with your older students.

1. Hidden Figures (2017) PG –  An inspiring real-life story about African American female mathematicians who were the actual computers that calculated all of the mathematics and physics needed for NASA’s Project Mercury in the 1960s.

When the book was released, it was the untold story of the women whose hard work and fight against segregation helped them to become a part of NASA’s space program to beat Russia in the space race.

Science Topics Covered: Astrophysics, Mathematics, Space Travel, Civil Rights, women in STEM

2.The Martian (2015) PG13 – Based on the science fiction book, The Martian stars Matt Damon as an astronaut that is stranded on Mars after his team assumes that he is dead. It is an inspiring movie about his struggle for survival.

This would make a great book study and movie comparison study for your older children.

Science Topics Covered: Space travel, Mars, astronauts, survival skills, hydroponic gardening

3. October Sky (1999) PG – Starring Jake Gyllenhal, this movie is based on the true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner’s son in a small West Virgina town. He was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to learn rocketry in spite of his father’s wishes for him.

Science Topics Covered: Rocket science, Physics, Aerospace Engineering.

4. Apollo 13 (1995) PG – One of the original “space movies” that retells a true story of a 1970’s NASA mission gone wrong that uses the famous quote of “Houston, we have a problem.” It is also one of Tom Hank’s best performances.

Science Topics Covered: NASA, Space Travel

5. Interstellar (2014) PG13 – This Christopher Nolan science fiction gem stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine and Matt Damon. It is set in a dystopian future where the world is full of famine and blight.

A team of astronauts have to travel through a wormhole near Saturn to find a new home for all the humans. They travel near multiple blackholes and one astronaut gets stuck on a planet where time passes extremely fast. This is a heart wrenching, yet fascinating film. It has been praised by astronomers for its portrayal of theoretical astrophysics.

Science Topics Covered: Science fiction, Black Holes, Wormholes, Space Travel, Astrophysics, Astronomy

6. The Time Machine (1960) G – This classic science fiction film is based on the book by H.G. Wells. It is a great way to introduce your teens to the book and the topic of time travel.

Science Topics Covered: Time Machines, Time Travel, Inventors, Science Fiction

7. The Prestige (2006) PG13 – This isn’t exactly a science movie because it is a fun tale about the rivalry between two magicians with a major twist at the end that will surprise your students.

The conflict between Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are very similar to the real life conflicts between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla who are also in this fun period piece. This is a great movie to watch if you are learning about the history of science and inventors.

Science Topics Covered: Inventors, Electricity, Light

8. Radioactive (2020) PG13 – This Amazon Prime Original movie is about Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the only person to win two Nobel prizes in different scientific fields: Physics and Chemistry.

This movie shows her extreme brilliance and the challenges that she faced as a female scientist just trying to find a lab to experiment in. It also documents her husband Pierre Curie who fought with her for scientific justice.

 Science Topics Covered: Physics, Chemistry, Inventions, Radium

9. A Beautiful Mind (2002) PG13 – Based on real events and a biography of the same name, this great movie stars Russell Crowe as a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician named John Nash.

It shows his battle with schizophrenia as he became the pioneer of game theory with his studies of differential geometry and the study of partial differential equations. 

Science Topics Covered: Mental Illness, Math, Geometry, Game Theory, Differential Equations

10. War Games (1983) PG – This classic 80’s movie stars Matthew Broderick as a teenage genius computer hacker. He hacks into a military super computer and stars a game of ThermoNuclear War. When he realizes what is happening, he has to stop it to avoid World War 3!

Science Topics Covered: Computer Technology, Nuclear Science

Middle School Science Documentaries 

Nature and Science documentaries really help what you are studying in your homeschool to come alive. These are some of our favorite documentaries that will go along with many different science topics that you may studying at home.

11. Spaceship Earth (2020) Not Rated – This documentary film is a true story about a group of scientists that recreate the Earth’s biosphere in a dome that they engineered. They lived in the dome in for two years in the Arizona desert and documented the entire process.

