The Best Movies of the ’80s: Totally Tubular Flicks From the Brat Pack and Beyond
June 11, 2025
The ’80s churned out a creative bonanza of acclaimed films that run the gamut of genres and styles. Some of these bingeworthy ’80s titles established or carried on some of the most beloved and timeless movie franchises to date.
We’d be illin‘ if we didn’t highlight several Brat Pack movies as part of our list of the best ’80s films. These adolescent angst-ridden romps, which define the decade for many, feature any iteration of the Brat Pack — a group of iconic, young-at-the-time actors like Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Emilio Estevez. For more about the Brat Pack, watch the Hulu Original documentary, BRATS (2024).
So don your neon tracksuit and spray your hair to oblivion. Let‘s fire up the DeLorean for a radical rewind of ’80s favorites.
Best Movies of the ’80s
While not quite the Golden Age of Hollywood (more of a gold-plated age of Hollywood), the ’80s ushered in a host of classic and even revolutionary films, including the sci-fi, drama, comedy, and horror genres. We’ve compiled our picks of some of the best ’80s — including Brat Pack — movies in order of their release year.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
This sequel to Star Wars (1977) helped solidify the careers of several of its actors and the franchise’s creator, George Lucas. The film centers around Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) as they battle the Empire and its leader, Darth Vader.
The movie showcases wicked special effects and presents viewers with what many consider one of the greatest plot-twists in cinematic history. Return of the Jedi (1983) is the third film in the Star Wars franchise.
Watch: The Empire Strikes Back
Read Our Guide to Watching All the Star Wars Movies in Order
The Shining (1980)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, Stephen King’s psychological horror, The Shining, is often cited as one of the most frightening films ever made.
Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a father and struggling writer who takes a job as the winter caretaker of a remote rocky-mountain hotel. With his family in residence, disturbing and evil forces impel Jack to maniacal violence, while his psychic son sees mysterious terrors in the hotel’s past and future.
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Watch: The Shining*
Discover More of the Best Psychological Thriller Movies
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The first of the five-film franchise, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark stars Harrison Ford in the title role. An archaeologist in the 1930s, Jones attempts to reach a priceless relic before the evil Nazis do. Jones battles, outsmarts, and narrowly escapes the Nazis time and time again in this harrowing, but humorous, ’80s movie favorite.
A showcase for director Steven Spielberg, Raiders of the Lost Ark set the bar for adventure movies. Its ’80s sequels include Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
*Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark is available with the Disney+, Hulu Bundle Basic/Premium. Access content from each service separately.
Watch: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark*
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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
A Steven Spielberg sci-fi classic, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial tells the story of an affable alien stranded on earth. In the film, a young boy and his siblings befriend E.T. and attempt to return him home — all the while hiding him from government agents in hot pursuit.
Full of heartwarming moments, laughter, and adventure, E.T. is a widely acclaimed and beloved American cultural icon.
Blade Runner (1982)
Set in a “future” dystopian Los Angeles in 2019, this sci-fi film established the popular Blade Runner franchise. In the film, a company manufactures synthetic humans (“replicants”) to work on colonies established in space. A rogue group of replicants returns to earth, where they’re distrusted and feared. A police unit of “blade runners” hunts down the stray replicants to “retire” them, so they no longer pose a threat to real humans.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
An irreverent glimpse of the decade of decadence, Fast Times at Ridgemont High follows a group of high school students trying to have fun and find romance. Though some serious (and seriously gnarly) moments occur, the film generally focuses on laughs, especially from perpetually stoned surfer dude, Spicoli (Sean Penn).
Scarface (1983)
“Say hello to my little friend!” Al Pacino portrays Cuban-born miscreant Tony Montana in this gunslinging, cocaine-fueled mob tale set in Miami in the early ’80s. As Tony pursues his druglord aspirations, he cuts a brutal path through Miami’s gangster world. In time, Tony’s own drug addiction proves to be one of his fiercest adversaries.
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Watch: Scarface*
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Amadeus (1984)
This biographic period drama about 18th-century Viennese composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart received exuberant acclaim upon its release to U.S. audiences. The film follows fellow composer Antonio Salieri as he bemoans his lot as an also-ran to Mozart, a once-in-a-millenium genius. Seething with jealousy, Salieri attempts to sabotage the brilliant, but boorish, Mozart’s career.
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Ultra-cool detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) uses his wits and knack for rule-breaking to solve the murder of his childhood friend. With two L.A. detectives as his partners in crime-busting, Axel plunges himself and his cohorts into one hilarious, nail-biting situation after another.
Ghostbusters (1984)
In this iconic comedy, stars Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson lose their university jobs and begin working as professional ghost-catchers in New York City. Along the way, they find a supernatural portal for evil forces that threaten to destroy the city. This original Ghostbusters film spawned a Ghostbusters franchise.
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Watch: Ghostbusters*
Sixteen Candles (1984)
This Brat Pack coming-of-age favorite is John Hughes’ directorial debut. Rife with teen angst, Sixteen Candles gets a gold star for its period depiction of high school, cliques, and adolescence. The film revolves around star Molly Ringwald along with Anthony Michael Hall and Michael Schoeffling as teenagers dealing with life’s annoyances. Although parts of the film are considered offensive today, it offers a retrospective peek into ’80s popular culture, warts and all.
