It’s safe to say that there’s a fair bit of nostalgia for the 1980s, and it’s been that way since the 2010s. Synthpop made something of a return during said decade, and the 1980s was also very much celebrated in Stranger Things and the first movie in the It duology. But also, some things and trends cycle every 20 years, so nostalgia for the ‘80s, in some ways, might’ve been felt even earlier.
Anyway, nostalgia is a bittersweet emotion, and involves longing for the past, be it remembering it fondly (sweet) or wishing current times felt like those times did (more bitter). There’s nostalgia for the ‘80s, and you can sometimes feel it even if you weren’t personally around back then, with many of the movies from that decade making such a feeling more prominent. Some movies people likely feel nostalgia for are featured below, one for every year, while others are arguably even more nostalgic because said films covered a kind of nostalgia for certain decades that occurred prior to the 1980s. Nostalgiaception, if you will.
10
‘The Blues Brothers’ (1980)
Honestly, The Blues Brothers is a surprisingly wholesome film, even if it’s also a chaotic one that has no problem feeling excessive and pretty ridiculous. It’s a comedy/action/crime movie, and also a musical at the same time, featuring a ton of R&B and soul music while telling a story about two brothers trying to save their old orphanage from shutting down by raising money through a charity concert.
Bad language aside, it’s easy to enjoy at any age, since The Blues Brothers feels a bit like a live-action cartoon and the humor is broad, while the quality of the action is surprisingly strong and overall impressive. It’s hard not to feel nostalgic for it if you watched it in your formative years, and the fact that it also features lots of well-known musicians (most of them well-established many years before The Blues Brothers) also adds a further sense of nostalgia.
9
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Like The Blues Brothers, Raiders of the Lost Ark isn’t 100% kid-friendly, but it is the kind of movie that’s basically the coolest thing ever if you are a kid and watch it. And, honestly, if you watch it as a teenager or an adult, it’s still effortlessly cool and entertaining, being about as definitive as action/adventure movies get, and feeling like one of Steven Spielberg’s very best films, too.
The premise here is simple, following Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he tries to find the Ark of the Covenant before a bunch of Nazis can get their hands on it and use it for nefarious purposes. It’s got all the ingredients needed to be a classic, and Raiders of the Lost Ark is itself nostalgic for film serials that were popular in decades past (particularly adventure serials of the 1930s and 40s).
A movie that’s all about childhood and growing up, while also focusing on an alien (as the title promises), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial feels exceptionally bittersweet when watched as an adult, and 40+ years on from its initial release. It’s another Spielberg film, but more of a family one, revolving around a young boy helping a lone alien reconnect with his fellow extra-terrestrials after he’s accidentally left on Earth.
Spielberg really understands how to capture a sense of childhood wonder here, and his sentimental side – which is a bit much in some other films – is perfectly utilized here, because something like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial should be sweeping and sentimental. It’s a beautiful and endearing film in just about every way, and while you might not feel personally nostalgic for the early 1980s, this movie will inspire nostalgic feelings about your own childhood, whenever that was;
7
‘The Right Stuff’ (1983)
The Right Stuff is all about the Space Race…
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