’80s Movies: The Ultimate 18 Films of the Decade

I remember when I rented The Goonies on VHS for the fifth weekend in a row. My mom finally snapped, “If I hear ‘Hey, you guys!’ one more time, I am throwing this tape out the window!” Yeah, the ’80s were a golden age of movies that practically moved in, ate all our snacks, and became part of the family. From quotable one-liners (“I’ll be back!”) to questionable fashion choices (leg warmers at the dance battle in Flashdance), these films define a decade. They were the decade. Fun fact: Back to the Future was almost called Spaceman from Pluto until Steven Spielberg stepped in. So, grab your popcorn (or a handful of Pop Rocks, if you are feeling nostalgic) and prepare to revisit these 18 era-defining ’80s movies that still hold up today, no matter how much your mom hated rewinding them.18 Most Iconic Movies of the ’80s1. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Director: Steven Spielberg Spielberg's heartwarming tale about a stranded alien befriending a lonely boy transcended sci-fi to become cultural shorthand for childhood wonder. With its iconic "phone home" moment and soaring bicycle silhouette against the moon, E.T. made audiences worldwide collectively sob into their Reese's Pieces (sales of which skyrocketed 65% after the film). No other movie has made an ugly wrinkly alien seem so huggable. 2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Director: Irvin Kershner This was one of the rare middle chapters that proves sequels can outshine originals. Kershner’s masterpiece gave us the greatest plot twist in cinema (“I am your father”), introduced Yoda’s syntax-mangling wisdom, and turned a space opera into a Shakespearean family drama. Fun fact: Harrison Ford improvised his iconic “I know” response to Leia’s declaration of love. Sometimes an actor’s instincts get the better of a script. 3. Back to the Future (1985) Director: Robert Zemeckis A teenager accidentally travels to 1955 in Zemeckis’ perfect time-travel comedy, which somehow made DeLoreans cool and incest jokes family-friendly. The film’s pitch-perfect blend of sci-fi, comedy, and heart created a blueprint for a blockbuster that’s been copied but never matched. Originally, Spielberg wanted a refrigerator as the time machine—thank goodness they went with something that didn’t encourage kids to climb into appliances. 4. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Director: Steven Spielberg Spielberg’s whip-cracking archeology professor defined the action-adventure genre with a perfect blend of pulp action and Nazi face-melting. Harrison Ford’s reluctant hero (who fears snakes) created a template for every adventure protagonist since, while John Williams’ iconic theme still makes ordinary people feel heroic just walking to the bathroom. The famous gun vs. sword scene was improvised because Ford was ill and couldn’t film the planned fight. 5. The Terminator (1984) Director: James Cameron Cameron's low-budget sci-fi nightmare about a killer cyborg from the future turned Arnold Schwarzenegger's wooden acting into an asset and his accent into an asset worth millions. "I'll be back" entered people’s phrase-book, and this tech-noir predicted our AI-related anxieties decades before we started worrying about ChatGPT. The studio initially wanted O.J. Simpson for the Terminator role, but Cameron rejected the idea (via Variety). Talk about dodging a PR bullet! 6. Die Hard (1988) Director: John McTiernan McTiernan's "regular guy in the wrong place" thriller single-handedly created the action prototype for the next three decades. Bruce Willis' barefoot, sweaty, wisecracking John McClane made vulnerable heroes cool, while Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber highlighted the fact that villains look edgier if they have impeccable taste. Fun fact: This Christmas movie (yes, it is a Christmas movie) was actually the adaptation of a sequel novel to a different film, showing that sometimes the best ideas come from weird places—yippee ki-yay! 7. Batman (1989) Director: Tim Burton Burton's gothic take on the Caped Crusader rescued Batman from campy ’60s TV memories and demonstrated that superhero films could be stylish, mature, and commercially viable. Michael Keaton's controversial casting sparked pre-Internet outrage. His intense performance silenced critics, while Jack Nicholson's Joker laughed all the way to the bank with a profit-sharing deal that reportedly earned him over $100 million. 8. Top Gun (1986) Director: Tony Scott Tony Scott's military recruitment video disguised as a movie made aviator sunglasses essential, volleyball homoerotic, and the Navy cool. Beyond its quotable lines and Kenny Loggins soundtrack, this Reagan-era power fantasy about buff pilots sold a dream of American exceptionalism through aerial dogfights and beach volleyball. The film was such effective propaganda that Navy recruitment booths were set up in theater lobbies! 9. Blade Runner (1982) Director: Ridley Scott Ridley Scott's future-noir about h

May 22, 2025 - 12:55

’80s Movies: The Ultimate 18 Films of the Decade

I remember when I rented The Goonies on VHS for the fifth weekend in a row. My mom finally snapped, “If I hear ‘Hey, you guys!’ one more time, I am throwing this tape out the window!”

