Welcome to our big list of everyone’s Favorite 1980s movies, showcasing 140 of the decade’s best and most iconic movies. That’s right, we recommend some Rotten additions for your ’80s movie playlists, because this is one decade only fully experienced with the good, the bad, and the feathered neon.
Any ’80s movie with a Tomatometer was considered for our Favorites guide, and after including the truly timeless material (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Raging Bull), we focused on works that represented the cinematic trends and social themes of the era. Some of those include the fantasy epic (NeverEnding Story, Princess Bride), teen movies (Breakfast Club, Weird Science), the new corporate overlord (Wall Street, Trading Places), women making strides in the workplace (Baby Boom, Working Girl), and rising hip-hop culture (Krush Groove, Do the Right Thing).
Fire up the flux capicator and cue the workout montage because it’s time for Rotten Tomatoes’ 140 Essential ’80s Movies! (And if you’re hankering for more nostalgia, check out our Favorites list of ’70s movies, ’90s Movies, and 2000s movies!) —Alex Vo
#140
Adjusted Score: 45864%
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.
#139
Adjusted Score: 41644%
Critics Consensus: All style and very little substance, Flashdance boasts eye-catching dance sequences — and benefits from an appealing performance from Jennifer Beals — but its narrative is flat-footed.
#138
Adjusted Score: 32535%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#137
Adjusted Score: 56651%
Critics Consensus: There’s not much dancing, but what’s there is great. The rest of the time, Footloose is a nice hunk of trashy teenage cheese.
#136
Adjusted Score: 62212%
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.
#135
Adjusted Score: 61107%
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.
#134
Adjusted Score: 64337%
Critics Consensus: Amiable and good-natured but also shallow and predictable, Short Circuit is hardly as deep or emotionally resonant as E.T. — though Johnny Five makes for a charming robot protagonist.
#133
Adjusted Score: 69243%
Critics Consensus: There are pacing problems, but Ladyhawke has an undeniable romantic sweep that’s stronger than most fantasy epics of its ilk.
#132
Adjusted Score: 69813%
Critics Consensus: Rather quaint by today’s standards, Friday the 13th still has its share of bloody surprises and a ’70s-holdover aesthetic to slightly compel.
#131
Adjusted Score: 69699%
Critics Consensus: Steel Magnolias has jokes and characters to spare, which makes it more dangerous (and effective) when it goes for the full melodrama by the end.
#130
Adjusted Score: 77549%
Critics Consensus: Eddie Murphy was in full control at this point, starkly evident in Coming to America‘s John Landis’ coasting direction.
#129
Adjusted Score: 74343%
Critics Consensus: People hate Highlander because it’s cheesy, bombastic, and absurd. And people love it for the same reasons.
#128
Adjusted Score: 71066%
Critics Consensus: A silly and ribald superhero spoof, Toxic Avenger uninhibited humor hits more than it misses.
#127
Adjusted Score: 75990%
Critics Consensus: Purple Rain makes for undeniably uneven cinema, but it’s held together by its star’s singular charisma — not to mention a slew of classic songs.
#126
Adjusted Score: 70551%
Critics Consensus: Beautifully animated and genuinely endearing, The Land Before Time is sure to please dino-obsessed tykes, even if it’s a little too cutesy for older viewers.
#125
Adjusted Score: 60935%
Critics Consensus: There’s fine spoofery and amusing characters in Spaceballs, though it’s a far cry from Mel Brooks’ peak era.
#124
Adjusted Score: 74228%
Critics Consensus: Undeniably lowbrow but surprisingly sly, Revenge of the Nerds has enough big laughs to qualify as a minor classic in the slobs-vs.-snobs subgenre.
#123
Adjusted Score: 57946%
Critics Consensus: State-of-the-art special effects and an appealing performance from Warwick Davis can’t quite save Willow from its slow pace and generic story.
#122
Adjusted Score: 63975%
Critics Consensus: A surprisingly dark, emotional, and almost excessively cynical experience for Transformers fans.
#121
Adjusted Score: 69541%
Critics Consensus: Sci-fi parodies like these usually struggle to work, but Buckaroo Banzai succeeds through total devotion to its own lunacy.
