In the realm of sci-fi films, there are movies that were made before Blade Runner and movies that were made after it. Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick‘s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was so influential that almost everything that came after Blade Runner was inspired by it in some way. This was especially apparent in the ’80s, although the Blade Runner imitators couldn’t match the artistry on display in Scott’s film.
Regardless, there are a handful of contemporary ’80s sci-fi movies that carried on the themes, the tone, and even some of the big ideas behind Blade Runner. Unfortunately, they aren’t readily available on streaming services, and they’ve been largely forgotten for the past four decades. That’s why we’re focusing on three great 1980s sci-fi movies that carried the spirit of Blade Runner. And you won’t even have to hunt them down in a dusky old video store to find them.
Runaway (1984)
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who remembers Runaway who didn’t live through the ’80s. This movie wears its Blade Runner influence on its sleeve, although it’s nowhere near as good as that film despite being directed and written by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton. Although Magnum P.I. made Tom Selleck a TV star, he always seems to come across as a bargain basement Harrison Ford in his ’80s movies.
Much like Blade Runner‘s lead character, Selleck’s Sergeant Jack R. Ramsay is assigned to track down and neutralize rogue robots. Of course, no one would confuse the crude robots that Ramsay deals with for Blade Runner‘s replicants. That’s why everyone is shocked when a mad scientist, Charles Luther, finds a way to turn ordinary robots into killer machines. It should also be mentioned that Luther is played by KISS frontman Gene Simmons, which only adds to this movie’s bizarre mystique. The best thing about this film is an early performance by the late Kirstie Alley as Jackie Rogers, a former lover of Luther’s whose life is in jeopardy after she double-crosses him.
Rent or buy Runaway on Prime Video or other digital outlets.
The Hidden (1987)
Unlike Blade Runner or Runaway, The Hidden takes place firmly in the present as Tom Beck (Michael Nouri) and the LAPD encounter a criminal they simply can’t deal with: an alien thrill killer who can transfer itself from body to body. That’s where Lloyd Gallagher comes in, as played by future Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan. The real Gallagher is dead, and his identity has been assumed by a heroic alien who wants to stop the rampage.
The enemy alien possesses several bodies throughout the film, including a stripper named Brenda (Babylon 5‘s Claudia Christian). But what makes this movie work is the uneasy bond between Gallagher and Beck and the escalating chaos that the alien leaves in its wake.
Rent or buy The Hidden on Prime Video and other digital outlets.
Alien Nation (1988)
Decades before District 9 (which still needs a proper sequel), Alien Nation pulled off an even more ambitious story in the aftermath of the arrival of alien refugees called Newcomers, who quickly find a place in modern society. James Caan plays Matthew Sykes, a human cop partnered with Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin), one of the first Newcomers in the LAPD.
Sam is very earnest about making a new life for himself and his family, and he even overcomes Matthew’s initial hostility by befriending him. But just because there are plenty of good Newcomers doesn’t mean that they don’t have criminals as well. Case in point: the Newcomer businessman William Harcourt (Terence Stamp) has a plan to reintroduce a drug that can turn Newcomers into docile slaves. This not only horrifies and enrages Sam, but it also threatens to expose secrets that the Newcomers desperately want to hide from humans.
Rent or buy Alien Nation on Prime Video and other digital outlets.
