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.
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