Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 1980s
The 1980s reshaped sci-fi cinema, and this is what survived the decade's own hype cycle — 20 films ranked purely by audience score, from 1980 to 1989. The Empire Strikes Back leads at 8.4. If you only work through the top ten, you will have covered the decade properly.
20 titles · average score 7.7 ·
The top 5 picks
- 1
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
★ 8.4 · 18,698 ratingsThe epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile,…
- 2
Back to the Future (1985)
★ 8.3 · 22,188 ratingsEighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by…
- 3
The Thing (1982)
★ 8.1 · 8,149 ratingsA research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
- 4
Aliens (1986)
★ 8.0 · 11,067 ratingsRipley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she…
- 5
Akira (1988)
★ 7.9 · 4,904 ratingsA secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.
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How this list is ranked
Nothing on this page is hand-picked to hit a word count. We pull films matching this list's criteria from TMDB, require a real audience behind each score, and rank by that score — 20 titles averaging 7.7. The page rebuilds daily, so new releases appear here as soon as enough people have rated them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best sci-fi movie of the 1980s?
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) leads the decade with 8.4. The full list covers 1980–1989 and averages 7.7.
How many sci-fi movies from the 1980s are on this list?
20, each with at least 300 audience ratings behind its score. Anything with a thin vote count is excluded so the ranking reflects a real consensus.
Is this list updated?
Yes — it rebuilds every day from TMDB, so newly released movies appear as soon as enough people have rated them. You do not need an account to browse it, and there is no paywall on anything at MovieAI.