Best Movies of the 1980’s

This weekend, Steven Spielberg’s latest film, Ready Player One, is released.  The movie is based on a book of the same name about a futuristic world where a person can enter what is called Oasis, a place where anyone can be anything they want to be and do what they want to do.  The movie is filled with pop culture references and characters, like the Iron Giant, the Dolorean, King Kong, Chucky from Child’s Play, and numerous video game characters.  The pop culture references are heavily influences by the 1980’s and the movie itself feels like a movie that Steven Spielberg would have made in the 80’s.  So in honor of Spielberg and the 80’s, I am going to countdown my picks for the ten best movies of the 1980’s.  The 80’s were a wild, experimental time for cinema, with a number of great directors expanding their horizons and new genres and special effects coming in to play.  Here are my picks for the best movies of the 1980’s.

For this list, I am going to rank a top ten, as opposed to the usual top five.  Obviously I couldn’t get every film on the list, so don’t kill me for missing some.

10 – BLUE VELVET (David Lynch, 1986)

Blue Velvet is the movie that showed who David Lynch was a director.  Showing us a dark, twisted side if suburban America we had never seen before, Lynch throws us into this surreal, sexual, violent underbelly that lurks beneath all of our perfect little neighborhoods.  Masterfully crafted and featuring a haunting performance from Denis Hopper, Blue Velvet is a hypnotic nightmare you can’t shake.

9 – FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (John Hughes, 1986)

John Hughes reinvented the high school comedy in the 80’s and for me, his crowning achievement was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  This beautiful love letter to life, love, friendship, and the city of Chicago is sweet and funny look and three friends on a day off.  Matthew Broderick gives an iconic performance as our titular Ferris and we get great supporting turns from the entire cast.  This is as enjoyable as movies get.

8 – WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? (Robert Zemeckis, 1988)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was a film years ahead of it’s time.  A live-action film noir mixed with animation in a way that had never been done before.  And it wasn’t just any animation either, it was iconic characters like Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, and Dumbo mingling together while trying to solve a murder.  Bob Hoskins gives an off-the-wall performance, masterfully meshing his acting talents with animated characters and real people.  The fact that this movie exists and is as good as it is blows my mind.

7 – BEVERLY HILLS COP (Martin Brest, 1984)

Eddie Murphy was the King of comedy in the 80’s.  Of all the great comedies he made during the decade, Beverly Hills Cop is one that truly highlights Murphy’s talent.  Axl Foley is the definition of smooth, as a tough Detroit detective who travels to Los Angeles to solve the murder of his friend.  The murder mystery is great, but it is Murphy who owns this movie.  He is at the top of his game her, with a charisma, comedic timing, and physicality that are unmatched by anyone.  This is what made Murphy a comedic legend in the 80’s.

6 – E.T. (Steven Spielberg, 1981)

Like Murphy was the King of comedy, you could argue Spielberg was King of the 80’s in general.  With so many legendary and iconic movies and characters in the 80’s, I could have chosen a number of Spielberg’s films.  But I went with E.T. as I think it is one of Spielberg’s most impressive achievements.  The emotion and wonder that Spielberg creates in this movie, with practical effects, a rubber alien, and a group of child actors, is something no other director could do.  And let’s give a big assist to John Williams’s score, which is one of the greatest in all of cinema.  E.T. is why we go to the movies.

5 – BACK TO THE FUTURE (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)

With Back to the Future, much like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Robert Zemeckis meshed so many genres and tropes together into one beautiful film.  This is one of those rare movies that is literally impossible to replicate.  No movie will ever get time travel as correct as this movie did.  Nobody could ever play Doc Brown the way Christopher Lloyd did.  Nobody could EVER be Marty McFly.  The movie is made impeccably, with iconic score, beautiful visuals, and one of the greatest screenplays of ever written. Back to the Future is as good as movies get.

4 – STAR WARS: EPISODE V – THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kershner, 1980)

The first Star Wars (1977) is a masterful piece of cinema that changed the game forever.  How could any of the sequels possibly top it?  How about by giving us a moodier tone, more action, and one of the greatest twists in cinematic history.  The Empire Strikes Back takes everything that was great about A New Hope and elevates it to new levels, raising the stakes and pushing Luke and the gang to their limits.  The fact that the movie ends on such a dark note only adds to it’s greatness.  This is, without question, one of cinema’s greatest sequels.

3 – RAGING BULL (Martin Scorsese, 1980)

Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull is an astonishing achievement.  This is one of those movies where you can see that every inch, every movement of the film is all from the mind of Scorsese.  From the stunning black and white cinematography, to the layered sound design, to the rapid editing, Scorsese gives us a story about a flawed, violent man like no other director could.  And let’s not forget Robert De Niro’s landmark performance as Jake LaMotta.  De Niro disappears in the movie, descending into LaMotta’s madness.  In my opinion, De Niro’s performance is the greatest I have ever seen on film and Raging Bull is one of the best movies ever made.

2 – DIE HARD (John McTiernan, 1988)

Die Hard above some of these classics?  You’re damn right.  Die Hard is a perfect movie from start to finish.  From the introduction to our everyday-hero, John McClane (a never better Bruce Willis), to a game-changing villain (Alan Rickman, robbed of an Oscar nomination), to the great supporting ensemble, to the explosive action, to the buddy-cop movie that forms through two people who never see each other, everything is perfect.  No scene is wasted and everything moves the movie forward and develops the characters better.  For my money, it is the most rewatchable movie ever.  No matter what part it is on, I can start it and keep going.  This movie never gets old and I gain something new from it every time.  Die Hard is the greatest action movie ever made and a movie I have an undying love for.

1 – DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee, 1989)

Spike Lee may be going through a rough batch as of late, but back in 1989, he created an unforgettable cinematic masterpiece.  Do the Right Thing looks a racial tension in Brooklyn on a hot summer day, but the movie is far deeper than just that.  Lee shows how all races are affected by one another and doesn’t make anyone a bad guy, but doesn’t make anyone a good guy either.  Technically, the movie is jaw-dropping, with Lee using some avant garde filmmaking and vibrant coloring to convey his messages.  And the way he uses his camera to distort perception and point of view is one of a true master.  What makes Do the Right Thing even better is how relevant it is today.  The racial tensions, police brutality, and the way everyone is on edge was all conveyed in a movie that came out almost 30 years ago.  The sheer power and emotion of this movie are something that doesn’t go away.  This is an American masterpiece and the best movie of the 1980’s.

What do you think are the movies of the 1980’s?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.