While 1985 has no shortage of highfalutin cinematic endeavors, it is equally defined by its brash, epic, and often counter-cultural crowd-pleasers. This 100 Best Movies guide highlights the top films of 1985 based on Tomatometer score, with Certified Fresh films first, followed by Fresh and Rotten movies with at least 1,000 user ratings on the Popcornmeter.
And a well-rounded year it was! Academy Award-winning drama The Trip to Bountiful shares room on the list with the gruesome, campy cult horror flick Re-Animator. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and To Live and Die in L.A. stand shoulder-to-shoulder as outstanding pieces of enduring art! Even Big Bird, Freddy Krueger, and James Bond make an appearance! (On the list. They unfortunately do not share the screen together.)
Throw on your Live Aid T-shirt, crack open a can of New Coke, and enjoy the journey through this eclectic list of motion pictures from 1985. (Tyler Lorenz)
#1
Critics Consensus: Thanks to director Juzo Itami’s offbeat humor and sharp satirical edge, Tampopo is a funny, sexy, affectionate celebration of food and its broad influence on Japanese culture.
#2
Critics Consensus: Brazil, Terry Gilliam’s visionary Orwellian fantasy, is an audacious dark comedy, filled with strange, imaginative visuals.
#3
Critics Consensus: My Beautiful Laundrette is fast and all over the place because it has so much to say, and show, including a highly watchable fresh-faced Daniel Day-Lewis.
#4
Ran
(1985)
96%
95%
Critics Consensus: Akira Kurosawa’s sprawling, epic take on King Lear should be required viewing for fans of westerns, war movies, or period films in general.
#5
Critics Consensus: A satire of the American fantasy of leaving it all behind, Lost in America features some of Albert Brooks’ best, most consistent writing and cultural jabs.
#6
Critics Consensus: Perfectly mixing humor and horror, the only thing more effective than Re-Animator‘s gory scares are its dry, deadpan jokes.
#7
Critics Consensus: A wonderfully entertaining thriller within an unusual setting, with Harrison Ford delivering a surprisingly emotive and sympathetic performance.
#8
Critics Consensus: Inventive, funny, and breathlessly constructed, Back to the Future is a rousing time-travel adventure with an unforgettable spirit.
#9
Critics Consensus: A punk take on the zombie genre, The Return of the Living Dead injects a healthy dose of ’80s silliness to the flesh-consuming.
#10
Critics Consensus: Bursting with frantic energy and tinged with black humor, After Hours is a masterful — and often overlooked — detour in Martin Scorsese’s filmography.
#11
Critics Consensus: As effectively anti-war as movies can be, Come and See is a harrowing odyssey through the worst that humanity is capable of, directed with bravura intensity by Elem Klimov.
#12
Critics Consensus: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure brings Paul Reubens’ famous character to the big screen intact, along with enough inspired silliness to dazzle children of all ages.
#13
Critics Consensus: With coke fiends, car chases, and Wang Chung galore, To Live and Die in L.A. is perhaps the ultimate ’80s action/thriller.
#14
Critics Consensus: If The Breakfast Club‘s gestures towards authenticity are occasionally undercut by trendy flourishes, its blistering emotional honesty and talented troupe of young actors catapult it to the top of the teen comedy class.
#15
Critics Consensus: Day of the Dead may arguably be the least haunting entry in George A. Romero’s undead trilogy, but it will give audiences’ plenty to chew on with its shocking gore and scathing view of society.
#16
Critics Consensus: Disturbing and sardonic, Prizzi’s Honor excels at black comedy because director John Huston and his game ensemble take the farce deadly seriously.
#17
Critics Consensus: Fright Night deftly combines thrills and humor in this ghostly tale about a man living next to a vampire.
#18
Critics Consensus: Though it may be too sentimental for some, Ron Howard’s supernatural tale of eternal youth is gentle and heartwarming, touching on poignant issues of age in the process.
