10 ’80s sci-fi movies that haven’t aged well

There are many amazing ones ’80s sci-fi moviesBut some did not grow old. The 1980s is a brilliant decade for cinema, and titles from the era are generally some of the best movies of all time. Back to the future, GhostbustersAnd Friday the 13th are just a few of the greatest franchises of the era, and each of them changed the film industry forever. Science fiction is a particularly prominent genre of the 80s, a time full of hope and potential for the future.

However, some movies are not up to standard. Although they are a product of their time, some of these films have aged well and are now criticized for things like inappropriate storylines, offensive stereotypes and poor special effects. Even a selection of ​​the best sci-fi movies of the 1980s, while timeless classics, age in certain ways. Not every element of these titles is outdated, but overall, the 80s sci-fi movies stand out for negative reasons.

10

Howard the Duck (1986)

Marvel’s weakest movie adaptation

While Howard the Duck is undoubtedly a solid cheesy ’80s sci-fi movieThat doesn’t mean it hasn’t aged well. The film is possibly one of the worst Marvel movies to be released, but it’s even more of a shock that the titular character is a product of the legendary franchise.

Howard the DuckIts special effects are ridiculous by today’s standards and comparable to that of a children’s film, if anything. Howard the Ducks storyline is quite illogical, too.

The journey of the title character from his parallel universe to our own, and his on-and-off attempts to return, is reliable. His relationship with Beverly is completely wild too, and If viewers think that Bee movieThe implied love story between a man and an animal is jarring, the almost sex scene of Beverly and Howard will stun them even more. It has been mentioned before Howard the Duck Initially planned to be an animated movie, but perhaps that would have been worse.

9

Weird Science (1985)

The main female character of the film is a punching bag for poor jokes

Weird scienceA notable movie by John Hughes, Has a lot of feel-good moments, but it’s a product of its time. The premise of the movie is problematic enough on its own, but Gary and Wyatt’s attitude towards their Frankenstein-esque creation, which takes the form of the beautiful Lisa, makes it even worse. The story is, unfortunately, quite misogynistic, and The only thing about Lisa is her appearance.

This is established from very early on, as the doll that becomes Lisa has ridiculously large breasts, which are a focus. Lisa is only for the boys, And her character offers little else outside of that.

The trope of two nerds who are down on their luck and attempt to earn the respect of their peers through superficial means is also ridiculously overused. Gary actor Anthony Michael Hall has endorsed a remake of Weird scienceBut if this happens, a lot of adjustments will have to be made before today. While the slapstick comedy and pure absurdity of Weird science is still brilliant, its plot lets it down.

8

throne (1982)

Laughable SFX compared to the present day

Throne is a breakthrough movie for visual effects, but in the present day, it is quite painful to watch. The use of neon landscaping and bright costuming is now hard on the eyes, And considering how far special effects have come in cinema, it looks cheap, sadly. The main character, Kevin Flynn, is a software engineer who is transported into a computerized world and spends most of the film trying to get back home.

In some scenes, the computer-generated imagery looks quite similar to an ’80s video game. Although this is fitting for an ’80s movie, Throne Is supposed to be ahead of its time and delve into the endless future possibilities of technology.

Throne also relies heavily on the concept of virtual intelligence, But a lot of technical specifications and wording that is used do not make a lot of sense. While Throne Will always be remembered for being a groundbreaking title for special effects, it simply doesn’t compare to the CGI used today.

7

Dune (1984)

An optimistic movie that struggles to match its source material

The original Don is still a controversial movie in terms of audience opinions. Although it has become much more appreciated in recent years, there is still a difference over the quality. Director David Lynch’s views on Don Make a lot of sense, and his reasoning for abandoning the project is also why it is poorly aged. The pace of the film is completely off, and it feels rushed, something that Lynch said he regretted. His cinematography is ambitious, granted, but the technology to execute his vision isn’t there.

There are some good qualities about DonHowever, although it is questionable whether they have stood the test of time. The storyline is cheesy and stands like a great B-movie, however Because of the many characters with psychic abilities, Don is ripe with exposition. It is often complicated, too, and one core criticism of Don is that it is not true enough to the original 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. Don is undoubtedly an important title in cinematic history, and although it has gained a cult following in recent years, it does not mean that it has aged well.

6

The Running Man (1987)

Too many characters are hurt for no good reason

The Running ManThe movie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel has one crucial element that has aged badly: the plot. The film follows Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Ben Richards, a police helicopter pilot who lives in a world under totalitarian rule. However, this strange fictional universe is also home to the titular reality show, which sees criminals fighting for their lives against an armed alien in the hopes of being pardoned for their misdeeds. The show is strangely reflective of the real world in some ways, but it’s also very dystopian That it borders on absurd.

The Running Man is quite cheesyWhich isn’t a problem, but the sudden shift in tone between comedy and drama is off-putting and undermines the movie’s message. Although there are parts of the film that are supposed to be shocking and thought-provoking, like the humiliation of the criminals, some are completely unnecessary. For example, Dynamo’s attempt to rape Amber in the climax, which seemingly comes out of nowhere and has no impact on the plot. The Running Man is a fantastic action movie with an intriguing story, but it lacks a lot of logic.

