The Best Film From Each Year Of The 1980s
The ’80s were a great time for movies. And, from each year of the decade, here are the 10 best films.
The 1980s was a huge decade for cinema. Special effects continued to get better and better, the original Star Wars trilogy came to its conclusion, the likes of Jack Nicholson and Stanley Kubrick were in their prime, and various other incredible directors and actors still to come were either taking their first steps into cinema, or being born.
We’ve found the best film released in each year of that incredible decade. It made for a lot of bold decisions and harsh moves to choose one classic over another.
1980: The Shining
It could easily be considered the best horror film ever made, so listing The Shining as the best film from 1980 was a relatively easy thing to do.
With one of the most incredible acting performances of all time coming from Jack Nicholson and some masterful directing from Stanley Kubrick with imagery and atmosphere beyond that which pretty much anyone else could create, this might be the perfect film.
1981: Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Plucking Harrison Ford straight out of his incredibly lovable role as Han Solo and into the title role in the first Indiana Jones film was a stroke of genius from the impressive tag team of George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg. Raiders is full of Nazi gold, hidden treasures and some of the best action sequels the ’80s ever produced.
1982: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
With the golden age of horror cinema having very recently come to an end, audiences were used to associating aliens to fear, tension and suspense. Imagine their shock when ET turned out to be a lovable little guy who just wanted a little help making his way home. The film is in equal parts a feelgood classic and emotional rollercoaster.
1983: Scarface
Fresh from taking on the lead role in the first two Godfather films, Al Pacino didn’t really need to do a lot to convince audiences he was one of the best actors in cinema at the time.
Even so, he decided to take on the lead role in Scarface, providing us with addictive action and quotable catchphrases at every turn.
1984: Ghostbusters
It might have had a fair few attempts at rejuvenation that didn’t land particularly well, but the original Ghostbusters film might be the greatest comedy of all time. It’s hard to compete with the incredible trio of Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray as they fight their way through ghosts who, just like with ET, were no longer trying to scare their audience.
1985: Back To The Future
Considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time, Back To The Future was one of the first times time travel was done right on screen.
It might have led to a few highly questionable mother-son relationships, but the quippy one-liners and convincing time travel makes it almost impossible to stop loving.
1986: The Fly
A few of the above entries into the list show typical horror tropes making their way into non-horror settings. The Fly spins that straight back on its head and plunged Jeff Goldblum into a dark and scary world in which his DNA becomes fuse with that of a fly. The tagline is simple and effective: ‘Be afraid, be very afraid’.
1987: Full Metal Jacket
Another incredible Kubrick classic, this time dealing with the realistic horrors of war. It marks a bit of a departure from the usual atmosphere of Kubrick’s films, but it proved him to be an incredibly adaptable director.