#19
Critics Consensus: Beyond Thunderdome deepens the Mad Max character without sacrificing the amazing vehicle choreography and stunts that made the originals memorable.
#20
Critics Consensus: If Paul Schrader’s Yukio Mishima biopic omits too much to fully depict the author’s life, its passion shines through in its avant-garde structure, Eiko Ishioka’s production design, and Philip Glass’ thunderous score.
#21
Critics Consensus: The Goonies is an energetic, sometimes noisy mix of Spielbergian sentiment and funhouse tricks that will appeal to kids and nostalgic adults alike.
#22
Critics Consensus: A coming-of-age story with uncommon depth and sensitivity, My Life as a Dog is sweet, sincere, and utterly charming.
#23
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#24
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#25
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
1985: An essential year in teen-centered movies!
Back to the Future is one of the most definitive blockbuster films in existence, and 1985 plays such a crucial role in the film’s plot, it could almost be a character. Teenager Marty McFly wants to get home to 1985 so bad, he’ll risk countless time paradoxes over three movies to do it! 1985 is the MacGuffin of the movie! Great Scott!
The Breakfast Club is a deeply important movie to the generation that came up the Brat Pack. It is one of the most parodied and quoted films in pop culture. The lyrics to “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds are so intrinsically tied to the freeze-frame image of Judd Nelson at the end of the film, that they are ironically impossible to forget if you wanted to! But, its earnest depiction of high school tropes and its message about how our differences don’t make us enemies makes this John Hughes teen dramedy a lasting parable for all generations.
The only thing harder than being a teenager, is being a teenager with a bunch of bizarre, paranormal nonsense happening all around you! Teen Wolf, starring Michael J. Fox, explores the perils of puberty… if puberty also involves growing teeth and fur, and absolutely killing it on the basketball court. Once Bitten explores the value of virginity, and the peer pressure to lose it… that peer pressure coming from a 400 year old vampire countess threatening to drink your blood.
For more comical teen fair, don’t skip Weird Science, Just One of the Guys, or Better Off Dead. If you need your heartstrings tugged on, watch St. Elmo’s Fire or The Legend of Billie Jean. And Porky’s… well, go ahead and decide for yourself what you are looking for out of Porky’s!
#26
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#27
Critics Consensus: Elevated by Laura Dern’s haunting performance, Smooth Talk is far more than your average coming-of-age drama.
#28
Critics Consensus: Lighthearted and sweet, The Purple Rose of Cairo stands as one of Woody Allen’s more inventive — and enchantingly whimsical — pictures.
#29
Critics Consensus: Nearly a decade after The Outlaw Josey Wales, Clint Eastwood returns as a director to the genre that made his name with this elegant, spiritual Western that riffs on the classic Shane.
#30
Critics Consensus: Blending brilliant physical comedy with thrillingly choreographed set pieces, Police Story makes a persuasive case for Jackie Chan as one of the all-time genre greats.
#31
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#32
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#33
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#34
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#35
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#36
Critics Consensus: Kiss of the Spider Woman weaves an alluring exploration of sexual and societal norms that’s further elevated by strong work from William Hurt and Raul Julia.
#37
Critics Consensus: Desperately Seeking Susan works with its fairy tale depiction of New York and the fun, frothy chemistry generated by its two leads.
#38
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#39
Critics Consensus: Charging forward with the momentum of a locomotive, Runaway Train makes great use of its adrenaline-fueled premise and star presences of Jon Voight and Eric Roberts.
#40
Critics Consensus: Stranger than fiction and improbably entertaining, The Falcon and the Snowman shows how easily idealism can be twisted into treason.
#41
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#42
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#43
Critics Consensus: Coolly performed and suspenseful, Jagged Edge is a satisfying enough potboiler that most audiences won’t mind if the twists don’t quite add up.
#44
Critics Consensus: Quotably funny — and fast-paced enough to smooth over the jokes that don’t land — Fletch is one of the best big-screen vehicles for Chevy Chase’s brand of smug silliness.
