10 Best Adventure Movies of the 1980s That Make Us Feel Nostalgic

The 1980s was a time of plenty of goofiness and daring Adventure

Movies that inspire nostalgia when people watch them today. This decade marked the beginning of some of the best action movie franchises of all time, along with the rise and fall of the Brat Pack. The titles that are considered the best coming-of-age movies of the 1980s do not typically overlap with action adventure, but a few of them are surprising exceptions.

primarily, 1980s adventure movies looked like a charming combination of wacky villains and side characters, dashing heroes, old-school special effects and heartwarming happy endings, Even outside Disney’s contributions. Even the fantasy-less adventures have a whimsical feel, as memorable characters find themselves on wild journeys. Finally, the best examples of this decade in almost any genre have some focus on romance or friendship, highlighting the bonds forged during an adventure.

10

The Princess Bride (1987)

Buttercup and Weasley’s Story is a timeless classic

The Princess Bride is certainly one of the best fantasy movies of all time and is still a revered romance-adventure for its bold statements of love and revenge and classic sword fights. As the narrator in the story advertises, it is filled with normal, uplifting tropes like rescue missions, defeated villains, and true love.

It’s cheesy in a way that many 1980s movies are, which fans today still love. Besides his delightful clawing action, The Princess Bride Also endured because it is absolutely hilarious. The entire cast delivers memorable, sarcastic one-liners before everything comes to a halt with Billy Crystal’s sequence as Miracle Max.

The characters are likable, and the actors are iconic, making for a very enjoyable book-to-movie adaptation. The Princess Bride It is also impressive through elegance when the actors portrayed their characters with the kind of love that characterizes today’s nostalgia.

9

The Terminator (1984)

The horror formula of the first Terminator evokes nostalgia like none of the sequels

Terminator 2: Judgment Day Is considered to be one of the best action movies of all time, as well as a sequel that left the already acclaimed original in its dust. however, The Terminator takes people back even more than its sequel, Leaning into 1980s pop culture and a fairly basic horror formula. When Sarah and the T-800 are much more capable action heroes in T2The first Terminator chasing after Sarah and Kyle feels much scarier and, as a result, older.

The Terminator Franchise has gone on longer than many would have liked and gone in bad directions, but the movie that started it all holds up remarkably well. Elements like the famous “Come with me if you want to live” The line was associated with the H-800 after the first movie; Witnessed the original version of ​​his delivery where it was Kyle prompts some vertigo. The Terminator Has everything, including the famous closed time loop, for the first time, recalling the novelty it once had when fans riveted it.

8

Romancing the Rock (1984)

A romantic novelist has a romantic adventure with her own Indiana Jones

People know from the landmark time-travel movie that came out a year later that Robert Zemeckis is a master at creating beloved adventure movies with absurd premises. in Romancing the rockThe director stacked the cast with Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas, and Danny DeVito For an action romp about a romantic novelist out of her depth. It’s as if the best action movies met the best rom-coms of the decade, which seems like it shouldn’t have worked.

Turner and Douglas even got along well enough to produce a sequel that wasn’t as highly thought of but was still fun. Long after Jewel of the NilePeople argue that The Lost City was a remake of Romancing the rockRelying on many similar plot elements. However, the riotous blend of genres and treasure-hunting tropes of the first adventure movie is still the best option for those who miss that aspect of the 1980s.

7

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

The best Indiana Jones movie is an amazing look back at the franchise

Romancing the rock was probably at least partially inspired by Indiana Joneswhen Raiders of the Lost Ark Published in 1981. The 1980s was definitely a decade to remember for George Lucas When his most famous characters starred in some of their best blockbusters. Headlines both Star Wars And Indiana Jones was Harrison Ford, who ended the decade with the film that evoked a blend of Indy’s characteristic adventure and an emotional subplot, with Sean Connery playing Henry Jones, Sr.

In addition to featuring two of the biggest movie stars in history, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the last movie before the franchise goes completely off the rails with its legacy sequels. It has the grounded feel of Indy being an archetypal scientist who just happens to be very good at adventuring, going to extreme lengths to find ancient artifacts. The carefully considered special effects and practical stunts in The Last Crusade show an earlier era of Indiana Jones.

6

Labyrinth (1986)

David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly’s fairy tale adventure with lovable puppets

Another staple of 1980s fantasy and adventure is the magical creations of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, featuring one of their best movies. Labyrinth. In addition to the sentimentality inspired by seeing the goblins rendered as a bunch of relatively friendly-looking Muppet-like creatures, Labyrinth Boasting the iconic image of the Goblin King by David Bowie.

