Although we know that declaring any decade as the “best” for movies is always a matter of generational bias, we can’t help but think that the 80s were a golden period for cinema. This era brought tons of innovation and excitement to the film industry and left us with a wide variety of flicks that continue to be beloved and influential today. To prove our point, we’ve listed six of our favorite iconic movies of the time. Get your popcorn ready and keep on reading to discover them!
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
No film saga has changed Hollywood like Star Wars. Not only did this epic space opera flick earn $461 million in US ticket sales, but it also received seven Oscars and encouraged the film industry to pursue crowd-pleasing sequels, like Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Darker and more complex than its predecessor, this film fruitfully expanded George Lucas’s original mythology by springing mind-blowing surprises and hinting at world-shattering secrets. In fact, it established what has now become a fan ritual: spirited conversations about each character’s choices and what should come next.