When was the last time you sat down with a classic ’80s flick and realized just how much it shaped the movies you love today? For some, it’s yesterday, and for others, it was years ago. Regardless, that decade wasn’t just about big hair and bigger soundtracks. It was a turning point for cinema as a whole. The ’80s gave us blockbusters that defined spectacle, comedies that still nail the awkward phase of growing up, and dramas that took storytelling into new directions.
Forty or so years later, these movies remain just as relevant. And the magic of revising classics from the 1980s now is seeing how they still pulse with energy. Spielberg’s sense of wonder, Hughes’s take on teenagehood, Cameron’s genre-bending precision – they turned into blueprints for everything that followed. In a world that rarely slows down, pressing play on these movies feels almost radical.
10
‘Do the Right Thing’ (1989)
On the hottest day of summer in Brooklyn, Mookie delivers pizzas for Sal’s Famous while the neighborhood hums with its usual rhythm of kids playing, elders watching, and music blasting. But beneath the chatter and laughter, there are resentments. As the day stretches on, small clashes spiral into a big confrontation that changes everything. With Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee doesn’t just tell a story, but also builds a world where every character feels essential to the mosaic.
It’s an unforgettable movie in its entirety. The soundtrack, anchored by Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” sets the tone, while Lee’s use of those saturated reds and yellows makes the heat almost tangible. As we grapple with ongoing racial injustice and civic unrest, Lee’s incendiary masterpiece serves as a reminder that the fight is far from over, and that art can be a powerful tool in sparking change.
9
‘Casualties of War’ (1989)
Speaking of fight, Brian De Palma’s Casualties of War is another classic from the ’80s you can’t forget to watch this year. Set during the Vietnam War, it follows Private Eriksson as he witnesses his squad, led by Sergeant Meserve, commit an unthinkable crime – the kidnapping and assault of a young Vietnamese woman.
Eriksson’s struggle in the movie is less about surviving combat and more about standing against his own brothers‑in‑arms. The movie’s impact comes from both its performances and its refusal to soften the horror. Michael J. Fox, cast against type, delivers quiet conviction, and Sean Penn is terrifying. Though it was a depressing watch and not a commercial success by any means, revisiting the movie makes you realize how rare it is for a war movie to focus on conscience.
8
‘Stand by Me’ (1986)
A quintessential coming-of-age that’s stood the test of time, Rob Reiner’s Stand by Me captures the universal experience of friendship, loss, and the bittersweet journey of growing up. It follows four boys, Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Vern (Jerry O’Connell), as they set out to find the body of a missing teenager.
Childhood doesn’t last forever, but it’s more apparent in Stephen King’s novella The Body. When translated to screen with such authenticity, and paired with Phoenix’s heartbreaking turn as Chris, you see hints of struggles that lie ahead and relate with them. The soundtrack, especially Ben E. King’s title song, is honestly so beautiful. It’s proof that the ’80s could deliver small stories that had a great impact.
7
‘Pretty in Pink’ (1986)
Andie (Molly Ringwald) is a working class teenager navigating love and social divides in Pretty in Pink. Written by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch, the movie places her between two worlds – the quirky loyalty of her best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) and the appeal of wealthy classmate Blane (Andrew McCarthy). It’s less about choosing a boy and more about choosing herself, and Ringwald bottles that vulnerability and defiance perfectly.
Pretty in Pink endures because it’s way sharper than its pastel exteriors. Duckie’s iconic dance to Otis Redding remains one of the most joyful scenes ever, while the soundtrack (hello, The Psychedelic Furs and New Order!) is pure ’80s. Hughes challenges expectations by capturing the anxieties of adolescence and self-expression, giving us characters that feel flawed but real.
6
‘Ladyhawke’ (1985)
Steering toward the fantasy genre, we have Ladyhawke, a movie so wonderfully strange. Richard Donner’s movie follows Navarre (Rutger Hauer) and Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer), cursed to be together but never at the same time because he’s a wolf by night, and she’s a hawk by day. Matthew Broderick plays the thief who stumbles into their story and gives the movie a playful edge.