Labyrinth‘s straightforward fairy tale narrative fits right into the classic vibes of many 1980s adventure movies. It uniquely features this with a strange but satisfying combination of contrasting aspects of the decade’s pop culture. The various puppet creatures get up to mischievous shenanigans, while Bowie performs an upbeat musical number.

Labyrinth Remains in the viewer’s mind, when the important scenes between Sarah and the goblin king are not fully explained. Meanwhile, delightful side characters like Sir Didymus and his noble son Ambrosius make it Labyrinth A perfectly sweet comforting movie to watch any day.

5

Back to the Future (1985)

Back to the Future embraces 80s culture while creating its own genre

Back to the future showcases so much 1980s iconography, From the music to the fashion to the top stars. A big part of its nostalgia is a distinct 80s feel to what the movie and its sequels think the different periods that Marty travels look like. Namely, Back to the Future Part II Presented an exaggerated sci-fi version of 2015, which did not come to pass. Meanwhile, Marty harbors his own nostalgia for the rock ‘n’ roll greats.

like The Terminator, Back to the future is responsible for a lot of prevalent time-travel tropes, and going back to the movie that kicked things off is a trip down memory lane. Viewers are invited to think about how the wacky time-travel hijinks are original when the movie premieres. Marty and Doc also deliver some of the most iconic movie lines of the 1980s, showcasing the taste they share for adventure.

4

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Classic cartoon characters meet an old-school detective plot

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is filled with nostalgia when classic cartoon characters from various studios abound in the story. For example, main characters tend to appear on screen in pairs (Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny; Donald Duck and Daffy Duck; Porky Pig and Tinker Bell) because of the agreement with Warner Bros. to allow the use of their icons (via The Hollywood Reporter). In addition to the wacky, old-school detective story, Who Framed Roger Rabbit Slams audiences with images from their childhood.

The 2D animation blended with live action evokes its own kind of cinematic afterlife. Disney could have essentially made these Who Framed Roger Rabbit Sequel that never happened with Chip and Dale: Rescue RangersWhich drives home the point about how much animation has changed. Who Framed Roger Rabbit Also happens the feeling of being a previous movie when the original characters never got another movie after the first one.

3

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

The final original trilogy Star Wars movie captures a specific moment in time

The two originals Star Wars Movies represent their own kind of nostalgia, but when they are almost universally considered to be the two best Star Wars Movies, they achieve a greater timelessness. Despite its minor story weaknesses, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi constitutes a movie moment rooted in the 1980s.

It is the moment where the Ewoks appeared and became a detailed topic; The latest twists about the Skywalker family are revealed; And it all came to a classic ’80s happy ending. Whether a given viewer likes the Ewoks or not, they definitely feel like a relic of older filmmaking when they are one of the less realistic-looking creatures in the original trilogy.

Return of the Jedi Generally played it safe, spending a lot of time on Han’s rescue before revisiting some old storylines to provide a serviceable conclusion. But it is undoubtedly a vital part of Star WarsBeloved in his own way.

2

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

Flight of the Navigator is a forgotten Disney space adventure

Flight of the Navigator It is also possible to draw a strange amalgamation of the most popular tropes and genres of the 1980s. It’s a bit of scientific mystery, time travel, sci-fi adventure and human-alien interactions. Despite seeming like it’s just another version of et the extra-terrestrial Based solely on his premise, Flight of the Navigator is surprisingly an original science fiction story with its own set of stimulating visuals.

David’s relationship with Max is mostly friendly, revolving around an interesting but logical concept of why aliens would come to Earth. however, Flight of the Navigator Shows a different scenario of consequences for this extra-terrestrial meeting than other movies, resolving it with risk and sacrifice of the main characters. Although it touches on several relevant topics, Flight of the Navigator is another feel-good adventure from the 1980s, showing Disney trying something different.

1

The Goonies (1985)

The Gooiness is Spielberg’s classic kids treasure hunting adventure

The Gunnies is tied up with all the properties it is either very similar to or inspired decades later; It demonstrates the same topics as Stand by meWhile Stranger things Fans will undoubtedly enjoy the kids’ adventure that partially inspired their favorite show. The Gunnies Showcases a group of more independent kids on their own adventure, with a convenient treasure map lighting the way. While history provides them with a catalyst, they also choose the adventure, forging ahead emboldened by their comradery.

The scenario is a characteristic 1980s adventure motif, as well as everything working out in the end when the Goonies use the treasure they find to save their neighborhood. It also prompts sentimentality when Main actors like Sean Astin, Josh Brolin and Ke Huy Quan are all little kids. generally, The Gunnies is another 1980s adventure staple perfect for anyone who wants to relive that era of movies.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter