The 1980s brought an unprecedented wave of science fiction movies, because the runaway success of 1977’s Star Wars prompted studios to greenlight every script set in outer space that came their way. Naturally, the slew of Star Wars rip-offs brought plenty of uninspired duds, but at the same time, there are always visionary filmmakers working on masterpieces.

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Outside the trend of space operas, the sci-fi cinema of the ‘80s also brought thought-provoking stories set on Earth (and plenty of boring, derivative stories set on Earth, too). So, here are the five best and five worst sci-fi movies from the 1980s.

Best: Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982)

William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock say goodbye during Spock's death scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

After the bitter disappointment of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, its sequel Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan came along to save the Trek movie franchise. Captain Kirk’s midlife crisis is complemented by the arrival of an old enemy out for revenge.

Ricardo Montalbán immortalized one of science fiction’s greatest villains with his chilling portrayal of Khan, while Spock’s death scene might be the Trek universe’s most heartbreaking moment.

Worst: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Kirk in Star Trek V

On paper, a Star Trek movie set in deep space about the Enterprise crew meeting God has incredible potential. In the script stage, this idea was explored further as Bones was dragged to Hell, with Spock and Kirk fighting the Devil to save him.

Unfortunately, the studio-mandated final product plays it depressingly safe with the predictable reveal that “God” is just some deceitful alien.

Best: Akira (1988)

Credited with bringing anime into the mainstream, Akira tackles some lofty concepts without losing sight of being an action-packed extravaganza. Set in a dystopian future, Akira tells the tale of a biker who takes on shady government agencies when a motorcycle accident gives him telekinetic powers.

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The movie deals with such thoughtful themes as nuclear energy, political corruption, the military-industrial concept, and humanity while remaining a vibrant feast for the eyes.

Worst: Mac And Me (1988)

Mac & Me's boy and alien

When Steven Spielberg’s E.T. was released to universal critical acclaim and became the highest grossing movie of all time, a producer named R.J. Louis decided to shamelessly rip it off with Mac and Me.

And even more shameless than that is the movie’s product placement: there’s a scene in which the alien (who is almost identical to E.T.) engages in a big dance-off with Ronald McDonald and a football team in and around a McDonald’s restaurant.

Best: The Thing (1982)

Ennio Morricone Kurt Russell The Thin

Along with Ridley Scott’s Alien, John Carpenter’s The Thing is one of the greatest sci-fi horror movies ever made, blending the genres spectacularly by succeeding as both contemplative, idea-skewing science fiction and terrifying horror.

Kurt Russell leads an ensemble cast of scientists at an Arctic outpost that gets infiltrated by an alien visitor that can disguise itself as anything, including one of them. Carpenter builds up the tension masterfully.

Worst: Battle Beyond The Stars (1980)

In response to the success of Star Wars, Roger Corman produced his own space opera called Battle Beyond the Stars. It transplants the story of The Magnificent Seven into space.

Despite the best efforts of George Peppard and Robert Vaughn, as well as low-budget special effects created by an early-career James Cameron out of spray-painted McDonald’s containers, John Sayles’ limp script makes Battle Beyond the Stars a total snooze-fest.

Best: The Terminator (1984)

Arnold Schwarzenegger aiming a gun in The Terminator

James Cameron innovated and perfected the “tech noir” genre with The Terminator. The film is pulsating thrill-ride about a cyborg traveling back in time to kill the mother of the leader of the Resistance against the cyborgs who have invaded Earth following a nuclear holocaust in the future.

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The plotting is intriguingly complex yet refreshingly accessible, and Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger each made their characters iconic.

Worst: Maximum Overdrive (1986)

Emilio Estevez by the truck from Maximum Overdrive

Making Maximum Overdrive was a learning experience for Stephen King, as he realized that directing a movie wasn’t as easy as he thought and he should never attempt it again. It would’ve been nice if he’d figured out he’s better off sticking to novels before he unleashed this campy sci-fi schlock-fest on the world.

Best: Blade Runner (1982)

Rick Deckard pointing a gun in Blade Runner

Adapted from Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner stars Harrison Ford as a grizzled near-future cop who’s tasked with tracking down cyborgs that have infiltrated Los Angeles, and begins to lose touch with his humanity.

Scott has recut the movie a few times, changing a few details here and there, but the truth is that Blade Runner’s visual palette is so uniquely awe-inspiring and its themes are so universally thought-provoking that almost every version of the movie is a masterpiece of science fiction.

Worst: Dune (1984)

Dune 1984 movie poster

If David Lynch was given full creative control of Dune, it could’ve been a sci-fi masterpiece. Unfortunately, the producers meddled so much that the movie was an unmitigated disaster and Lynch disowned the film.

With any luck, Denis Villeneuve is being given more artistic freedom with his own adaptation of the Frank Herbert classic, which is set to hit theaters later this year.

NEXT: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) 2010s Sci-Fi Movies