#120
Adjusted Score: 64810%
Critics Consensus: Though it features some of the most memorable and electrifying aereial footage shot with an expert eye for action, Top Gun offers too little for non-adolescent viewers to chew on when its characters aren’t in the air.
#119
Adjusted Score: 79783%
Critics Consensus: It follows college tropes, but Real Genius has an optimistic streak that puts you on Val Kilmer’s side all the way.
#118
Adjusted Score: 79298%
Critics Consensus: Like its winsome characters, Dirty Dancing uses impressive choreography and the power of song to surmount a series of formidable obstacles.
#117
Adjusted Score: 84192%
Critics Consensus: While The Last Starfighter is clearly derivative of other sci-fi franchises, its boundary-pushing visual effects and lovably plucky tone make for an appealing adventure.
#116
Adjusted Score: 79721%
Critics Consensus: Mystic Pizza is like its namesake food: it’s cheesy, topped with romance, and rises to the occasion.
#115
Adjusted Score: 62365%
Critics Consensus: UHF is bizarre, freewheeling, and spotty, though its anarchic spirit cannot be denied.
#114
Adjusted Score: 78815%
Critics Consensus: Better Off Dead is an anarchic mix of black humor and surreal comedy, anchored by John Cusack’s winsome, charming performance.
#113
Adjusted Score: 74725%
Critics Consensus: Sweet and spry, Adventures in Babysitting gets by on its amiable tone.
#112
Adjusted Score: 78176%
Critics Consensus: Though unabashedly crude and juvenile, Caddyshack nevertheless scores with its classic slapstick, unforgettable characters, and endlessly quotable dialogue.
#111
Adjusted Score: 70792%
Critics Consensus: Baby Boom struggles to impart its feminist ideals, but Diane Keaton’s winsome leading work helps keep things breezily entertaining.
#110
Adjusted Score: 86857%
Critics Consensus: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are just charming, goofy, and silly enough to make this fluffy time-travel Adventure work.
#109
Adjusted Score: 83110%
Critics Consensus: Sleepaway Camp is a standard teen slasher elevated by occasional moments of John Waters-esque weirdness and a twisted ending.
#108
Adjusted Score: 71737%
Critics Consensus: Scanners is a dark sci-fi story with special effects that’ll make your head explode.
#107
Adjusted Score: 86571%
Critics Consensus: With engaging performances from its two leads, Valley Girl is a goofy yet amiable film that both subverts and celebrates the cheerful superficiality of teen comedies.
#106
Adjusted Score: 89878%
Critics Consensus: Slick on the surface but loaded with artful touches, Brian DePalma’s classical gangster thriller is a sharp look at period Chicago crime, featuring excellent performances from a top-notch cast.
#105
Adjusted Score: 86454%
Critics Consensus: Desperately Seeking Susan works with its fairy tale depiction of New York and the fun, frothy chemistry generated by its two leads.
#104
Adjusted Score: 80076%
Critics Consensus: Though perhaps not as strong dramatically as it is technologically, TRON is an original and visually stunning piece of science fiction that represents a landmark work in the history of computer animation.
#103
Adjusted Score: 85189%
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.
#102
Adjusted Score: 91450%
Critics Consensus: Brilliantly bizarre and overflowing with ideas, Beetlejuice offers some of Michael Keaton’s most deliciously manic work – and creepy, funny fun for the whole family.
#101
Adjusted Score: 87577%
Critics Consensus: The buddy cop movie continues its evolution unabated with this Eddie Murphy vehicle that’s fast, furious, and funny.
#100
Adjusted Score: 84087%
Critics Consensus: Flawed but eminently watchable, Joel Schumacher’s teen vampire thriller blends horror, humor, and plenty of visual style with standout performances from a cast full of young 1980s stars.
#99
Adjusted Score: 57369%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#98
Adjusted Score: 84512%
Critics Consensus: With Wall Street, Oliver Stone delivers a blunt but effective — and thoroughly well-acted — jeremiad against its era’s veneration of greed as a means to its own end.
#97
Adjusted Score: 86737%
Critics Consensus: A buoyant corporate Cinderella story, Working Girl has the right cast, right story, and right director to make it all come together.
