Action and adventure dominated sci-fi films in the 1980s, thanks in large part to the Star Wars craze. The decade is splattered with many bad films (Masters of the Universe), terrible movies (Superman IV) and unwatchable garbage (Flash Gordon). Even so, finding standouts was easy; narrowing the list to a manageable length was hard. So, to avoid a really long list, I again forced myself to a limit of 20. (Consequently, only one Star Wars and one Star Trek movie are represented here.) And also to keep the list manageable, the films had to be high in quality of writing, story, acting, direction, music, and etc.
Great action flick, great premise, great ending! What starts out as a typical shoot-‘em-up turns into a terrifying game of cat and mouse between Arnie and a high-tech hunter alien. Hey, with the terrific line “I ain’t got time to bleed!” how can you go wrong? 
19 The Element of Crime
1984
This Danish film is probably pretty obscure for most people, but if you noticed a pattern from my previous sci-fi lists, I have an affinity for movies that explore situations in a future dystopian society. In this intriguing film (a Sundance favorite when it came out) a detective uses controversial methods from his disgraced mentor to track down a serial killer. The world they live in is quite bleak, the detritus of civilization lies all around, and the seasons of the year have disappeared, replaced with ever-changing weather patterns.
18 The Final Countdown
1980
A U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier gets caught in a storm that sends the ship and crew back in time—to the day before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Starring Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen and the great Charles Durning, The Final Countdown is one of the few truly good films to explore “What if…??”
Largely unknown in the U.S. until the fledgling Cartoon Network aired it frequently in the 1990s, Venus Wars came out on the heels of the awesome Akira. This tale of a war on Venus between the planet’s two nation-states is based on a manga (Japanese comic), as are many anime. Most of the story follows a group of athletes-turned-rebels fighting the invaders of their land, and a reporter from Earth trying to follow the action.
I almost had Jeff Goldblum’s The Fly here, but decided to list The Quiet Earth instead. Both are examples of science gone wrong, but I like New Zealand’s The Quiet Earth better. The movie (based on the novel of the same name) explores how a person can go mad when he realizes he’s the only one left on Earth following a terrible catastrophe that he helped cause. The portrayals of Hobson’s madness and how he pulls back from the brink are both satisfying—especially because the latter happens before Hobson realizes that he’s really not alone. The Quiet Earth ends on an uncertain note (a real WTF?!? moment) that makes you think long after the movie ends.
15 2010: The Year We Make Contact
1984
While nowhere near as grand as its predecessor, 2010 was quite a decent serious sci-fi flick. Nine years after the Discovery mission, a joint US-Soviet mission travels to Jupiter to unravel the mystery of what happened. 2010 diverts significantly from the novel— for example, the script was marred by the unnecessary back story of nuclear tensions between the superpowers—but on the whole, the film was pretty good. The best part is the space walk from the Leonov to the Discovery. John Lithgow as Dr. Curnow all but panics while looking “down” on Jupiter, and the sound—Lithgow’s rapid breathing inside his spacesuit—against this backdrop is just a great piece of filmmaking.
Aliens use a pool as an incubator, which inadvertently rejuvenates several senior citizens out for a swim. It’s actually quite good, and not your typical sci-fi fare. Give it a try. Don’t let Steve Gutenberg scare you away.
13 ET: The Extraterrestrial
I know many people will cry foul that I didn’t place ET higher on the list. I actually didn’t want to list it at all, but I would be remiss in leaving it out because of my personal tastes. Sure, ET has some good moments, like when ET is watching soap operas and drinking beer, and Eliot, who’s away at school, acts out everything ET sees and does. And yes, it’s one of the most praised films of all time. But on the whole, I just don’t like this film. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s because I’m supposed to like it. Perhaps it’s just latent anger over that ridiculous Atari video game. Seriously, though, perhaps it’s the notion that “government scientists” were the bad guys who would swoop in and take poor ET away to an uncertain fate when all the little guy wanted to do was get home. OK, fine, but wouldn’t you think that ANY scientist who learns of an alien would be jumping out of his skin to at least TALK to it? It seems as if Spielberg just had to have bad guys to create some tension; so, he made dopes out of the scientists. (I also don’t like Starman for pretty much the same reasons.)
