The 32 greatest '80s sci-fi movies
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If there's one genre synonymous with the 1980s, it's science fiction. But with so many movies to pick from, it begs the question: What are the greatest '80s sci-fi movies of all time?
As the sun set over the New Hollywood Wave of the 1970s, the era's grounded adult dramas and political thrillers yielded to the rise of popcorn entertainment for the whole family. As studios regained more creative control over Hollywood's directors, budgets ballooned and the need to appeal to wider audiences became clear. That's not to say the '80s weren't full of artists with vision, however, nor that there weren't movies for grownups. But as the budgets of blockbusters grew, the movies got bigger in more ways than one.
The mid to late 1970s saw the start of a new sci-fi boom, kicked off by movies like Star Wars, Alien, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Science fiction, a genre inherently about the future and typically characterized by tropes like space aliens, lasers, and time travel, was (and still is) a ripe field to reflect the increasing sophistication of tech-oriented filmmaking. As arcades and computers became commonplace, audiences were ready and willing for sci-fi movies to take them away.
Here are just 32 of the greatest sci-fi movies of the 1980s.
32. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
An eccentric pulp sci-fi only the 1980s could deliver, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is as bombastic as its title is a mouthful. Directed by W.D. Richter and written by Richter's friend, novelist Earl Mac Rauch, the film follows the title character Dr. Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller), a modern-day renaissance man – both a brilliant scientist and a rock star with a line to the U.S. President – who is tasked with saving the world from invading aliens. A multi-genre sandwich mixing comedy, romance, and Silver Age science fiction, Buckaroo Banzai is a delirious cult classic in which the most unexpected thing about its story is that it takes place in New Jersey.
31. The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Its infamy mainly comes from how it kills off Optimus Prime and includes the final performance of cinema legend Orson Welles. But time has been very kind to Transformers: The Movie. Though it was cynically produced just so Hasbro could refresh its successful toy line, Transformers: The Movie now defines its era in its audacity to traumatize children everywhere who saw their action figures as more than just plastic playthings. (That it has a cool story about the Transformers running from a planet-sized villain named Unicron is just the cherry on top.) Truly, Transformers: The Movie is more than meets the eye.
30. Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
Less a movie and more of a demonstration of the Chiodo Brothers' makeup effects portfolio, Killer Klowns From Outer Space is nevertheless a comedy horror riot that's not for anyone with a fear of clowns. As its straightforward title and hypnotic theme song allude to, the movie follows a teenage couple whose small town is invaded by murderous extraterrestrials who resemble monstrous circus clowns. With loads of impressive practical effects, Killer Klowns From Outer Space is a true fireworks display packed in a deranged '80s cult classic that walks the tightrope between hilarious and terrifying.
29. Dune (1984)
Books and documentaries have been made about the making (and unmaking) of the 1984 film version of Frank Herbert's Dune. Originally a project undertaken by Alejandro Jodorowsky, it eventually landed in control of similarly revered auteur David Lynch. Although Lynch's film is generally incomprehensible and collapses in its efforts to retell Herbert's dense novel in a manageable length of time, Dune still maintains a dedicated fandom enamored by its ethereal qualities. Is Dune a good movie, or a good adaptation? It could be both, it could be neither. What really matters is that it's unforgettable.
28. Flash Gordon (1980)
The long and winding road to Flash Gordon hitting theaters in 1980 somehow includes legendary Italian director Federico Fellini and George Lucas; Lucas, a die-hard fan of the classic Flash Gordon serials, badly wanted to make his version. When he couldn't, he made Star Wars instead. (Solid trade-off, honestly.) Based on the comic book strips made famous by the 1936 film serials, Flash Gordon tells of its title character, a star quarterback for the New York Jets (and played by Sam Jones) who is whisked off into outer space and grows into a hero who stands up against the tyrannical Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow, in a character that is just a teeny bit racist.) While director Mike Hodges' vision for Flash Gordon isn't as imaginative or well-crafted as Lucas' vision for Star Wars, Flash Gordon owns its place in the canon of escapist '80s classics.
