“Come with me if you want to live.” -The Terminator (1984)
With the popularity rise in the sci-fi and fantasy genre (mostly thanks to Tolkien’s influence the
decade before), the short musical revolution, and the transition from the old world to the age of
technology, one can safely say that the 80’s in general were a very influential time period.
“We need to send you back… to the future!” -Back to the Future (1985)
One of the 1980’s big influences on modern society was the incredible spike in sci-fi movies. It’s
not like there were just a lot of them, either; the special effects were very good for their time, and
they go down as the best in history to this day. Back to the Future, Star Wars, E.T. The
Extraterrestrial, Alien, and The Terminator are just a few examples of the best and most famous
sci-fi movies of all time, but that’s not all they have in common; they were also all made in the
1980’s.
“Do or do not, there is no try.” -Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
When you view more recent movies after seeing these iconic 80’s films, you can see clear
references in the visuals and sometimes the audio. A good example of this would be the film
Ready Player One, which highlights 80’s pop culture and blends it with futuristic technology.
Ready Player One features many references to old films, including the DeLorean from Back to
the Future in the race scene, the scene where the alien head rips out of a character’s chest like
in Alien, and far too many Star Wars references to count accurately.
”You must be dead, because I don’t know how to feel. I can’t feel anything anymore.” -E.T. The
Extraterrestrial (1982)
That’s not all, of course. 80’s sci-fi is constantly being reimagined and referenced throughout the
media. About every piece of fiction that involves time travel, space travel, or robots references
80’s films, sometimes without even meaning to. 80’s culture is so deeply ingrained in today’s
society, likely because the 80’s was the first decade in the age of technology. It’s a major turning
point in human history; therefore, we should look to that era of our past with fondness for
beginning the world as we now know it, and for showing us the worlds we don’t.
”Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” -Back to the Future (1985)
If you’re a fan of science fiction or the 80’s or stories in general and you haven’t watched the
films I’ve used as examples, I would highly recommend taking a trip down memory lane and
watching some of them. Even if sci-fi isn’t your cup of tea, or you don’t care for the somewhat
poor special effects, they’re still very good movies that make you think as well as feel. You’ll be
certain to find the time paradoxes mind-boggling, the genius character development stunning,
and the plot twists and big turns out-of-this-world.
“This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.” -Alien (1979)
