10 classic 1980s action movie moments that have aged poorly

No decade of cinematic history has been unscathed by the ravages of time, and that’s certainly true of the great Action movies from the 80s. Even today, many of the best action films of the 80s are fondly remembered, with many kicking off massive franchises that have persisted well into the modern era of movie-making. However, when revisiting these classic flicks, there is almost assuredly bound to be a moment or two that reminds the viewer of the time when the film was made in jarring fashion.

There are a variety of ways the awkward scenes can age with all the grace of a carton of milk. In many cases, changing political and cultural values ​​can create The sensibility of certain sequences in the typical over-the-top masculinity of 80s action seem shocking to a modern audience. In other cases, poorly aged special effects, pointless sequences, or frustratingly unbelievable action scenes can make-or-break the longevity of a given 80s action movie.

10

Blain’s Casual Slur Usage

Predator (1987): Directed by John McTiernan

Part of that made the original Predator Works so well The camaraderie and eccentricity of Dutch’s special ops unit. From the moment Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers flex their muscles in a strong handshake, it’s clear that each member of the elite fireteam has a quirky personality.

Although their banter is typically quite entertaining, there is one particular exchange that definitely crosses the line of acceptable banter by modern standards. Jesse Ventura’s minigun-wielding Blaine is a particularly foul-mouthed soldier, perhaps due to Ventura’s actual past as Navy special forces.

While waiting for a helicopter ride, Blaine casually throws out a homophobic slur while bragging about his popularity with the ladies, which he apparently owes to chewing tobacco. It’s easy to miss this flimsy old line considering how much it’s overshadowed by the next words out of Ventura’s mouth, “This stuff will make you a goddamn sexual tyrannosaurus, just like me.“

9

Maverick follows Charlie into the ladies’ room

Top Gun (1986): Directed by Tony Scott

In the world of big gun, The mouse pilot Maverick owes his nickname from his propensity for rule breaking. While it’s usually quite enjoyable to see him act outside the strict chain of command only to get undeniable results anyway, There are some rules of Maverick breaks that are quite eyebrow-raising by the sensibilities of the current age.

In particular, his interactions with Top Gun instructor and love interest, Charlie Blackwood. After his romantic advances are politely rejected, Maverick decides to follow Charlie into the women’s restroom in an attempt to change her mind.

Somehow, she reacts quite calmly to this, and seems almost receptive to his inappropriate advances, never mind the power dynamics at play considering Maverick is actively her student. It is safe to say that this method of flirting should remain in the 80s.

8

James Bond frees a rebel leader in Afghanistan

The Living Daylights (1987): Directed by John Glen

There are a lot of things that have aged poorly in James Bond movies of all kinds, from rampant misogyny to uneven editing. But in one rare instance, a large swath of an entire movie is rendered in a poor position by the passage of time, as is the case with the Timothy Dalton led. The Living Daylights. Here, Jacob Bond helps repel the real-world Russian occupation of Afghanistan by enlisting the help of none other than the Mujahideen, Rebels who will continue to form the Taliban.

The cultural implications of Hollywood’s radical change in attitude toward Afghanistan’s guerrillas when the country’s occupying force shifted from the USSR to the United States are quite stark. Throughout the film, the Mujahideen were hailed as lucky heroes, A painful picture in light of their formation in one of the most infamous modern enemies of the US. If there is one moment in particular The Living Daylights What stands out as particularly bad is the scene in which Bond frees a mujahideen leader from prison.

7

Rambo III dedicates itself to the Mujahideen

Rambo III (1988): Directed by Peter MacDonald

Amazingly, the James Bond franchise is not the only action movie series of the 80s to run into retrospective difficulties with a conflict in Afghanistan. Even though it’s still technically an 80s action movie classic, Rambo III was a low point in the franchise in more ways than one, With his assumption of Rambo helping the Mujahideen fight Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan with it rather curious.

Not similar the living daylight, The Afghanistan conflict makes the majority of rambo iiis plot. The film follows an attempt by Colonel Sam Troutman to draw his old friend, John Rambo, out of retirement for one last job at the CIA.Supported mission helping the Mujahideen fight against the USSR’s forces.

Although Rambo initially refuses, Trautman’s capture prompts him to put everything on the line in a bloody crusade against the Soviets, fighting alongside the rebel soldiers who would, in all likelihood, continue to join the Soviets. Taliban. The dedication to the “Brave mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan“In the credits is a particularly awkward Encapsulation of the weak-old premise.

6

The Monkey Brains dinner scene

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984): Directed by Steven Spielberg

Even among die-hard Indiana Jones fans, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Has an infamous reputation as the darkest Indiana Jones movie. Although the film’s gruesome content for a PG-13 movie and gross-out humor haven’t aged particularly well, Some of the racist undertones of the film’s understatement and mystique of real Asian cultures are the most glaringly difficult to rewatch. Aspect of the whole series.

The monkey brains dinner scene combines all three elements, making for a decidedly skippable beat in an otherwise fun action adventure. The scene features the dizzy Willie being disgusted by the increasingly gruesome courses of a meal courtesy of her Indian hosts, Including the decapitated head of a primate with its brain exposed, ready for consumption.

