Thread by @OnlyFilmMedia

'Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s' by @OnlyFilmMedia.

A Thread.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
50. Trancers (1984).
The film portrays a unique method of time travel: people can travel back in time by injecting themselves with a drug that allows them to take over the body of an ancestor.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
49. Explorers (1985).
The film stars Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix and Jason Presson as teenage boys who build a spacecraft to explore outer space.
It was a box office failure upon its release, but it attracted a cult following with its VHS release.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
48. The Last Starfighter (1984).
The film has the distinction of being one of cinema's earliest films to use extensive "real-life" computer-generated imagery (CGI) to depict its many starships, environments and battle scenes.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
47. 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984).
It is a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey,
Critical reaction was generally positive.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
46. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984).
The film has been adapted for books, comics, and a video game and has attracted a loyal cult following.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
45. Weird Science (1985).
Two high-school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman, who promptly turns their lives upside-down.
The film is regarded as a cult classic.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
44. Innerspace (1987).
A test pilot is miniaturized in a secret experiment, and accidentally injected into a hapless store clerk.
The film had a positive reception from critics.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
43. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984).
Reviewers generally praised the cast, Nimoy's direction, and characters, while criticism tended to focus on the plot; the special effects were conflictingly received.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
42. Short Circuit (1986).
The film's plot centers on an experimental military robot that is struck by lightning and gains a human-like intelligence, prompting it to escape its facility to learn more about the world.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
41. Spaceballs (1987).
Despite initially getting a mixed reception from critics and audiences, it has since become a cult classic, and is one of Mel Brooks's most popular and well-known films.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
40. The Running Man (1987).
The film's story about a television show where convicted criminal "runners" must escape death at the hands of professional killers is very loosely based on the 1982 novel of the same name written by Stephen King.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
39. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).
Critical reaction to the film was generally positive, although reviewers disagreed over whether they considered the film to be the highest or lowest point of the Mad Max trilogy.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
38. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).
It received positive reviews and was a mild box office success, grossing $40 million against a $10 million budget.
Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves reprised their roles in two sequels.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
37. The Hidden (1987).
A cop and an FBI agent race for answers after law abiding people suddenly become violent criminals.
The film received mostly positive reviews.
It has since become a cult film.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
36. Outland (1981).
Set on Jupiter's moon Io, it has been described as a space Western, and bears narrative and thematic resemblances to the 1952 film High Noon.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
35. Altered States (1980).
The initial reviews were generally strong. "It's been a while since I've gotten the acclaim I've gotten on Altered States," said director Ken Russell.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
34. Flash Gordon (1980).
Critical reception during and since the film's initial release has been generally favorable, and it has since gained a significant cult following.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
33. Cocoon (1985).
The film received mostly positive critical reception.
It earned Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Don Ameche) and Best Visual Effects.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
32. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984).
The film received positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Art Direction, and won two Evening Standard British Film Awards for Best Film and Best Actor.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
31. Tron (1982).
The film spawned multiple video games (including an arcade tie-in released shortly after the film), and as it became a cult film, a multimedia franchise including comic books.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
30. Flight of the Navigator (1986).
The film has become a cult classic and has a large cult following among science-fiction and Disney fans.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
29. Repo Man (1984).
The film received widespread acclaim, and was deemed by critics to be one of the best films of '84.
It has since gained a cult following.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
28. Scanners (1981).
It brought David Cronenberg and his controversial style of body horror attention from mainstream film audiences for the first time and has since been reevaluated as a cult classic.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
27. Re-Animator (1985).
A medical student invents a reagent which can re-animate deceased bodies.
The film was well received by critics, earning mostly positive reviews.
It has since been considered a cult film.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
26. They Live (1988).
It initially received negative reviews from critics. However, it later gained a cult following and experienced a significantly more favorable critical reception. It is now regarded by many as one of Carpenter's best films.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
25. Back to the Future Part II (1989).
Though the film received mostly positive reviews from critics, it was deemed inferior to its predecessor.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
24. Superman II (1980).
The film received positive reviews from film critics who praised the performances from Reeve, Stamp and Hackman, the visual effects, and humor.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
23. Brazil (1985).
In 1999, the British Film Institute voted Brazil the 54th greatest British film of all time.
It has since become a cult film.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
22. The Abyss (1989).
The film received generally positive reviews and grossed $90 million.
It was nominated for four Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
21. Return of the Jedi (1983).
The film was well-received by critics, with strong praise going to the special effects and action sequences, performances, John Williams' score, and emotional weight.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
20. Videodrome (1983).
Now considered a cult classic, the film has been cited as one of director David Cronenberg's best, and a key example of the body horror and science fiction horror genres.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
19. The Dead Zone (1983).
The film received very positive reviews on release.
Stephen King is reported to have told David Cronenberg that the changes the director and Boam made to the story "improved and intensified the power of the narrative."

