The Most Rewatchable Movie of Every Year of the 1980s

The 1980s saw the birth of a new generation of the film industry in which the “blockbuster” became normalized. Although the previous decade had been a time of significant creativity on a studio level thanks to the rise of the “New Hollywood” directors, the ‘80s saw an obsession with recapturing the financial success of Star Wars and Jaws. Although some skeptics would cynically point out that the conservatism of the ‘80s set both the industry and the world at large back and eradicated progress, it's hard to deny the sheer number of classics that came out within a ten year stretch.

The ‘80s have been memorialized in popular culture thanks to the many nostalgic throwbacks that have emerged, as many of today’s best directors grew up in the decade. Here is the most rewatchable movie of every year of the ‘80s.

10 ‘The Shining’ (1980)

The Shining is perhaps the greatest horror film ever made and one of the most impressive achievements that Stanley Kubrick ever covered off, specifically when noting the significant differences between his version and the original novel by Stephen King. While King infamously despised the way that Kubrick altered his story, Kubrick created an existential, nightmarish labyrinth that peered into the soul of a deeply deranged character as he loses his grip on reality.

The Shining is particularly rewatchable because of the many different interpretations that have emerged about what Kubrick was trying to say, as he never fully explained some of the strange moments that continue to spark discourse. Although The Shining isn’t a film that can be “explained” in a traditional way, each subsequent viewing provides more insight into the obsessive attention-to-detail that made Kubrick a genius unlike any other filmmaker in history.

9 ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark is as perfect as adventure movies can be, and marked a high point between the collaboration between director Steven Spielberg and producer/writer George Lucas. While Lucas had a deep affinity for classic serials and provided some of the historical details that made Raiders of the Lost Ark so specific, Spielberg had an ability to capture visceral moments of action that resulted in some of the greatest setpieces in history.

There’s an argument to be made that Indiana Jones is the single greatest hero in film history, as he is a character who is noble, charming, flawed, funny, and completely sincere. Harrison Ford has played more iconic good guys than any other actor, but it's no surprise that he has cited playing Dr. Henry Jones Jr. as the most rewarding acting experience of his entire career.

8 ‘Blade Runner’ (1982)

Blade Runner is the rare masterpiece that wasn’t initially a box office triumph, but has risen in estimation over the years thanks to the further analysis that it has received. Ridley Scott wasn’t interested in making a traditional dystopian action film, as he instead made a meditative, artful deconstruction of what consciousness really is.

Blade Runner has become even more rewatchable thanks to the multiple different cuts of the film that now exist; after removing the studio-mandated happy ending and the morose voiceover from the character of Rick Deckard, Scott’s finalized version of Blade Runner feels far more authentic to what his original vision was. There are many ambiguities in Blade Runner that have fueled years of speculation, and thankfully the excellent sequel Blade Runner 2049 was able to continue its thematic intentions without contradicting anything that was in the original.

7 ‘Rumble Fish’ (1983)

Rumble Fish is perhaps the most underrated film that Francis Ford Coppola ever directed, as he has also cited it as his personal favorite. Coppola directed two ‘80s coming-of-age films that were based on S.E. Hinton novels; while The Outsiders became a cult classic and launched the careers of many members of “The Brat Pack,” Rumble Fish was a more spiritual, atmospheric neo-noir drama that explored thoughtful ideas about growing up.

Rumble Fish is modeled after many of the great anti-establishment films of the ‘50s, but still has a modern look and feel that reflects Coppola’s ambitions. While his career sadly took a downward spiral, Mickey Rourke gives an incredible performance in Rumble Fish that makes it easy to realize why he was initially considered to be such a remarkable actor; the film also featured breakout performances from Matt Dillon and Nicolas Cage.

6 ‘Amadeus’ (1984)

Amadeus is the definitive period drama and one of the best films ever made about artistic ambition. Rather than being a dull biopic that only exists to serve as a history lesson, Milos Forman’s masterpiece examined the toxic relationship between the legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) and Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), a fellow musician who became furious that he could never attain the same level of greatness.

