The 1980s was a time of many goofy and daringAdventuremovies, which inspire nostalgia when people watch them today. This decade saw the beginning of some of thebest action movie franchises of all time, alongside the rise and fall of the Brat Pack. The titles that are thought of as thebest coming-of-age movies from the 1980sdon’t typically overlap with action-adventure, but a few of them are surprising exceptions.
Primarily,1980s adventure movies looked like a charming combination of wacky villains and side characters, dashing heroes, old-school special effects, and heartwarming happy endings,even outside Disney’s contributions. Even the fantasy-lacking adventures have a whimsical feel, as memorable characters find themselves on wild journeys. Finally, the best examples from this decade in almost any genre have some focus on romance or friendship, highlighting the bonds forged during an adventure.
The Princess Bride
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Based on the 1973 novel by William Goldman, The Princess Bride is a comical fantasy adventure film that tells a swashbuckling tale of a hero and a princess, read to a young, sick boy in bed by his grandfather. The story itself follows farmhand Westley, who embarks on an epic journey to save his beloved princess from an evil prince as he meets strange but reliable companions along the way.
The Princess Brideis certainly one of thebest fantasy movies of all timeand is still a revered romance-adventure for its bold statements of love and revenge and classic sword fights. As the in-story narrator advertises, it is filled with standard, uplifting tropes like rescue missions, villains defeated, and true love.
It is cheesy in a way that many 1980s movies are, which fans today still love. Aside from its delightfully cloying action,The Princess Bridehas also endured because it is absolutely hilarious.The entire cast delivers memorable, sarcastic one-liners before everything comes to a stop with Billy Crystal’s sequence as Miracle Max.
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The characters are lovable, and the actors are iconic, making for a highly enjoyable book-to-movie adaptation.The Princess Brideis goofy but also impactful through elegance when the actors portrayed their characters with the kind of fondness that characterizes today’s nostalgia.
The Terminator
The Terminator, directed by James Cameron and released in 1984, features a cyborg assassin sent back in time to eliminate Sarah Connor, the mother of a future resistance leader. As the relentless machine pursues its mission, a human warrior is sent to protect her and secure humanity’s survival.
Terminator 2: Judgment Dayis considered to be one of thebest action movies of all time, as well as a sequel that left the already acclaimed original in its dust. However,The Terminatortakes people back even more so than its sequel,leaning into 1980s pop culture and a quitessential horror formula. When Sarah and the T-800 are much more capable action heroes inT2, the first Terminator chasing after Sarah and Kyle feels much scarier and, as a result, older.
TheTerminatorfranchise has carried on longer than many would have liked it to and gone in bad directions, but the movie that started it all holds up remarkably well. Elements like the famous"Come with me if you want to live"line became associated with the T-800 after the first movie; witnessing the original version of its delivery where it was Kyle prompts some vertigo.The Terminatordid everything, including the famous closed time loop, for the first time, recalling the novelty it once had when fans rewatch it.
Romancing the Stone
Romancing the Stone follows romance novelist Joan Wilder, who travels to Colombia to rescue her kidnapped sister. Alongside rugged adventurer Jack Colton, Joan navigates a perilous journey involving treasure maps, dangerous criminals, and unexpected romance. The film stars Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, blending action and comedy in a jungle setting.
People know from the landmark time-travel movie that came out a year later that Robert Zemeckis is a master at creating beloved adventure movies with absurd premises.InRomancing the Stone, the director stacked the cast with Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas, and Danny DeVitofor an action romp about a romance novelist out of her depth. It is as if the best action movies met the best rom-coms of the decade, which seems like it shouldn’t have worked.
Turner and Douglas were even good enough together to produce a sequel that isn’t as highly thought of but is still fun. Long afterJewel of the Nile, people argued thatThe Lost Citywas a remakeofRomancing the Stone, relying on many similar plot elements. However, the first adventure movie’s riotous blend of genres and treasure-hunting tropes is still the best option for those who miss this aspect of the 1980s.
Romancing the Stonewas probably at least partially inspired byIndiana Jones, whenRaiders of the Lost Arkcame out in 1981.The 1980s was definitely a decade to remember for George Lucaswhen his most famous characters starred in some of their best blockbusters. Headlining bothStar WarsandIndiana Joneswas Harrison Ford, who finished the decade with the movie that pulled off a blend of Indy’s characteristic adventure and an emotional subplot, with Sean Connery playing Henry Jones, Sr.
In addition to featuring two of the biggest movie stars in history,Indiana Jones and the Last Crusadeis the last movie before the franchise goes completely off the rails with its legacy sequels. It has the grounded feel of Indy being an archetypal scholar who just happens to be very good at adventuring, going to extreme lengths to find ancient artifacts. The carefully considered special effects and practical stunts inThe Last Crusadeshow off an earlier era ofIndiana Jones.
Labyrinth
Directed by Jim Henson and written by Monty Python’s Terry Jones, Labyrinth stars Jennifer Connelly as Sarah, a teenage girl whose accidental wish that her baby brother be taken by the Goblin King results in an epic quest to save the baby from the King through a vast labyrinth, accompanied by its inhabitants. David Bowie also stars as Jareth, the Goblin King, and many of the characters are played by puppets created by Henson.
Another staple of 1980s fantasy and adventure is the magical creations of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, with one of their best movies beingLabyrinth. In addition to the sentimentality inspired by seeing the goblins rendered as a bunch of relatively friendly-looking Muppet-like creatures,Labyrinthboasts the iconic portrayal of the Goblin King by David Bowie.
Labyrinth’s straightforward fairy tale narrative fits right in with the classic vibesof many 1980s adventure movies. It uniquely features this with a bizarre but satisfying combination of contrasting aspects of the decade’s pop culture. The various puppet creatures get up to wacky shenanigans, while Bowie performs an upbeat musical number.
