Science Fiction: 316

Directed by James Cameron, The Terminator (1984) is an American science fiction action film. It features Arnold Schwarzenegger as the titular character, a cybernetic assassin sent back in time from 2029 to kill Sarah Connor. A cyborg disguised as a human male, this Terminator was programmed to carry out its mission of hunting and eliminating a woman named Sarah Connor in Los Angeles. Alongside the Terminator’s arrival, a human soldier known as Kyle Reese also appears with the intention of stopping it. In their pursuit, they both acquire ammunition and clothing ...

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) is a sci-fi film written and produced by Harve Bennett and directed by Leonard Nimoy. It is based on the popular TV show of the same name. After a fierce battle with the powerful Khan Noonien Singh, the Enterprise returns to Earth in a damaged state. Khan had attempted to obliterate the Enterprise using an experimental terraforming tool called Genesis. Among the casualties is Spock, a close Vulcan friend of Admiral James T. Kirk. His remains are launched into space around the newly formed planet created by Genesis. Upon docking ...

The Dead Zone (1983), an American sci-fi thriller directed by David Cronenberg, is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King and written by Jeffrey Boam. After experiencing a headache from a roller coaster ride in Castle Rock, Maine, Johnny Smith, a schoolteacher, declines his girlfriend Sarah’s offer to spend the night. However, after getting into a car accident on his way home in stormy weather, he ends up in a coma. When he wakes up under the care of neurologist Dr. Sam Weizak, he learns that five years ...

The Day After (1983), an American television film, originally aired on ABC. Dr. Russell Oakes works at a hospital in Kansas City and spends time with his family, despite his daughter Marilyn’s plans to move away. In Harrisonville, located approximately 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Kansas City, the Dahlbergs prepare for their eldest daughter Denise’s wedding rehearsal with Bruce, a University of Kansas student from Lawrence. However, the young couple becomes preoccupied with sexual desires and family issues arise when Denise’s younger sister takes her birth control and Jim catches her sneaking back home the following morning. Meanwhile, Airman First ...

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) is an American science fiction anthology film helmed by notable producers Steven Spielberg and John Landis. Inspired by the 1959–1964 TV series of the same name created by Rod Serling, the movie showcases four distinct tales directed by Landis, Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller. Whereas

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) is an American space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay was written by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas based on a story by Lucas, who also served as the executive producer. One year after Han Solo’s capture, C-3PO and R2-D2 are sent by Luke Skywalker to rescue him from Jabba the Hutt’s palace on Tatooine in exchange for a trade. Disguised as a male bounty hunter, Princess Leia joins in ...

Tron (1982) is a sci-fi action film written and directed by Steven Lisberger, based on a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. Kevin Flynn, a skilled software engineer, used to work for the big tech company ENCOM before opening his own video game arcade. In an attempt to gain access to ENCOM’s mainframe system, he faces resistance from the Master Control Program (MCP). Meanwhile, Alan Bradley and Lora Baines discover that their access to projects within ENCOM has been cut off by the MCP. When Alan confronts Ed ...

Blade Runner (1982), a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, has a complex history due to the involvement of studio executives. The controversy resulted in seven different versions of the film, including a director’s cut in 1992 which was released after positive feedback on a test screening of a workprint. The movie gained popularity through video rentals and was one of the first to be released on DVD. In 2007, Warner Bros. released The Final Cut, a ...

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) is an American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. Aliens from another planet visit Earth at night to collect plant samples in a California forest. Separating from the group, one alien becomes captivated by the distant city lights. Upon the arrival of U.S. government vehicles, the startled creature is chased, causing his companions to make a hasty escape, leaving him stranded on Earth. In a nearby neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, ten-year-old Elliott Taylor becomes ...

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) is a renowned American sci-fi movie directed by Nicholas Meyer and based on the popular TV series. In the year 2285, Admiral James T. Kirk presides over a trainee simulation supervised by Captain Spock. In this simulation, Lieutenant Saavik leads the USS Enterprise on a rescue mission to save the crew of Kobayashi Maru, a damaged ship. However, they are unexpectedly attacked by Klingon cruisers and suffer severe damage. This simulation is known as a no-win scenario, specifically designed to test the mettle of Starfleet officers. Later, on his birthday, Dr. McCoy visits Kirk and ...