27. Heavy Metal (1981)
Bearing the name of the legendary comics magazine, the 1981 sci-fi anthology Heavy Metal was to '80s moviegoers what shows like Love, Death & Robots are for the streaming age. The intrusive arrival of evil, taking shape as sinister green energy, is challenged by an array of heroes (and anti-heroes) from throughout time and space. These stories are told in loosely connected animated vignettes, each made by a different studio applying their unique art styles. Suffused with adult content like graphic violence and nudity but steadfast in its unifying themes of good against evil, all scored to a roaring hard rock soundtrack - we're talking Sammy Hagar, Cheap Trick, Blue ?yster Cult, and more - Heavy Metal utterly shreds. No one who claims to love sci-fi should go without seeing it at least once.
26. Predator (1987)
"If it bleeds, we can kill it." Thus spake Arnold Schwarzenegger as the muscular Black Ops soldier "Dutch" who takes up the ultimate challenge any warrior could endure: defeating a Predator. Directed by John McTiernan, the original '87 movie and the first in the Predator franchise is a towering classic, in its mixture of science fiction monster horror with fist-pumping violence emblematic of action cinema's beefcake era. More than just an A-plus Schwarzenegger movie - including a capital-I iconic handshake/arm wrestling contest with the late, great Carl Weathers - Predator is a hell of a good time that will get anyone's adrenaline running like a mad dash to da choppas.
25. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
For years, Halloween III: Season of the Witch was deemed among the "worst" in the franchise, for the simple reason of not having Michael Myers. (Wasn't he dead, anyway?) With the series aiming to anthologize with new stories themed around the Halloween season, director Tommy Lee Wallace unleashed his standalone sequel that explores the destructive powers of consumerism, technology, and chasing trends. In Season of the Witch, a doctor (Tom Atkins) embarks on an obsessive investigation into popular Halloween children's masks with suspected connections to an ancient evil. While subsequent Halloween sequels have not only resurrected Michael Myers but become bogged down by his overwritten lore, Season of the Witch enjoys ongoing reassessment for its plain-spoken social commentary and total freedom from confusing canon.
24. Spaceballs (1987)
It just doesn't get funnier - or more '80s - than Spaceballs. Under the shadow of Star Wars, comedy maestro Mel Brooks sends up not just the hallowed saga but most of contemporary science fiction; Star Trek, Transformers, Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Planet of the Apes all get roasted too. In Spaceballs, Bill Pullman and John Candy co-star as blue-collar smugglers who take on the lucrative job of rescuing Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), the kidnapped Druish princess whose home planet is threatened by the evil rulers of Planet Spaceball. With an A-plus cast including Rick Moranis, Joan Rivers, and George Wyner, plus Brooks as President Skroob and the wise sage Yogurt, Spaceballs makes laughs go from zero to Ludicrous Speed.
23. Videodrome (1983)
As far back as 1983, David Cronenberg foresaw the horrors of media and its infinite power to influence. In this science fiction horror classic exemplary of Cronenberg's penchant for body mutilation, James Wood stars as the head of a small TV station who comes across a secret broadcast signal that plays snuff films - films depicting torture and assault that look alarmingly real. Although Videodrome bombed at the box office, the movie enjoys cult classic status with praise directed towards Cronenberg's eerily accurate vision of our imminent dark future dominated by screens and our unquenching thirst for blood and authenticity.
22. Dreamscape (1984)
An oft-overlooked gem of the 1980s, Dreamscape is a dark sci-fi that plunges into the world of dreams and comes out a Tom Clancy-like action-thriller culminating in the rescue of the President. Dennis Quaid plays a slacker psychic recruited by his former mentor, the brilliant Dr. Paul Novotny (Max von Sydow), to participate in a study where psychics like himself can enter the dreams of a sleeping target. While you can probably name a few better genre-bending thrillers centered around dreams, Dreamscape is an entertaining '80s offering that won't put you to sleep.
21. Escape From New York (1981)
In the political atmosphere that was Watergate and Vietnam, John Carpenter imagined a dark future for America in his '80s classic Escape From New York. Kurt Rusell plays Snake Plissken, an ex-Special Forces soldier and convict who is tasked with rescuing the President of the United States in walled-off Manhattan that has been totally converted into America's only maximum security prison. While John Carpenter spent the 1980s helming numerous sci-fi classics - really, his name is synonymous with the era - Escape From New York gets the edge over most of them, being a fist-pumping crowd-pleaser along with its unforgettably bleak atmosphere.
