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Movies: Popular Movies of the 1980s (1980-1989)

Movies in chronological context: The 1980s (pronounced "nineteen-eighties", shortened to "the '80s" or "the Eighties") was a decade that began January 1, 1980, and ended December 31, 1989. The decade saw a dominance of conservatism and free market economics, and a socioeconomic change due to advances in technology and a worldwide move away from planned economies and towards laissez-faire capitalism compared to the 1970s. As economic deconstruction increased in the developed world, multiple multinational corporations associated with the manufacturing industry relocated into Thailand, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and China. Japan and West Germany saw large economic growth during this decade. The AIDS epidemic became recognized in the 1980s and has since killed an estimated 39 million people (as of 2013). Global warming became well known to the scientific and political community in the 1980s. The United Kingdom and the United States moved closer to supply-side economic policies, beginning a trend towards global instability of international trade that would pick up more steam in the following decade as the fall of the USSR made right-wing economic policy more powerful. The final decade of the Cold War opened with the US-Soviet confrontation continuing largely without any interruption. Superpower tensions escalate... ()

Movies of a single year: 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989


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35,540 movies found (page 1/1,185):

Back to the Future(1985)

4.2/5 (with 9,327 votes)

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

The Shining(1980)

R
| 2h 24min | Horror, Thriller
4.1/5 (with 7,965 votes)

Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.

The Empire Strikes Back(1980)

4.2/5 (with 7,765 votes)

The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.

Return of the Jedi(1983)

PG
| 2h 15min | Adventure, Action, Science Fiction
3.9/5 (with 7,181 votes)

Luke Skywalker leads a mission to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, while the Emperor seeks to destroy the Rebellion once and for all with a second dreaded Death Star.

Blade Runner(1982)

R
| 1h 57min | Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller
4.0/5 (with 6,459 votes)

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.

The Terminator(1984)

3.8/5 (with 6,004 votes)

In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?

Back to the Future Part II(1989)

PG
| 1h 48min | Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction
3.9/5 (with 5,973 votes)

Marty and Doc are at it again in this wacky sequel to the 1985 blockbuster as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.

Raiders of the Lost Ark(1981)

1h 55min | Adventure, Action
4.0/5 (with 5,804 votes)

When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

Scarface(1983)

R
| 2h 50min | Action, Crime, Drama
4.1/5 (with 5,452 votes)

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982)

3.8/5 (with 5,275 votes)

An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliot who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliot, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.

Die Hard(1988)

R
| 2h 11min | Action, Thriller
3.9/5 (with 4,953 votes)

NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her office, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.

Dead Poets Society(1989)

2h 8min | Drama
4.2/5 (with 4,921 votes)

At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.

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Full Metal Jacket(1987)

R
| 1h 57min | Drama, War
4.1/5 (with 4,893 votes)

A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade(1989)

PG-13
| 2h 7min | Adventure, Action
3.9/5 (with 4,542 votes)

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!

Aliens(1986)

4.0/5 (with 4,429 votes)

When Ripley's lifepod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terra-formers are on the very planet they found the alien species. When the company sends a family of colonists out to investigate her story—all contact is lost with the planet and colonists. They enlist Ripley and the colonial marines to return and search for answers.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom(1984)

PG
| 1h 58min | Adventure, Action
3.6/5 (with 4,151 votes)

After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.

Ghostbusters(1984)

PG
| 1h 47min | Comedy, Fantasy
3.7/5 (with 4,110 votes)

After losing their academic posts at a prestigious university, a team of parapsychologists goes into business as proton-pack-toting "ghostbusters" who exterminate ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatural pests of all stripes. An ad campaign pays off when a knockout cellist hires the squad to purge her swanky digs of demons that appear to be living in her refrigerator.

Top Gun(1986)

PG
| 1h 50min | Drama, Action, Adventure
3.5/5 (with 3,907 votes)

For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.

My Neighbor Totoro(1988)

4.0/5 (with 3,615 votes)

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Batman(1989)

PG-13
| 2h 6min | Fantasy, Action, Crime
3.6/5 (with 3,614 votes)

Batman must face his most ruthless nemesis when a deformed madman calling himself "The Joker" seizes control of Gotham's criminal underworld.

The Breakfast Club(1985)

R
| 1h 38min | Comedy, Drama
3.9/5 (with 3,607 votes)

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.

Predator(1987)

3.7/5 (with 3,549 votes)

A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

The Little Mermaid(1989)

3.7/5 (with 3,497 votes)

This colorful adventure tells the story of an impetuous mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the very human Prince Eric and puts everything on the line for the chance to be with him. Memorable songs and characters -- including the villainous sea witch Ursula.

The Thing(1982)

R
| 1h 49min | Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction
4.0/5 (with 2,949 votes)

A team of American scientists investigate the empty, destroyed base of their Norwegian counterparts in Antarctica, only to discover a terrifying life force that can take the form of its prey.

Beetlejuice(1988)

PG
| 1h 32min | Fantasy, Comedy
3.7/5 (with 2,945 votes)

After an untimely death, a newly dead New England couple seek help from a deranged demon exorcist to scare an affluent New York family out of their home.

Gremlins(1984)

PG
| 1h 46min | Fantasy, Horror, Comedy
3.5/5 (with 2,940 votes)

When Billy Peltzer is given a strange but adorable pet named Gizmo for Christmas, he inadvertently breaks the three important rules of caring for a Mogwai, unleashing a horde of mischievous gremlins on a small town.

First Blood(1982)

R
| 1h 33min | Action, Adventure, Thriller, War
3.7/5 (with 2,872 votes)

When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

Rain Man(1988)

R
| 2h 14min | Drama
3.9/5 (with 2,853 votes)

When car dealer Charlie Babbitt learns that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Cincinnati, where he discovers that he has a savant older brother named Raymond and that his father's $3 million fortune is being left to the mental institution in which Raymond lives. Motivated by his father's money, Charlie checks Raymond out of the facility in order to return with him to Los Angeles. The brothers' cross-country trip ends up changing both their lives.

Dirty Dancing(1987)

PG-13
| 1h 40min | Drama, Music, Romance / Love
3.7/5 (with 2,723 votes)

Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a professional hoofer—and unexpectedly falling in love.

The Untouchables(1987)

1h 59min | Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
3.9/5 (with 2,541 votes)

Young Treasury Agent Eliot Ness arrives in Chicago and is determined to take down Al Capone, but it's not going to be easy because Capone has the police in his pocket. Ness meets Jim Malone, a veteran patrolman and probably the most honorable one on the force. He asks Malone to help him get Capone, but Malone warns him that if he goes after Capone, he is going to war.

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