Top Movies By Decade: Part 7 - "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need road."

Author’s Note: I apparently did this in July of 2009 but didn’t list my top ten favorites.  It simply had my favorite film and then a few honorable mentions that would have been in the top five.

I started a series of lists that rank my top ten favorite movies by decade.  It began in the 1920s and will be working toward the new millennium.

To compile this list, I took my ranked films from IMDb, which I grade after every movie viewing, and sorted them from highest to lowest.  Then, looking at each movie in each decade I came up with my favorite ten.

I have included some honorable mentions to show what the top ten were up against. We will continue with the 1980s.

1980s

Honorable Mentions: The Blues Brothers (1980), Caddyshack (1980), The Shining (1980), Das Boot (1981), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Amadeus (1984), The Living Daylights (1987), Beetlejuice (1988), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), and When Harry Met Sally (1989)

10. The Princess Bride (1987)

While not a box office triumph or awards show darling, The Princess Bride is considered to be one of the funniest and widest-genre-spanning film of all time.  A modest success in theaters, the film has garnered a cult following over the years with numerous quotable phrases and jokes becoming part of the general lexicon of America.  The Princess Bride follows the story of a woman named Buttercup who is to wed Prince Huperdinck but is kidnapped by the dread Pirate Roberts.  What follows is a madcap tale of revenge, love, adventure, laughs, swordfights, plot twists, six-fingered villains, and R.O.U.S.’s.  The film was a critical success and over the years has been labeled the most quotable movie since The Wizard of Oz.  Landing on several “Best Of” lists, the accolades include Total Film magazine readers voted it the 38 greatest comedy film of all time, ranking at 88 on AFI’s Top 100 Passions list, and William Goldman’s screenplay twice came in at 84 on the Writers Guild of America’s best screenplays of all time in 2006 and 2013.

9. Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott’s dystopian future portrays a dark, dirty, noir-like world where organic engineered android beings, called replicants, are hunted down and retired by beings known as “Blade Runners.”  Another example of a 1980s film growing in popularity due to its cult status, the film was originally a box office failure and divided critics.  It has since garnered great amounts of praise for its complex themes and “retro-fitted” production design.  Blade Runner, based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?, brought Dick’s work to the forefront of Hollywood and numerous other stories have since been adapted.  The biggest complaint of the film was its slow pace, but since its release Blade Runner has become one of the most reworked pieces of film in Hollywood history, resulting in seven different versions in existence.  Included among its numerous award nominations and wins are eight BAFTAs, four Saturn Awards, two Oscars, a Hugo Award, and a Golden Globe.  It has also made several Best Film Lists, including AFI’s 100 Movies and 10 Top 10 Science Fiction, Sight & Sound, Total Film, Empire, Time, and Entertainment Weekly.  The film was selected to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in 1993 and in 2007 the Visual Effects Society identified it as the second most visually influential film of all time.

8. Aliens (1986)

“This Time It’s War.”  Not just a catchphrase for the poster, the sequel to 1979’s Ridley Scott space-horror film Alien was more of a science-fiction-action-adventure picture.  Aliens not only was a box office success and more firmly established James Cameron as a highly coveted director, but it was also well received at awards shows.  The story returns heroine Ellen Ripley and a group of Colonial Marines to the planet where the original hostile alien was encountered to investigate the lack of contact with a terraforming colony.  Due to the change in tone many have praised Aliens to be a superior film than its predecessor, with Alien feeling now slow and plain compared to the intensity of Cameron’s combat-packed action movie.  Aliens was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Sigourney Weaver, and won two Oscars for sound and visual effects.  It also won a BAFTA Award in visual effects, with another three nominations.  Yet, the big award haul was at the Saturn Awards, where it won in eight categories.  The film has also accumulated high-ranking spots on multiple Best Of lists among the years.

7. Batman (1989)

Today it seems the comic book genre is a staple of big budget summer blockbuster Hollywood, but prior to Tim Burton’s moody Dark Knight film, the only real silver screen success comic book fans had experienced was with Superman in the 70s.  The start of a four-picture series, the initial adventure pits Batman against his greatest nemesis, the Joker.  In typical Tim Burton fashion, the setting and atmosphere of the film is quite dark, which rubbed some movie critics the wrong way, with a German Expressionist feel to the Gotham City design.  A massive hit financially, Batman was the first film to reach $100 million in the first 10 days of release.  The film received an Academy Award for art direction, Jack Nicholson was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance as the Joker, and the BAFTAs and Saturn Awards handed out 11 nominations.  The success of this movie led to Warner Bros. Animation to create the DC animated universe for television.  AFI included both Batman and Joker on their 100 Heroes and Villains list, with nominations for the film to other of their Top 100 lists.

6. Die Hard (1988)

Cited as the summer blockbuster lone gunman, shoot-‘em-up action movie all subsequent action movies have been compared with, Die Hard has stood the test of time as a gripping thrill ride filled with violent exploits and comedic one-liners.  Turning Bruce Willis into a movie star, the film follows New York detective John McClane as he singlehandedly attempts to stop a group of terrorists in a Los Angeles high-rise.  The movie was a financial success and most critics loved the tense storyline and humorous performance Willis was able to give, despite his character being in such a dangerous situation.  Die Hard received four Academy Award nominations and Michael Kamen’s score earned him an award win.  The movie ranked at 39 on AFI’s 100 Thrills list and Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber came in at 46 on the 100 Heroes and Villains list.  McClane, Gruber, the hero’s catchphrase, and the movie in general have also made countless other lists regarding the greatest aspects of film in history.

