<P> Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 became one of the most successful films of the 1980s . An influential film release was Scanners (1981), a film that would be imitated several times over the next two decades . </P> <P> From 1980, the distinction between science fiction, fantasy, and superhero films blurred, thanks in large part to the influence of Star Wars 1977 . From 1980 on, every year saw at least one major science fiction or fantasy film, which critics disparaged and were ignored on Oscar night, except in the technical categories . Disney's 1982 film Tron had a unique visual style, being one of the first major studio films to use extensive computer graphics . </P> <P> The 1980s and later saw the growth of animation as a medium for science fiction films . This was particularly successful in Japan where the anime industry produced Akira (1988) and Ghost in the Shell (1995). Serious animation has not yet proven commercially successful in the United States and Western - made animated science fiction films such as Light Years (1988), The Iron Giant (1999) and Titan A.E. (2000) did not draw a significant viewing audience . However, anime has gradually gained a cult following and, from the mid-1990s, its popularity has been steadily expanding worldwide . </P> <P> The emergence of the world wide web and the cyberpunk genre during the 1990s spawned several Internet - themed films . Both The Lawnmower Man (1992) and Virtuosity (1995) dealt with threats to the network from a human - computer interface . Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Total Recall (1990) had the memories of their main actors modified by a similar interface, and The Matrix (1999) created a machine - run virtual prison for humanity . The internet also provided a ready medium for film fandom, who could more directly support (or criticize) such media franchise film series as Star Trek and Star Wars . </P>

What are the main origins of the science fiction film