Curated by SceneIt · United States
Revisit standout releases from 1980 through 1989, selected for viewers who want a strong starting point instead of an exhaustive catalog.
Updated 2026-08-03 · Ratings from TMDB
Titles are ranked by TMDB audience rating with a minimum vote threshold, then checked for relevance to the release decade.
1982 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 744 votes
Frank Galvin is a down-on-his-luck lawyer and reduced to drinking and ambulance chasing, when a former associate reminds him of his obligations in a medical malpractice suit by serving it to Galvin on a silver platter—all parties are willing to settle out of court. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1984 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 840 votes
New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1986 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 1,187 votes
Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1982 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 2,162 votes
The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1988 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 1,589 votes
Childhood friends Jacques and Enzo share a passion for the danger of free diving. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1982 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 961 votes
A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1980 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 704 votes
Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1986 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 5,040 votes
When brilliant, eccentric scientist Seth Brundle makes a huge technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1983 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 928 votes
Fictional documentary about the life of human chameleon Leonard Zelig, a man who becomes a celebrity in the 1920s due to his ability to look and act like whoever is around him. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1989 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 963 votes
A renowned ophthalmologist is desperate to cut off an adulterous relationship…which ends up in murder; and a frustrated documentary filmmaker woos an attractive television producer while making a film about her insufferably self-centered boss. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1988 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 842 votes
Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation when they stop at a busy service station. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1989 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 4,656 votes
Sex always gets in the way of friendships between men and women. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1983 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 986 votes
At the dawn of the Space Race, seven test pilots set out to become the first American astronauts to enter space. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1984 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 1,663 votes
"This Is Spinal Tap" shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1986 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 1,569 votes
When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1981 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 2,748 votes
American tourists David and Jack are savagely attacked by an unidentified animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1981 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 4,238 votes
Max Rockatansky returns as the heroic loner who drives the dusty roads of a postapocalyptic Australian Outback in an unending search for gasoline. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1988 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 1,013 votes
After being dumped by her lover, Pepa finds her life and the lives of those around her spiraling out of control in a deliciously chaotic series of events. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1985 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 1,157 votes
Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1988 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 8,548 votes
A newly dead New England couple seeks help from a deranged demon exorcist to scare an affluent New York family out of their home. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.