Underrated or barely known 80s science fiction movies

I turned 8 at the start of the 80s and was already a fan of sci-fi thanks to Star Wars and Buck Rogers. Also, Flash Gordon came out in 1980. It was a heady time to be alive.

The main problem with a lot of 80s sci-fi was that the effects were often… shit. Sometimes. But a lot of films of the era made up for that by being inventive or having a great script. There was never an option to just chuck an arseload of CGI generic baddies on the screen.

I only started thinking about this when I was trying to write an article for a client and got bored out of my mind and accidentally ended up on YouTube. It’s one of the perils of modern-day writing. I came across a clip of 10 great sci-fi movies of the 80s and memories came flashing back. (I’m also watching Cobra Kai on Netflix, so it is a familiar feeling.)

Back then, I would be generally be found at the sci-fi and fantasy section of the video rental shop. Which feels like another world. There was a limited selection back then all the films in the video below I watched a lot. Especially the Philadelphia Experiment, Ice Pirates and Altered States (although my love for the latter grew later in the decade when I discovered certain smokable herbs).

You probably won’t have heard of most of these. Big budget sci-fi from the period is still well known: Mad Max 2, The Fly, The Thing, the Back to the Future films, Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, Terminator, Blade Runner etc. But small budget sci-fi was another issue.

The clip below just the tip of the iceberg. There was a ton of good stuff in the 70s, 80s and early 90s that were low budget but great fun. They Live (check out this selfie), Time After Time, Scanners, Lair of the White Worm, Beetlejuice, Conan the Barbarian, Enemy Mine, Bad Taste, Beastmaster, Outland, The Black Hole, Krull and the Princess Bride. And… well tons and tons more. Those were just a few of my favourites.

I am sure some of the above have been remastered. I’m also sure that some will argue a few are actually pretty damned well-known but you are reading a science fiction website so probably know your stuff. Ask a millennial or whatever the group after them are called about them and it will be blank stares.

I have just decided to rewatch them all. So while I do that, check these out: