1986 Was the Greatest Year for Sci-Fi Cinema, and These 6 Movies Prove It

1986 Was the Greatest Year for Sci-Fi Cinema, and These 6 Movies Prove It Newt in AliensImage via 20th Century Studios By  William Smith Published 1 hour ago William Smith is a freelance writer currently living in the Midwest with his wife and daughter, where he spends too much time watching movies and then writing about them. He doesn't read your hurtful comments and doesn't have any social media, so any criticisms must be sent by carrier pigeon.   Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

The 1980s were one of the most consequential decades in terms of pop culture, defining genre cinema. While the more "prestige" movies made during the period generally pale in comparison to the classics of the '70s that came with the rise of New Hollywood or even those that came out of the '90s with the indie film boom, the horror, sci-fi and action genres had some of their most iconic moments. The genre movies of the '80s have been so totemic that their influence continues to be felt in both blockbuster movies and the most popular streaming series, with shows such as Stranger Things owing their entire existence to the decade's best.

Science fiction was especially prolific during the '80s, with a plethora of films following in the wake of the major successes of Star Wars and Alien in the '70s. From major franchise entries to singular classics, the sci-fi movies of the '80s are still ranked among the best the genre has to offer. Any year of the '80s could be argued to have been its best for the genre, but if there's one that makes an incredibly strong case, it's 1986 with these six game-changing sci-fi movies.

6 'The Transformers: The Movie'

The Transformers The Movie

Image via De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

The Saturday morning cartoons from the '80s just hit differently. While the majority of these beloved kids' classics were created solely for the purpose of selling toys, their creators went above and beyond in crafting deep lore and lovable characters. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man and the Master of the Universe, ThunderCats and Voltron have all had long-lasting legacies driven by generations of fandom that all started in the '80s. Several even made their way to the big screen in the form of both live-action adaptations or feature-length animated continuations. In 1986, the iconic Transformers were given an epic animated movie.

All due respect to those fans of the Michael Bay-led live-action universe, but the far-and-away best Transformers movie is still this 1986 cult classic, which takes place between the second and third seasons of the television series and notoriously saw the deaths of several major characters as a method for introducing new toy designs. Featuring the legendary voices of Orson Welles and Leonard Nimoy as the iconic villains Unicron and Galvatron, respectively, the movie begins with a massive battle where Optimus Prime dies, causing many a child of the '80s to shed genuine tears. The movie then shifts focus to Judd Nelson's Hot Rod for an intergalactic adventure movie featuring an absolute banger of a soundtrack that includes songs from "Weird Al" Yankovic as well as the fist-pumping classic The Touch by Stan Bush.

5 'Flight of the Navigator'

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

If kids weren't watching brightly colored cartoons in the '80s, chances are they were enjoying some of the classic kids' movies of the era, best exemplified by those made under Steven Spielberg's Amblin banner, such as Gremlins and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Beyond those films, though, there were plenty of others that captured the same optimistic spirit of adventure. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Explorers and The Last Starfighter all offered sci-fi excitement for young viewers in their respective years, and in 1986, there was Flight of the Navigator. This endlessly charming kidventure movie follows 12-year-old David, who mysteriously travels through time without any memory of how, only to discover a connection to an alien spaceship that has crash-landed.

Filled with iconic designs and effects, including some of the earliest uses of extensive computer-generated imagery to accomplish the shiny, chrome ship at the center of the movie. Beyond just the effects and visuals, though, are the terrific performances that anchor the movie, specifically the relationship between David, played by Joey Cramer, and the robotic pilot Max, voiced by none other than Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman. Like many '80s movies, Flight of the Navigator has gained a considerable cult following, which, of course, led Disney to begin development on a reboot, which has thankfully yet to come to fruition. As evidenced by many of the attempts to recapture the magic of '80s cinema, there is an inimitable quality to those movies that simply cannot be replicated.

4 'Night of the Creeps'

An undead standing behind a girl in Night of the CreepsImage via TriStar Pictures

One thing that has made so many '80s films so memorable is how many of them mix and match genre elements, defying easy or succinct classification. Back to the Future is a coming-of-age comedy meets time travel adventure, RoboCop is high-tech superheroics amid corporate satire, and Night of the Creeps is an alien creature feature, slasher horror, and college comedy all rolled into one. The directorial debut of Fred Dekker, the movie is one big homage to B-movies with a plot involving space slugs that turn a bunch of college coeds into murderous zombies. Like Dekker's follow-up film, The Monster Squad, it was a flop at the box office but has gotten a major cult following since.