Navy SEALs join a crew in an experimental underwater oil rig to disarm a sunken nuclear sub. However, the crew keeps running up against NTIs—non-terrestrial intelligences—which live underwater. And a hurricane threatens the vessel their rig is attached to. The Abyss, starring Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Ed Harris, became a better film with the release of the director’s cut: it’s more rounded and has a killer final scene that didn’t make it into the theaters.
Aliens returns Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley to the planet where the alien was first found—only now, “the corporation” has a colony there. There are more aliens and more scares, more violence, plus several terrific lines. (If you ever wondered where the wailing line “Game over, man! Game over!” came from, this is it.) However, it’s not quite as good as the first movie—if for no other reason than the initial shock of the Alien is gone. But on a personal level, it has the only scene that ever made me jump 10 feet out of my chair in the theaters: The survivors are trapped in the medical center and their alien-detector scanners are going crazy. Aliens are closing in on them from all sides—but they don’t see anything. They panic. Then one marine looks up to the ceiling, pokes his head through the tiles to look around, and…Well, see for yourself.
A cop (Peter Weller) is violently assaulted, leaving his body wrecked and near death. He is rebuilt as a powerful cyborg and continues to fight crime. What makes this movie a truly great flick is not the action but the scene where Robopcop goes to what used to be his home and tries to find (recover?) his lost humanity. Warning: If you haven’t seen this film, be aware that it is graphically violent.
9 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
1982
Nicholas Meyer made the best of all the Trek films. In Wrath of Khan, the title character (the incomparable late Ricardo Montablan) does his level best to get revenge upon Kirk for abandoning him some decades earlier. Even though in the ‘70s list I said that the first Trek movie was truer to the Trek spirit, Wrath of Khan is the best one made—especially because it pulls no punches with the ending and has a terrific James Horner soundtrack. The director’s cut, occasionally seen on TV, is actually a better film, because it gives even more depth to Kirk’s character—he’s shown to be entirely fallible—and character is ultimately the key to great Trek.
8 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
1984
Internet Movie Database ranks Nausicaa in the top 50 sci-fi films of all time, and the placement is well-deserved. Nausicaa revolves around the title character defending her peaceful valley—and the creatures of the wild—from would-be conquerors. It takes place a millennium after a catastrophic event called “seven days of fire” (a nuclear war? an asteroid strike?) and has heavy environmental themes. Popular and celebrated when released in Japan in 1984, most American audiences never saw the full and unedited movie until 2005.
A primitive man frozen for 40,000 years is brought back to life in this eminently satisfying tale. Iceman is smart, well-played and uplifting. (Fun for anthropologists, too.) For me, it’s a much more satisfying film than the overrated ET, because Iceman **seriously** explores whether the title character is an individual or a lab specimen.
The Terminator is one of the most intriguing films ever made. Sure it’s bloody and over the top in places, but on the whole, Arnie’s first turn as the T-800 made cinema history. In this first movie, a human freedom fighter goes back in time to save the mother of the as-yet unborn resistance leader from the machines’ seemingly unstoppable terminator.
Who you gonna call? It had better be Netflix or some other movie rental business if you’ve never seen this terrific, fun and eminently quotable popcorn sci-fi flick. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis are at the top of their game as hapless scientists in this ghost-hunting romp. Don’t you ever wish you had an unlicensed nuclear accelerator strapped to your back? Favorite line: well, it’s unquotable on a family site, (but it happens in the mayor’s office right before the climax); so, I’ll give my second favorite: A reporter asks Ray: “I guess you’re the man to ask: How is Elvis and have you seen him lately?”
