Top Ten Lists of Eighties Movies

The concept is pretty easily, pick your ten favorite movies from the eighties. The hard part? I want JUST movies from the eighties, not movies you might have seen during the eighties. Also, try and avoid movies that came out after the eighties if possible, 1990 is pretty borderline, I won't scream too loudly if you add one that is from then...

This page currently edited by: Gwen. Past editor: Junior

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  • 10. Throw Mama From The Train (1987)
    This movie was hilarious..Danny Devito aka Owen (student) agreed to kill Billy Crystal aka Larry (teacher) ex-wife and in return Owen wants Larry to kill his mother...a series of crazy things happen and it's just really funny...no one was killed
  • 9. Teen Witch (1989)
    This was just about a young girl who had dreams of being popular and then she found out she was a witch and was able to become popular
  • 8. The Adventures of Babysitting (1987)
    This movie was good as well...once you thought she might actually get the family home safe something else happens to prolong them..but in the end everything worked out just fine
  • 7. Planes,Trains and Automobiles
    Good ol' John Candy and Steve Martin...I laughed through this entire movie...it was a good one
  • 6. Harry and The Hendersons
    I got alot of good laughs from this movie too..remember when they taught "Harry" how to sit..someone said sit and he sat alright..He was sitting in the cellar yet he was still able to be at the table with the rest of the family..oh gosh..so funny
  • 5. Mannequin (1987)
    Good ol' Kim Cattrall (TV's "Samantha" from Sex and The City...and Handsome Andrew McCarthy...now what teenage girl didn't have a crush on him back then? lol
  • 4. Porky's (1982)
    What can I say about Porky's...the title says it all lol
  • 3. Police Academy (1984)
    The characters in this movie were pretty much trouble makers...and who didn't enjoy "The Human Beat Box" the sounds he makes are amazing
  • 2. Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
    The nerds did the most funniest things to try and get girls..who remembers when that girl went to meet her boyfriend on the moon,he was suppose to be dressed as darth vader...and opps...the nerd ended up in there and she was amazed that he could make love to her better than her real boyfriend who wasn't a nerd...great flick
  • 1. Weekend at Bernies (1989)
    This movie totally had me laughinghard ...how in the world was Bernie able to come back so many times and right at the perfect moment...lol really loved this movie
These are 10 of my favorite movies from the 80's
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  • 10. Starman (1984)
    Jeff Bridges best acting? Great movie, unique and a must-see.
  • 9. Back to the Future (1985)
    Biff to McFly: I can't believe you loan me a car without telling me it had a blind spot, I could've been killed. I spilled beer all over over me when that car smashed into me.
  • 8. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
    A classic, more about the adversity faced in boot camp than of Vietnam itself.
  • 7. At Close Range
    Sean Penn should have won an Oscar for this, along with Christopher Walken. An overlooked gem, order it today on Netflix. You will not be disappointed.
  • 6. Clash of the Titans (1981_
    The remake did this no justice. This is still a classic and I can watch it over and over.
  • 5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
    If there is a movie to explain to kids today about how school was in the 80's, this is it. Plus it shows so many Chicago landmarks. Great movie.
  • 4. Stand By Me
    Great movie.
  • 3. Airplane!
    The Red and White zone.
  • 2. Platoon (1986)
    The best movie about the Vietnam War. Period.
  • 1. Scarface
    Oliver Stone wrote it, and it is a great movie. Miami in the early 80's.
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  • 10. The Lost Boys (1987)
    I think Joel Schumacher was a warlock in a past life, cuz this movie cast a spell on me! Motorcycles are too cool, plus vampires are cool too! The script writes itself.
  • 9. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
    My Gram-Grams bought me a copy of this gem for Arbor Day and I had a fit! I really wanted Lost Boys, but once I watched it I realized, Boy, could those guys act! Stunning performances. Bravo!
  • 8. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
    Spiccoli for Prez! Seriously,everyone says I act just like Jeff Spiccoli, but I think I'm more of a "Mike Damone". I mean, Piano scarf? I nearly lost my water.
  • 7. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
    Eddie Murphy should have gotten the Oscar Prize trophy for his whimsical portrayal Axel Foley, and Judge Reinehold steps out of his robes and powdered wig( Its silly they still wear those!!) and acts the crap outta himself. 6 Stars!
  • 6. Wall Street (1987)
    Made me love money more than my own Momma! The only thing I thought they shoulda done with this was put Shia LeBoeuf in it! Can't Wait for the Squeakquel!
  • 5. Stand By Me (1986)
    Stephen Kings has written some chilling stuff, but nothing tops this white-knuckle ride of 3 friends and a fat kid who go camping.
  • 4. the Toxic Avenger (1984)
    Reminds me of that W.B. Yeats poem, "And bending down beside the glowing bars, Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled And paced upon the mountains overhead And hid his face amid a crowd of stars." Also, Titties!
  • 3. The Karate Kid (1984)
    The first time I saw this movie I just got my tonsils out and I was eating Tiger Tiger! Pleasure Overload! I still call every Chinaman I meet Mr Miyagi!