Of all the wild sci-fi horror B-movies that came out in 1986, including Critters, From Beyond, and Chopping Mall, Night of the Creeps is the most successful at balancing its tone between horror and humor. Dekker's writing is just as witty and cleverly subversive as his frequent collaborator, Shane Black. Whereas Black's influences come from crime and noir, Dekker is more indebted to directors like George Romero, Wes Craven and John Carpenter, who all get namechecked in the script, as well as their progenitors.

3 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'

Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) travel by bus in 1986 in 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'Image via Paramount Pictures

While 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is often considered the peak of all Star Trek movies, the fourth film in the original series run, The Voyage Home, is often ranked just behind it, and it's easy to see why. The second Trek film, directed by Leonard Nimoy, the movie has a far lighter tone than any of its predecessors, with a plot that follows the Enterprise crew back in time to contemporary America to locate some long extinct humpback whales that hold the key to saving the world.

Unlike many other Trek films, The Voyage Home doesn't rely on spacefaring action or cosmic villains to provide its entertainment, instead relying far more on character-driven comedy as the crew must acclimate themselves to 1986 San Francisco. That emphasis on character and humor plays to Nimoy's strengths as a director and his knowledge of his longtime cast mates, as each member is given individual moments to shine. It also makes The Voyage Home one of the breeziest Trek films and the easiest to enjoy for even non-fans of the franchise.

2 'The Fly'

The '80s were a major decade for remakes, particularly in the sci-fi and horror genres, where advancements in makeup and visual effects technology allowed for major improvements in bringing supernatural monsters to life. Two major sci-fi/horror remakes came near the beginning and end of the decade, with John Carpenter's The Thing in 1982 and Chuck Russell's The Blob in 1988, and sandwiched in between was David Cronenberg's body-horror masterpiece The Fly. By updating the 1958 original film to one of a scientist slowly transforming after his DNA is fused with that of a housefly after a teleportation experiment goes wrong, Cronenberg was able to indulge both his interest in gory body transformations and tragic human characters.

Jeff Goldblum gives an award-worthy performance in the lead role, combining his lithe physicality and nervy performance to perfection as his character becomes more monstrous. His acting is matched by the award-winning makeup effects by Chris Walas, who designed several stages of the character's transformation to take him from a human to a full-fledged monster. The Fly still ranks as one of the greatest remakes ever made, completely surpassing the original and forging its own bold identity.

1 'Aliens'

Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986), moving down a corridor with a flamethrowerImage via 20th Century Studios

James Cameron's sequel to Ridley Scott's landmark sci-fi horror classic Alien is now often referenced as the ideal sequel, one that maintains the tone and atmosphere of the original but completely recontextualizes it with a bigger budget and change of genre. The change from claustrophobic horror to high-octane action may seem like an obvious choice now, but at the time, it was a major gamble for the film and for Cameron, who was coming off the success of The Terminator and was given his first chance at a studio project. The production was fraught with tension and turmoil, including clashes between the director and the crew and a last-minute acting replacement, but the finished product speaks for itself, becoming just as iconic and influential as its predecessor.

Bringing back Sigourney Weaver's lone survivor Ripley, the film teams her with a colorful group of colonial marines to revisit the alien planet where they have to contend with dozens of the deadly xenomorphs. The action is immaculate, the characters are quotable, and the spectacle is unmatched, with Stan Winston and his crew bringing the biggest of all sci-fi baddies, the alien queen, who was accomplished through an impressive mix of puppetry and miniatures that still looks incredible and more convincing than most modern CGI monsters. Aliens is an all-time sci-fi classic and, even by itself, would make a strong argument for 1986 being the greatest year for science fiction movies.

aliens R Action Adventure Horror Sci-Fi Thriller Release Date July 18, 1986 Runtime 137 minutes Director James Cameron

Cast Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton Writers James Cameron Genres Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller Powered by Expand Collapse

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