Why aren't movies as good as they were in the 80's?

[JDFP]

Like many of you folks here, I was a child of the 80's. We grew up with amazing movies when we were little. Two of the "Star Wars" (original trilogy, none of that silly "prequel" shit) movies were made in the 80's. We had "E.T.", "Back to the Future", "The Goonies", and films that we can watch over and over and over (and most of us still do)... The great John Candy made most of his masterpieces in the 80's (R.I.P., you awesome soul), this decade also gave us Chevy Chase with "National Lampoon's Vacation", which for me is one of the funniest movies ever made, as well as Crystal and DeVito in "Don't Throw Momma From The Train" and we owe "you'll-shoot-your-eye-out" as one of the greatest Christmas movies ever with "A Christmas Story". Need I mention "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"? George made what I strongly believe to be the greatest horror flick ever made in the history of horror movies with "Day". We had a bloody good romping with "Demoni" and other great works from this decade. "Aliens". "An American Werewolf in London". Carpenter gave us "The Thing" and one of my all time favorites with "Christine" (second on my list of favorite horror films ever right after "Day"). We saw Robin Williams at his best with "Dead Poet's Society". And of course I think we'll remember a golden gem by the name of "Ghostbusters". And I think quite a few of us remember a gentleman by the name of Indiana Jones... John Hughes was gold when it came to expressing the life of being a teen with "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty in Pink", "Sixteen Candles", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (anyone? anyone?) and the goofy as hell but really fun "Weird Science". Petersen gave us one of the greatest war films ever made with "Das Boot" and I'd be remiss not to mention "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket". And none of us will ever forget the incredible journey that young "Willow" went on... While Heath Ledger was great as the Joker, for me none will ever compare to Jack Nicholson as the Joker in "Batman" (no need for any other titles after it). We all said "Beetlejuice" three times, giving nods to Michael Keaton here and there and within "Mr. Mom" for the laugh as well. Tom Hanks made it "Big", while we followed along with Jim Henson's puppets in "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth" (was Bowie born for that part or what?). And we all learned not to get Gizmo wet in "Gremlins". After seeing "Red Dawn" for the first time when I was around 7 I was terrified the Soviets were going to parachute at my elementary school for years... We said "hello" to Bruce Willis in "Die Hard" on his way home for Christmas, while Costner believed "if you build it they will come" in "Field of Dreams". Clint Eastwood also made my my most favorite western ever made in "Pale Rider", while The Schwarz kicked ass in "Commando", "Terminator", and "Predator". None of as a kid growing up in the 80's will ever forget "The Never Ending Story" or "Stand By Me". Freddy and Jason were both given life in the 80's. Sometimes before bed I still sing to myself: "One, two, Freddy's coming for you..." and the majority of you all can finish the rest of it as well. "Spaceballs" and KHAANNNNN and the whales from the two best "Trek" movies from the 80's... Man, movies just aren't what they used to be! But, why? Is it just because of my age and growing up in the 80's that I love the flicks from this decade so much? Or, was there something inherently special about films from the 80's in general? For me, I can't think of anything that has really been able to touch (for the most part) the magic of the great films of the 80's. What happened to that spark? What happened to that magic in making great films about stories, about characters? Anyway, I'm going back to getting drunk now, I just wanted to express some thoughts before opening my second 6-pack of Milwaukee's Best (then again, if this is Milwaukee's Best, I dread to wonder what Milwaukee's second-best or mediocre tastes like)... j.p.

[Danny]

John candy died and the 80's died with him. You gotta gage the decades based on the fat actor called John, like John goodman for the 90's, when he finally pops it there wont be any flicks like the big lebowski anymore.

[clanglee]

Because you aren't a kid anymore and the magic is gone. . . just a guess. . .

[SRP76]

I'm not a fan of the '80s movies. I like '80s music, television, and books, but they miss the boat on movies. For movies, the '70s is the decade to go to. Oddly, everything else about that decade sucks, especially television. But in a statistical hiccup, they lucked into the greatest bumper crop of great movies in history, despite not being able to get anything else right.

