5 Best Sci-Fi Movies Of 1980, Ranked

As technology began to catch up with the imagination of writers during the late 1970s, science fiction films became more and more impressive. By 1980, sci-fi filmmakers had all the tools they needed to make movies with visuals that lived up to the ambition of the stories they wanted to tell. What followed was a decade that would become known for its creative, ambitious work in the genre, taking audiences to faraway planets and other worlds.

It's uncommon for a calendar year to have five banner films within a single genre, but 1980 saw several memorable science fiction films hit cineplexes. From franchise outings that would take on a life of their own and campy comic book adaptations to genuinely thrilling mash-ups of science fiction and horror, 1980 was a great time to be a sci-fi fan, as the following films prove beyond doubt. We've ranked the five best sci-fi films of this landmark year.

• Cast: Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer
• Director: Jeannot Szwarc
• Runtime: 143 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%

Most people have an idea in their head of what a science fiction film looks like, and "Somewhere in Time" is fairly unique within the genre for how thoroughly it defies expectations. Christopher Reeve plays a playwright in the present day who, after a strange encounter with an old woman, travels back in time to the turn of the century. There, he meets and falls in love with a captivating actress, played by Jane Seymour. 

He's a man out of time, but he's also a man in love, and he makes the decision to stay in the past with her, whatever it may cost him. But time travel operates by its own rules, as the characters in "Somewhere in Time" quickly learn. It may not be a loud space opera filled with blasters and intergalactic travel, but it has just as much of a claim to the sci-fi genre. Its quiet romanticism and intimate period tragedy offer a different take on movie time travel.

• Cast: Sam J. Jones, Max von Sydow, Melody Anderson
• Director: Mike Hodges
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Sometimes you want a science fiction film that makes you think about life and our place in the universe, but sometimes you just want a bit of space nonsense filled with silly costumes and actors gnawing every piece of scenery they can find. "Flash Gordon," based on the comic strip series that began life in the 1930s, falls firmly in the latter category. It stars Sam J. Jones as the titular character, a human football player who gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to investigate a series of natural disasters that are actually the work of bored space emperor Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow).

It was undoubtedly a risk to make the whole thing so camp, but the truth about "Flash Gordon" is that the decision to lean into the property's goofier, more comedic elements definitely paid off, with many critics praising its sense of fun in the face of more serious science fiction adventures. Although it never got a sequel — thanks in part to Jones falling out with producer Dino De Laurentiis — it has long held a soft spot in the hearts of many genre fans, who consider it a cult classic. It's just as fun to watch nowadays, offering an early '80s nostalgia blast that will transport you back to an era of colorful outfits and mustache-twirling villains.

• Cast: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp
• Director: Richard Donner (original), Richard Lester (replacement)
• Runtime: 127 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

In the years since 1978's "Superman" came out, we've seen several actors don the famous red cape, but for many, nobody will ever top Christopher Reeve, who set the standard for what it takes to play the iconic DC character in live action. And, while "Superman II" had a few wobbles during its production — including the replacement of director Richard Donner with Richard Lester midway through filming, resulting in a more comedic tone — it ultimately does the first film justice.

In "Superman II," the titular hero has to face off against not just Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor, but also the evil General Zod (Terence Stamp), a Kryptonian villain who arrives on Earth with aspirations of world domination. Whether you prefer the theatrical release or the Donner cut, which was cobbled together from existing footage and screen tests, "Superman II" is an extremely memorable entry in Superman canon and without a doubt one of the best sci-fi films of 1980.

• Cast: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balabin
• Director: Ken Russell
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Science fiction isn't all battles of good and evil and superheroes flying around. In the case of "Altered States," we get a solid science fiction film that pulls double duty as a legitimately unsettling horror story. William Hurt stars as Edward Jessup, a scientist and professor who becomes obsessed with the idea of using sensory deprivation and an ancient Mexican ritual to reach beyond the conscious state. His work leads him down a dangerous path, as each experiment causes him to devolve and threatens to wipe out his entire existence. 

An assault on the senses, "Altered States" isn't overly concerned with its internal logic, instead providing viewers with an intense experience that lingers in the mind long after they're finished watching it. Veteran film critic Roger Ebert was among those who left the theater with their mind thoroughly blown. "I was overwhelmed," he wrote in his near-perfect review. "I was caught up in its headlong energy." The film performed well at the time, especially considering its somewhat esoteric subject matter, and remains well regarded to this day. 

• Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford
• Director: Irvin Kershner
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

"Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back" isn't just one of the best science fiction films of 1980, it's among the best science fiction films of all time. The second film in what is now one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood history, "The Empire Strikes Back" takes the raw imaginative power of "A New Hope" and cranks it up a notch. Our heroes are separated: Luke flies off to Dagobah in search of a Jedi master who can train him in the ways of the Force, while Han and Leia, working with the rag-tag resistance, end up betrayed by a friend. 

Fans will argue until the cows come home about how the "Star Wars" movies should be ranked, but a good number of them place "The Empire Strikes Back" in the top spot. With its vivid extraterrestrial landscapes and its memorable alien characters, there's no denying that "The Empire Strikes Back" is peak science fiction, even if "Star Wars" is often classed as a fantasy. And, while the film ends on a downbeat note that sets up the third entry, it's arguably the most iconic finale in film history, with Han Solo being frozen in carbonite and Darth Vader revealing to Luke Skywalker that he's his father.