CuratedMovie

50 Best Movies of the 1980s

A curated MovieDB guide to 50 best movies of the 1980s, selected for strong audience interest, quality signals, and clear search intent. Browse story summaries, ratings, trailers, and where to watch in your country.

Poster for The Empire Strikes Back from 50 Best Movies of the 1980s

Showing 50 of 50 titles

Rank 1

Movie

Back to the Future

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.

★ 8.31985Details

Runner-up picks

Movie

The Empire Strikes Back

The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.

★ 8.41980

Movie

The Shining

Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.

★ 8.21980