Back in the 80s

Hiba Bilal, Staff

Many films from the 1980s have remained popular for a long time and have a long history. Back to the Future, Karate Kid, and many other movies have been popular for decades. It is because of these movies that the film industry has had its great moments.

Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, and Martin Cove appeared in the 1984 movie Karate Kid. The film begins with a young boy from Newark, Daniel Larruso, played by Ralph Macchio, who is moving to Los Angeles with his mother. They assumed that everything would be fine and that this would be a fresh start, but a few students at his school disliked him for reasons revealed in the film. They battered and chased him multiple times in the film until Daniel simply wanted to go home to Newark. He then meets Mr. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita, who offers to assist Daniel by teaching him karate methods. This film was about overcoming obstacles, and the audience got to see a lot of character growth in Daniel. This movie became so famous that a show called Cobra Kai, which debuted in 2018, was based on all of the main characters’ children learning to fight.

The Breakfast Club, starring Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Emilio Estevez, was released in 1985. Many audience members consider this film mature since it is difficult to understand at times. According to IMDb, this film is about a group of students assigned to Saturday detention by a “Power-hungry” principal. As the film progresses, numerous hidden traits of the characters are revealed, enabling the audience to discover who they are to each other. According to varsity.co.uk, the film’s success stems from “This respectful nonchalance that became, for generations of lost teens, more than enough.” Many people relate to this film since it depicts the difficulties of adolescence and how to mature.

Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Crispin Glover appeared in the 1985 film Back to the Future. Thomas F. Wilson’s plot revolves around Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, a young boy who accidentally travels back in time to the 1950s and is attempting to return to 1985. He encounters several recognizable individuals, like his own parents, but finally comes across a dilemma that forces him to return home even faster. This is a film trilogy that everyone enjoys, and viewers can get to see our main character understand his family a little bit more. According to looper.com, “It uses its sci-fi premise to explore themes of destiny, repression, and family.” People might relate to the character and wonder what would happen if they were trapped in the 1950s.

Top Gun, which was released in 1986, stars Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, and Meg Ryan. Along with Mission Impossible, this is one of Tom Cruise’s best films. This film is about battle and friendship. Maverick, played by Tom Cruise, is revealed to be reckless and overconfident but also a skilled Navy pilot. At the end of the film, the main character undergoes a significant transformation and suffers a loss. Top Gun Maverick, its sequel, was released in 2022, emphasizing the guilt of losing someone. In the last film, he was a student, but now he is a teacher, instructing everyone how to fly in a deadly scenario. This film contains some tension but has a fantastic finish. According to movieweb.com, this film is quite popular because “Top Gun fueled a surge in enlistments for the Navy. It also showed the military how powerful Hollywood could be in promoting patriotism.”

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey, and Jeffrey Jones, was also released in 1986. This is a film to which everyone, including children, can relate. This film is about a boy named Ferris Bueller who tricks his family into believing he is unwell and unable to attend school. He also decides to bring along his friend and girlfriend by tricking their principal and other school students. According to movieweb.com, the reason for this film’s popularity and status as a classic was “The ability of the film to create vicarious thrills […] presenting the ultimate escapist fantasy that people could dream of.” The entire film is a fascinating and entertaining look at what Ferris does on his day off.

Despite the fact that there are many popular 80s movies, there are some underrated films that are still highly recommended. Comedy and romance were two prominent genres in the 1980s. A recommendation for a science-fiction comedy movie is Ghostbusters, while Some Kind of Wonderful is a superb romantic 80s movie. Drama and action were other popular film genres. Indiana Jones is an excellent recommendation for underappreciated action movies from the 1980s. It is a thrilling and daring film with a fantastic soundtrack, and it has a sequel that will be released this year, making it the fifth in the franchise. It has been more than a decade since the previous movies were released in 2008, and fans are eager to see their favorite adventurer in action again. Aliens is another amazing action and drama film, while E.T. is another great adventure motion picture. The Boy Who Could Fly is a fantastic 1980s drama and fantasy motion picture. The New Kids and The Shining are two excellent horror movies from the 1980s. Although there are no sequels planned for these films at the moment, they are well-liked and discussed. People are even creating blogs and articles to share their thoughts on the film. If someone ever wants to watch any entertaining and well-loved classics, movies from the 1980s are a great place to start.

(Above) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was the tenth highest-grossing picture of 1986, with more than $70 million in earnings. This film’s most classic line is, “If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Graphic courtesy of IMDb. (Graphic courtesy of IMDb.)
(Above) The Breakfast Club was a huge hit, grossing more than $50 million.  This film’s most famous phrase is, “You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That’s the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed.”  Photo courtesy of IMDb.
(Above) Back to the Future film grossed over $388 million at the box office and received numerous awards. According to IMDb, it received, “An Academy Award, three Saturn Awards, and a Hugo Award.” This film’s most famous line is, “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” Graphic courtesy of IMDb.
(Graphic courtesy of IMDb.)
(Above) The Karate Kid was one of the most successful films of 1984, grossing $130 million at the box office. It won several accolades. It received, “An Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and Young Artist Awards,” according to IMDb. A well-known line from this film is, “Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better.” Many fans praides this film being “Ahead of its time,” and it is still popular today. Graphic courtesy of Movies Anywhere.
(Graphic courtesy of Movies Anywhere.)
(Above) Top Gun was a big success, generating over $350 million and making it the highest-grossing picture of 1986. One of the movie’s well-known quotes is, “I feel the need, the need for speed.”   Graphic courtesy of IMDb.
(Graphic courtesy of IMDb.)