Amadeus is one of the few Best Picture winners in the ‘80s that the Oscars got right, as the Oscars made several questionable decisions in awarding mediocre films like Driving Miss Daisy and Out of Africa. It also represented the last time in which two actors from the same film were nominated in the Best Actor category, an award that Abraham ultimately won in what felt like a cruel posthumous joke at the expense of the real Salieri.

5 ‘Back to the Future’ (1985)

Back to the Future is one of the most referenced and fondly remembered films of the ‘80s because it crystalizes the decade in immaculate detail. Ironically, it took a film about traveling back in time to the ‘50s to embody the popular culture and mindset of the ‘80s, as Back to the Future kicked off the contemporary obsession with nostalgia. It saw Robert Zemeckis fulfilling his potential as a director, leading him to become one of the most influential and successful filmmakers of the ‘80s.

Back to the Future is a film that exists within many genres, as it is a science fiction adventure, a high-concept comedy, a romance story, and a coming-of-age film all at once. Although both of the film’s sequels are quite strong, the original Back to the Future is the rare classic that can be described as “perfect.”

4 ‘Blue Velvet’ (1986)

Blue Velvet is one of the definitive David Lynch films because it crystalized his interst in subversive, surrealistic neo-noir storytelling that refracted components of familiar genres. By taking an idealized suburban community and (literally) looking at the insidious weeds that grow underneath it, Blue Velvet offered a dark approximation of the American dream by showing how society represses trauma as a means of escape, only to be haunted by memories of the past.

Blue Velvet is a film that is fun to speculate about because all of Lynch’s work has inspired intenseive acadamia, but it’s also a very entertaining experience because of the quirky humor and memorable performances, including Dennis Hopper in one of the most unusual roles of his entire career. It’s also a fascinating early point in Lynch’s relationship with Kyle MacLachlan, as they would reunite to make the best show of the ‘90s with Twin Peaks.

3 ‘Broadcast News’ (1987)

Broadcast News was a perfect embodiment of what television journalism was like in the ‘80s and remains an insightful story about the complex ethics involved in media. Although writer/director James L. Brooks had previously picked up Oscars for both Best Picture and Best Director for Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News is just as emotionally rich, whilst also demonstrating the type of humor that he would later utilize as a co-creator of The Simpsons.

Broadcast News has a perfect trio of lead performances, including Holly Hunter in the role that helped to put her on the map. Albert Brooks, an accomplished director in his own right, was able to bring vulnerability and pathos to a character that could have easily been dismissed as “comic relief,” and the late great William Hurt was able to depict a complex, flawed romantic interest to Hunter’s character.

2 ‘Die Hard’ (1988)

Die Hard might be the single most duplicated film in history because contemporary action cinema would be non-existent if it was not for John McTiernan’s masterpiece. Although Die Hard inspired four sequels (two of which are quite good), it became more memorable as the film that was constantly used to pitch other action premises; Speed was “Die Hard on a bus,” Air Force One was “Die Hard on a plane,” The Rock was “Die Hard in Alcatraz," and Olympus Has Fallen is “Die Hard in the White House.”

Die Hard still ranks head and shoulders above other action films because of Bruce Willis’ performance as John McClane; while he was by no means an expected choice to play a smart-talking New York cop, Willis brought the humour, humanity, and hearted needed to play one of the coolest heroes in cinematic history.

1 ‘Do the Right Thing’ (1989)

Do the Right Thing is the rare film that remains just as important, if not more so, today as it did when it first debuted, as Spike Lee had his finger on the pulse when describing the way in which race relations had evolved in America. Lee was by no means the first African-American film director, but his success was highly influential and helped a generation of Black artists see themselves on screen for the first time.

Do the Right Thing may have the single greatest ensemble cast of the ‘80s, as it included breakout performances from such legendary stars as Giancarlo Esposito, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson. Although the film’s dark ending is an absolute gut punch, it’s a story told with such urgency, passion, and earnestness that it has only become more rewarding and insightful upon each subsequent viewing.