#96
Adjusted Score: 86547%
Critics Consensus: Bolstered by impressive special effects and a charming performance from its young star, Flight of the Navigator holds up as a solidly entertaining bit of family-friendly sci-fi.
#95
Adjusted Score: 91414%
Critics Consensus: A raucous military comedy that features Bill Murray and his merry cohorts approaching the peak of their talents.
#94
Adjusted Score: 91699%
Critics Consensus: Mystery Train meanders by design, but it never goes off the rails, retaining its deadpan cool throughout.
#93
Adjusted Score: 79835%
Critics Consensus: While it’s arguably more interesting on a visual level, Labyrinth provides further proof of director Jim Henson’s boundless imagination.
#92
Adjusted Score: 89474%
Critics Consensus: Affecting performances from the young cast and a genuinely inspirational turn from Robin Williams grant Peter Weir’s prep school drama top honors.
#91
Adjusted Score: 69891%
Critics Consensus: The ultimate ’80s Schwarzenegger movie, replete with a threadbare plot, outsized action, and endless one-liners.
#90
Adjusted Score: 93680%
Critics Consensus: Field of Dreams is sentimental, but in the best way; it’s a mix of fairy tale, baseball, and family togetherness.
#89
Adjusted Score: 90845%
Critics Consensus: The Naked Gun is loaded chock full of gags that are goofy, unapologetically crass, and ultimately hilarious.
#88
Adjusted Score: 92648%
Critics Consensus: Utterly predictable and wholly of its time, but warm, sincere, and difficult to resist, due in large part to Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio’s relaxed chemistry.
#87
Adjusted Score: 92441%
Critics Consensus: A classic tearjerker, Terms of Endearment isn’t shy about reaching for the heartstrings — but is so well-acted and smartly scripted that it’s almost impossible to resist.
#86
Adjusted Score: 89869%
Critics Consensus: Near Dark is at once a creepy vampire film, a thrilling western, and a poignant family tale, with humor and scares in abundance.
#85
Adjusted Score: 96028%
Critics Consensus: Tootsie doesn’t squander its high-concept comedy premise with fine dialogue and sympathetic treatment of the characters.
#84
Adjusted Score: 94955%
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.
#83
Adjusted Score: 98118%
Critics Consensus: Rob Reiner’s touching, funny film set a new standard for romantic comedies, and he was ably abetted by the sharp interplay between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
#82
Adjusted Score: 95815%
Critics Consensus: Time Bandits is a remarkable time-travel fantasy from Terry Gilliam, who utilizes fantastic set design and homemade special effects to create a vivid, original universe.
#81
Adjusted Score: 96056%
Critics Consensus: Remixing Roger Corman’s B-movie by way of the Off-Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors offers camp, horror and catchy tunes in equal measure — plus some inspired cameos by the likes of Steve Martin and Bill Murray.
#80
Adjusted Score: 97707%
Critics Consensus: The Little Mermaid ushered in a new golden era for Disney animation with warm and charming hand-drawn characters and catchy musical sequences.
#79
Adjusted Score: 102675%
Critics Consensus: A coming-of-age story with uncommon depth and sensitivity, My Life as a Dog is sweet, sincere, and utterly charming.
#78
Adjusted Score: 98414%
Critics Consensus: Part delightfully tense techno-thriller, part refreshingly unpatronizing teen drama, WarGames is one of the more inventive — and genuinely suspenseful — Cold War movies of the 1980s.
#77
Adjusted Score: 86984%
Critics Consensus: An atypically dark Disney adventure, Dragonslayer puts a realistic spin — and some impressive special effects — on a familiar tale.
#76
Adjusted Score: 98769%
Critics Consensus: Led by energetic performances from Nicolas Cage and Cher, Moonstruck is an exuberantly funny tribute to love and one of the decade’s most appealing comedies.
#75
Adjusted Score: 99083%
Critics Consensus: Drugstore Cowboy takes us into a violent, transient world with cool, contemplative style.
#74
Adjusted Score: 101887%
Critics Consensus: Smartly written, smoothly directed, and solidly cast, A Fish Called Wanda offers a classic example of a brainy comedy with widespread appeal.
