Ten films from 1988 now widely regarded as classics

Collider published a roundup of ten films from 1988 that it says are now considered classics, arguing the year saw cinema quietly expand in many directions.

The list covers studio comedies, action, animation and international work, and highlights titles such as John Carpenter’s They Live (a pulpy sci‑fi political allegory), Die Hard (Bruce Willis as John McClane, with Alan Rickman in his feature debut), Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro (a gentle, hand‑crafted tale of sisters and forest spirits), Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira (a dystopian, cyberpunk epic), and Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso (a bittersweet love letter to movies). Also included are Rain Man (Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman; the piece notes Hoffman won the Best Actor Oscar), A Fish Called Wanda (Kevin Kline won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar), The Naked Gun (described as a massive box‑office smash), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (a technical marvel blending noir and animation), and The Vanishing (a devastating psychological thriller).

The article says many of these films were initially dismissed as genre exercises or niche curiosities but have been reappraised over time, with their staying power described as extraordinary.

Key Topics

Culture, They Live, Die Hard, My Neighbor Totoro, Akira, Cinema Paradiso