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7 1980s Sci-Fi Movies You Forgot Were Awesome
The 1980s were quite a time for science-fiction movies (cocaine is a helluva drug…). The sci-fi films of that decade had wild, unbridled creativity, which often blended different tones and styles in ways you’d never expect. Films like Weird Science mixed teen comedy, comic books, and pseudoscience with some very adult themes about sex; Gremlins mixed sci-fi, comedy, and horror into such a fine blend that it ushered in the PG-13 rating. It’s that crazy blending of ideas that makes so many ’80s sci-fi films forever memorable; an embarrassment of riches that often leads to some good films getting overlooked.
These 7 movies below all came from the ’80s era. All of them were quality sci-fi experiences – and yet, you don’t tend to hear them come up often in conversation. But in a time where any (and every) thing can get a TikTok resurgence, these ’80s sci-fi movies deserve another new look.
7) The Miracle Mile
The Miracle Mile is one of those films that keeps on surviving the decades through sheer word-of-mouth propulsion. A man named Harry (Anthony Edwards) meets a girl named Julie (Mare Winningham) while touring LA’s “Miracle Mile” along the La Brea Tar Pits. The meetcute leads to a date, which Harry ends up missing – big mistake, as the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union finally escalates into WWIII. As civilization begins to collapse in the face of imminent Armageddon, Harry desperately tries to search the city to find Julie.
The Miracle Mile is the epitome of Gen X romance, set against an unexpectedly thrilling and chilling sci-fi backdrop of impending doom. While the film is definitely dated (hence the lack of relevance), it turns LA into the kind of chaotic playground that even Gen Z will appreciate today.
6) The Hidden
After getting his breakouts in David Lynch’s films Dune (1984) and Blue Velvet (1986) – but just before he’d unlock mega-fame in Lynch’s Twin Peaks – Kyle MacLachlan starred in director Jack Sholder’s (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Wishmaster 2) sci-fi-horror actioner. The premise saw MacLachlan playing FBI Special Agent Lloyd Gallagher, who gets embroiled in a case involving seemingly “normal” people suddenly flipping out and committing brazen acts of violence. The twist? Those random “criminals” are actually humans being infested with and possessed by an insect-like alien. Bigger twist: Gallagher is one of those aliens himself – a lawman who has been secretly hunting down the murderer who killed his family and partner.
Today, the idea of actors playing multiple “variants” of a character, or a character with multiple personas, is all the rage; however, it was sci-fi films of the late ’70s and ’80s that really made body possession, clone copies, or alt-dimension variants parts of popular culture. Sure, a lot of sci-fi fans will be quick to toss out titles like John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) or Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) as the “best” examples, but The Hidden is definitely one that sticks with you forever.
5) Scanners
The current generation of sci-fi moviegoers is more likely to know the term “Cronenberg” from Rick and Morty, rather than the work of the acclaimed auteur himself. However, Scanners is a movie in David Cronenberg’s lineup that deserves to be in the conversation as much as The Fly, in terms of giving us awesome (and unforgettable) sci-fi concepts to grapple with.
The story follows a man named Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) who mistakes his intense psychic abilities for madness until he learns that he is a “scanner.” As one of 237 people with mental powers, Vale quickly finds his scanner community is comprised of some very good people… and some very, very, bad ones. If psychic phenomenon is your thing (or you just want to know where the head-bursting memes started), you need to see Scanners. Once you do… there’s no unseeing it.
4) Escape from New York
John Carpenter’s The Thing is the sci-fi/horror cult-classic that most people throw onto “best of” lists for the ’80s. However, Carpenter also teamed with his Thing star Kurt Russell for some sci-fi with action cult-movie goodness with Escape from New York.
In a near-future world, global conflict and lack of resources lead to an unheralded surge in crime in America. As a result, the island of Manhattan is converted into a prison colony only accessible by a few bridges. The twist comes when Air Force One is attacked by terrorists, forcing the President’s escape pod to make an emergency landing in Manhattan. The government turns to the worst man it thinks has the best chance to save the President: Snake Plissken (Russell), a former Special Forces soldier-turned-major thief. To avoid his own sentence of being stuck in Manhattan, Snake takes on the mission to get the President (and himself) out.
Escape from New York turns NYC into the kind of dystopia that no other sci-fi film (of any era) has been able to fully capture or emulate. It’s John Carpenter dreaming (slightly) bigger, and is one of the wildest B-movie rides you can take. That is, at least, until you get to Carpenter’s balls-to-the-walls sequel, Escape from L.A.
3) Innerspace
Dennis Quaid plays Lt. Tuck Pendleton (great ’80s character name!), who volunteers for a government miniaturization project, only to have a rogue organization attack the lab and its scientists during the procedure. Tuck and his miniature submersible craft instead end up inside a geeky grocery clerk named Jack Putter (Martin Short); the challenge becomes keeping Jack calm and alive enough to extract Tuck and his craft, before the clock on the procedure (and air supply) runs out.
The ’80s geopolitical action and themes add a nice thriller edge to the original sci-fi story. Then again, the work of director Joe Dante (Gremlins) is synonymous with the ’80s, so it’s no surprise that even his remake of Fantastic Voyage (1966) has taken on a life and legacy of its own.
2) Enemy Mine
Not to turn this into a Dennis Quaid lovefest, but Enemy Mine was a film so on point that it’s even more relevant now than it was in 1985. Set in the “future” of the 21st century, the film takes place during an interstellar war between humanity and a reptilian humanoid species, the Dracs. A human pilot (Quaid) and a Drac pilot (Louis Goosett Jr.) end up marooned on a hostile planet together for years, after a vicious dogfight. After first trying to kill one another, they ultimately must bond together to survive.
German director Wolfgang Petersen is always praised for Das Boot and The NeverEnding Story; heck, even his blockbuster B-movie genre work still gets discussed (Air For One, Troy). And yet, Enemy Mine is the film that uses sci-fi to its utmost best, with the fantastical world and characters reflecting something enduringly true about real-world divisions between people. Who couldn’t stand to watch (or rewatch) it today?
1) The Last Starfighter
Nick Castle could’ve rested on the laurels of being a horror icon (playing Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s Halloween), but instead, he put on his director cap and took a big early swing with CGI. The Last Starfighter tells the story of Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), a trailer park kid who’s playing to get the high score on his favorite local arcade game, only to find out the game, Starfighter, is a recruitment test for an actual interstellar war. Leaving behind a body double to cover his absence, Alex is whisked away to a faraway galaxy to fight the evil Xur.
Tron, Flight of the Navigator, and nowadays Disney-Pixar’s Elio… all of these sci-fi films do what The Last Starfighter did, and none of them arguably did it as well as for a generation of young moviegoers. The idea that gaming could lead to great things, and that computer-generated effects could bring sci-fi action to new levels, were both pretty radical in 1984; being dated shouldn’t stop The Last Starfighter from being revered as a fun precursor to a new era.
Any other sci-fi movies from the ’80s that most people forget are awesome? Let us know in the comments, or start a topic about one on the ComicBook Forum!
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