It’s a medieval fairy tale, but one that leans into atmosphere and longing rather than sword-clashing. It feels unique compared to other ’80s fantasy movies. Donner’s choice to use Alan Parsons Project‑style synth rock on the soundtrack was divisive at the time, but today it feels charming. Ladyhawke didn’t dominate the box office, but it’s become a cult favorite precisely because it’s so unusual, melancholic, and magical at the same time.
Adventurous, sappy, and poignant, Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is another crown jewel of the 1980s. It tells the story of Elliott befriending a stranded alien and helping him return home while evading the pursuit of government agents. The suburban setting, the glowing fingertip, the bike ride across the moon, are moments etched into pop culture because they bind fantasy with genuine feeling and turn an alien invasion story into one about connection and empathy.
The movie, in all its sincerity, can inspire a sense of childlike wonder no matter how old you are. Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, and Robert MacNaughton deliver astonishingly natural performances. Paired with John Williams’s score, it has to become the highest‑grossing film of its time back in 1982. Overall, E.T. is a movie that makes you believe in magic, but more importantly, in kindness.
4
‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
Star Wars was the spark, but The Empire Strikes Back started the fire that proved the saga had a lot of staying power. Released in 1980, it deepened the mythology with Luke’s training under Yoda, Han and Leia’s evolving romance, and the shocking revelation of Darth Vader’s true identity. Irvin Kershner’s direction gave the sequel a darker, more mature tone for good.
The movie’s legacy is enormous, but what makes it worth watching this year is its remarkable depth and complexity, which sets it apart from the more straightforward heroics of the original. The Battle of Hoth, the Cloud City betrayal, and that iconic “I am your father” moment still remain some of the most unforgettable and innovative sequences.
3
‘Airplane!’ (1980)
Comedy in the ’80s did not get much sharper (or sillier) than Airplane!. Written and directed by Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers, it parodies disaster movies with a barrage of gags, sight jokes, and deadpan delivery. The plot is iconic: a former pilot is forced to land a plane after the crew falls ill. The catch is that he has a crippling fear of flying.
Robert Hays is incredible, but Leslie Nielsen, playing it straight as Dr. Rumack, steals scenes with lines that became instant classics. Nielsen’s career practically relaunched itself here and audiences flocked in. Airplane! is still both hilarious and relentless because the jokes simply don’t wait for you. They pile on. From visual absurdities to rewarding wordplay, the movie stays committed to delivering non-stop laughs, and watching it in 2026 makes you realize just how much modern comedy owes to its style and humor.
2
‘Excalibur’ (1981)
A sweeping, visually arresting adaptation of the Arthurian legend, John Boorman’s Excalibur does not play it safe while crafting its world of magic and chivalry. From Uther’s reckless passion to Arthur’s hesitant rise, it moves like a fever dream where knights gleam in armor and the land itself feels bewitched, while the story is always centered on Nigel Terry’s Arthur and his growth from uncertain boy to weary king.
Definitely not built to please everyone (hence, so underrated), Excalibur boasts a storytelling that is as primal as it is strange. The battles feel soaked in rain and blood, the landscapes glow with an eerie green, and Wagner’s operatic score turns every clash into ritual. Nicol Williamson’s unpredictable Merlin still feels like a performance from another dimension, and Helen Mirren’s Morgana is simply too mesmerizing.
1
‘Akira’ (1988)
Closing off the list with Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira feels fitting. His vision of Neo‑Tokyo in 2019 is a city alive with neon, rebellion, and decay. Kaneda leads a biker gang until his friend Tetsuo crashes, awakens terrifying psychic abilities, and becomes ground zero for a government program that’s been playing with powers it can’t control. Otomo adapts his own manga with a ruthless force, capping it off with chrome bikes and crumbling institutions.
The central friendship at its core is intriguing, but then the film transforms into a nightmare of body horror and political collapse. The detail and the daring, the dense framing, the breakneck speed, and Geinoh Yamashirogumi’s score, with its choral chants and pounding percussion, makes it feel as alien as it looks. In 1988, Akira redefined what animation could be, and even decades later, it is ahead of the curve.
Ten films, endless nostalgia. Drop your favorite ’80s rewatch in the comments and let’s compare notes.
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