# The best sci-fi movies of the 1980s

Blade Runner, Back to the Future and Aliens: the decade that defined modern science fiction (GamesRadar+, Looper, Collider).

- 37 votes · 12 items
- Dec 2, 2024 · Harsh Iyer
- https://even.best/en/l/2005/the-best-sci-fi-movies-of-the-1980s

## Top 12

1. **E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — A lonely boy and a friendly alien.
2. **The Empire Strikes Back (1980)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — The pinnacle of the original trilogy.
3. **The Terminator (1984)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — James Cameron's relentless machine from the future.
4. **Aliens (1986)** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Ripley against the Queen.
5. **RoboCop (1987)** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Paul Verhoeven's satirical cyborg cop.
6. **Brazil (1985)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Terry Gilliam's bureaucratic nightmare.
7. **The Fly (1986)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — David Cronenberg and Jeff Goldblum's transformation.
8. **Blade Runner (1982)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — A haunting, noir take on a dystopian future.
9. **The Thing (1982)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — John Carpenter, Antarctica and paranoia.
10. **Akira (1988)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Katsuhiro Otomo's Neo-Tokyo.
11. **Back to the Future (1985)** (0 · ▲2 ▼2) — A DeLorean, Doc Brown and the definition of 80s sci-fi.
12. **Escape from New York (1981)** (-2 · ▲0 ▼2) — Snake Plissken in a Manhattan prison.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.