5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

The third installment in the Indiana Jones series was intended to be more light-hearted after the darker tones of Temple of Doom.  Harrison Ford’s Indy treks across Europe searching for his father, played by Sean Connery, who has gone missing while on a quest for the Holy Grail.  The result is a father-son theme that develops throughout the movie, a common Steven Spielberg motif.  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a box office success, earning more than $10 million in its first day.  Although audiences loved it, critics found the movie to range from “wild and witty” to “soulless.”  It won an Academy Award for sound editing with two more nominations.  Connery received great praise for his performance, acquiring nominations for supporting actor from the BAFTAs and Golden Globes.  The sound effects team received a BAFTA nomination as well.  John Williams’ score won a BMI Award and received a Grammy nomination.

4. Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Piggybacking on the success of its predecessor, Back to the Future Part II continued the story of Marty McFly altering his family’s history.  This sequel picks up right where the first film left off, sending Marty and his scientist friend Doc to the future, an altered present, and the past to (stealing a quote from Quantum Leap) put right what once went wrong.  Shot back-to-back with the third entry in the series, Back to the Future Part II was the third highest grossing film of the year, falling short of the other two films on this list from 1989, and was a great achievement in filmmaking from the standpoint of camerawork with a single actor playing multiple parts onscreen.  Not as well liked as the original by film critics, it was still well received.  Winning Saturn and BAFTA awards for special effects design, it also received a nomination for the visual effects at the Academy Awards.

3. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

While my overall opinion of the second (or fifth) film in the Star Wars universe doesn’t coincide with Joss Whedon, our agreement over the lack of a true ending does notch it a bit lower than it could have been on this list.  It’s not that the ending is depressing or the Dark Side has their day, but that it is a cliffhanger of an ending.  Great movies need clear-cut endings that don’t rely on another film to tie up loose ends.  I’m not saying a movie’s conclusion can’t be ambiguous or open to interpretation, but it does need to be an ending.  With that said, The Empire Strikes Back is still a phenomenal movie that improved upon what its predecessor had begun.  The story continues the struggles of the Jedi-led rebellion against the Dark Side Empire, with Luke studying and training under Master Yoda.  Initially received to mixed reviews, the appreciation and esteem for this film has grown over the years and is now considered to be not only the best in the series, but one of the greatest movies of all time.  It was the highest grossing movie of its year and, adjusted for inflation, as of 2012 it is at number 12 on the all-time domestic box office records list.  The Empire Strikes Back won an Academy Award for sound mixing as well as a Special Achievement Award for visual effects and two other nominations were received.  John Williams’ score won Grammy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards and two other BAFTA nominations were included for best sound and production design.  The film also received four Saturn Awards and a Hugo Award.  Darth Vader was ranked the third greatest villain on the AFI 100 Heroes and Villains list.  In 2010, the film was included in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Fashioned after the idea of bringing a modern-day form of 1930s and 40s serials to moviegoers in the 80s, Indiana Jones was introduced to audiences to overwhelming praise.  Raiders of the Lost Ark became the highest grossing film of the year and remains one of the highest grossing films of all time.  It is deemed a classic in the action-adventure category and nearly universally praised by critics.  It was nominated for nine Academy Awards including best picture, winning four and receiving a fifth special award for sound effects editing.  The film received three BAFTA nominations.  It also won a Grammy and People’s Choice Award.  Director Steven Spielberg was nominated for his work at the Golden Globes.  Due to the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, a prequel, two sequels, a television series, books, comics, and video games were spawned.  AFI included the movie among the top 100 Films, 100 Films 10th Anniversary, and Top 10 Thrills and Indiana Jones its second greatest hero on the 100 Heroes and Villains list.  Empire magazine considers Raiders of the Lost Ark to be the second greatest movie, bested only by The Godfather.  In 1999, it was included in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

1. Back to the Future (1985)

Created on the premise of whether the screenwriter would have befriended his father had they attended the same high school, Back to the Future became the biggest hit of the year and led to a trilogy, animated television series, theme park ride, and several video games.  Marty McFly travels back in time, unintentionally altering his would-be parents love story and working with his scientist friend to return to his own time.  The film was universally praised for its acting and balanced storyline between dramatic tension, science fiction, and comedy.  Back to the Future won an Academy Award for sound editing and received three other Oscar nominations.  The movie also won Saturn and Hugo awards for Best Science Fiction Film and Best Dramatic Presentation.  It was nominated for another two Saturn awards, five BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes.  The success was so large, even President Ronald Regan mentioned the movie in his 1986 State of the Union address.  Among the many other praise it has received, Back to the Future has been included in Best Of lists in Entertainment Weekly, Empire, The New York Times, and Total Film.  It was also among the AFI 10 Top 10 in science fiction.  The film was included in the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2007.

Analysis

Being born in 1980, this is the decade of my youth.  Therefore, many of these movies are fun, adventure films that a child delights in.  Blade Runner is the only serious, thought-provoking film of the bunch.  The 80s continued the trend of blockbuster filmmaking and launched the idea of franchises, especially in the science fiction, horror, and action genres.  Due to the violent nature found in such “family” films like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins, the MPAA found it necessary to add the PG-13 rating.  There was an increase in popularity with the teen comedy, largely influenced by National Lampoon’s Animal House from 1978.