The 13 Best 80s Movies Still Worth Watching Today

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Do you ever feel like most new movies look the same? If you want something different, something with real heart and energy, then you should look at the best 80s movies. The 1980s was a decade full of big ideas, strong stories, and directors who were not afraid to take risks. These films can still surprise you today.

It may be hard to believe, but the 1980s were more than 40 years ago. That is a long time. Yet many of the best 80s movies from that era still feel as fresh and exciting as ever. Good stories do not have an expiration date, and great filmmaking does not get old.

In this article, we have selected some of the best 80s movies ever. From drama to action, these masterpiece are still worth to watch today.

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, The Roku Channel, YouTube, Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, Apple TV Store, Plex, Kanopy, Fawesome

Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro in one of cinema's greatest performances, this film tells the true story of boxer Jake LaMotta. A talented middleweight champion from the Bronx, LaMotta wins fights in the ring but loses everything outside it. His violent temper and extreme jealousy slowly destroy his marriage, his friendships, and ultimately his career.

Where to Watch: Plex, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Based on Stephen King's bestselling 1977 novel, this Stanley Kubrick film stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a writer who takes a winter caretaker job at the remote Overlook Hotel with his wife and young son Danny. As the weeks pass, strange and dark forces begin to influence Jack, pushing him toward madness and violence. Meanwhile, Danny has a psychic ability called "the shining," and he begins to see terrifying visions of the hotel's bloody past.

Where to Watch: Paramount Plus, fuboTV, MGM+, Philo, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

A famous Italian filmmaker named Salvatore receives news that an old friend has died. This sends him back in his memory to his childhood in a small Sicilian village, where he fell in love with movies at the local Cinema Paradiso theater. There, he formed a deep and lasting friendship with Alfredo, the kind and wise projectionist who became like a second father to him.

Where to Watch: The Roku Channel

Legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa retells Shakespeare's King Lear as a grand samurai epic set in 16th-century Japan. An aging warlord decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons, believing this will bring peace. Instead, it unleashes jealousy, betrayal, and war. The film is visually stunning, with large battle scenes and extraordinary use of color and landscape.

Where to Watch: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home

Set in a dark and rainy Los Angeles in 2019, Harrison Ford plays Rick Deckard, a retired police officer called back to duty. His job is to track down and eliminate four "replicants," which are humanlike robots who have escaped from space colonies and returned to Earth. Directed by Ridley Scott, this visually groundbreaking film asks deep questions about what it truly means to be human.

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

New York cop John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, flies to Los Angeles to visit his estranged wife at her company's Christmas party in a high-rise office building. The night turns deadly when a group of armed criminals, led by the cool and calculating Hans Gruber, takes everyone in the building hostage. McClane, alone and outnumbered, must use his wits to survive and save them.

Where to Watch: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, AMC+

Starring Michael J. Fox as teenager Marty McFly, this beloved adventure comedy begins when Marty accidentally travels back in time to 1955 in a DeLorean car built by his eccentric scientist friend, Doc Brown. Once there, he accidentally prevents his parents from meeting, which puts his own future birth at risk. Marty must find a way to fix history before it is too late to get back home.

Where to Watch: Hulu, MGM Plus, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Harry Burns and Sally Albright meet as young adults sharing a drive from Chicago to New York. They do not like each other very much. The film then follows them over the next twelve years as they keep crossing paths, slowly becoming friends and then wondering if friendship can quietly turn into something more. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are both wonderful in this warm and witty film.

Where to Watch: The Roku Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

When a young alien is accidentally left behind on Earth, a lonely 10-year-old boy named Elliott finds him hiding in his backyard shed. Elliott secretly takes the creature in, hides him from his family, and the two quickly form an extraordinary bond. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this deeply moving story follows Elliott and his siblings as they try to help their new friend find his way back home.

Where to Watch: Disney+, Paramount+, fuboTV, YouTube TV, AMC, Philo, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, JustWatch TV, Spectrum On Demand, Plex 

Harrison Ford stars as Indiana Jones, a university professor and adventurous archaeologist. The United States government asks him to find the Ark of the Covenant, a powerful biblical artifact, before the Nazis do. Jones travels from South America to Nepal to Egypt, facing deadly traps, enemy agents, and ancient dangers along the way. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this is pure adventure filmmaking.

Where to Watch: MGM+, Starz, Philo, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Al Pacino delivers one of the most memorable performances in film history as Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee who arrives in Miami with nothing. After doing a dangerous job for a local drug dealer, Tony quickly rises through the criminal world. He builds a huge empire, gains enormous power and wealth, but also makes many enemies. Written by Oliver Stone, the story shows how greed and paranoia can destroy everything.

Where to Watch: Hulu, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

At a strict all-boys school in 1959, a new English teacher named John Keating, played brilliantly by Robin Williams, arrives and begins teaching in a way no one has seen before. He encourages his students to think freely, love poetry, and take hold of their own lives. But his methods conflict with the school's rules and the expectations of his students' parents, leading to serious consequences for everyone.

Where to Watch: fuboTV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, this German war film follows the crew of a submarine during World War II. The sailors hunt Allied ships in the Atlantic Ocean, but soon find themselves hunted instead. Shot largely inside the tight, claustrophobic space of the submarine, the film puts you right there with the crew as they face fear, exhaustion, and the constant threat of death hiding beneath the water.