Best Sneakers Inspired by Science-Fiction Cinema
Break out your space suits, flux capacitors, lightsabers, and ‘get to the choppa!’, because today we’re taking a look at all of the best sneakers inspired by science-fiction cinema. One of the most creative, fun, thought-provoking, and sometimes scary genres of film, sci-fi has given the world all-time classic, pop-culture shifting movie franchises like Star Wars, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park. The sci-fi genre in turn has also hatched some pretty epic sneakers inspired by its films and was even the catalyst for Nike’s self-lacing Adapt technology in the case of Back to the Future Part II, and the . With the new Alien: Romulus film in theatres, and its accompanying release, we decided it was a perfect time to take a look at these sneakers that expand our horizons of science, space, time and what the human race is capable of. OK, maybe it’s not all that dramatic, but this is still some blockbuster footwear.
Reebok Alien Stomper
What sneakers work best for killing angry, giant, acid-blooded aliens? If you know your sci-fi movie trivia, you know the answer is . In 1986, Reebok teamed up with director James Cameron and 20th Century Fox (or probably more specifically, costume designer Emma Porteous) for the shoe in the film Aliens, the sequel to the sci-fi horror masterpiece Alien from 1979. The main character of the first film, Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, was back saving the day again in Aliens, but this time, she had some fancy footwear. The sky-high sneaker, which overall gives off a basketball-meets-industrial-space-travel vibe, was imagined by Reebok designer Taun Le, who was tasked with creating a laceless sneaker for the film so that it could slip off of Weaver’s foot during the climactic scene. Fans of the Alien franchise were never able to get their hands on a pair of the Alien Stompers until Reebok finally released them in 2016 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Aliens. Pairs were limited to only 500, and today, they fetch a pretty penny on the resale market, as many sneaker and sci-fi nerds (we say that endearingly!) alike are still trying to get their hands on a pair.
Reebok dropped the Alien Stomper again in 2017 as the in two special colourways referencing the climactic scene of Aliens, and again in 2019 for the 40th anniversary of the first Alien film, and, in 2020, in a inspired by the ‘United States Colonial Marines' characters in Aliens. But these were all in a trimmed down version of the original silhouette, without the extra high top, making the original 2016 release the true alien-annihilating sneaker grail.
Reebok BB 4000 II ‘Alien: Romulus’
In the new Alien film for 2024, Alien: Romulus, a different version of the Alien Stomper is seen on the main character Rain’s feet. The sneaker, which is modelled after the BB 4000 II basketball shoe in real life, was actually an earlier model then the Alien Stomper in the Alien canon’s chronology, as the events of the interquel Romulus take place in the year 2142 before Aliens in 2179. Getting back to 2024, the xenomorph-fighting sneaker features a look quite similar to the OG Alien Stomper right down to the white, grey, and red colourway, just without the calf-length height, and traditional shoe laces below the double strap at the collar. It also features a pre-dirtied sheen implying that you’ve already been doing some intergalactic alien battling of your own. Luckily, Alien and sneaker fans didn’t have to wait 30 years after the release of its respective movie for Reebok to drop the Romulus sneaker, as it released on August 27, 2024, just 11 days after Alien: Romulus hit theatres.
Nike Mag
The most famous sneaker designed specifically for a sci-fi movie is no doubt the Nike Mag. Like the Alien Stomper, the Mag was also once only fiction, and years later, became a reality when its respective brand decided to give it a retail release. The story of the begins in the development for Back to the Future Part II, when Universal Pictures teamed with Nike and famed shoe designer Tinker Hatfield to create a futuristic shoe for Marty McFly to wear in the film’s scenes set in the year 2015. The end result was the Mag, a fictional high-top sneaker featuring power laces, which automatically adjusted to the wearer’s foot. Sneaker and movie fans clamoured for an actual release of the Mag, until it finally became a reality in 2011, when Nike released 1500 pairs on eBay with proceeds benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease Research. People went crazy for them, and the pairs raised nearly $10 million at auction. But there was one caveat, the 2011 Mag didn’t have power laces: in the film it was special effects. It wasn’t until 2016 that Nike actually made self-lacing technology a reality, and 89 pairs of the Mag with power laces were released via an online drawing, which raised another $6.7 million for Fox’s foundation.