#45
Critics Consensus: Boasting rich detail and well-told story, Silverado is a rare example of an ’80s Hollywood Western done right.
#46
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#47
Critics Consensus: It follows college tropes, but Real Genius has an optimistic streak that puts you on Val Kilmer’s side all the way.
#48
Critics Consensus: Better Off Dead is an anarchic mix of black humor and surreal comedy, anchored by John Cusack’s winsome, charming performance.
#49
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#50
Critics Consensus: It might have been better served by a filmmaker with a deeper connection to the source material, but The Color Purple remains a worthy, well-acted adaptation of Alice Walker’s classic novel.
You can’t speak of horror movie history without mentioning 1985’s gruesome cult hits: Stuart Gordon’s unapologetically gooey and gory B-movie classic Re-Animator, and Tom Holland’s vampiric special effects showcase Fright Night. Old fan-favorite icons are resurrected in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge and Friday the 13th – A New Beginning. And, as if you could sleep after this selection of scary flicks, no movie fan should sleep on George A. Romero’s classic third zombie picture Day of the Dead!
Less spooky, but no less loaded with incredible special effects and stunts are the top action movies of 1985. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Commando, and Rambo: First Blood Part II, like many action movies of the 80’s are a guaranteed adrenaline infusion. Jackie Chan delivers a kickass, acrobatic performance in the Hong Kong cop classic Police Story. Does a geriatric James Bond movie loaded with cheesy jokes sound like your idea of a good time? If A View to a Kill is your favorite 007 vehicle, it might be! And if it’s not, well, this standout 007 dud is a must-see entry in the enduring spy franchise. Even if it’s just for a laugh.
Some movies aim to be funny intentionally! Such is the case for unmissable comedies like Clue and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Two movies with styles that shook up the genre. If a blend of adventure and comedy are up your alley, you can’t skip Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus’s kid-led treasure hunting caper The Goonies, or Michael Douglass and Kathleen Turner’s romantic treasure-hunting romp The Jewel of the Nile. Man, it was a good year for pirate themed adventures…
#51
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#52
Critics Consensus: With a terrific young cast (including Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix) and some typically energetic work from director Joe Dante, Explorers soars past its ’80s kiddie flick competitors with wit, good-looking effects, and tons of charm.
#53
Critics Consensus: A robust ensemble of game actors elevate Clue above its schematic source material, but this farce’s reliance on novelty over organic wit makes its entertainment value a roll of the dice.
#54
Critics Consensus: Young Sherlock Holmes is a charming, if unnecessarily flashy, take on the master sleuth.
#55
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#56
Critics Consensus: American Flyers shifts between family drama and cycling action gears with enough strength to make this inspirational sports picture more than pedestrian.
#57
Critics Consensus: The ultimate ’80s Schwarzenegger movie, replete with a threadbare plot, outsized action, and endless one-liners.
#58
Critics Consensus: An effective if knowingly silly Stephen King anthology that combines comedy and terror.
#59
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#60
Critics Consensus: There are pacing problems, but Ladyhawke has an undeniable romantic sweep that’s stronger than most fantasy epics of its ilk.
#61
Critics Consensus: A thriller that plays at social commentary, The Mean Season fumbles with its weightier themes, but does so in a generally watchable way.
#62
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#63
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#64
Critics Consensus: Though lensed with stunning cinematography and featuring a pair of winning performances from Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, Out of Africa suffers from excessive length and glacial pacing.
#65
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#66
Critics Consensus: Hardly in the same league as John Hughes’ other teen movies, the resolutely goofy Weird Science nonetheless gets some laughs via its ridiculous premise and enjoyable performances.
#67
Critics Consensus: Enemy Mine extracts thrilling sci-fi pulp from Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr.’s chemistry and inventive production design, but an overextended story diminishes the power of its central duo’s relationship.
#68
Critics Consensus: Return to Oz taps into the darker side of L. Frank Baum’s book series with an intermittently dazzling adventure that never quite recaptures the magic of its classic predecessor.