4 Back to the Future
1985
Fun, fun, fun. What an absolute romp. A teenager accidentally goes back in time and — (gulp) — is hit on by his mom. There are so many “best parts” in this film that it’s hard to pick out even one. My favorite, though, comes when Marty, wearing the radiation suit, goes to see his dad in the middle of the night and scares the beezwax out of him. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are excellent. To quote Marty: “Trust me: Your kids are gonna love it.”
A bleak futuristic Los Angeles forms the background of this adaptation of the Philip K. Dick story, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” Harrison Ford plays a detective who hunts rogue androids for a living. (I became a fan of Edward James Olmos after seeing this picture and was delighted when he returned to sci-fi in the new Battlestar Galactica.) I’m curious to see what fans think of the two versions. Is Blade Runner a better film with or without Rick Deckard’s narration? What about the “happy” ending?
The incredible film that made anime a household word, Akira is the granddaddy of all Japanese anime. It’s intense. It’s thrilling. It’s mindboggling. It’s … kind of gross in a couple of places. Akira’s influence cannot be underestimated, and it deserves its reputation. Ten years after a nuclear devastation, the head of a biker gang in Neo Tokyo (Kaneda) watches as his friend Tetsuo slowly unravels while his mind powers increase fantastically. Not a movie for the faint of heart, but Akira is absolutely unforgettable.
1 The Empire Strikes Back
1980
Would you expect a Star Wars nerd to place any other 1980s’ sci-fi film at the top of this list? I’m sure many will disagree with my choice, and that’s fine. Have at it! (In fact, I almost placed Empire behind Akira and Blade Runner.) George Lucas outdid himself in this sequel, and also