Best Movies of the 80s

The 50 best movies from the 1980s. Iconic films from the decade of excess ranked and reviewed. Our expert curated list features the best picks with streaming links, ratings, and honest reviews. Updated for 2026 with the latest releases and classic favorites.

What are the best movies of the 80s?

Our curated list of best movies of the 80s features the highest-rated and most popular picks. Updated for 2026 with streaming links.

Last Updated: March 2026

The Devastator

1986★ 4.4

This war's in your own backyard. Violent warfare erupts in Northern California when Vietnam vet Deacon Porter reassembles his Combat Strike Force to avenge the death of a commanding officer.

Communion

1989★ 5.3

A novelist's wife and son see him changed by an apparent encounter with aliens in the mountains.

Psycho III

1986★ 5.7

When Maureen Coyle, a suicidal nun who resembles Norman's former victim, Marion Crane, arrives at the motel, all bets are off and "Mother" is less than happy.

My Science Project

1985★ 6.2

His high school teacher issues an ultimatum: turn in a science project or flunk. So Mike Harlan scavenges a military base's junk pile for a suitable gizmo. He finds one... and unwittingly unleashes the awesome power and energy of the unknown. Twisted dimensions. Time warps. A fantastic realm where the past, present, and future collide in a whirling vortex of startling adventure and superlative special effects.

Waisetsuna onna: kuroi hada ni naku

1985★ 10.0

A married couple, Fumio Asakura and Kumiko, enjoyed having pleasure in each other by taking pictures during sex. Kumiko met her old friend from school, Fuko because her husband went on a business trip for three days. They go to a disco in Tachikawa and are almost attacked by three young Japanese. Fuko calls on a black man named Bill, who lives close to Kumiko...

Roadie

1980★ 5.8

A young Texas good ol' boy has a knack with electronic equipment, and that talent gets him a job as a roadie with a raucous traveling rock-and-roll show.

Shahenshah

1988★ 6.3

Inspector Srivastav is framed by a wily and cunning gangster, J.K., and unable to prove his innocence, hangs himself, leaving behind his wife, and son, Vijay. Years later, Vijay has grown up and has joined the police force as an Inspector. Unlike his dad, he is corrupt and does accept bribes to turn a nelson's eye to crime. The City Police are assigned the task of apprehending a customed man called "Shahenshah", who operates at night and targets, tries and kills gangsters in a "Judge and Executioner "style. No one knows the real identity of Shahenshah, as he is feared by the police department, and respected by the poor and middle-class.

Lucky Sky Diamond

1989★ 3.6

At the clinic where her boyfriend Katayama, a young genius doctor, is the director, Yoko, a young girl who continues to suffer from eerie nightmares every day, is not getting better despite the care of her sister Sakurako and Katayama's treatment. Sakurako, the sister, is suspicious of Yoko's condition and confronts Katayama, who tells her that she suffers from a serious mental disorder and that the only way to cure it is to have brain surgery. Yoko, despite being persuaded by her sister and Katayama, agrees to the surgery, although she is skeptical...

Razorback

1984★ 5.9

In the Australian outback a vicious wild boar kills and causes havoc to a small community.

The Unspoiled Diamond

1982★ 3.6

A college student has an affair with a married, middle-aged teacher.

Back to the Future

1985★ 8.3

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

My Town

1986

A series of vignettes based upon an imaginative girl's unique outlook on her community.

The Terminator

1984★ 7.7

In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?

Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1984★ 5.2

Gawain was a squire in King Arthur's court when the Green Knight burst in and offered to play a game with a brave knight. Gawain journeys across the land, learning about life, saving damsels, and solving the Green Knight's riddle.

He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life

1986★ 8.2

A film collage tracing the story of the lives, loves, and deaths within the artistic community surrounding Jonas Mekas.

Predator

1987★ 7.5

A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

Tracked

1985★ 5.2

When a fugitive begins a romance with the woman hiding him from the law, it becomes uncertain whether he will ever escape the shadow of his heinous crimes--or the detectives hot on his trail.

Black Candles

1982★ 6.2

A young woman travels with her partner to England on the unexpected death of her brother. Staying with her sister-in-law, she finds her companion soon drawn into a satanic cult based in the house whose rites seem to centre somewhat on large-scale sexual congress.

Scarface

1983★ 8.2

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

Liar's Moon

1982★ 5.1

In East Texas, the summer after high school, Jack falls in love with Ginny, the daughter of the town's banker (Jack's mom's high school sweetheart). Ginny's been at boarding school; she's headed for Vassar. Over her father's strenuous objections, she spends time with Jack. At summer's end, Jack and Ginny elope to Louisiana (where 17-year-olds can marry without their parents' permission), and he gets a job in the oil fields. Her dad hires a menacing private eye to find them, Ginny's pregnant, her town doctor gives her horrible news, and Jack's mom has her own agenda. It seems that Jack and Ginny have grown up under a liar's moon. What will these sweethearts do?

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We update our movie lists regularly based on new releases, ratings, and streaming availability. Last updated March 2026.

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