Learn about the engineering design process of the dome and the self-sustaining ecosystem that they tired to create in this unique science experiment.

Science Topics Covered: Biodomes, Engineering, Gardening, Agriculture, Ecosystems, Climate Change

12. Dream Big: Engineering Our World (2023) Not Rated – This film was originally shown on an IMAX movie screen and narrated by Jeff Bridges. It transforms what you know about engineering by teaching about the Great Wall of China, the world’s tallest buildings, underwater robots, sustainable cities, solar cars and more.

Science Topics Covered: Engineering, Solar Power, Robotics, Sustainable Living, Eco Green Living,

13. Planet Earth (2021) TV G – The Planet Earth series from BBC Earth, is so fascinating to watch. David Attenborough has such a calming voice as he narrates the amazing variety of the natural world in this popular documentary series. It was filmed for five years in 64 countries and each episode covers a different habitat.

At the end of each episode is a 10 minute behind the scenes of how the show was filmed. This is a great series to watch when you are learning about habitats. Your students will also learn a bit about scientists and photography and filmmakers.

Science Topics Covered: Habitats, Earth Science, Life Science, Animal Kingdoms, Plant Kingdoms, Photography and Cinemetography

14. A Plastic Ocean (2017) TV G – This adventure documentary film follows a film maker and world record free diver as he travels the earth showing the impact that plastics have on the ocean environment and marine life all over the world.

Science Topics Covered: Marine Biology, Environmental Science, Ocean Pollution, Microplastics, Recycling

15. The Biggest Little Farm (2019) PG – A gorgeous documentary about a family returning to traditional farming methods so that they can farm in harmony with nature without the use of pesticides. The film covers the farm for an entire decade showing how they heal the land with natural practices.

Science Topics Covered: Organic Farming, Permaculture, Agriculture, Worm Farms, Composting, Farming, Environmental Science

16. Red Sea (2016) TV G – This film is in 4k and explores the underwater ecosystems of the Red Sea and the 1200 sea creatures that inhabit the coral reefs below.

Science Topics Covered: Marine Biology, The Red Sea and Ocean Life

17. March of the Penguins ( 2005) G – Filmed by National Geographic, This beautiful documentary features the calming voice of Morgan Freeman. He narrates the yearly journey of Emperor Penguins as they make multiple journeys across the Arctic back to their breeding grounds to hatch and raise their chicks.

Science Topics Covered: Environmental Science, Antarctic Animals, Habitats,

18. Behold the Earth (2018) PG – A musical documentary film that explores how Americans have stopped enjoying the outdoors. It takes a look at scientists and activists within Christian communities who are observers of nature that bears witness to creation. It also discusses church engagement with environmental issues.

Science Topics Covered: Creation, Nature Science, Environmental Science

19. Good Night Oppy (2022) PG – This is a must watch if you are studying Space Science. This documentary follows a Mars Exploration Rover named Opportunity. She was only expected to survive on Mars for 90 days, but she explored Mars for 15 years bringing tons of data and information back to the scientists.

Younger students will enjoy sitting in on this documentary and they will fall in love with Oppy, the special Mars Rover.

Science Topics Covered: Mars, Astronomy, Robotics, Mars Rovers, Space Science, Computer Science

20. The Riot and the Dance: Earth (2018) G – A beautiful nature documentary that features a Christian biologist who wanted to film animals and nature to bring glory back to God and point people to Creation.

If you love nature documentaries and are a Christian, you are going to love this movie as it explores the relationship between God and nature.

Science Topics Covered: Creation Science, Nature Science, Animal Science

Movie Response Printable Pack

Pair any one of these science movies with our Movie Response Template Pack. These free printables will help your children to document what they have seen and express their opinion about the movie.

Included in the pack are: a movie in detail worksheet, create your own movie review, movie illustration pages and a book to movie comparison sheet. The book to movie comparison sheet is perfect for some of these movies that are based off of the book.

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