Grab your leg warmers and neon sunglasses! We're diving into the radical 80s movies that have made an epic comeback, proving that some classics never truly fade away. From cult favorites to blockbuster hits, these films have found new life in the modern era.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're looking at definitive 80s movies that saw a modern
00:09resurgence of popularity, proving that this decade will never die.
00:25This testosterone-fuelled flick was 1986's highest-grossing blockbuster, solidifying
00:30Tom Cruise as a superstar.
00:32While Cruise's star power continued to rise, respect for Top Gun seemed to dwindle over
00:37time.
00:38Parodies like Hot Shots didn't help, but it was during the internet era that Top Gun
00:41fell into self-parody territory thanks to the relentlessly memed volleyball scene.
00:46With the success of Top Gun Maverick over 30 years later, many were reminded of just
00:50how much the original film rocked, from its daring aerial sequences to its killer soundtrack.
01:03The legacy sequel also inspired newcomers to finally check out its predecessor, giving
01:07them their first taste of Tony Scott at his peak.
01:10Some may prefer Maverick, but there's one thing the sequel could never top – 80s vibes.
01:19Once Christopher Nolan came along, Joel Schumacher's contributions to the Batman franchise became
01:28relics of the past.
01:29At the same time, many seemed to forget just how groundbreaking Tim Burton's first Batman
01:33movie was.
01:44As gritty realism started to oversaturate the superhero genre, people eventually revisited
01:49the gritty surrealism of Burton's Batman.
01:52In an entertainment landscape dominated by CGI, the practical sets of Burton's Gotham
01:56City are a bittersweet beacon of a bygone era.
02:00For many, the film doesn't just include the definitive version of Gotham, but the
02:03best cinematic Batman in Michael Keaton.
02:11This reappraisal led to Keaton donning the cape and cowl again in The Flash.
02:15Meanwhile, the original film's continuity has been recently expanded upon through comics
02:20and novels.
02:35Upon release, this fantasy film was a financial disappointment, but it would develop a cult
02:40following.
02:41The appreciation for Labyrinth has only grown as more people re-evaluate the impact and
02:45legacy of director Jim Henson, this being his last feature.
02:49Speaking of once-in-a-lifetime talents we lost too soon, Dance Magic Dance made the
02:53rounds as we said goodbye to David Bowie in 2016.
03:05Two years later, Labyrinth saw a theatrical re-release.
03:08Around this time, Brian Henson revealed that a stage adaptation of Labyrinth was in the
03:12works.
03:13There were also whispers of a potential cinematic follow-up with Robert Eggers being attached
03:17to direct in late 2024.
03:20Unappreciated during its time, Labyrinth is more popular now than Jim Henson ever could
03:24have imagined.
03:40When the country as a whole doesn't share your political beliefs, it can feel as if
03:44aliens are replacing the population.
03:46They may look human on the surface, but underneath, they're ghouls, feeding into a system of
03:51manipulation.
04:00This provided the basis for John Carpenter's They Live, which tackled Reaganomics through
04:04a sci-fi horror lens.
04:06While the film found an audience, critics at the time took issue with its social commentary.
04:10Fast forward a few decades, critics today have not only praised the commentary as smart,
04:16As Donald Trump ushered in a new political era with corporate greed and prejudice on
04:31the rise, parallels were drawn to Roddy Piper putting on his sunglasses, seeing the world
04:35for what it has become.
04:51How were you introduced to The Princess Bride?
04:52If you grew up in the late 80s or 90s, chances are a friend or family member brought over
04:57their VHS copy.
04:58Like Fred Savage's character, you might have been sceptical, but by the end, you were
05:02ready for a re-watch.
05:11For a period, The Princess Bride felt like a secret with only true fans understanding
05:15the significance of words like inconceivable.
05:17Now, you'd be surprised to find just how many fans can quote the film line for line.
05:26So much so, that during COVID, numerous celebrities participated in a fan-made remake, and the
05:31original cast partook in a virtual reading.
05:34From cult favourite to universal comfort movie, The Princess Bride is still living its happily
05:38ever after.
05:50One of the decade's most original films, Beetlejuice found several names on the cusp
05:54of major success.
05:55Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Katherine O'Hara, Tim Burton, the list goes on.
06:08While all of them went on to even bigger things, they'd weather through their fair share
06:12of career setbacks as well.
06:14Around the same time that the film's key talents started to see career resurgences,
06:18the Beetlejuice musical became a surprise smash on stage.
06:21Aside from reminding fans how much they loved the film that started it all, people started
06:26asking about that long-delayed Beetlejuice sequel.
06:36With the original film, its cast and its director back in the spotlight, 2024 was as good a
06:41time as any to get the band back together for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
07:02While The Goonies was a hit in 1985, there weren't a lot of critics or Academy members
07:07championing it as a cinematic milestone.
07:09For a generation of young moviegoers, though, The Goonies was a creative catalyst for a
07:13future career in filmmaking.
07:22This is apparent in modern films like Super 8 and shows like Stranger Things.
07:26Not everyone who grew up with The Goonies went on to make movies, but virtually every
07:3080s and 90s kid has passed it on to their children, giving The Goonies a second life.
07:35The actors have also kept the film in the zeitgeist, with much of the cast going on
07:38to find massive success during adulthood.
07:41Whether or not a sequel ever happens, Goonies never say die.
07:55Even if you had never seen the original Karate Kid, everyone knew about this sports underdog
07:59story.
08:00During the 2010s, the film re-entered the conversation for reasons nobody expected.
08:05William Zabka, who played the antagonist Johnny Lawrence, suggested the film was really
08:09about his character.
08:22Although Zabka was joking at the time, he got people thinking that maybe Johnny did
08:26get a bad rap and Daniel wasn't such a great guy.
08:29The discussion seemingly peaked with an episode of How I Met Your Mother, but that was just
08:33a warm-up for Cobra Kai, a legacy series presented through Johnny and Daniel's perspectives.
08:38The hit show has influenced a new generation to rediscover the first film and its sequels,
08:43which are more fondly remembered now.
08:56In addition to becoming the top-grossing comedy film for a period, Ghostbusters spawned one
09:00of the 80s' most prominent media franchises.
09:08Over the following decades, though, the franchise's presence in pop culture faded, save for the
09:12occasional video game or short-lived TV show.
09:15With the sudden passing of Harold Ramis in 2014, legions of fans shared their fond memories
09:20of the 1984 classic while also lamenting that a true Ghostbusters 3 would never happen.
09:31Since then, Hollywood has tried resurrecting the franchise with varying degrees of success.
09:36Whatever your thoughts on the modern incarnations are, they've given younger audiences a reason
09:39to seek out the original Ghostbusters, finding out why so many view it as a sacred work of
09:44art that can't be topped.
10:14When this sequel hit theatres, audiences liked it, but generally thought it wasn't as timeless
10:18as the first film.
10:20Ironically, time has been quite kind to Back to the Future Part II.
10:23As we approached 2015, people were surprised to realise how much the film got right about
10:28the future, from video communication to excessive sequels to a surge of 80s nostalgia.
10:38Even after 2015, the film's predictions kept coming to fruition.
10:42Not only did the Cubs win the World Series in 2016, but Biff's ascension to power felt
10:47eerily similar to a certain politician's presidential victory.
10:52We're still waiting for real hoverboards, but when the technology is finally perfected,
10:58Back to the Future Part II is sure to dominate headlines yet again.
11:05So what 80s movie do you hope makes a comeback?
11:08Let us know in the comments.