did something very gutsy: He made the ending a cliffhanger. John Williams’ score is, IMHO, the greatest movie soundtrack ever and a masterpiece on par with Beethoven’s Fifth. I still thrill to the sight of those lumbering AT-ATs attacking Echo Base. The F/X of the much-maligned prequel trilogy is of course much better, but Empire is the heart of the entire saga.
For all of you who complained that I left Spaceballs off my list of great Star Wars spoofs (I beg your forgiveness!), here you go. Regardless, Mel Brooks’ satire of the whole Star Wars phenomenon is superior in just about every way to the “Epic Movie” and “Date Movie” spoof-schlock of the present day. May the schwartz be with you!
Notable omissions: Tron; Superman II (I really don’t like this film, and the director’s cut, while interesting, is still an unfinished film); Buckaroo Banzai (it’s OK, but not that great); 1983’s Wargames (which was included on my nuclear war films list); The Road Warrior and Mad Max 3; The Last Starfighter; Weird Science; The Fly; and The Thing.
Contributor: STL Mo
译文:
20世纪80年代 20部最伟大的科幻电影
20世纪80年代,动作和冒险元素在科幻电影中占据着统治地位,这很大程度上归功于星球大战的热映.这十年也充斥着很多糟糕的电影(像《Master of the universe》)，糟糕得可怕的电影（《超人４》）和糟糕得根本没法看的垃圾电影（《飞侠歌顿》）,即便如此，你仍可以毫不费力的找出许多佳作，但要把这些优秀电影的名单限制在一个可控的长度却让人伤透了脑筋。为了避免这份排行榜太长，我只能再次强迫自己把这个数量限制在20个。（应此，你只能看到一部《星球大战》和一部《星际迷航》作为代表出现在这里。）同样，为了保持这份榜单的可管理性，这些电影都是高质量的，不管是剧本、剧情、表演、导演还是音乐等其他方面。
伟大的动作设计，伟大的电影题材，伟大的结局！从开始的震慑人心的高科技武装的猎杀者铁血战士，转变为铁血战士和阿诺之间的猫捉老鼠的恐怖游戏。就冲这句骇人的台词“我可没有时间流血”，你又怎么会选择错呢！
这部丹麦电影可能对许多人来说并不十分出名，如果你注意过我原来收集的科幻电影，就会发现对于这种探索未来反面乌托邦社会的电影我十分喜爱。在这部引人入胜的电影中，一名侦探用他蒙受耻辱的导师具有争议的方法，追踪到了一个连环杀手。影片中的世界阴郁而又凄冷，文明的碎片散落得到处都是，岁月已经没有了季节交替，取而代之的是持续不断的天气变幻。
18
碧血长天
1980
一艘美国核动力航母遭遇到暴风雨，连同船上的船员一起进入了时空隧道，来到了日本偷袭珍珠港的前一天。这部由科克·道格拉斯,马丁·辛和伟大的查尔斯·德恩主演的《碧血长天》是仅有的几部探索“假如”的优秀电影之一。
这部影片在美国很大程度上不为人所知，直到1990年刚起步的卡通网频繁的播放才使得《金星战记》紧随精彩《阿基拉》出现在美国观众的视野.这个讲述金星上两大种族之战的故事根据一部日本漫画改编。影片主要描述了一群体育家组成的叛军与入侵者的战斗，片中还有一个来自地球想要跟随行动的记者。
