With bitrates throttled and resolution reduced on our Lockdown streaming services, there’s never been a better time to watch the classics. These are some of the best 80s films you’ve probably never seen, but really ought to watch.
While we could have filled this page with Ghostbusters, Back To The Future and any one of the original three Indiana Jones films, there’s simply no point. You’ve already seen them, probably several times over. Instead, this is about those little treasures, from the quirky to the cult, that may have passed you by.
Some are obscure, and some you might just never have quite got round to, but each deserves a ‘best 80s film’ nomination. Sure, you may have seen some of them, but if we can find one or two you haven’t, then we’ve done our job. And if you manage a full house, then we hope at least we’ll have reminded you of a few of these hidden gems that need a second, third or fourth viewing.
The Man With Two Brains (1983)
Image: Warner Brothers/Getty Images
Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Do not skim past this. This is one of the most underrated films ever. Yes, it might have been a feature film based on the TV show, which was made purely to sell toy trucks that turned into robots, but the cast list is incredible: Eric Idle, Leonard Nimoy, Judd Nelson, Orson Welles.
It also has The Touch by Stan Bush as the lead track, but beyond that, it features some really interesting sci-fi ideas and some big storylines for the Transformer characters themselves. The original Transformer film puts the subsequent live action movies to shame.
Red Dawn (1984)
Forget the instantly forgettable 2012 remake. Have you forgotten it? Good. At the peak of Hollywood’s Cold War fear came Red Dawn, the film that poses the question of what would happen if the Russians really invaded the USA.