The 25 best '80s movies

In the long history of movies, perhaps no decade is as consequential or important as the 1980s. But in an era when unforgettable films opened in theaters practically every weekend, which of them actually deserve recognition as the greatest of them all?

During the two-term presidency of Ronald Reagan, the 1980s became a time characterized by rampant consumerism, materialism, and globalization via rapidly evolving technology. Movies of the time similarly took on many different facets. While adults still enjoyed grown-up pictures about topics relevant to them, from the nuances of dating in their 30s and 40s to generational trauma wrought by the Vietnam War, younger audiences began to see more exciting movies cater to their tastes. Sometimes, wires crossed and movies ostensibly made for adults found a huge audience in kids and teens.

In a decade crammed full of great movies, only a few can earn proper recognition as the best movies ever made