20. Superman II (1980)
It's about as scientific as X-ray glasses out of a cereal box, but there's no denying the value of a classic like Superman II. A direct sequel to Richard Donner's landmark Superman: The Movie, Superman II finds Clark Kent/Superman (Christopher Reeve) as he's challenged by a trio of super-criminals from Krypton, led by General Zod (Terence Stamp) who survived the planet's destruction. While Superman II's production was plagued by animosity between Donner and the producers which led to Donner's exit as director during production, the movie is still a grand time that permanently set the bar for superhero sequels. Kneel before Zod!
19. RoboCop (1987)
"Dead or alive, you're coming with me." While its cartoonish title and R-rated violence posed a challenge for Orion Pictures' marketing department in 1987, Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop is an undisputed '80s sci-fi classic. Peter Weller stars as police officer Alex Murphy who is fatally shot by a notorious Detroit gangster. After his body is submitted to mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products, they ghoulishly use Alex to become the first "RoboCop" - the future of the big business of crime-fighting. A badass revenge thriller, a mesmerizing sci-fi with impressive visual effects, a dark social satire on the militaristic tendencies of police states - RoboCop is all of that and then some, all in a 7-foot-tall, half-ton package. Would you buy it for a dollar?
18. Tron (1982)
The popularity of arcades in the late 1970s and early 1980s profoundly informed the breathtaking vision of interactive worlds seen in the Disney classic Tron. While it's perhaps more known for its lengthy action set-pieces with bleeding edge visual effects graphics than its storytelling merits, you just can't imagine the 1980s or science fiction cinema without Tron. Jeff Bridges plays a hotshot video game developer who "enters" a computer program - one where the likenesses of programmers must survive deadly challenges. The movie has spawned two sequels, 2010's Tron: Legacy and 2025's Tron: Ares, as well as the underrated animated series Tron: Uprising, all of it a testament to an enduring movie that is the '82 original.
17. The Running Man (1987)
Some 20 years before American culture fell into the vise grips of reality shows, Stephen King (under his pseudonym Richard Bachman) penned a thriller about a televised competition where convicted criminals literally run from death to win back their freedoms. In 1987, King's book The Running Man became a classic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. In the movie version directed by Paul Michael Glaser, Schwarzenegger stars as a police helicopter pilot who is wrongfully accused of a crime he didn't commit; he's soon forced to compete in "The Running Man" for the entertainment of millions. Though the movie doesn't quite escape the Schwarzenegger-ness of it all, The Running Man impresses as both a cool action movie and an alarming sci-fi parable that sees our reverence for underdog victories as a form of bloodlust.
16. The Last Starfighter (1984)
Before Ready Player One, there was The Last Starfighter. Directed by Nick Castle (who wore the mask of Michael Myers in John Carpenter's Halloween), this '84 sci-fi gem stars Lance Guest as a teenager from a trailer park whose mastery over an arcade game leads to his involuntary recruitment by an actual alien defense force. (To cover his absence from home, a robotic clone takes his place at the trailer park, leading to some amusing gags.) Critics at the time found The Last Starfighter derivative of other movies amid the Star Wars-inspired sci-fi boom, but time has very kind to the movie. Its simple but clever premise, boosted by an appealing sense of gee-whiz adventure, makes The Last Starfighter score high.
15. Ghostbusters (1984)
We know who to call. Conceived by Dan Aykroyd based on his expertise in the paranormal, Ghostbusters innovated the modern genre-hybrid blockbuster with its fusion of hair-raising scares and gut-busting laughs. Set in contemporary New York City, Ghostbusters follows a trio of disgraced Columbia professors (later joined by everyman Winston Zeddemore, who answers a help wanted ad) who use science and kit-bashed homemade gadgets to find and capture ghosts. A hilarious New York comedy about how funny it is to go into business with your buddies, Ghostbusters - famously starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, and of course, Dan Aykroyd - maintains an irremovable place in the canon, due in large part to a catchy theme song.