The so-called “cool monkey brain” Have no real cultural basis in Indian cuisine, and the cheap joke, punctuated with willy fakery, comes across as singular and racist. It can be argued that this scene is actually Spielberg’s knowing parody of the perception of India, but in any case, the scene is not old.

5

The light cycle race

Tron (1982): Directed by Steven Lisberge

Sometimes, political affiliations, cultural values ​​or changes in history aren’t what age a given 80s movie quickly. In many cases, painfully early Special effects can make a viewing experience almost as difficult on re-watches, As is certainly the case with 1982’s Throne.

At the time of its release, Throne Was considered a daring technical showcase for the transformative power of computer-generated effects, fittingly telling the story of a virtual world. By today’s standards, however, the primordial CGI of Throne is laughably bad, with many scenes looking straight-up unfinished.

The light cycle race is a particularly egregious example, with the stilted, Instant 90-degree turns of the vehicles and the smooth, textureless shapes of their chassis torture the supposedly-exciting chase sequence. It’s all the more painful that the jarring scene feels forced into the film’s narrative, feeling like more of a tech demo than a sequence necessary for the plot to progress.

4

The museum dance scene

Batman (1989): Directed by Tim Burton

The modern superhero film owes much of its existence to the 1989s BatmanWhich proved that comic book characters can tell gritty, poignant stories if allowed to take themselves seriously. Still considered to be one of the best Batman films by today’s standards, there are still some moments from Tim Burton’s masterpiece that stand out as old. In particular, the not one, not two, but Three dancing sequences feel quite shoe-horned in and out of place, utterly breaking the viewer’s immersion.

Of the dance scenes, Joker’s rampage through a classy museum along with his boom-box-carrying guns is a particularly dated sequence. The Prince soundtrack is quite indicative of what was popular at the time of the film’s release, and The goofy outfits and stilted choreography of the sequence makes for an awkward experience Through a modern lens. After seeing different cinematic versions of the Joker do much worse over the years, it’s hard to get excited about Jack Nicholson’s incarnation breaking a priceless vase.

3

Venkman flirts with a student

Ghostbusters (1984): Directed by Ivan Reitman

In fact, there are many who have aged less-than-gracefully about the original Ghostbusters Film. From Ray’s spectral sex encounter to the openly conservative anti-environmental regulations messaging, the revered action comedy has quite a bit of content that keeps it squarely stuck in the past. If there’s one moment that stands out for its disturbing evocation of ’80s cultural values, however, it’s the brief aside in which Dr. Peter Venkman, played by Bill Murray, flirts with one of his students.

While conducting “research” meant to test the phenomena of psychic ability, Venkman performs a simple test in which he asks two participants to guess the shape on the face of a card he is holding, with incorrect guesses being rewarded with a mild Electric shock.

While the nerdy male student is buzzing with impunity, Venkman flirtatiously lies about his young female student’s ability to read his mind. In the 80s, the hit made Venkman a rough, but still lovable sleaze ball, but by today’s standards, it is difficult for him to root.

2

John Matrix walks through an enemy garden without being shot

Commando (1985): Directed by Mark L. Lester

One of the crowning jewels of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s run of 80s action movies, Commando Makes a case for the definitive 80s action movie. From the bulging muscles of Schwarzenegger’s iconic body as John Matrix to the effortless delivery of his deliciously cheesy one-liners, It’s hard to find things to dislike about this undoubtedly fun romp, even now.

That said, while the film’s up-close-and-personal action scenes are second to none, The shootouts often leave something to be desired. Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix makes his way through a particularly unbelievable firefight in the film’s climax. Wading through a scene rose garden while shirtless and firing off a massive M60 light machine gun, Matrix slaughters scores of enemy soldiers as easily as picking flowers.

Despite Matrix making no attempt to find cover or even break line of sight, None of the scores of enemies were able to land a shot on him, Making the end of the film a disappointingly stupid final exchange of gunfire by modern action sequence standards.

1

Sgt. Al Powell is learning to be a trigger-happy cop again

Die Hard (1988): Directed by John McTiernan

Speaking of shooting sequences, the handling of Sergeant Al Powell’s character in Die hard Makes for an awkward lesson in heroics by today’s standards. Earlier in the film, Sgt. Powell explains to John McClane, a fellow police officer, how he has been unable to draw (let alone fire) his service weapon since he panicked and killed an innocent child playing with a toy gun while on the job. The movie portrays this as a character flaw, one that Sgt. Pavel triumphs at the end of the film when he drops one of the Nakatomi Plaza terrorists.

In the modern day and age, conversations of police over-use of deadly force have become all the more prevalent, and There are a tragically high number of real-life cases similar to Sgt. Powell’s fictional one, only with the offending parties showing much less remorse.

With that in mind, the final shot of Sgt. Powell with his smoking gun drawn is downright ominous. Even if the intention may not be to glorify police brutality, the moment is a relic of a particular kind of Action movie That probably wouldn’t fly today.