Some look back at the '80s and recall Ronald Reagan, glam metal and The Breakfast Club — a time of weird hair, ridiculous fashions and a thaw in the Cold War.

See also: Your Favorite Sci-Fi Flicks, From Metropolis Through the '50s

Best Sci-Fi Flicks of the '60s, '70s, According to You

When prodded, Wired.com readers remember a decade rich with science fiction films, from time-tested winners like The Terminator and Tron to sleepers like Looker and The Lathe of Heaven, PBS' made-for-TV adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's novel. (And, yes, there were some bad space mullets on-screen during this era.)

None of those movies topped Wired staffers' lists of their favorite sci-fi movies of all time (handily broken down into pre-Star Wars and post-Star Wars categories). But these films, and many more, were clearly burned into the brains of Wired.com readers. They went wild in the comments, dredging up memories both fully qualified and somewhat questionable.

As always, it's a matter of taste, seasoned in this case with solid dollops of nostalgia and outrage. Here, then, are the most memorable sci-fi flicks of the '80s, according to Wired.com readers.

Above: The Lathe of Heaven (1980) ———————————–

OMG!! Where in the hell is The Lathe of Heaven? —eliatic

Looker (1981) —————

Maybe [Michael] Crichton's best and the one sci-fi flick in which just about everything has come true — CG-generated actors, laser scanning and digitizing, light weapons and corporations colluding with politicians to mind-numb the public into complacency. —wavespace1999

A perfect example of sci-fi movie concepts on the way to becoming reality. —ferb

Tron (1982) ————-

Hello? Where is Tron on this list? —lilith13

A precursor to The Matrix. —membari

Tron defined sci-fi. —cuatrok

The Thing (1982) ——————

WTF?! No The Thing? Who could forget creepy isolation in the Arctic with Kurt Russell. (And Johnny Mnemonic as honorable mention. I mean, talk about predicting the use of the internet in the capacity we use it today. Can't mistake it if you're a true techno-geek.) —eroslife

Antarctic research base, under-ice spaceship, single-celled viral aliens, paranoia and absolutely amazing special effects. —jasonlopez

John Carpenter's remake of The Thing is better than the original, and probably one of the best. —flavor13

Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) ————————————————–

It was an excellent end to the first Star Wars trilogy. —membari

No Return of the Jedi? That's my favorite Star Wars flick of all time, hands down! —Vic_De_Zen

The Terminator (1984) ———————–

Are you kidding me? T2 over T1? The original Terminator is one of the all-time great movies. T2 is flashier, but there is absolutely no way that T2 is the better movie. When I saw District 9 this summer, it hit me: Mixing a sappy love thread with a good sci-fi story is the key to a good movie (T1, Blade Runner, Fifth Element, Eternal Sunshine, etc.) —LRaydellMundo

Time travel and a killer cyborg. —membari

The original Terminator would make it into my top 10 movies of all time, let alone best sci-fi. —warpedme

The Ice Pirates (1984) ————————

No love for Ice Pirates? —fletc3her

The Brother From Another Planet (1984) —————————————-

Best "stranded alien" film ever. Plus it's fun for the kids. Funnier than Men in Black, with better "agents" than The Matrix. —thorgrey

The Last Starfighter (1984) —————————–

How you forgot The Last Starfighter? Redo list pls! —Math

Dune (1984) ————-

Where the F*** is Dune? —egui

Space opera — it's that kind of plot.... It hasn't aged visually as much as The Phantom Menace ... since it focuses on telling a story rather than showing off the special effects. Timeless movie. —DashBoulder

Brazil (1985) —————

I commend [Wired's] list for Blade Runner and 12 Monkeys. But where is Brazil? Akira? Tron? Sunshine? —Darklogic

Trancers (1985) —————–

If you guys are going to include cheesy sci-fi, you must not overlook Trancers. Poor man's Blade Runner? Check. Scene where the protagonist shoots Santa Claus in front of a bunch of kids? Check. Helen Hunt before she looked like a sea hag? Check. —ericlr

Enemy Mine (1985) ——————-

Enemy Mine, one of the best of all time. How can that not be on the list?! —z00ropa

Back to the Future (1985) —————————

My favorite movie of all time. Every time I watch it, I catch something I missed before — just loaded with gags on time travel. —gcarrick

Aliens (1986) —————

Hands down best movie of any genre, Aliens. —spacemanspiff30

Even better and more compelling than Alien. —membari

Flight of the Navigator (1986) ——————————–

Flight of the Navigator — just classic! —cuatrok

Tenkû no Shiro Rapyuta (aka Castle in the Sky) (1986) ———————————————————

Prime anime from the master: Hayao Miyazaki. Its fantastic world is wholly realized and its story is completely compelling. This is the Miyazaki movie I return to regularly. (Note: Select the English-language version on the DVD. Its much-improved music score makes it well worth it, even for those fluent in Japanese.) —CaptainBill

Akira (1988) ————–

Akira — one of the best sci-fi/anime movies ever made. —membari

Miracle Mile (1988) ———————

Two words: Miracle Mile! Nobody knows it. Few have seen it. You can't even get a wide-screen DVD of it. It may be the most moving, frightening SF movie of the decade in which it was made. —enubrius

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) —————————————–

Cheesy but so much fun. —sambo0

The Abyss (1989) ——————

What about Abyss? Fantastic film if you watch Cameron's original cut! —Gurney

The Abyss made me want to live in liquid oxygen. —cuatrok

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