this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2023
98 points (97.1% liked)

Asklemmy

44149 readers
1422 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_[email protected]~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I've been catching up on and rewatching some lately. Legend, Highlander, The Never ending Story. What are some others that are similar? And why do 80s movies seem to hit different than other decades?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 70 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's... inconceivable no one has said Princess Bride yet.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You best me to it. And while we're on Cary Elwes, we should probably mention Robin Hood: Men in Tights as well.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

I had to look it up, and that was 1993. Pay the cat tax.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (4 children)

To answer the second question, Willow hit different because in the 80s they were totally fine with making fantasy movies that were meant to be watched by families but also had no problem traumatizing children. Willow had those creepy rat dog things straight out of a nightmare. Same way The Neverending Story has the horse/swamp scene and Gremlins turned fluffy cute animals into scary wicked creatures. Honestly, it's a miracle any of us millennials survived without a serious case of PTSD every time we went to Blockbuster.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago

And don’t forget those weird muppets in Labyrinth that pulled their heads off while singing.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The 80s were a great time to be a kid but, yeah, no one cared if we got terrified to the point of not being able to sleep on a regular basis. :)

The threat of nuclear war wasn't awesome either but we had punk rock, D&D, and it still made sense to buy comic books.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

and not every good guy somehow had to survive. that blonde guy (Eric?) died pretty brutally, and even though off-screen the babies mum and the nanny clearly died brutal deaths (and it was heavily implied), I think you even hear the nanny being torn apart by wolves

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Oh yes.. I still remember the first time seeing that scene where everyone (almost) got turned into pigs in Willow. It really freaked me out at the time.
*shudders*

I think the heavy reliance on physical props, models and scenery. Combined with a certain darker style of story telling really made those movies stand out.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago (1 children)
  • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
  • My Neighbor Totoro
  • Big Trouble in Little China
[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Nausicaa is so good

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Dragonslayer was pretty good.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This along with Legend. Excalibur was really good too.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Labyrinth and The Last Unicorn were two that came to mind

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

It's all about the babe. Labyrinth should be top comment!

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago

Ladyhawke, Conan..

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Tie between Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen...well dammit, Robin Williams as King of the Moon wins, Munchausen re-watch time!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I firmly believe Time Bandits is the best time travel movie of all time.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (7 children)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Have you watched it as an adult? I loved that movie growing up and watched it a few years ago. Good lord, is it messed up…

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Made all the better. Dark fantasy at its best.

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

Labyrinth, Willow, and of course The Princess Bride.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s breakout role as an actor.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

That Basil Poledouris soundtrack is amazing, too. I love that they still sample it for games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHfE682mm3c

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Not sure if it quite counts as fantasy but...

Everything about Blade Runner was perfect.

The sequel somehow managed to not drop the ball as well.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think you're selling the sequel very short.

It managed to build on the original.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The key, I think, to the sequel is that it’s made to be watched again.

I walked out if the theater and thought it was an eye-meltingly gorgeous film, but didn’t really get what happened.

I recently re-watched 2049 and holy fucking shit…throughout the entire movie things just kept clicking into place.

Now ima setup a double feature and watch both back-to-back for the full experience!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Clash of the Titans

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Also Flesh Gordon.

It is exactly what you think, but it's more comedic than arousing.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Goonies, The Golden Child, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, and The Monster Squad.

Bonus: I think Bill & Ted's movies were in the 80s too? The one with Death I always felt was sort of similar to Never Ending Story.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Excalibur is a gorgeous film with a talented cast.

Dark Crystal is an amazing Jim Henson production.

Beastmaster is a fun romp with 80s stalwart Mark Singer. And as someone else mentioned, Ladyhawke is another fun adventure in the same vein.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Wherever you go, there you are.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Secret of Nimh
Xanadu (Modern Fantasy)
Ladyhawke

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

That movie is terrifying

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Big trouble in little china

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Lots of great ones here. The Witches came out in 1990, so I hope I can slip that in.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The Beastmaster! The only film I know where Rip Torn squares off against ferrets. The best sword and sorcery movie of all time, I think.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Never ending story. I think that was 80s?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It could have been so much better, but The Black Cauldron with the oracular pig is a favorite.

Edit to add: and The Goonies!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

There can be only one!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

All the good ones that can think of have already been mentioned. I also remember enjoying Heavy Metal as a teen, but not sure if I'd enjoy it nowadays.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Deathstalker 1 and 2 are underappreciated rubbish.

Cheap, tone deaf, bad acting, bad writing, catchy out of place theme music, pure entertainment.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There’s a really fucking bizarre Alice in wonderland that shouldn’t be missed.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Krull, Wizards, and The Last Unicorn.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›