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The 80s was an amazing X for music genre picture show . Almost everythingSpielbergtouched turn to gold , Star Warswas at a creative peak , James Cameronmade his debut on the cinematic stage , and the intercrossed sci - fi / horror genre lend the mankind with quite a few gems . In the tenner since the ' LXXX , sure skill - fiction kit and boodle have gone on to achieve all - time classic statuses , whilst others have faded in their brilliancy over prison term .
In modern time , filmmakers are constantly go to the ' fourscore sci - fi well for nostalgia and potpourri . We ’ve updated our existing list of films that have bear the trial run of fourth dimension , and others that are fall apart underneath its weight . Do n’t be shoot , however . Some of the entries on this listing are quite good , despite their weather exterior .
update on September 13th , 2020 by Derek Draven : As mentioned in our updated intro , we ’ve added 5 more entry to our be list of sci - fi moving-picture show from the eighties that have remained marvellous over the ten , and others who just ca n’t keep up with the change tide . Some might have started off well , only to lose their luster after the fact , while others have only become worse since their ill - fat introduction .
Did Not Age Well: Highlander (1986)
Two things can be true at once -Highlanderis an awesome film , and it also has n’t age well . Part of its solicitation is the unique conception of immortals who have been on the QT battling each other throughout the centuries , unbeknownst to humankind . It ’s a timeless story of love , loss , disaster , and triumph , with a few brutal decapitation thrown in for skillful step .
This relatively low budget sci - fi cult classic is plagued with some inauspicious trappings , including bad sound editing and hokey plot twist . It ’s practicallyCitizen Kanecompared to its subsequence , butHighlander’svisage has tarnished a bit over the last few decades .
Timeless: The Terminator (1984)
James Cameron ’s original breakout hit spawn an intact franchise and paved the way for not one , buttwoof the highest - gross movie of all time . Here , Cameron made the most of a low budget by playing every unmarried calling card trick he learned under the tutelage of Roger Corman .
The result is a film that holds up perfectly , even to this day . Arnold Schwarzenegger ’s chilling carrying into action as a killer cyborg is one for the ages , makingThe Terminatorthe perfect sci - fi revulsion film for the great unwashed who love impertinent stories and credible character .
Did Not Age Well: Masters Of The Universe (1987)
Gary Goddard spent much of 1987 working on the hit sci - fi goggle box showCaptain Power & The Soldiers Of The Future , but he also directed the live - natural process adaptation ofHe - Man & The Masters Of The Universe . At the time , interest in the fry ’s animated cartoon and toy property was starting to wane , but a silver screen treatment seemed like just game .
alas , for all its bluster and bluster , Masters Of The Universehasn’t maturate particularly well over the years . Dolph Lundgren is the consummate forcible shape of He - Man , but he ’s relegated to the background whenever Frank Langella takes middle stage as Skeletor . The conclusion to base most of the action on 1980s Earth was also a major miscalculation . While charming and entertain in its own right , Masters Of The Universecontinues to face an acclivitous engagement with fan .
Timeless: Aliens (1986)
James Cameron mark not one , but two massive hits in the eighties when he decided to take on subsequence tariff to Ridley Scott ’s iconic 1979 classicAlien.20th Century Fox put ( unheard of ) faith in the untried director on the back of runaway success ofThe Terminator , and it give off . Cameron ’s decision to shift a repugnance movie for a combat film was a shot of mavin , without losing any of the frightening tension .
Aliensisn’t well - it ’s unlike . Both films are diametrically opposed to one another in subject , but they are completely harmonious as logical system chapters in a expectant story . It has more quotable argument than one can shake a stick at , plus intense firefights , multiple xenomorphs , and one truly terrorise fairy to obliterate consultation expectations .
Did Not Age Well: Mac And Me (1988)
Steven Spielberg struck amber in 1982 with the runaway smash winner ofE.T. - The Extra Terrestrial , but it would n’t be long before the corporal car assay to capitalise on its windfall . The upshot was Stewart Raffill ’s detestable knockoffMac And Me , featuring ( you guessed it ) , a beneficent outlander who befriend a young Earth male child .
Mac And Meis so bad that it holds a 0 % vital rating on Rotten Tomatoes , with a 38 % consultation grievance , which is too kind . It remains one of the most loathed copycat films ever made , and clamorous corporate merchandise positioning by McDonalds did n’t help matter much , either . Thirty - plus year later , the film is practically radioactive .
Timeless: Akira (1988)
One of , if not , the greatest anime film of all clock time , Akirais truly an epical science - fabrication masterpiece . Taking place in a futurist rendering of Tokyo ( " Neo - Tokyo"),Akiratells the narration of a duet of teenaged heroes who have to take on a dangerous biker who has been augmented by a administration experiment .
The flick ’s handwriting is litter with level-headed dialogue and interesting bad fiction topic , exceeded only by the film ’s visual pallet and unique expressive style . Riveting , beautiful , dark , and wise , Akira ’s cult - film hype is much deserved .
Did Not Age Well: Tron (1982)
Tronis not a bad photographic film by any stretch of the imagination . In many ways , it has age good than its 2010 sequel , Tron Legacy . That being aver , the other computer - generated visuals of the film are undeniably dated . Without the app program of nostalgia - goggles , parts of the celluloid ’s more effects - gruelling sequences can verge on laughable .
to boot , video game have made exponential leap since the film was released , leading to the titular game ’s mechanics also contain a stamp of their time . Fun but inherently blemished , Tronwill likely only proceed to age in unflattering ways .
After Marty McFly is sent back to the 1950s , he has a modified amount of time to ascertain the timeline is n’t erased . Michael J. Fox became a slacker icon with his portraying of Marty , andthe filmbecame a massive hit with the box office , critic , and consultation . One of the decade ’s most creative and witty blockbuster .
Didn’t Age Well: Leviathan/DeepStar Six (1989)
Yes , technically these are two separate films made by two freestanding crews of filmmakers . However , the two are similar in their aesthetics , flat storytelling , and generic sea creature . Both film come out the same class as James Cameron’sThe Abyss , and thus were both for the most part written off as less bash - offs .
However , bothLeviathanandDeepStar Sixowe more toRidley Scott’sAlienthan anything else . Both are halt sci - fi horrors set underwater in submarines wherein the bunch of the watercraft come into middleman with malicious ocean - dwelling monsters . The creature design and puppetry are goodly in both cases , but almost everything else in them is forgettable .
Timeless: The Fly (1986)
soundbox repulsion maestroDavid Cronenberg ’s reinterpretation of the Vincent Price schlock thriller , The Fly , is one of the most uncompromisingly cruddy mainstream releases of the decade . The film features Jeff Goldblum , in his best role , as Seth Brundle , a scientist who is experimenting with teleportation .
After he accidentally swop DNA with a common fly , Brundle lead off to literally disappear away into a sincerely disturbing human - fly hybrid . Cronenberg ’s sensibilities mate the account perfectly , and the result is an vivid and eery look into the dangers of " play God . "