[clanglee]

For movies, the '70s is the decade to go to. Oddly, everything else about that decade sucks, especially television. Hmmm. . . so you hate 70's music, but you are rockin' a pic of Starchild as your avatar?

[rongravy]

Like many of you folks here, I was a child of the 80's. We grew up with amazing movies when we were little. Two of the "Star Wars" (original trilogy, none of that silly "prequel" shit) movies were made in the 80's. We had "E.T.", "Back to the Future", "The Goonies", and films that we can watch over and over and over (and most of us still do)... The great John Candy made most of his masterpieces in the 80's (R.I.P., you awesome soul), this decade also gave us Chevy Chase with "National Lampoon's Vacation", which for me is one of the funniest movies ever made, as well as Crystal and DeVito in "Don't Throw Momma From The Train" and we owe "you'll-shoot-your-eye-out" as one of the greatest Christmas movies ever with "A Christmas Story". Need I mention "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"? George made what I strongly believe to be the greatest horror flick ever made in the history of horror movies with "Day". We had a bloody good romping with "Demoni" and other great works from this decade. "Aliens". "An American Werewolf in London". Carpenter gave us "The Thing" and one of my all time favorites with "Christine" (second on my list of favorite horror films ever right after "Day"). We saw Robin Williams at his best with "Dead Poet's Society". And of course I think we'll remember a golden gem by the name of "Ghostbusters". And I think quite a few of us remember a gentleman by the name of Indiana Jones... John Hughes was gold when it came to expressing the life of being a teen with "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty in Pink", "Sixteen Candles", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (anyone? anyone?) and the goofy as hell but really fun "Weird Science". Petersen gave us one of the greatest war films ever made with "Das Boot" and I'd be remiss not to mention "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket". And none of us will ever forget the incredible journey that young "Willow" went on... While Heath Ledger was great as the Joker, for me none will ever compare to Jack Nicholson as the Joker in "Batman" (no need for any other titles after it). We all said "Beetlejuice" three times, giving nods to Michael Keaton here and there and within "Mr. Mom" for the laugh as well. Tom Hanks made it "Big", while we followed along with Jim Henson's puppets in "The Dark Crystal" and "Labyrinth" (was Bowie born for that part or what?). And we all learned not to get Gizmo wet in "Gremlins". After seeing "Red Dawn" for the first time when I was around 7 I was terrified the Soviets were going to parachute at my elementary school for years... We said "hello" to Bruce Willis in "Die Hard" on his way home for Christmas, while Costner believed "if you build it they will come" in "Field of Dreams". Clint Eastwood also made my my most favorite western ever made in "Pale Rider", while The Schwarz kicked ass in "Commando", "Terminator", and "Predator". None of as a kid growing up in the 80's will ever forget "The Never Ending Story" or "Stand By Me". Freddy and Jason were both given life in the 80's. Sometimes before bed I still sing to myself: "One, two, Freddy's coming for you..." and the majority of you all can finish the rest of it as well. "Spaceballs" and KHAANNNNN and the whales from the two best "Trek" movies from the 80's... Man, movies just aren't what they used to be! But, why? Is it just because of my age and growing up in the 80's that I love the flicks from this decade so much? Or, was there something inherently special about films from the 80's in general? For me, I can't think of anything that has really been able to touch (for the most part) the magic of the great films of the 80's. What happened to that spark? What happened to that magic in making great films about stories, about characters? Anyway, I'm going back to getting drunk now, I just wanted to express some thoughts before opening my second 6-pack of Milwaukee's Best (then again, if this is Milwaukee's Best, I dread to wonder what Milwaukee's second-best or mediocre tastes like)... j.p. I think it has something to do with getting older. I find myself hating things nowadays in contrast to the past, and the 80's, when i was open to anything. Now I'm just a miserable bastard. Such is life...