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Labyrinthlingers in the viewer’s mind when the wistful scenes between Sarah and the Goblin King aren’t completely explained. Meanwhile, delightful side characters like Sir Didymus and his noble steed Ambrosius makeLabyrintha perfectly sweet comfort movie to watch any day.
Back to the Future
Back to the Future follows teenager Marty McFly as he is inadvertently sent back to 1955, where he disrupts his parents' meeting. With the assistance of eccentric inventor Doc Brown, Marty must restore the timeline by ensuring his parents fall in love and find a way back to 1985.
Back to the Futureshowcases so much 1980s iconography,from the music to the fashion to the top stars. A big part of its nostalgia is a distinctly ’80s feel to what the movie and its sequels think the different periods Marty travels look like. Namely,Back to the Future Part IIpresented an exaggerated sci-fi version of 2015, which has not come to pass. Meanwhile, Marty harbors his own nostalgia for the rock ‘n’ roll greats.
LikeThe Terminator,Back to the Futureis responsible for a lot of prevalent time-travel tropes, and returning to the movie that kicked things off is a trip down memory lane. Viewers are invited to think about how these wacky time-travel hijinks were original when the movie premiered. Marty and Doc also deliver some of themost iconic movie lines of the 1980s, exhibiting the taste they share for adventure.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit combines live-action and animation to create a world where humans and cartoon characters coexist. Set in 1940s Hollywood, the film follows a private investigator who is contracted to work on the case of a cartoon framed for murder, despite his dislike of cartoons. Bob Hoskins, Charles Fleischer, Christopher Lloyd, and Kathleen Turner all star.
Who Framed Roger Rabbitis steeped in nostalgia when classic cartoon characters from various studios abound in the story. For instance, major characters tend to appear on-screen in pairs (Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny; Donald Duck and Daffy Duck; Porky Pig and Tinker Bell) because of the agreement with Warner Bros. to allow the use of their icons (viaThe Hollywood Reporter). In addition to the wacky, old-school detective narrative,Who Framed Roger Rabbitslams audiences with images from their childhoods.
The 2D animation blended with live action evokes its own kind of cinematic afterlife. Disney might have essentially made theWho Framed Roger Rabbitsequel that never was withChip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, which drives home the point about how much animation has changed.Who Framed Roger Rabbitalso captures the feeling of being an earlier movie when the original characters never got another movie after the first one.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi concludes George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy with Luke Skywalker and his allies seeking to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and facing a renewed threat as the Emperor attempts to obliterate the Rebellion through a second Death Star, broadening the epic battle between good and evil.
The two originalStar Warsmovies represent their own brand of nostalgia, but when they are almost universally considered to also be the twobestStar Warsmovies, they achieve a greater timelessness. Despite its minor story weaknesses,Star Wars: The Return of the Jediconstitutes a movie moment rooted in the 1980s.
It is the moment where the Ewoks appeared and became a divisive subject; the final twists concerning the Skywalker family were revealed; and it all came to a classic ’80s happy ending. Whether or not a given viewer likes the Ewoks, they definitely feel like a relic of older filmmaking when they are one of the less realistic-appearing creatures in the original trilogy.
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Return of the Jedigenerally played it safe, spending a lot of time on Han’s rescue before revisiting some old storylines to deliver a serviceable conclusion. Yet it is doubtlessly a vital part ofStar Wars, beloved in its own way.
Flight of the Navigator
Flight of the Navigator is a science fiction film directed by Randal Kleiser. Released in 1986, the story follows 12-year-old David, who is mysteriously transported eight years into the future after a close encounter with an alien spaceship. As David tries to understand what happened, he discovers the advanced spacecraft and forms a unique bond with its artificial intelligence, known as Max.
Flight of the Navigatoris also possibly pulling off a weird amalgamation of the most popular tropes and genres of the 1980s. There is a bit of scientific mystery, time travel, sci-fi adventure, and human-alien interactions. Despite seeming like it is just another version ofE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialbased only on its premise,Flight of the Navigatoris surprisingly an original scientific story with its own set of stimulating visuals.
David’s relationship with Max is mostly friendly, revolving around an interesting but logical concept of why aliens would come to Earth. However,Flight of the Navigatorshows a different scenario of consequences for this extra-terrestrial encounter than other movies, resolving it with risk and sacrifice on the part of the main characters. While it touches upon some significant themes,Flight of the Navigatoris still a feel-good 1980s adventure, showcasing Disney trying out something different.
The Goonies
When a small Oregon community is threatened by the foreclosure of their homes, a group of young misfits who called themselves the Goonies set out to find an ancient treasure in order to save the town. From a story by Steven Spielberg and a screenplay by Chris Columbus, Richard Donner’s The Goonies is one of the most iconic adventure movies of the 1980s, with a cast comprising the talents of Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan, Jeff Cohen, Robert Davi, and Joe Pantoliano.
The Gooniesis tied up with all the properties it is either very similar to or inspired decades later; it demonstrates the same themes asStand by Me, whileStranger Thingsfans will doubtlessly enjoy the kids’ adventure that partially inspired their favorite show.The Gooniesshowcases a group of more independent kids having their own adventure, with a convenient treasure map lighting the way. While the story provides them with a catalyst, they also choose this adventure, forging ahead emboldened by their comradery.
This scenario is a characteristic 1980s adventure motif, as well as everything working out at the end when the Goonies use the treasure they find to save their neighborhood. It also prompts sentimentality whenmajor actors like Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, and Ke Huy Quan are all little kids.Overall,The Gooniesis another 1980s adventure staple perfect for anyone wanting to relive this era of movies.