Yeah, the ’80s were a golden age of movies that practically moved in, ate all our snacks, and became part of the family. From quotable one-liners (“I’ll be back!”) to questionable fashion choices (leg warmers at the dance battle in Flashdance), these films define a decade. They were the decade.

Fun fact: Back to the Future was almost called Spaceman from Pluto until Steven Spielberg stepped in.

So, grab your popcorn (or a handful of Pop Rocks, if you are feeling nostalgic) and prepare to revisit these 18 era-defining ’80s movies that still hold up today, no matter how much your mom hated rewinding them.

18 Most Iconic Movies of the ’80s

1. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Spielberg's heartwarming tale about a stranded alien befriending a lonely boy transcended sci-fi to become cultural shorthand for childhood wonder. With its iconic "phone home" moment and soaring bicycle silhouette against the moon, E.T. made audiences worldwide collectively sob into their Reese's Pieces (sales of which skyrocketed 65% after the film).

No other movie has made an ugly wrinkly alien seem so huggable.

2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Director: Irvin Kershner

This was one of the rare middle chapters that proves sequels can outshine originals. Kershner’s masterpiece gave us the greatest plot twist in cinema (“I am your father”), introduced Yoda’s syntax-mangling wisdom, and turned a space opera into a Shakespearean family drama.

Fun fact: Harrison Ford improvised his iconic “I know” response to Leia’s declaration of love. Sometimes an actor’s instincts get the better of a script.

3. Back to the Future (1985)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

A teenager accidentally travels to 1955 in Zemeckis’ perfect time-travel comedy, which somehow made DeLoreans cool and incest jokes family-friendly. The film’s pitch-perfect blend of sci-fi, comedy, and heart created a blueprint for a blockbuster that’s been copied but never matched.

Originally, Spielberg wanted a refrigerator as the time machine—thank goodness they went with something that didn’t encourage kids to climb into appliances.

4. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Spielberg’s whip-cracking archeology professor defined the action-adventure genre with a perfect blend of pulp action and Nazi face-melting. Harrison Ford’s reluctant hero (who fears snakes) created a template for every adventure protagonist since, while John Williams’ iconic theme still makes ordinary people feel heroic just walking to the bathroom.

The famous gun vs. sword scene was improvised because Ford was ill and couldn’t film the planned fight.

5. The Terminator (1984)

Director: James Cameron

Cameron's low-budget sci-fi nightmare about a killer cyborg from the future turned Arnold Schwarzenegger's wooden acting into an asset and his accent into an asset worth millions. "I'll be back" entered people’s phrase-book, and this tech-noir predicted our AI-related anxieties decades before we started worrying about ChatGPT.

The studio initially wanted O.J. Simpson for the Terminator role, but Cameron rejected the idea (via Variety). Talk about dodging a PR bullet!

6. Die Hard (1988)

Director: John McTiernan

McTiernan's "regular guy in the wrong place" thriller single-handedly created the action prototype for the next three decades. Bruce Willis' barefoot, sweaty, wisecracking John McClane made vulnerable heroes cool, while Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber highlighted the fact that villains look edgier if they have impeccable taste.

Fun fact: This Christmas movie (yes, it is a Christmas movie) was actually the adaptation of a sequel novel to a different film, showing that sometimes the best ideas come from weird places—yippee ki-yay!

7. Batman (1989)

Director: Tim Burton

Burton's gothic take on the Caped Crusader rescued Batman from campy ’60s TV memories and demonstrated that superhero films could be stylish, mature, and commercially viable.

Michael Keaton's controversial casting sparked pre-Internet outrage. His intense performance silenced critics, while Jack Nicholson's Joker laughed all the way to the bank with a profit-sharing deal that reportedly earned him over $100 million.

8. Top Gun (1986)

Director: Tony Scott

Tony Scott's military recruitment video disguised as a movie made aviator sunglasses essential, volleyball homoerotic, and the Navy cool.

Beyond its quotable lines and Kenny Loggins soundtrack, this Reagan-era power fantasy about buff pilots sold a dream of American exceptionalism through aerial dogfights and beach volleyball. The film was such effective propaganda that Navy recruitment booths were set up in theater lobbies!