[deadpunk]

J.P., you said a mouthful. Awesome post. I'm not going with the standard "getting old" answer though. To me, that's tripe. I may be closing in on 40, but I can still recognize the difference between a magical film and piece of churned out crap designed to make a buck and lull the sheep. The 80s...that was a whole new thing. The generation that walked out of that decade set new expectations when it came to entertainment. The bar was raised and the velvet rope on censorship was thrown to the side. Movies like "Revenge of the Nerds", "Police Academy" and "National Lampoon's Vacation" brought adult humor and nudity to the forefront like titties were an endangered species and we all needed an eye-full while we could get one. The horror films that were made at the time no longer felt the need to imply or shadow the gore and violence (the only nod I'll ever give to fucking slasher flicks). The FX industry was coming into its own and every movie sought to out do the last. The 80s was the 'ME' generation, no doubt. People were blowing money to be entertained. And dammit, the entertainment had better be good! You're definitely right, they don't make movies like that anymore (maybe the rare gem will surface, but hardly ever) and they probably never will again. These days, Hollywood churns out crap they hope will impress other producers/directors/screen writers...it isn't about the paying public anymore.

[mista_mo]

They are, it is just nostalgia.

[Tricky]

There were a lot of good films from the 80's, definitely, but mainly films that didnt feature 80's fashion too heavily which is what really ages them! (weird science being one!) We also had class films like Critters, Gremlins, Robocop, Rambo, Porkys, Indiana Jones, The Naked Gun as well as all those mentioned above. The thing these days is that special effects dont make a film awesome which is what was a big selling point in the 80's with blockbuster films (the films were good too in terms of storylines, but you know what I mean). Even bad films have pretty decent effects these days so we rely on storytelling more, and thats where a lot of modern films are really lacking in my opinion! there are plenty of gems around, but there are far more "throw away" films being churned out, ive been to see countless supposedly awesome films this decade, and left the cinema thinking "yeah it was alright" then forgotten all about it within a few days!

[Andy]

I Guess its a combination of the loss of great actors that were in so many great films, and a dislike of most modern actors who just seem to grate me plus the fact that they only seem to make crappy teen movies and remakes these days? Just my opinion

[MinionZombie]

I Guess its a combination of the loss of great actors that were in so many great films, and a dislike of most modern actors who just seem to grate me plus the fact that they only seem to make crappy teen movies and remakes these days? Just my opinion Plus we were all a hell of a lot younger in the 1980s, so there's the nostalgia factor, as well as the youth factor - you see everything totally different as a younger person, or indeed child (like many of us were in the 1980s - with many of us born in the 1980s). It's just that these days, the annoying parts of cinema frustrate us more than ever. There's still super awesome movies getting made, and our own opinions and reactions change as we get older.

[bassman]

Because you aren't a kid anymore and the magic is gone. . . just a guess. . . This. Even though I agree with the OP that the 80's were awesome(im an 80's child as well), it's just a question of when you were growing up. Anyone could say the same thing for the 60's, 70's, 90's, or any other decade.

[Tricky]

Plus we were all a hell of a lot younger in the 1980s, so there's the nostalgia factor, as well as the youth factor - you see everything totally different as a younger person, or indeed child (like many of us were in the 1980s - with many of us born in the 1980s). Too true! have you tried watching any of the old turtles cartoons & stuff like that? Awful from an adult point of view! The A-Team still rocks though

[Phenia Films]

Even better..try the films of the 70s (all genres). if you think about it, it was the peak of FILM making..as time went on (90s) computer generated started to come around..now thats all there is. the best films ever made were the 70s ..hands down

[MinionZombie]

Too true! have you tried watching any of the old turtles cartoons & stuff like that? Awful from an adult point of view! The A-Team still rocks though *A-Team five* Although I do recognise the show's flaws, it's still hella fun because it's from my childhood and is a good show on its own merits. There are some things, like cartoons for instance, that I just couldn't be bothered watching these days. I've grown up and moved on. I'd enjoy a toe-dip into them as a bit of nostalgia, and will always hold them dear to my heart and childhood, but as you get older the child's entertainment from your childhood will often suffer the consequences of you growing up - as in it won't entertain you like it used to. Whereas with a film (any type really, except maybe an animation ... depending) you'll enjoy it from a different stand point and see them in a new light, so you gain new life out of them. Such as with me and Ghostbusters. I saw it in a totally different light, and finally understood all the adult jokes, when I re-watched it after a long hiatus as an adult.