#73
Adjusted Score: 103245%
Critics Consensus: Taut, breathtakingly thrilling, and devastatingly intelligent, Das Boot is one of the greatest war films ever made.
#72
Adjusted Score: 98474%
Critics Consensus: A quiet yet deeply moving kind of Western, Paris, Texas captures a place and people like never before (or after).
#71
Adjusted Score: 90253%
Critics Consensus: It may be too “dark” for some, but Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom remains an ingenious adventure spectacle that showcases one of Hollywood’s finest filmmaking teams in vintage form.
#70
Adjusted Score: 99810%
Critics Consensus: Perfectly mixing humor and horror, the only thing more effective than Re-Animator‘s gory scares are its dry, deadpan jokes.
#69
Adjusted Score: 96521%
Critics Consensus: Smart, tender, and funny in equal measure, Hannah and Her Sisters is one of Woody Allen’s finest films.
#68
Adjusted Score: 105071%
Critics Consensus: Refreshingly sweet and undeniably funny, Big is a showcase for Tom Hanks, who dives into his role and infuses it with charm and surprising poignancy.
#67
Adjusted Score: 98216%
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.
#66
Adjusted Score: 99882%
Critics Consensus: Louis Malle’s autobiographical tale of a childhood spent in a WWII boarding school is a beautifully realized portrait of friendship and youth.
#65
Adjusted Score: 101624%
Critics Consensus: No doubt most will come to My Left Foot for Daniel Day-Lewis’ performance, but the movie’s refusal to go downbeat will keep it in viewer minds afterwards.
#64
Adjusted Score: 104836%
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.
#63
Adjusted Score: 92491%
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.
#62
Adjusted Score: 100060%
Critics Consensus: Made from classic noir ingredients and flavored with a heaping helping of steamy modern spice, Body Heat more than lives up to its evocative title.
#61
Adjusted Score: 79521%
Critics Consensus: Molly Ringwald gives an outstanding performance in this sweet, intelligent teen comedy that takes an ancient premise and injects it with insight and wit.
#60
Adjusted Score: 103382%
Critics Consensus: If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.
#59
Adjusted Score: 83823%
Critics Consensus: While Fast Times at Ridgemont High features Sean Penn’s legendary performance, the film endures because it accurately captured the small details of school, work, and teenage life.
#58
Adjusted Score: 94752%
Critics Consensus: Featuring an atmospherically grimy futuristic metropolis, Escape from New York is a strange, entertaining jumble of thrilling action and oddball weirdness.
#57
Adjusted Score: 98419%
Critics Consensus: The Killer is another hard-boiled action flick from John Woo featuring eye-popping balletic violence and philosophical underpinnings.
#56
Adjusted Score: 102371%
Critics Consensus: Repo Man is many things: an alien-invasion film, a punk-rock musical, a send-up of consumerism. One thing it isn’t is boring.
#55
Adjusted Score: 102880%
Critics Consensus: Blockbuster dramatist James L. Brooks delivers with Broadcast News, fully entertaining with deft, deep characterization.
#54
Adjusted Score: 92358%
Critics Consensus: A politically subversive blend of horror and sci fi, They Live is an underrated genre film from John Carpenter.
#53
Adjusted Score: 95998%
Critics Consensus: Visceral, energetic, and often very sad, Sid and Nancy is also a surprisingly touching love story, and Gary Oldman is outstanding as the late punk rock icon Sid Vicious.
#52
Adjusted Score: 84777%
Critics Consensus: The most successful installment in a phenomenally successful series, Lethal Weapon helped redefine action movies for the 1980s and 1990s.
#51
Adjusted Score: 95531%
Critics Consensus: Smartly filmed, tightly scripted, and — most importantly — consistently frightening, Poltergeist is a modern horror classic.
#50
Adjusted Score: 80541%
Critics Consensus: Brimming with energy and packed with humor, Big Trouble in Little China distills kung fu B-movies as affectionately as it subverts them.
#49
Adjusted Score: 86870%
Critics Consensus: Director Brian De Palma and star Al Pacino take it to the limit in this stylized, ultra-violent and eminently quotable gangster epic that walks a thin white line between moral drama and celebratory excess.
