The 1980s was a decade of prosperity, hairbands and over-the-top movies. Fantasies like "The Empire Strikes Back," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and "Back to the Future" helped viewers escape, while dramas like "Platoon," "The Killing Fields" and "Ghandi" made them face the grim realities. The 1980s launched some of the most popular serial films ever made and continued serial franchises such as "Star Wars," "Superman" and "Rocky." The 1980s gave popular culture some of its best adventure films, fantasies, dramas, comedies and thrillers.
1. "Raging Bull"
Robert DeNiro's Oscar-winning performance as prizefighter Jake LaMotta and Martin Scorsese's brilliant direction made this 1980 drama popular with fans and critics alike. Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci costarred.
2. "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
This debut film in the "Raiders" franchise transformed Harrison Ford from supporting role to leading man and started an action-adventure-history trend that inspires filmmakers today. Costar Karen Allen shines as Indiana Jones' romantic interest, Marion Ravenwood. Paul Freeman portrayed a convincing villain, the evil Dr. Rene Belloq. The pace of the action in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" exemplifies why Steven Spielberg's films dominated the 1980s.
3. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"
"E.T. phone home!" cried the title character of this 1982 Steven Spielberg fantasy. A young Drew Barrymore as Gertie upped the cute factor for this film. Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas and Peter Coyote rounded out the case, but the real star of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" was the forlorn heartsick alien, E.T.
4. "Back to the Future"
"Back to the Future" may not have impressed the Oscar crowd -- the only award it won was for sound effects editing -- but Marty McFly captured the imaginations and hearts of moviegoers when he took his skateboard back in time to save his parents' marriage -- and himself. Michael J. Fox's Marty and Christopher Lloyd's unforgettable Doc Brown had so much film chemistry that it spawned a "Back to the Future" trilogy.
5. "Terms of Endearment"
Director James Brooks' "Terms of Endearment" racked up five Academy Awards in 1983, with Shirley MacLaine walking away with the Best Actress award, Jack Nicholson winning Best Supporting Actor, Brooks winning Best Director and the film itself earning Best Picture. The tearjerker told the story of mother-daughter conflict between MacLaine's Aurora Greenway and her daughter Emma Horton, played by Debra Winger. The pair finally bond during the daughter's fatal illness. The all-star cast included Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels and John Lithgow.
6. "Field of Dreams"
"If you build it, they will come." "Field of Dreams," starring Kevin Costner, had a cast that included Burt Lancaster, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Amy Madigan. Philip Alden Robinson directed this 1989 baseball fantasy about father and son redemption over a game of catch in a field inhabited by baseball-playing ghosts.
7. "The Killing Fields"
The best war drama of the 1980s has to be "The Killing Fields," the story of Pol Pot's Cambodian massacre seen through the eyes of New York Times journalist Sydney Schanberg, played by Sam Waterston, and his Cambodian guide Dith Pran, played by Haing S. Ngor. When the enemy moves in, Schanberg gets away, but Pran must remain to face the bloody Khmer Rouge. Rolland Joffe's film won three Oscars and turned the spotlight toward an important, often overlooked war.
8. "Blue Velvet"
Director David Lynch's 1986 thriller starts with a severed human ear and delves into a hidden culture of violent sexual attraction and betrayal in the small hometown of Jeffrey Beaumont, played by Kyle MacLachlan. Joining MacLachlan in this haunting movie are film greats Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange and Dean Stockwell.
9. "Beverly Hills Cop"
This cop comedy, starring Eddie Murphy as Detroit detective Axel Foley, pulled in $108 million at the box office -- $4 million more than "Back to the Future." Murphy plays the classic "fish out of water" in Beverly Hills under the direction of Martin Brest. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton gave shining performances as members of the Beverly Hills Police Department.
10. "Rain Man"
How better to demonstrate a character's utter absence of ethics than to have him kidnap his autistic brother and exploit him in a Las Vegas card counting scheme. That's "Rain Man." Viewers loved the plot and made "Rain Man" the top-grossing film of 1988. The cast, starring Dustin Hoffman in an Oscar-winning portrayal of Raymond Babitt, and Tom Cruise as his opportunistic brother Charlie, also included Valeria Golino and Bonnie Hunt.
Tags: Back Future, Beverly Hills, Killing Fields, Field Dreams, Raiders Lost, Steven Spielberg, Terms Endearment