14. Altered States (1980)
A psychedelic sci-fi thriller that descends into phantasmagoric mania, Altered States stars William Hurt as an academic psychopathologist conducting research amid the heyday of John C. Lilly's sensory deprivation and widespread use of hallucinogenic substances. In its story that spans a decade of time, Hurt's character becomes a family man (with Blair Brown as his wife and later ex-wife). But his obsessive study threatens to ruin everything when he unlocks a frightening breakthrough: A total metamorphosis into a primitive Neanderthal. Directed by Ken Russell and adapted from screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky's own 1978 novel, Altered States is unforgettable in its mind-melting madness.
13. WarGames (1983)
Would you like to play a game? In this '80s classic that harnessed both the booming appeal of arcade games and Cold War anxieties, Matthew Broderick plays a teenage computer hacker from Seattle who unwittingly accesses NORAD's computer systems while trying to change his flunking high school grades. In playing secret "games" that are actually sophisticated simulations, Broderick accidentally raises alarms over a sudden World War III. Propulsive yet charming, WarGames is a quintessential '80s movie that foresaw the high-fidelity realism of digital entertainment.
12. Brazil (1985)
Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe damned Loki into a comical purgatory of byzantine bureaucracy, Terry Gilliam explored one of his own in Brazil. Released in 1985, this sci-fi black comedy follows Jonathan Pryce as a low-level government employee who tries to follow the beautiful woman he's seen in his dreams. Set in a bleak technocracy ruled by hyper-surveillance, corporate statism, and unfettered capitalism - an overall aesthetic profoundly influenced by George Orwell's seminal novel 1984 - Gilliam's movie is all about the undying desire to find happiness in an oppressive world. The movie's downer ending shouldn't take away how much Brazil takes flight.
11. Scanners (1982)
Talk about a mind-blowing movie. This haunting sci-fi/horror classic from David Cronenberg combines Cronenberg's established interest in grotesque body horror with the riveting story of a corporate espionage thriller. Stephen Lack plays a homeless telepath, or "scanner," who is recruited by Dr. Ruth (Patrick McGoohan) to work for him to stop a renegade scanner from killing the other 237 known telepaths out in the world. While one scene from the movie has been an internet staple as a popular GIF, Scanners is so much more than one head exploding. Let it blow away yours.
10. The Abyss (1989)
Before Titanic and his Avatar movies, James Cameron dove into the endless depths of the ocean with his late '80s stunner The Abyss. When a U.S. Navy submarine goes down in the Caribbean, a privately owned oil platform crew is tasked with racing against time - including both a huge storm and encroaching Soviet ships - to save the sub. But the mission takes a strange turn when the crew encounters an alien presence below. Cameron is in prime form behind the camera of The Abyss, a science fiction heater underscored by the director's recurring themes of love and the thrill of the unknown.
9. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
When Star Trek hit the big screen for the first time in 1979, the final frontier seemed kind of, well, dull. That all changed in 1982, when the direct sequel Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan brought back series guest star Ricardo Montalbán as the dangerously handsome warlord Khan on a revenge quest against Captain Kirk and the Enterprise. Not only did The Wrath of Khan permanently change Trek fandom and elevate the franchise into a serious pop culture powerhouse, its riveting story, superb acting (yes, even from William Shatner), and unforgettable ending sees Star Trek wrestle simultaneously with its storied past and uncertain future. "I have been, and always shall be, your friend."
8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
E.T. might have crashed the video game industry, but he changed cinema forever. In Steven Spielberg's irremovable family classic, a suburban boy named Elliot (Henry Thomas) befriends a stranded alien who is left behind on Earth. As Elliot tries to help (and hide) "E.T." and send him home, the two become close to form a friendship that transcends dimensions. A critically acclaimed smash hit upon its release in 1982, E.T. is now an indelible part of American pop culture. While the movie is the picture definition of family-friendly whimsy, its pervasive notion that mankind is scared of and ruthless towards things it doesn't understand is enlightening, alarming, and everlasting.
7. Aliens (1986)
Ridley Scott's 1979 classic Alien showed us all that in space, no one can hear you scream. James Cameron's 1986 sequel Aliens showed us all that in space, everyone can hear you scream "Hell yeah." Departing from the isolating terrors of Scott's original, Cameron's sequel locks and loads as a balls-to-the-wall action movie. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, who awakens from hypersleep some 57 years after she narrowly escaped the Nostromo. When a human colony comes in contact with a nest of Xenomorphs, plural, Ripley reluctantly returns to "consult" only to end up in another fight for survival. While horror purists may be bummed that Aliens isn't "as scary" as Ridley's movie, no one can deny that Cameron directs the hell out of this stone cold classic action-thriller.