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Watch: Sixteen Candles*
Back to the Future (1985)
In this seminal ’80s movie, a time-traveling DeLorean catapults teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) back to 1955. When Marty meets his young parents, the future’s trajectory veers off course. How will Marty fix the past and get back to 1985 before erasing his future self in the process?
The Breakfast Club (1985)
In this enduring exploration of identity, five wildly different high school students spend an entire Saturday in detention together. The teens, initially reluctant to interact, open up and strip away preconceived perceptions to find empathy and common ground.
This film from director John Hughes stars five actors in peak Brat Pack glory: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, and Molly Ringwald.
A Room With a View (1986)
Romance movies of the ’80s might make even the most modern souls long for pre-cellphone relationships. A Room With a View is a lovely, tongue-in-cheek Merchant Ivory production based on E.M. Forster’s acclaimed novel.
Set in early-20th-century England and Italy, the movie stars Helena Bonham Carter as young, single Englishwoman Lucy Honeychurch, who explores her independence amid the trappings and expectations of the time. The movie offers viewers a slyly humorous portrayal of uppercrust English society during that era.
*Room With a View requires the Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle or the Max Add-on. Access content from each service separately. Content, feature, and device compatibility vary by service. ©2024 Disney and its related entities. Max ©2024 Home Box Office, Inc.
Watch: A Room With a View*
Crocodile Dundee (1986)
In this popular action rom-com, Paul Hogan stars as the hardscrabble, ever-capable Australian bushwacker, Michael (Mick) “Crocodile” Dundee.
Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski), a reporter from New York, travels to the outback for a feature story about the laid-back Mick and his daring escapades with wildlife. Later in the film, invited by Sue, Mick voyages to New York, where he encounters perplexing people and situations, including Sue’s fiancé. Crocodile Dundee II (1988) is a fitting sequel to the original.
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Watch: Crocodile Dundee*
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Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
In this quintessential ’80s comedy, high school senior Ferris Bueller plays hooky to take his girlfriend, Sloane and best friend, Cameron on a day of reckless (though not feckless) escapades. As the trio winds themselves (and a Ferrari) through adventures, they try to steer clear of their school’s dean of students, who’s determined to catch them in the act.
Stand by Me (1986)
Based on Stephen King’s novella, The Body, Stand By Me is a coming-of-age drama centered around four pre-teen boys (played by Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell) who live in a rural Maine town in 1959. The four boys hear of a dead boy and set out to find the body. Over the course of the film, they navigate uncaring parents, bullies, leeches, a train, and eventually, their fledgling adult lives.
*Stand By Me requires the Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle or the Max Add-on. Access content from each service separately. Content, feature, and device compatibility vary by service. ©2024 Disney and its related entities. Max ©2024 Home Box Office, Inc.
Watch: Stand by Me*
The Princess Bride (1987)
Directed by Rob Reiner, The Princess Bride is a fantasy-adventure film that’s part fairy tale and part comedy. In this cult classic, a dashing, heroic farmhand named Westley embarks on a quest to rescue his one true love, Princess Buttercup, from the clutches of the dastardly Prince Humperdinck to whom she’s betrothed against her will.
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Watch: The Princess Bride*
Big (1988)
Hair wasn’t the only thing big in the ’80s. Although Tom Hanks previously starred in Splash (1984), Big is considered the film that set him up for stardom.
After tween boy Josh Baskin makes a wish to be “big,” he wakes up in a 30-year-old adult‘s body. Retaining his adolescent personality, the adult-appearing Josh (Tom Hanks) lands a job at a toy company, impressing executives with his insight into what kids like. Directed by Penny Marshall, this comedy explores what being grown up truly means, and how a person can hang onto a youthful outlook well into their adult years.
Watch: Big
Die Hard (1988)
This first film in the testosterone-soaked Die Hard franchise cemented Bruce Willis as a movie star. And it remains a pillar of the action-thriller genre.
John McClane, a New York City Police Detective (played by Bruce Willis), visits Los Angeles for the holidays. When terrorists take over a skyscraper, McClane‘s heroic instincts and street smarts kick in to foil them.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Kevin Costner stars in this supernatural tale of a farmer, Ray Kinsella, who hears a voice in his cornfield saying, “if you build it, he will come.” In response to this and other mysterious directives, Ray builds a baseball field to attract the ghosts of some of the game’s greatest players. In doing so, he reconciles with his deceased father, a baseball fan.
Say Anything (1989)
If any image blasts out “’80s,” it’s John Cusack holding his boombox above his head. It’s from the equally iconic ’80s movie, Say Anything, a teen rom-com set right after high school.
In this feel-good flick, Cusack plays Lloyd Dobler, an unremarkable former student without much direction in life except to pursue the class valedictorian, Diane Court (Ione Skye). Against considerable obstacles, like Diane’s naysaying father and her pending move to England, Lloyd’s heart keeps him from giving up on their romance.
Watch: Say Anything
