IMDb's 1980s Top 50
As seen by ESG
You are viewing esg's version of this list. You can view your version too.
An official iCheckMovies list.
Favorited 223 times, disliked 7 times, added to 280 watchlists.
The decade of the 1980s tended to consolidate the gains made in the seventies rather than to initiate any new trends. Designed and packaged for mass audience appeal, few 80s films became what could be called 'classics'. The era was characterized by the introduction of 'high-concept' films - with cinematic plots that could be easily characterized by one or two sentences (25 words or less) - and therefore easily marketable and understandable. The 80s also were the decade in which the sequel-mania really took off, which often resulted in hastily-made, inferior knockoffs made by lesser film-makers.
Pssst, want to check out the IMDb's 1980s Top 50 list in our new look?
Filter
-
1 -
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
1980, in 25 top lists Check -
2 -
Back to the Future
1985, in 25 top lists Check -
3 -
Hotaru no haka
1988 — a.k.a. Grave of the Fireflies, in 21 top lists Check -
4 -
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
1988 — a.k.a. Cinema Paradiso, in 20 top lists Check -
5 -
The Shining
1980, in 28 top lists Check -
6 -
Aliens
1986, in 24 top lists Check -
7 -
Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981 — a.k.a. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, in 29 top lists Check -
8 -
Amadeus
1984, in 23 top lists Check -
9 -
Das Boot
1981 — a.k.a. The Boat, in 15 top lists Check -
10 +1
Idi i smotri
1985 — a.k.a. Come and See, in 26 top lists Check -
11 -1
Scarface
1983, in 19 top lists Check -
12 -
Once Upon a Time in America
1984, in 19 top lists Check -
13 -
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
1983, in 18 top lists Check -
14 -
The Thing
1982, in 20 top lists Check -
15 +1
Die Hard
1988, in 20 top lists Check -
16 -1
Full Metal Jacket
1987, in 18 top lists Check -
17 -
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1989, in 16 top lists Check -
18 -
The Elephant Man
1980, in 16 top lists Check -
19 -
Ran
1985, in 25 top lists Check -
20 +2
The Terminator
1984, in 24 top lists Check -
21 -1
Dead Poets Society
1989, in 12 top lists Check -
22 +1
Stand by Me
1986, in 10 top lists Check -
23 -2
Blade Runner
1982, in 36 top lists Check -
24 +1
Paris, Texas
1984, in 22 top lists Check -
25 -1
Platoon
1986, in 21 top lists Check -
26 -
Tonari no Totoro
1988 — a.k.a. My Neighbor Totoro, in 23 top lists Check -
27 -
Raging Bull
1980, in 34 top lists Check -
28 -
Fanny och Alexander
1982 — a.k.a. Fanny and Alexander, in 25 top lists Check -
29 -
Khane-ye doust kodjast?
1987 — a.k.a. Where Is the Friend's House?, in 15 top lists Check -
30 +1
Krótki film o milosci
1988 — a.k.a. A Short Film About Love, in 6 top lists Check -
31 -1
Dom za vesanje
1988 — a.k.a. Time of the Gypsies, in 8 top lists Check -
32 -
Jean de Florette
1986, in 7 top lists Check -
33 -
The Princess Bride
1987, in 19 top lists Check -
34 -
Rain Man
1988, in 15 top lists Check -
35 -
Akira
1988, in 22 top lists Check -
36 -
Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta
1986 — a.k.a. Castle in the Sky, in 10 top lists Check -
37 -
Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä
1984 — a.k.a. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, in 9 top lists Check -
38 -
Pink Floyd: The Wall
1982, in 8 top lists Check -
39 -
Gandhi
1982, in 15 top lists Check -
40 -
Fitzcarraldo
1982, in 14 top lists Check -
41 -
Au revoir les enfants
1987 — a.k.a. Au Revoir les Enfants, in 13 top lists Check -
42 -
Manon des sources
1986 — a.k.a. Manon of the Spring, in 7 top lists Check -
43 +1
Krótki film o zabijaniu
1988 — a.k.a. A Short Film About Killing, in 12 top lists Check -
44 -1
Yol
1982 — a.k.a. The Road, in 11 top lists Check -
45 -
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982, in 31 top lists Check -
46 +2
A Christmas Story
1983, in 6 top lists Check -
47 +2
This Is Spinal Tap
1984, in 22 top lists Check -
48 -2
The Blues Brothers
1980, in 11 top lists Check -
49 -2
Do the Right Thing
1989, in 24 top lists Check -
50 new
Der Himmel über Berlin
1987 — a.k.a. Wings of Desire, in 21 top lists Check
Last updated on Nov 7, 2024; source