6. Akira (1988)
In 1988, Katsuhiro Otomo adapted his best-selling manga Akira to the screen, the end result being one of the finest anime feature films ever made and arguably the definitive cyberpunk epic of the 1980s. In the backdrop of post-World War III, Tokyo has been annihilated and replaced by Neo-Tokyo, a densely-populated urban hell overrun by corruption, terrorism, and gang violence. Hot-headed teenage biker Kaneda races to save his friend Tetsuo, who has been changed after an encounter with a powerful entity. Harnessing Japan's unique anxieties at the dawn of the 21st century, including a lost generation of bosozoku gangs - restless youths who took to the streets on wheels - Akira meditates on Japan's post-war existentialism and incalculable future amid rapidly evolving technology.
5. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars was a seismic hit and cultural juggernaut when it first opened in 1977. But the 1980 sequel The Empire Strikes Back transformed a big movie into a bigger deal, elevating not only Star Wars as a franchise but all our expectations for summer movie sequels forever. As the Galactic Civil War heats up, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) seeks the guidance of the wise Master Yoda to complete his Jedi training, all while the Rebel Alliance desperately fights to survive an embittered Empire. Even if you know the "twist" ending between Luke and nemesis Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back stands head and shoulders above as one of the finest sci-fi epics and sequels ever made. Search your feelings, for you know this to be true.
4. The Thing (1982)
In this frosty remake of the 1951 film The Thing From Another World, director John Carpenter captures the terror of mistrust and paranoia with his chilling colossus The Thing. Set in a remote Antarctica research station, a shapeshifting alien presence rips through a 12-man team one by one, leaving no one sure about who they say they are. (Among those men: frequent Carpenter collaborator Kurt Russell, as helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady.) Although The Thing left many critics cold when it hit theaters in 1982, The Thing has evolved into a celebrated sci-fi horror classic for all seasons.
3. Back to the Future (1985)
Buckle in for the ride of your (past) life. Halfway through the 1980s, director Robert Zemeckis flung audiences into the time travel adventure of the century with Back to the Future. Michael J. Fox famously stars as teenager Marty McFly who is sent back in time to the 1950s in a tricked-out DeLorean modded by eccentric scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Stuck in the past, Marty tries his best not to erase his life (by accidentally hooking up with his teenage mother) while searching for a way back to his proper time. Back to the Future sounds ridiculous on paper, but through Zemeckis' direction, Back to the Future is for many the cinematic adventure of the 1980s, a movie so assuredly of the decade yet timeless in its appeal.
2. The Terminator (1984)
With just three words, Arnold Schwarzenegger achieved cinematic godhood - as did the movie he uttered them in. James Cameron's 1984 tech noir The Terminator is as unstoppable as Schwarzegger's T-800 himself, a thundering thriller about fate and destiny wrapped up in a star-crossed love story. In the distant future, mankind fights a desperate war against lethal artificial intelligence machines, collectively called "Skynet," all brought to life in the 21st century by the corporate Cyberdyne Systems. To strike back against humans, Skynet sends an assassin "Terminator" (Schwarzenegger) to find and kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of human hero John Connor. While the 1991 sequel T2: Judgment Day is the apex of the series, the '84 original has a dark and moody vibe that balances out its hailstorm of bullets.
1. Blade Runner (1982)
No matter what version of Blade Runner you encounter, be it the overly-explanatory theatrical cut or Ridley Scott's definitive "The Final Cut" from 2007, know that you're dealing with an unstoppable giant of the genre. Originally released in 1982, Scott's science fiction titan stars Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a burnt-out cop whose job is to track down lifelike synthetic androids and eliminate them. While hunting a particularly violent and advanced replicant (Rutger Hauer), Rick is confronted with haunting questions about his humanity. Spiritually an homage to noir detective movies from cinema's past, Blade Runner's deep exploration of philosophical themes regarding human nature and speculative vision of the future - its Los Angeles of 2019 is no fun in the sun - casts the movie as a singular classic, a movie that informed and paved the way for the rest of the genre for generations.