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
18. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).
The film's humor, acting, direction, special effects and unconventional story were well received by critics, fans of the series, and the general audience.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
17. Starman (1984).
The film received positive reviews but faltered in its initial box office debut.
Jeff Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
16. WarGames (1983).
The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $125 million worldwide against a $12 million budget.
It was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
15. Escape from New York (1981).
The film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success.
It became a cult classic and was followed by a sequel, Escape from L.A. (1996).

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
14. Akira (1988).
It has been cited as a masterpiece and is widely regarded by audiences and critics as one of the greatest films ever made, especially in the field of animation and in the action and science fiction genres.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
Critical reaction to the film was positive; reviewers highlighted Khan's character, Meyer's direction, improved performances, the film's pacing, and the character interactions as strong elements.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
12. Ghostbusters (1984).
The film opened to critical acclaim and became a cultural phenomenon.
It was praised for its blend of comedy, action, and horror, and Bill Murray's performance was often singled out for praise.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
11. The Fly (1986).
The film received highly positive reviews.
It grossed $60.6 million at the box office, becoming a commercial success.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
10. E.T (1982).
It was widely acclaimed by critics, and is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time.
It received 9 nominations at the 55th Academy Awards, winning Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, & Best Sound Editing.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
9. Mad Max 2 (1981).
It is is widely hailed as both one of the greatest action movies of all time and one of the greatest sequels ever made.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
8. Predator (1987).
Initial reviews were mixed, but the film has since been considered a classic of the action and science fiction genres and one of the best films of the 1980s, and was nominated for an Academy Award for best Visual Effects.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
7. RoboCop (1987).
The film was nominated for several awards, and won an Academy Award as well as numerous Saturn Awards.
It has been hailed as one of the best films of the 1980s and one of the greatest science fiction and action films ever made.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
6. The Thing (1982).
Upon its initial release, the film received negative reviews. In the subsequent years, it has been reappraised as one of the best sci-fi and horror films ever made and has gained a cult following.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
5. The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Upon its initial release, the film received mixed reviews.
Since its release, it has been critically reassessed and is now often regarded as the best Star Wars film and among the greatest films ever made.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
4. Back to the Future (1985).
The film is considered by critics and audiences to be one of the greatest science-fiction films and among the best films ever made.
It received multiple award nominations and won an Academy Award.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
3. The Terminator (1984).
The film's success led to a franchise consisting of several sequels, a television series, comic books, novels and video games.
It is credited with solidifying @Schwarzenegger's status as a leading man.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
2. Blade Runner (1982).
It initially polarized critics; some praised its thematic complexity and visuals, while others critiqued its slow pacing and lack of action.
It has since come to be regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time.

Top 50 Sci-Fi Movies of the 80s:
1. Aliens (1986).
The film received several awards & nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Sigourney Weaver at a time when the sci-fi genre was overlooked.
It is now considered among the best films of the 80s.

Thank you to everyone who read our list. The top 5 was really difficult for us, but we opted to go with Aliens as number one because Blade Runner isn't for everyone. Some films were also ranked lower since they belong to a different genre but can still be deemed sci-fi.