The American epic space opera film, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), was directed by Irvin Kershner and written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas.Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, Darth Vader and the Imperial fleet send out probe droids to find the Rebel Alliance. The probe locates their base on Hoth, an ice planet. Luke Skywalker falls into the clutches of a wampa, but he uses the Force to ...

Time After Time (1979) is an American sci-fi movie written and directed by Nicholas Meyer. Set in 1893 London, it follows H.G. Wells as he showcases his time machine to skeptical guests at a dinner party. He explains its inner workings, including a ‘non-return key’ that locks the traveler’s destination and a ‘vaporizing equalizer’ that maintains equilibrium between the traveler and the machine. Suddenly, police constables interrupt the event, searching for notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper. Upon finding blood-stained gloves belonging to ...

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) is a science fiction movie based on the popular TV series of the same name. Directed by Robert Wise and produced by Gene Roddenberry, it follows the story of a monitoring station called Epsilon Nine in the 23rd century that discovers a powerful alien entity making its way towards Earth. The entity easily destroys three Klingon warships and Epsilon Nine before continuing on its course. Meanwhile, the starship Enterprise, commanded by former captain James T. Kirk who has been promoted to Admiral, is undergoing a major refit on Earth. As ...

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) is a compelling science fiction drama film written and directed by the renowned Steven Spielberg. During an expedition in the Sonoran Desert, French researcher Claude Lacombe, along with his American interpreter David Laughlin and other members of their team, make a surprising discovery – Flight 19. This group of United States Navy Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers had mysteriously disappeared while flying over the Bermuda Triangle on December 5th, 1945. To everyone’s surprise, the planes are found unoccupied but perfectly preserved. Nearby, an elderly witness ...

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) is an American epic space opera film directed and written by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox. Serving as the first installment in the Star Wars series, it is the fourth chapter in the Skywalker Saga. The story takes place during a galactic civil war, where the Rebel Alliance has obtained plans to the Death Star from Imperial spies. This massive space station has been constructed by the tyrannical Galactic Empire and has the capability to annihilate entire planets. Among those involved in retrieving these ...

Directed by Paul Bartel, Death Race 2000 (1975) is a sci-fi action film set in a dystopian future plagued by civil unrest and economic devastation following the ‘World Crash of ’79’. In an attempt to control the population, the government establishes the Transcontinental Road Race, a vicious competition where drivers race across the nation in high-speed cars. The event is notorious for its brutality, with points awarded for hitting and killing innocent pedestrians. The 20th annual race showcases five renowned drivers with eccentric personas and themed cars – Frankenstein, a revered hero in black; ...

The American science fiction film, Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), was directed by J. Lee Thompson with a screenplay by John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington, based on a story by Paul Dehn. It is told as a flashback to the early 21st century, with a wraparound sequence narrated by the orangutan Lawgiver in ‘North America – 2670 A.D.’. This sequel follows chimpanzee Caesar, who is faced with the aftermath of a global nuclear war that has ...

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) is a science fiction movie directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Paul Dehn. Set in a future where a space-borne disease has wiped out all dogs and cats, the government has established police states modeled after the Schutzstaffel. These states have taken in chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans as pets and have built a culture around using them for slave labor. This was predicted in 1973 by two chimpanzee scientists known as Cornelius and Zira, who were unfortunately killed for their testimony. Although believed to be ...

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), an American sci-fi film directed by Don Taylor and written by Paul Dehn, follows three chimpanzees (Cornelius, Zira, and Dr. Milo) who flee Earth before its destruction. Using Taylor’s ship, they travel through a time warp and end up on present-day Earth, specifically the Pacific coast of the United States. The apes are eventually taken to the Los Angeles Zoo and placed under the care of friendly scientists Dr. Stephanie Branton and Dr. Lewis Dixon. However, their stay is cut short when Milo is killed by a gorilla at the ...

Directed by Ted Post, Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) is an American science fiction film written by Paul Dehn and based on a story co-written by Dehn and Mort Abrahams. Time-displaced astronaut Taylor and his companion Nova journey through the Forbidden Zone’s desert in search of a new life free from Ape City. Unexpectedly, fire erupts from the earth and crevices open up around them. Perplexed, Taylor investigates a cliff wall and vanishes through it, leaving ...