Extra Butter x 20th Century Fox Reebok DMX Run 10 ‘The Predator’
Besides being an all-around badass movie, the classic alien-hunting-humans-in-a-jungle sci-fi film Predator from 1987 gave us more than the handshake meme, it also spawned a series of sequels, including the 2018 film The Predator, which this special edition of the in collaboration with Extra Butter celebrates. The NYC boutique known for their many film-inspired sneaker colabs gave this DMX Run 10 a unique camouflage-like upper graphic inspired by the Predator’s invisibility technology and the film’s jungle setting. The late 90s runner is actually packed with Predator details, including insoles depicting a pile of human skulls on the left and bloody Predator and Reebok logos on the right; red-digital text, which reads ‘over here’ and ‘turn around’ in the Predator’s language on the inner tongues; military coordinates written on the lateral heels; and a skull-and-spine keychain hanging from every pair, referencing the alien’s hunting trophies on earth.
Nike SB Dunk Low ‘Jedi’
One of the most classic from the silver box era is the ‘Jedi’ Dunk Low from 2004. While there is no official affiliation with the franchise, this Dunk is modelled after the wise and powerful Yoda. The colourway features a tan nubuck base and brown accents inspired by the Jedi Master’s tattered clothing and green-leather panels representing his skin. The neon-green contrast stitching, which is really what makes this Dunk so unique and memorable, is said to represent the green lightsaber that Yoda wields in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. There are two other Star Wars inspired SB Dunk releases, the Dunk High ‘Boba Fett’ from 2008 and Dunk High ‘Tauntaun’ from 2011, but the force is definitely strongest with the ‘Jedi’ Dunk Low.
Star Wars x Crocs Classic Clog ‘Grogu’
The Disney+ television series The Mandalorian may not be an official movie in the Star Wars franchise, but it has given us one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars universe, Grogu. Also known colloquially and affectionately as ‘Baby Yoda’ (he is a toddler-age member of the same species as Yoda), Grogu quickly became a pop culture icon thanks to his big-eyed cuteness. So of course, he got his own . This special-edition Classic Clog features Grogu peeking out over the toe area where you can equip each foot with a collection of Grogu-themed Jibbitz, including Din Djarin’s mask, a butterfly from the episode ‘The Tragedy’, and Baby Yoda’s favourite snack, a blue macaron. And if those Jibbitz aren’t enough to satisfy your need to rep Grogu to the fullest, Crocs also sell additional The Mandalorian-themed charms separately.
Star Wars x adidas AlphaEdge 4D ‘Death Star’
The Star Wars franchise and have collaborated multiple times throughout the years with some great releases like the scene-specific Samba ‘Sarlacc Pit’ modelled after Boba Fett falling into the giant desert creature in Return of the Jedi. But for the very best Star Wars x adidas sneaker, we’re giving the nod to this AlphaEdge 4D inspired by the ‘Death Star’. Released in 2019, the menacing colourway features a predominantly black upper – as any shoe inspired by the giant space station and planet-obliterating superweapon energised by Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire should be – with tonal ‘Death Star’ graphics found on the plastic-lace eyelet panels, heel counter, and the left tongue, with ‘The Power of the Darkside’ and ‘That’s No Moon’ text on the back of the opposite heels.
Jurassic Park x Reebok Instapump Fury ‘Tour Vehicles’
One of the biggest blockbuster movies of the 90s meets one of the most avant-garde sneakers of the same decade: the Jurassic Park x Reebok from 2021. Steven Smith’s iconic laceless running shoe from 1994 is given a makeover inspired by the awesome, totally 90s paint job on the SUVs, seen during the tour around the island in the film, which has a green-to-yellow gradient from the upper to midsole with red stripes throughout. Jurassic Park logos are perfectly placed on each shoe’s Pump button, and the shank plate at the midpoint of the outsole includes a graphic made to look like a dinosaur has torn through it just like the vehicle in one of the film’s most suspenseful scenes. Fortunately, you won’t be getting hunted down by any hungry T-Rexes while wearing a pair of these.