  • 2. The Goonies
    Holy Smokes! Every time I watch the Goonies (4 times already!) I spend days afterwards writing poetry for Corey "Mouth" Feldman. Chunk makes me puke!
  • 1. Gremlins (1984)
    O My God! Hands down best movie from the 80's! Hoyt Axton, Anybody? In the second grade I kicked Ricky Patrick in the nuts for saying The New Batch was better! Nuff Said!
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  • 10. The Karate Kid
    Awesome feel good flick. If that last 15 minutes does not get you amped you, you have to be dead!!
  • 9. Back to the Future
    Hasn't everyone wished time travel was possible. Cool idea and well done.
  • 8. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
    Every guys wanted to be him, and every girl wanted to be with him.
  • 7. Ghostbusters
    This movie was an icon for a generation. Great to hear a 3rd movie is in the works.
  • 6. Lethal Weapon
    Great buddy cop flick. Back when Mel was only "acting" crazy.
  • 5. The Empire Strikes Back
    A personal favorite in the series. It is amazing that the special effects were as good as they were then.
  • 4. Top Gun
    Hot soundtrack, and great on-screen chemistry between the cast. A very watchable movie.
  • 3. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
    Harrison Ford in his favorite role. The story is fantastic, and the acting is superb!!
  • 2. E.T.
    Spielberg's crowning achievement in the 80's. Still resonates well today.
  • 1. Die Hard
    The movie revolutionized the Cop Movie through guerilla warfare tactics. Hans was brilliant!!
Honorable mentions are Beverly Hills Cop, Wargames, Rocky IV, and Risky Business. Ten just isn't enough, but then nothing was enough in the 80's.
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  • 10. Police Academy
    Lots of fun. All the movies are great. Lots of fun actors.
  • 9. Beverly Hills Cop
    Eddie Murphy did lots of good movies in the 80's, see also Coming To America.
  • 8. Karate Kid
    Just a good movie, and Elisabeth Shue (also in Adventures in Babysitting) was good, so was Robin Lively (also in Teen Witch).
  • 7. Gremlins
    Was scary back then, cute now.
  • 6. Vacation
    National Lampoons, love those movies, wonderful actors. Chevy Chase is wonderful, also see Seems Like Old Times, Fletch, Caddyshack, Memoirs of an Invisible Man.
  • 5. Back To The Future
    Michael J. Fox did lots of great movies in the 80's, it's hard to pick a favorite. Also see The Secret of My Succe$s and Teen Wolf.
  • 4. Aliens
    Almost as good as Terminator, and Sigourney Weaver is great.
  • 3. Terminator
    No doubt here. What can I say? Arnold Schwarzenegger did lots of good movies in the 80's. Also see Twins.
  • 2. Ghostbusters
    Both movies. Both excitement and lots of fun.
  • 1. My Stephmother Is An Alien
    Always my all time favorite movie. Dan Akroyd is great, and so is Kim Basinger and the rest.
The movies that were just outside the list would have been: 11. Goonies 12. Big Business (Bette Middler, Lily Tomlin) 13. Splash (Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah) 14. Roxanne (Daryl Hannah, Steve Martin) 15. Foul play 16. Adventures in Babysitting 17. Never ending story 18. Honey I Shrunk the Kids 19. Fletch 20. Teen Witch (Robin Lively).
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Still left are ET, Glory and Ferris Bueller.
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  • 10. An Officer and A Gentleman
    Debra Winger and Richard Gere! Who can forget him carrying her off and tossing his hat in the air... film classic!
  • 9. Dirty Dancing
    Great chemistry between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey!
  • 8. Back to the Future
    Classic! Still stands up today.
  • 7. Stand by Me
    Child actors have never held a movie together like in Stand by Me!
  • 6. The Color Purple
    You go Whoopi! She deserved the Oscar for this role.
  • 5. Terms Of Endearment
    Loved Debra Winger... great writing, acting, story... just all around great movie!!
  • 4. Steel Magnolias
    It was a great play... and made the transition to a great movie! Terrific cast! Love me some Dolly!!!
  • 3. Footloose
    Everybody cut, everybody cut... everybody cut, everybody cut... everybody cut Footloose!!
  • 2. St. Elmo's Fire
    Jules, Alec, Leslie, Wendy, Billy, Kevin, and Kirby... close friends searching for a place in "the real world." A Must See!
  • 1. E.T.
    This movie caused such a stir back then... with theater lobbies packed... waiting in lines... and it was well worth it! Best. Movie. Ever.
Honorable Mentions: Big, The Princess Bride, A Christmas Story, Flashdance, and Splash
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Even though I was born in 1986, but I love 80s movies the best! Honorable mentions: The Naked Gun, Airplane!, Ghostbusters, The Road Warrior, Back to the Future.
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  • 10. Pink Floyd: The Wall
    A little jane + this movie = an experience never to be forgotten!!
  • 9. Uncommon Valor
    ..."using that oriental shit on me is gonna get real expensive!" Again, never gets old!