#48
Adjusted Score: 96976%
Critics Consensus: Lighter and more comedic than its predecessor, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade returns the series to the brisk serial adventure of Raiders, while adding a dynamite double act between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
#47
Adjusted Score: 97947%
Critics Consensus: My Neighbor Totoro is a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood.
#46
Adjusted Score: 102459%
Critics Consensus: Who Framed Roger Rabbit is an innovative and entertaining film that features a groundbreaking mix of live action and animation, with a touching and original story to boot.
#45
Adjusted Score: 94918%
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.
#44
Adjusted Score: 98246%
Critics Consensus: The Road Warrior is everything a bigger-budgeted Mad Max sequel with should be: bigger, faster, louder, but definitely not dumber.
#43
Adjusted Score: 102072%
Critics Consensus: Informed by director Oliver Stone’s personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.
#42
Adjusted Score: 98875%
Critics Consensus: Blessed by a brilliantly befuddled star turn from Chevy Chase, National Lampoon’s Vacation is one of the more consistent — and thoroughly quotable — screwball comedies of the 1980s.
#41
Adjusted Score: 92990%
Critics Consensus: Featuring deft interplay between Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, Trading Places is an immensely appealing social satire.
#39
Adjusted Score: 98029%
Critics Consensus: Intense, tightly constructed, and darkly comic at times, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket may not boast the most original of themes, but it is exceedingly effective at communicating them.
#38
Adjusted Score: 93865%
Critics Consensus: Though failing to reach the cinematic heights of its predecessors, Return of the Jedi remains an entertaining sci-fi adventure and a fitting end to the classic trilogy.
#37
Adjusted Score: 103536%
Critics Consensus: An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli’s most profoundly beautiful, haunting works.
#36
Adjusted Score: 93159%
Critics Consensus: Whether you choose to see it as a statement on consumer culture or simply a special effects-heavy popcorn flick, Gremlins is a minor classic.
#35
Adjusted Score: 82696%
Critics Consensus: Too over the top for its own good, but ultimately rescued by the cast’s charm, director John Landis’ grace, and several soul-stirring musical numbers.
#34
Adjusted Score: 101920%
Critics Consensus: Smartly directed, brilliantly acted, and packed with endlessly quotable moments, This Is Spinal Tap is an all-time comedy classic.
#33
Adjusted Score: 103906%
Critics Consensus: Amadeus‘ liberties with history may rankle some, but the creative marriage of Miloš Forman and Peter Shaffer yields a divinely diabolical myth of genius and mediocrity, buoyed by inspired casting and Mozart’s rapturous music.
#32
Adjusted Score: 99717%
Critics Consensus: While over-the-top and gory, Robocop is also a surprisingly smart sci-fi flick that uses ultraviolence to disguise its satire of American culture.
#31
Adjusted Score: 100094%
Critics Consensus: Wes Craven’s intelligent premise, combined with the horrifying visual appearance of Freddy Krueger, still causes nightmares to this day.
#30
Adjusted Score: 96875%
Critics Consensus: Featuring one of Tom Cruise’s best early performances, Risky Business is a sharp, funny examination of teen angst that doesn’t stop short of exploring dark themes.
#29
Adjusted Score: 95024%
Critics Consensus: Both warmly nostalgic and darkly humorous, A Christmas Story deserves its status as a holiday perennial.
#28
Adjusted Score: 97960%
Critics Consensus: Dark, cynical, and subversive, Heathers gently applies a chainsaw to the conventions of the high school movie — changing the game for teen comedies to follow.
#27
Adjusted Score: 89912%
Critics Consensus: Matthew Broderick charms in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, a light and irrepressibly fun movie about being young and having fun.
#26
Adjusted Score: 95026%
Critics Consensus: The Breakfast Club is a warm, insightful, and very funny look into the inner lives of teenagers.
#25
Adjusted Score: 95443%
Critics Consensus: Akira is strikingly bloody and violent, but its phenomenal animation and sheer kinetic energy helped set the standard for modern anime.
#24
Adjusted Score: 86751%
Critics Consensus: A magical journey about the power of a young boy’s imagination to save a dying fantasy land, The NeverEnding Story remains a much-loved kids adventure.