9. Blade Runner (1982)

Director: Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott's future-noir about hunting replicants initially bombed but gradually gained recognition as one of the most influential sci-fi films ever made. Its rain-slicked cyberpunk aesthetic has been copied endlessly, while its philosophical questions about what makes us human have only grown more relevant.

Despite seven different versions of the film, fans still debate whether Deckard is a replicant.

10. The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Kubrick’s meticulous adaptation of King’s timeless novel reimagined horror as high art, with its symmetrical framing and Steadicam hallway shots, and Jack Nicholson’s unhinged performance became a pop culture touchstone.

Stephen King famously hated it, saying later he preferred the TV movie version. Shelley Duvall endured 127 takes of the baseball bat scene.

11. Raging Bull (1980)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Scorsese’s brutal black-and-white boxing biopic showcased De Niro’s monastic dedication to craft while elevating sports movies to high art. Beyond its stunning flight sequences, this unflinching portrait of toxic masculinity represents cinema at its most muscular and poetic.

The film lost Best Picture to Ordinary People, launching the 26-year-long unfairly extended waiting period for Scorsese’s Oscar win.

12. The Thing (1982)

Director: John Carpenter

Carpenter's paranoid masterpiece about researchers battling a shape-shifting alien initially flopped but made its way into horror history through realistic effects that still outclass CGI.

The film's bleak ending, practical gore effects, and themes of distrust make it the perfect Cold War allegory. Released the same week as the friendlier E.T., audiences chose the cuddly alien more instinctively over one that replaces your insides. Can’t blame them.

13. Aliens (1986)

Director: James Cameron

Cameron's "Vietnam in Space" brilliantly shifted Ridley Scott's haunted space horror into action territory, giving Sigourney Weaver's Ripley one of cinema's most badass feminist moments ("Get away from her, you bitch").

By introducing space marines, power loaders, and Xenomorph queens, the film created the model for military sci-fi while proving sequels can take brave new directions. Fun fact: The actors playing marines were made to train together, except for Paul Reiser, deliberately isolating him, keeping in line with his untrustworthy character.

14. Ghostbusters (1984)

Director: Ivan Reitman

Reitman's supernatural comedy blended high-concept sci-fi with Bill Murray's deadpan delivery and created an endlessly quotable cultural phenomenon that had everyone asking, "Who ya gonna call?"

The film's perfect balance of genuine scares, scientific mumbo-jumbo, and improv comedy created a template for blockbuster laughs that countless films have failed to replicate.

15. Scarface (1983)

Director: Brian De Palma

De Palma’s cocaine-fueled gangster epic about a Cuban immigrant’s rise and fall became an audience favorite despite the initial critical scorn. Al Pacino’s over-the-top performance and quotable lines (“Say hello to my little friend”) made Tony Montana the poster child for excess and ambition while influencing everything from rapper personas to video games.

The film contains 207 F-bombs in 170 minutes.

16. Do The Right Thing (1989)

Director: Spike LeeSpike Lee seriously brought cinema to the next level with Do the Right Thing.

Taking place over a single, sweltering day in Brooklyn, the film explores race and social tensions in America during the 80s, from systemic inequalities to police brutality — topics that weren't often highlighted by other filmmakers, and definitely not with the boldness and artistry of Lee.

Do the Right Thing opened up many conversations that needed to be had in the U.S., all while showcasing a brilliant cast, a phenomenal script, and a vibrant cinematic style.

17. RoboCop (1987)

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Verhoeven's ultra-violent satire about a cop turned cyborg silently but brilliantly critiqued Reagan-era capitalism and media. Behind its quotable one-liners and excessive gore lies a surprisingly poignant tale about identity and humanity that predicted corporate control and privatized policing.

The film's fake commercials were so pitch-perfect that test audiences thought they were watching actual ads. I’d buy that for a dollar!

18. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Director: Rob Reiner

Reiner's romantic comedy asking if men and women can be friends revolutionized the genre with Nora Ephron's sparkling dialogue and that deli scene. Beyond its quotable lines and autumn-in-New-York aesthetic, the film created the foundation for modern rom-coms while actually having something insightful to say about friendship and love.

During the infamous orgasm scene at Katz’s Deli, Reiner’s mother was on set. According to People, Billy Crystal suggested the line, “I’ll have what she’s having,” which Estelle Reiner delivered.

Conclusion

The ’80s gave us some of the most unforgettable movies of all time. These entertained and shaped pop culture, influenced future filmmakers, and left us with iconic quotes, characters, and soundtracks that still resonate today.

These films continue to inspire, thrill, and make us nostalgic for an era of bold storytelling and practical effects magic. Which is your favorite?