The 10 Movies That Define The '80s
Thanks to shows like Stranger Things, nostalgia for the ‘80s has never been greater. The decade is defined by interesting hair and clothing choices, a love of synth music, and neon lights… everywhere.
At least, that is what Stranger Things has the audience believing. The truth, however, is that the ‘80s was a much more varied time, especially when it comes to the movies.
Whereas these days only one or two genres perform well at the box office, back in the ‘80s it was more of a free for all. There was so much diversity on screen, in fact, that it is hard to say what movies are quintessentially ‘80s. Still, here are some films that we think do the best job at representing those epic ten years of film.
Kids movies in the ‘80s just hit differently to those released today. Back in the ‘80s, children's movies often came with a side order of emotional trauma and none are more devastating than The NeverEnding Story. Don’t let the catchy and upbeat title track by Limahl fool you, The NeverEnding Story is a very serious affair.
Bullied boy Bastian takes refuge in an old book store where he stumbles across a magical, never-ending storybook about the realm of Fantasia. Filled with glorious puppetry, The NeverEnding Story is a brilliant technical achievement, but those that saw the film young are still scarred by the events in the Swamps of Sadness featuring Atreyu and his beloved horse Artax.
After the phenomenal release of Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977, a sequel was quickly rushed into production. The resulting film, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, continued the quest of young Jedi Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, as they battled against the evil Imperial Empire.
Beloved by fans of the original, this sequel's popularity helped solidify Star Wars as the institution that it is today. Featuring one of the greatest (and most spoiled) twists in cinematic history, The Empire Strikes Back became one of the most talked about movies of the decade.
Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the highest-grossing movie of the ‘80s. The family film beat out two Star Wars movies to claim the top spot, proving you don’t need space opera-scale effects and action to rake in the money.
The story in E.T. is simple: young boy Elliott discovers an extraterrestrial being that has become separated from its family. As human and alien bond, E.T. must get back home before the government acquires him for experimentation. Featuring some of the most iconic scenes in cinema, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, like so many of Spielberg’s other movies, has never gone out of style.
John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club is a classic example of the quintessential teen film. Set during Saturday detention, the film follows a group of high-school students as they try to make it through their day of punishment. Featuring a representative of all the typical high-school trope groups – the jock, the brain, the rebel, the princess, and the basket case – the film demonstrated that, despite their outward differences, on the inside, each of the teens were going through similar experiences.
Also featuring an exceptional ‘80s soundtrack, The Breakfast Club is one of the best teen movies ever made, and although it was born in the ‘80s, it touches upon some universal themes that are still present today. This evergreen aspect has seen the film’s plot recycled time and time again, most notably during Season 2 of Dawson’s Creek.
Although James Cameron now holds the accolade of having created three out of the top five highest-grossing movies ever made, back in the early ‘80s he was an under the radar filmmaker. Then, in 1984, he directed low budget sci-fi tech noir, The Terminator and immediately caught the attention of Hollywood.
The story sees waitress Sarah Connor hunted by a killing machine from the future that is intent on wiping her out before she can birth the saviour of humanity. A wonderfully low-fi slice of science fiction, The Terminator made a star out of its villain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and birthed the catchphrase, “I’ll be back”.
While The Terminator featured time-travel, it was very much a background feature of the story. In contrast, Back to the Future placed the concept front and centre as it told of Marty McFly and Doc Brown’s calamitous journey back in time to 1955 in a supped-up DeLorean.
Despite being predominantly set in the past, Back to the Future is unashamedly ‘80s in its styling and pop culture references, with Michael J. Fox perfectly cast as charismatic hero Marty. Countless films and TV shows have tried to copy the formula established by Robert Zemeckis with this one, but few, if any, can come close to the magic of this ‘80s staple.
Due to the arrival of the VHS tape, ‘80s cinema was under the thrall of the horror genre. It was during the ‘80s that the whole Video Nasties incident occurred, for which a tonne of horror movies were banned due to their extreme content. However, although some movies were placed under a ban, some still made it to cinemas and were an instant hit.
Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street gave audiences a reason to fear sleeping thanks to the introduction of dreamland serial killer, Freddy Krueger, who hunted down the teens of Elm Street. The film birthed an icon of the ‘80s and beyond, and although Freddy became more of a fun villain as his chain of sequels progressed, during Craven’s original, the knife-glove-clad killer is utterly terrifying and certainly made some viewers fearful of a good night’s rest.
Movies of the ‘80s were synonymous with music. Almost every big release of the decade had at least one song that charted and became intrinsically linked to that film, and Dirty Dancing is one such movie. Although not set in the ‘80s, but rather the summer of ‘63, Dirty Dancing goes hand in hand with the ‘80s. This is primarily due to the inclusion of the killer song, and now wedding party staple, ‘(I’ve Had) the Time of my Life’.
The film tells of a plain teen, Baby, who comes to life when she begins dancing lessons during her summer vacation. There, she meets and falls for her instructor, Johnny. A romance movie that many have since tried to replicate, Dirty Dancing remains one of a kind thanks in no small part to the charm of the late Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle.
A common theme in ‘80s cinema was the power of friendship, especially that of children, and it is best exemplified in The Goonies. Directed by Richard Donner, The Goonies follows a rag-tag group of friends as they find themselves pitted against a gang of criminals in the search for One-Eyed Willy’s pirate treasure.
Along the way, the friends navigate the pressures of growing up, first kisses, and the realisation of how powerful the bond of friendship can be. The core friends were a clear influence on Stranger Things and with the movie still as popular today, their mantra that “Goonies never say die!” appears to be very true indeed.
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark introduced the world to archaeologist Indiana Jones. Since this first outing, Jones has gone on to star in a further four films, though purists only recognise the trilogy that was released during the ‘80s. While any of the first three films could have been selected as helping to define the ‘80s, it feels right to start with this first outing.
Yet another example of an ‘80s classic not set in the decade, Raiders of the Lost Ark instead occurs in 1936. Here, Jones finds himself in a race against Nazi’s to secure the legendary Ark of the Covenant. Featuring stunning set pieces and a very simple yet instantly recognisable costume, Raiders of the Lost Ark rightly kick-started an action-adventure franchise that had viewers engrossed. Alongside the likes of John McClane, Jones was one of the big action heroes of the decade and had a generation of young boys hoping to be as cool as him when they grew up.