我原本打算在这个位置放上戈德布拉姆的《变蝇人》的，但最终还是选择了《寂静地球》。两部都是关于科学出现差错的影片，但我还是偏爱新西兰的《寂静地球》。影片根据同名小说改编，在一场自己卷入其中的可怕灾难过后，霍布森发现自己成为地球上的唯一幸存者，这也让他陷入了疯狂之中。演员所表演出的霍布森的疯狂和他悬崖止步的场面让人相当满意--尤其他的悬崖止步是因为他意识到,其实他并不是孤身一人.影片在一张不太清楚的笔记中戛然而止(搞什么东东嘛),这也让人在影片结束后陷入长久的思索中.
15
2010: 超时空出击
1984
《2010》远不及前面那些影片显赫,但它是一部严肃的科幻佳作."发现号"发射九年后 ,美苏联和派遣宇航员去木星以揭开那里所发生的神秘事件.影片和原作有很大出入,比如,剧情由于超级大国间的核紧张的背景故事显得画蛇添足.但总体来讲,影片仍然十分优秀.最精彩的部分就是从“里欧诺夫号”到"发现号"的太空漫步。约翰·利特高所饰演的Curnow博士，在俯瞰木星时所表现出来的莫大的惊慌，和他在宇航服里急促的呼吸声，映衬着这样的背景，简直是一部绝佳的影视作品。
外星人利用地球上一个水池作为育婴器，这也不经意间让几个游泳的老人返老还童恢复了青春活力。这部电影真的很棒，但不是那种典型的科幻片。尝试一下吧，但是不要被史蒂夫·加顿伯格吓跑哦。
我知道把《ET》的名次排这么靠后会遭到很多人的诅咒，其实以我的个人品位，我压根就没想让它出现在这里。但是由于我的疏忽而没有让这部影片出局。是的，《ET》有一些不错的片断，像ET看肥皂剧和喝啤酒的片断，埃里奥特不在学校时表演ET看到和做的事情的片断。没错，这是史上受到褒奖最高的影片之一。但是总的来说，我就是不喜欢这部影片。我甚至不愿意去看它。也许是因为大家包括我都应该理所当然的喜欢它，也许是因为我对那部可笑的雅达利电子游戏潜意识里的愤怒。但是，说真的，可能是作为反派角色出现的“政府科学家”才让我对这部影片不爽，在孩子们都想回家的时候，他们冲出来，可怜的ET被他们带走，生死未卜。好吧，为何不想一想，有哪个科学家在得知外星人的存在后，不会迫不及待地跳起来，至少和外星人说几句话？看起来斯皮尔伯格只能用坏人来制造一些紧张剧情了。但是因为这些科学家，剧情显得太愚蠢了。（几乎出于同样的原因，我也不喜欢《外星恋》。）
海豹突击队来到一座水下试验钻台以开展对一艘核潜艇的营救行动。但是队员却不断和一群居住在水底的智慧生物遭遇。而一场威胁着他们船只和钻台的飓风接踵而至。导演剪辑版本的发布更为这部玛丽·伊丽莎白·玛斯特兰托尼奥和艾德·哈里斯主演的影片锦上添花：剧情更为丰满完整，最后还有一部杀手的场景，这也是它为什么没有出现在电影院的原因。
异形归来。 西格尼·韦佛所饰演的艾伦·利普里来到了最初发现异形的星球，在那儿，公司建造了一座殖民地。片中有更多的异型，更多的恐惧，更多的暴力场景，以及几句可怕的台词。（如果你想知道那句哀号的台词“游戏结束了，伙计！游戏结束了！”出自哪里，那就是这里了）然而它并不及第一部《异形》--可能是因为异形初次带给我们的那种强烈恐惧感已经不在了吧。但是就我自己来说，这部影片有个也是唯一一个场景把我吓得从电影院的椅子上蹦起十尺高：幸存者被困在医疗中心，而他们的异形探测扫描器却疯狂的响个不停。异形正从四面八方向他们步步逼近--而他们却什么也看不见。恐惧的阴影笼罩着他们。接着，一名队员仰起头来向天花板上看了看，从瓦片中伸出脑袋四下观望，他发现。。。唔，还是你自己去看吧。
一名警察（彼得·威勒）被残暴的殴打，遍体鳞伤，奄奄一息。尔后他被改造成拥有强大的机器身体的铁甲威龙，并继续打击犯罪。真正使它成为一部伟大影片的并非动作，而是机械战警回到他曾经的家去寻找或者是找回他失去的人性的场景。警告：如果您没有观看过这部影片,请注意片中有十分逼真的暴力场面.
这是Nicholas Meyer的《星际迷航》系列片中最好的一部.在《可汗之怒》中,主人公(里卡多·蒙塔尔班)因为几十年前惨遭遗弃而全力对科克船长展开报复行动。虽然在那份70年代佳片的名单上，我曾说过《星际迷航1》更好地展现出了星际迷航的精神，但是《可汗之怒》仍然是最棒的一部，尤其是因为影片结局不遗余力的表演，再加上詹姆斯·霍纳优美的插曲。导演剪辑版本的电影还偶尔可以在电视上看到，这部事实上比原版更为优秀的电影赋予了科克船长这一角色原版所不及的深度——他也是一个容易犯错误的凡人——而这一角色最终也是《星际迷航》的关键因素。