#23
Adjusted Score: 105713%
Critics Consensus: Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense captures the energetic, unpredictable live act of peak Talking Heads with color and visual wit.
#22
Adjusted Score: 97824%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to the impeccable chemistry between Steve Martin and John Candy, as well as a deft mix of humor and heart, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a hilarious, heartfelt holiday classic.
#21
Adjusted Score: 82918%
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.
#20
Adjusted Score: 102035%
Critics Consensus: One of the definitive Generation X movies, Say Anything… is equally funny and heartfelt — and it established John Cusack as an icon for left-of-center types everywhere.
#19
Adjusted Score: 97979%
Critics Consensus: Stand By Me is a wise, nostalgic movie with a weird streak that captures both Stephen King’s voice and the trials of growing up.
#18
Adjusted Score: 85300%
Critics Consensus: Predator: Part sci-fi, part horror, part action — all muscle.
#17
Adjusted Score: 104235%
Critics Consensus: Though unabashedly juvenile and silly, Airplane! is nevertheless an uproarious spoof comedy full of quotable lines and slapstick gags that endure to this day.
#16
Adjusted Score: 95714%
Critics Consensus: Less a continuation than an outright reimagining, Sam Raimi transforms his horror tale into a comedy of terrors — and arguably even improves on the original formula.
#15
Adjusted Score: 95615%
Critics Consensus: A terrifically original, eccentric screwball comedy, Raising Arizona may not be the Coens’ most disciplined movie, but it’s one of their most purely entertaining.
#14
Adjusted Score: 102789%
Critics Consensus: Misunderstood when it first hit theaters, the influence of Ridley Scott’s mysterious, neo-noir Blade Runner has deepened with time. A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece.
#13
Adjusted Score: 106023%
Critics Consensus: With its impressive action sequences, taut economic direction, and relentlessly fast pace, it’s clear why The Terminator continues to be an influence on sci-fi and action flicks.
#12
Adjusted Score: 101777%
Critics Consensus: Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic.
#11
Adjusted Score: 93554%
Critics Consensus: Grimmer and more terrifying than the 1950s take, John Carpenter’s The Thing is a tense sci-fi thriller rife with compelling tension and some remarkable make-up effects.
#10
Adjusted Score: 105715%
Critics Consensus: A delightfully postmodern fairy tale, The Princess Bride is a deft, intelligent mix of swashbuckling, romance, and comedy that takes an age-old damsel-in-distress story and makes it fresh.
#9
Adjusted Score: 102162%
Critics Consensus: Smart, vibrant, and urgent without being didactic, Do the Right Thing is one of Spike Lee’s most fully realized efforts — and one of the most important films of the 1980s.
#8
Adjusted Score: 108257%
Critics Consensus: Featuring bravura set pieces, sly humor, and white-knuckle action, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most consummately entertaining adventure pictures of all time.
#7
Adjusted Score: 108501%
Critics Consensus: Arguably Martin Scorsese’s and Robert De Niro’s finest film, Raging Bull is often painful to watch, but it’s a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero.
#6
Adjusted Score: 94235%
Critics Consensus: Though it deviates from Stephen King’s novel, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a chilling, often baroque journey into madness — exemplified by an unforgettable turn from Jack Nicholson.
#5
Adjusted Score: 84441%
Critics Consensus: Significantly more mature than the teen raunch comedies that defined the era, Sixteen Candles is shot with compassion and clear respect for its characters and their hang-ups.
#4
Adjusted Score: 107059%
Critics Consensus: Dark, sinister, but ultimately even more involving than A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back defies viewer expectations and takes the series to heightened emotional levels.
#3
Adjusted Score: 102147%
Critics Consensus: An infectiously fun blend of special effects and comedy, with Bill Murray’s hilarious deadpan performance leading a cast of great comic turns.
#2
Adjusted Score: 114492%
Critics Consensus: Playing as both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood, Steven Spielberg’s touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old.
#1
Adjusted Score: 103784%
Critics Consensus: Inventive, funny, and breathlessly constructed, Back to the Future is a rousing time-travel adventure with an unforgettable spirit.