5

Flash Gordon (1980)

A massive budget doesn’t always mean good graphics

The 1980 release of Bottle GordonOne of many Bottle Gordon movies and TV shows, is definitely a feel-good watch, but it’s also incredibly cringeworthy. Gregory “Flash” Gordon’s quest to defeat the villain Ming the Mercy and save the Earth is a classic good versus evil story, but The context provided about the two main characters in the opening scenes of the film is a bit lazy. Football star Gordon manages to magically take control of an out-of-control plane and immediately accepts his new fate, and Ming’s motivation to cause natural disasters on Earth is simply boredom.

Bottle GordonIts special effects are poor, and while it adds to the general appeal of the film, it doesn’t hold up to today’s standards. If anything, it can be a distraction, such as in the flying lesson scene, which has a beautiful arm back projection. The captivating performances of the cast of Bottle Gordon Are loved by many, but the appreciation is typically because their pictures are so bad they are good. Bottle Gordons budget is $35 million, over three times more than Star Wars: Episode IV – A New HopeYet its visuals are nowhere near the same standard.

4

Mac and Me (1988)

Mac and me is essentially a rip-off of et the extra-terrestrialBut it fails to be anywhere near as good. The film tries to recreate the hype of one of Steven Spielberg’s most famous movies, but it doesn’t do it well. While ets special effects are not as powerful as movies of the past years, they still hold their own. however, Mac and meThe visuals look so ridiculously fake that it’s funny that the characters who cross paths with the various aliens see them as a threat.

The most important thing with Mac and meAlthough, is its shameless product placement. The cross-promotion with McDonald’s is baffling, and it’s honestly quite brave that the film does it. The same can be said about the role that Coca-Cola plays in the climax of the film, which is strangely used to revive MAC’s dying family. Even the shocking alternate ending of Mac and meSeeing how the wheelchair user Eric was shot and killed has aged terribly and does not save the film from criticism.

3

Zap! (1982)

Psychic talents are not an excuse for harassment

Zap! Has a fairly healthy premise at a glance, but it quickly proves otherwise. The movie follows high schooler Barney Springboro, who struggles to interact with girls his age, has few friends, and typically spends most of his time working on experiments. While Barney suddenly gaining telekinetic powers seems like a setup for some amazingly weird sci-fi mayhem. Instead, it spends a lot of its runtime disrespecting and demoralizing some of the characters.

Barney’s hijinks are supposed to be cute and somewhat resemble typical teenage struggles, But they are just creepy. He causes the cardigan of a female classmate, Jane, to burst open after staring at her chest and also makes everyone attending prom completely naked. However, Barney is not the only character who is sleazy. Peyton randomly seduces a school administrator, manipulates Jane sexually by trying to act more mature, and even gives her boyfriend nude photographs of her that he takes. Jane is supposed to be a useless and unlikable character in Zap!But she is indeed a victim.

2

Short Circuit (1986)

An astonishing example of bad casting

Short circuit is one of the goofiest sci-fi movies ever and is about a robot that gains sentience. While it’s not exactly a scary sci-fi movie with an AI that becomes self-aware, the story of Number 5 is quite compelling. Although there are misconceptions about future technology, especially the power of artificial intelligence, this does not affect the overall enjoyment of Short circuit.

The film is still worth watching, however, except for one glaringly and painfully obvious problem in the choice of cast. Ben Jabutia, an Indian man, is portrayed by Fisher Stevens, who is white. ,

Ben serves as the assistant to Newton Crosby, the designer of the robots, and he is also a cybernetic expert himself. While it’s controversial enough for Stevens to play a character of a different racial background, the fact that he’s wearing brownface makeup is even more horrifying. What is even more shocking, however, is that In the original draft of the film, Ben is a white American, but the casting was not altered to reflect the change in the character’s ethnicity. (via The Guardian).

1

Foreign Nation (1988)

A great message that is immediately contradicted

Foreign nation has fantastic underlying themes that tackle themes of segregation, racism, and cultural divide, but the film executes it so badly that it ends up insulting those it tries to protect. Foreign nation Focuses on a race called the Newcomers, who are former slaves, and the backlash they receive from the human population with their presence. Some tropes from some of the best buddy cop movies ever are used throughout, but the relationship between Man Skies and newcomer Francisco is immediately hypocritical of Foreign nations message when Francisco maxes out his new partner’s name.

Rather than demonstrating that the newcomers can be good or bad, The aliens are only used as antagonists, except for Francisco. While that’s the point, it’s still odd for a movie trying to portray the hardships of minorities in society. Plus, the opening scenes of Foreign nation Plays into the tiresome and clichéd Hollywood movie trope that black characters die early on, with the death of Sykes’ original partner, William Tuggle. Foreign nationThe intentions may be pure, but it doesn’t carry the story very well.