  • 8. Full Metal Jacket
    "...love you long time.. " the catch phrase that refuses to die.
  • 7. Raiders of the lost ark
    Must have saw this movie a dozen times in the theatre... changed movies forever.
  • 6. First Blood
    Never gets old. Not Stallone... the movie.
  • 5. Best of the Best
    Corny, cheesy, and FUN AS HELL!
  • 4. Blade Runner
    A masterpiece
  • 3. Tremors (1990) I know "pushing it"
    Funny... I must have watched this a dozen times.
  • 2. Aliens
    Best sci-fi ever. Close to perfection.
  • 1. Footloose
    Never gets old. ... "and now it's our time to dance"... CLASSIC!
These are movies I love, maybe not the "best" from a critical stand point but my personal favorites. I could have made a top 50 list - it would have been easier.
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  • 10. Aliens-Cameron (1986)
    Mixing Horror, Sci-Fi & explosive action to create one of the most suspenseful films of all time, and perhaps the mother of all climaxes.
  • 9. Blue Velvet-Lynch (1986)
    One of the most disturbing films ever made, featuring utterly shocking performances by Dennis Hopper & Isabella Rosselini
  • 8. Blade Runner-Scott (1982)
    A landmark Sci-Fi film that integrated film noir aspects. A stunning visual experience not to mention a moving essay on humanity. I prefer either the Director's Cut or The Final Cut.
  • 7. Come & See-Klimov (1985)
    One of the most realistic, harrowing war films ever made, told from the unique perspective of a young teenager.
  • 6. The Cook, The Thief...-Greenaway (1989)
    Not enough space...The full title is: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. A shocking, theatrical revenge tale.
  • 5. Wings of Desire-Wenders (1987)
    An ode to Tarkovsky. The cinematography and editing/structure have few peers.
  • 4. Landscape in the Mist-Angelopoulos (1988)
    To say this is a "coming of age tale" is quite oft-putting, but that's what it is, told against the backdrop of a confounding, barren Greek wasteland.
  • 3. Possession-Zulawski (1981)
    Quite disturbing. Featuring one of the most stunning lead actress performances ever.
  • 2. Brazil-Gilliam (1985)
    I prefer the 142 minute "Final Cut".
  • 1. Nostalghia-Tarkovsky (1983)
    Very spritual. Perhaps the most profound film ever made.
My Top 10 of the 80's
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  • 10. Just One of the Guys
    The chick in this movie is one of the hottest actresses ever and at the end she shows off the goods! LOL!
  • 9. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
    I love this movie, it's just completely awesome!
  • 8. Tuff Turf
    Again James Spader and this time with co-star Robert Downey Jr and the long haired chick from Escape to Witch Mountain.
  • 7. Pretty in Pink
    All I gotta say is James Spader and Andrew McCarthy.
  • 6. House
    1986 starring William Katt and George Wendt. My favorite haunted house flick.
  • 5. Silver Bullet
    Gotta love Stephen King flicks especially starring Corey Haim.
  • 4. The Burbs
    My favorite movie starring Tom Hanks.
  • 3. The Monster Squad
    Great movie!
  • 2. Clue
    I think I had a thing for Tim Curry in movies from the 80s!
  • 1. Legend
    How can you go wrong with a young Tom Cruise and Tim Curry as the devil?
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Saw the rest of the submissions and these were noticeably absent. So this list is more of my favorites not yet listed.
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  • 10. He-Man Masters Of The Universe
    Whatever you say about heman the film i loved it as a kid and still do when its replayed on tv.
  • 9. Animal House
    Actually made in the late 70s, the original american pie and much better as well
  • 8. Rambo
    Another great action series
  • 7. Big
    Tom Hanks as a schoolboy wishing he was older - gets his wish and realizes what he's missed out on
  • 6. Karate Kid 2
    Underrated sequel to the amazing first film and well worth watching over That modern rubbish with Jaden Smith in it. Bring back the original Daniel Son for a spinoff!
  • 5. Rocky
    Great series about an outsider winning the hearts of boxing fans everywhere- another underdog story
  • 4. Police Academy
    Awesome series
  • 3. The Terminator
    Arnie at his best as a time travelling robet come to exterminate John Connor and make the nuclear war of year 2000(hahaha) go in the robot's favor.
  • 2. Die Hard
    Amazing action thriller with Bruce Willis in his only ever good role
  • 1. Karate Kid
    Ralph Macchio plays Daniel Son, who is forced to move to Resida, CA only to get on the wrong side of school bully John Lawrence and the karate legends the Cobra Kai. Classic good vs evil film, with the help of Mr. Miyagi, Daniel overcomes all odds to earn the respect of the bullies.
A lot of action, but they really just don't make them like they used to! They need to just use the old filming techniques and less emphasis on special effects just because they can. Films like Karate Kid made a fortune and it was all filmed on location with only one set for the whole film - awesome!
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I love these movies! They are entertaining and don't have the pretension to be more than that.

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