#69
Critics Consensus: The Last Dragon is a flamboyant genre mashup brimming with style, romance, and an infectious fondness for kung fu, but audiences may find the tonal whiplash more goofy than endearing.
#70
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#71
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#72
Critics Consensus: Ambitious but flawed, The Black Cauldron is technically brilliant as usual, but lacks the compelling characters of other Disney animated classics.
#73
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#74
Critics Consensus: On stage, A Chorus Line pulled back the curtain to reveal the hopes and fears of showbiz strivers, but that energy and urgency is lost in the transition to the big screen.
#75
Critics Consensus: The sense of romantic spark has waned and the prevalence of stereotypes has grown in Jewel of the Nile, although there is still plenty of swooning action for fans of the first adventure.
Sydney Pollack’s Out of Africa was 1985’s Oscar darling with seven trophies: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Sound.
William Hurt took home Best Actor gold for Kiss of the Spider Woman, edging out Harrison Ford for Witness (his sole Oscar nom ever) and Jack Nicholson in Prizzi’s Honor, while Geraldine Page took home the gold for Best Actress in The Trip to Bountiful over Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple and Jessica Lange in Sweet Dreams.
Special effects fans will note that Eric Stoltz’s cosmetic transformation in MASK won the Oscar for Best Makeup, while the eerie alien images in Cocoon won the Visual Effects Oscar.
#76
Critics Consensus: Though Michael J. Fox is as charismatic as ever, Teen Wolf‘s coming-of-age themes can’t help but feel a little stale and formulaic.
#77
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#78
Critics Consensus: St. Elmo’s Fire is almost peak Brat Pack: it’s got the cast, the fashion, and the music, but the characters are too frequently unlikable.
#79
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#80
Critics Consensus: An intriguing subtext of repressed sexuality gives Freddy’s Revenge some texture, but the Nightmare loses its edge in a sequel that lacks convincing performances or memorable scares.
#81
Critics Consensus: Not even Ridley Scott’s gorgeously realized set pieces can save Legend from its own tawdry tale — though it may be serviceable for those simply looking for fantasy eye candy.
#82
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#83
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#84
Critics Consensus: Despite its two stellar leads, Into the Night finds director John Landis indulging in far too many gimmicks in lieu of a well-rounded story.
#85
Critics Consensus: Rebellious in spirit and anarchic in style, this Helen Slater-starring vehicle holds a certain youthful cool but is otherwise a disjointed retelling of an oft-repeated legend.
#86
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#87
Critics Consensus: European Vacation charts a course through a succession of pretty destinations, but the journey itself lacks the laughs that made the original outing so memorable.
#88
Critics Consensus: Absurd even by Bond standards, A View to a Kill is weighted down by campy jokes and a noticeable lack of energy.
#89
Critics Consensus: Despite the comedic prowess of its director and two leads, Spies Like Us appears to disavow all knowledge of how to make the viewer laugh.
#90
Critics Consensus: Gleeful in its misogyny and celebratory of bad behavior, Porky’s is an intermittently funny farce that will leave audiences feeling in need of a shower.
#91
Critics Consensus: First Blood Part II offers enough mayhem to satisfy genre fans, but remains a regressive sequel that turns its once-compelling protagonist into just another muscled action berserker.
#92
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#93
Critics Consensus: Dull, poorly directed, and badly miscast, Red Sonja is an uninspired conclusion to Schwarzenegger’s barbarian trilogy.
#94
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#95
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#96
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#97
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#98
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#99
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#100
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Japan delivered some of the year’s biggest artistic heavy hitters. Juzo Itami’s ramen comedy Tampopo endures as a beautiful and hilarious ode to Japanese food and culture. Film legend Akira Kurosawa served up a Japanese adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear with Ran, which won the Costume Design Oscar on top of four nominations. And, while not an award-winning film, the animated post-nuclear fallout dark fantasy romance movie Vampire Hunter D earned its place in the annals of anime history.