“I don’t mean what is the best 80’s movie, or the most popular 80’s movie, but what is the movie that most encapsulates everything about the decade. I’m talking the aesthetics, the politics, the cultural trends, developments in the film industry, the music. I’m talking about a movie that could not exist in any other decade. Something that you could hand to someone who’s never seen a movie and say this is the 1980s embodied in one film.”
The top 10 contenders, in alphabetical order.
- Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo 1984
- Flashdance 1983
- Invasion 1985 Chuck Norrissssss
- Purple Rain 1984
- Rocky IV 1985
- Scarface 1983
- The Secret of My Success 1987
- Staying Alive 1983
- Thrashin’ 1986
- Top Gun 1986
Winner
Rocky IV
Dune (1984) and Over The Top (1987) are both strong contenders for me.
Lynch’s Dune, for sure. Doesn’t get much more 80s.
The Karate Kid should make the list.
Fully concur. Not only is it still a great movie, but it was very popular, and finished what Bruce Lee started, popularizing Eastern martial arts in the United States.
Tron
The Breakfast Club. I always find it weird when people say it’s not realistic. That’s how teens were back then!
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“High school kids don’t act like that.”
Well, they acted exactly like that in my day.
Using words, i assume.
Big trouble in little China.
I would argue that Goonies had a decent bit of it. It really scratches my nostalgia itch not just for the movie itself, but for things from my childhood. That springy workout thing, kids on bikes, the cars, etc. all just do it for me.
Breakfast Club also came to mind, but I haven’t seen it in long enough to know for sure if it ticks the boxes.
I definitely agree with Flashdance being up there and Rocky.
To add on starwars and indiana jones, the goonies might be a good third place IMO.
Rocky 4? That’s just nonsense.
Weird Science 1985
I skimmed his video, but don’t recall him giving any mention to weird science. I think it’s a solid contender. Very 80s.
But by the metrics he decided to whimsically select on what makes up the 80’s, it didn’t have enough montages or Russians or wealth/business stuff to get a high mark.
While I agree that Rocky 4 is extremely 80’s, I disagree with his 80"s metrics.
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It’s “Back to the Future”. Even though most of it was set in the 50’s.
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Lacking Short Circuit (86) and Real Genius (85), two of the most iconic 80s scifi films. They just don’t make them casually bigoted like those anymore!
Real Genius is such a great movie too!
Xanadu Valley Girl St Elmo’s Fire
I freaking love this video. It felt like a movie, I think I watched it twice since it came out.
Rocky IV was my immediate thought before opening the thread. Not one but two training montages. Cold War tensions. High tech training machines. It’s the best