互联网电影数据库IMDB一直把《风之谷》排在科幻电影的前50，对这部影片来说是实至名归。故事发生在一场被称为“七日之火”的大灾难（核战争？还是小行星撞击地球？）之后的一千年，主人公为了保护平静的风之谷和山谷中的动物，与一伙企图征服这里的人展开了战斗。影片包含着沉重的环境主题，1984年在日本发映后，轰动一时并且广受欢迎。而直到2005年，大部分美国观众才得以欣赏到完整和未剪辑版的影片。
在这个备受推崇让人大呼过瘾的故事中，一名被冰冻了40000年的原始人来到了世间。这个冰人聪明灵活而又十分兴奋。（对人类学家来说还十分有趣。）而对我来说，这部影片远比过度拔高的《ET》要令人满意，因为它认真地探讨了这个问题：“冰人”是作为一个独立的个人存在的还是只是一个试验品罢了。
《终结者》是有史以来最让人津津乐道的影片之一。没错，影片很血腥，而且有些盛名难副，但总的来说，阿诺作为终结者的首次出现创造了电影业的历史。故事讲述了一名人类自由战士穿越时空回到过去，要从看似无法阻挡的终结者手中，拯救当时还没有出生的未来反叛军首领的母亲。
你要给谁打电话？如果你还没看过这部精彩搞笑脍炙人口的科幻爆米花电影的力作，那你最好是打给Netflix公司或者其他电影租看公司的。比尔·莫里,丹·艾克罗伊德 和哈罗德·雷米斯在影片热闹的捉鬼行动里扮演倒霉的科学家。你难道没有希望过背上能挎一部未经批准的核加速器吗？最爱台词：在家里面可别提这个，（在影片高潮之前的市长办公室里）；最爱台词第二位：一名记者问雷：“我想是你问的：猫王怎么样，最近有人看到他吗？”
有趣，有趣，太有趣了。真是一场让人笑破肚皮的闹剧。一个年轻人偶然回到了过去，并且——（咽口水）——碰到了他的妈妈。这部影片的精彩片断俯拾皆是，要挑出最精彩的真的很难。我最喜爱的片断，就是Marty穿着发射服，半夜去找父亲，却把父亲吓得魂飞魄散。迈克尔·福克斯和 克里斯托弗·劳埃德表现都很出色。引用Marty一句话：“相信我，你的孩子会喜欢的。”
这部根据菲利普·迪克的小说改编的影片把背景放在了阴郁凄冷的未来洛杉矶。“机器人也会梦到电子羊吗？”哈里森·福特饰演一个以追捕机器人盗贼为生的赏金猎人。（看过这部影片后我成了埃德华·詹姆斯·奥尔摩斯的粉丝，并为他在新片《太空堡垒》的回归而高兴。）影迷对这个电影的两个版本有何感想，我对此非常好奇。迪克·迪卡德的剧情对《银翼杀手》整个影片起到作用的是画龙点睛还是画蛇添足呢？如果是一个皆大欢喜的结局又会怎么样呢？
不可思议的影片，它使得“日本动漫”成为了一个家喻户晓的词，而《阿基拉》是所有日本动漫之父。他热情，犹豫不决，让人毛骨悚然，呃。。。在有些地方还有点让人恶心。但是阿基拉的影响力绝对不能被低估，而他也确实名副其实。核灾难爆发十年后，新东京飞车党的首领金田看着他的朋友铁雄遭遇了意外，而他的精神力量也随之异乎寻常地增强。《阿基拉》绝对是一部让人难以忘怀的影片，但是欣赏的时候要注意防止心脏病突发。
你还能指望一个星战迷会在电影排名的首席位置列出别的作品么？肯定有很多人不同意我的选择，但是没有问题，我也欢迎大家发表观点。（其实我甚至差点把这部作品排在《阿基拉》和《银翼杀手》之后。）乔治·卢卡斯在这部星战续集中表现得魄力非凡、无与伦比：他让影片结局成为了《绝岭雄风》。而约翰·威廉姆斯的表现，依我愚见,他创作了有史以来最伟大的可以媲美贝多芬第五交响曲的电影插曲。一想到一群群庞大的机械部队进攻回音基地的场面，我仍激动不已。当然，黑暗邪恶的《星战前传》三部曲的视觉特效更棒 ,但是《帝国回击》才是整个故事篇章的核心。
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太空炮弹1987
对于那些埋怨我没有让恶搞星战（原谅我吧）的《太空炮弹》出现在榜单上的朋友，现在满足你。无论如何，在恶搞贬值的今天，梅尔·布鲁克斯的这部讽刺星战现象的作品在各个方面都要优于《史诗电影》和《约会电影》。愿施瓦茨与你同在！
提名影片：电子世界争霸战；超人2（包括剪辑版的我都不是十分喜欢，虽然十分有趣，但是故事仍未结束）；Buckaroo Banzai(影片还不错，但谈不上伟大)；战争游戏(我收录在我的核战争电影名单中了)；冲锋飞车队;星际战士;摩登保姆;变蝇人;怪形.
Contributor: STL Mo