Most rewatchable films from each year of the 1980s

Collider has compiled a list naming the most rewatchable movie from each year of the 1980s. The feature notes the decade normalized the blockbuster and produced a large number of classics, and says the era has been memorialized in popular culture as many of today’s leading directors grew up in the decade.

At the top of the list is Do the Right Thing (1989), which the piece says remains as important, if not more so, today as when it debuted; Spike Lee is credited with capturing race relations urgently, and the film’s ensemble includes breakout performances from Giancarlo Esposito, John Turturro and Samuel L.

Jackson, ending with what the article calls a gut‑punch of a finale that rewards repeat viewings. Die Hard (1988) is listed second and is described as hugely influential on contemporary action cinema, inspiring four sequels (two of which are described as quite good) and serving as shorthand for other premises—"Die Hard on a bus," "on a plane," "in Alcatraz," and "in the White House"—while Bruce Willis’s John McClane is praised for bringing humour, humanity and heart.

Key Topics

Culture, Die Hard, Spike Lee, Bruce Willis, Blade Runner