John Cusack, Val Kilmer, Sean Connery and more 20th-century icons star in these 5 overlooked ’80s movies you (probably) haven’t watched — but you won’t find ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Indiana Jones’ here
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Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.
"Top Gun." "Raiders of the Lost Ark." "Ghostbusters." "Back to the Future." "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back." Everybody knows — and has probably seen — these '80s movies, but the Me Decade spawned a whole lot more films, many of which you might not have seen. So, let's hop in the DeLorean and go back in time to rediscover some lost classics.
As a child of the 80s, I've picked five movies ranging from horror to comedy, and starring professional wrestlers, a future Batman, and, because it's the 80s, John Cusack.
"Put the glasses on!" Thus starts one of the most epic fight scenes in all of moviedom between Nada (Roddy Piper) and Frank (Keith David). The reason? Nada wants Frank to don the shades and expose him to the fact that aliens have permeated society and are brainwashing earthlings into becoming subservient consumers.
This B-level horror flick directed by John Carpenter has a few other choice lines from Piper, the pro-wrestler-turned-actor, and has even more to say about rampant consumerism and economic inequalities in society. The fight scene itself is so iconic that it was parodied in an episode of "South Park," but that's not the only reason to check out this movie as we head into the holiday shopping season.
Watch "They Live" on Prime Video now
John Cusack's fame was still on the rise when he starred in this rom-com as Lane Meyer, a hapless teenager dumped by his girlfriend for the popular ski jock in high school. In typical 80s fashion, he falls for a French exchange student, who helps him get his mojo back — and face his nemesis in a ski race down the mountain.
"Better Off Dead" came out one year after "Sixteen Candles," and four years before "Say Anything," so you can see the young Cusack still perfecting his craft. And, with plenty of quotable moments in this movie, you definitely won't want your two dollars back.
Watch "Better Off Dead" on Prime Video (buy/rent) now
Catch another star on the rise in this hilarious comedy, which sees pop idol Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer) join a resistance movement in East Germany to free a scientist held captive. Directed by Jim Ambahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker — the geniuses behind "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun" — this movie is absolutely packed with belly-laughing dialogue and sight gags galore. There's even one scene where everything is filmed backwards.
"Top Secret" is Val Kilmer's first movie credit on IMDB, but you can see early on that he's got the chops for a hugely successful career. He's so baby-faced in this film that it's hard to believe that in just two years, he'd be the chiseled Iceman in "Top Gun." Watch "Top Secret!" on Prime Video (buy/rent) now
"There can be only one." Thus is the premise of "Highlander," which follows an immortal Scot (Christopher Lambert) as he duels others of his kind to become the last one standing. The only way you can kill an immortal? Slicing their head off, which means you get some excellent swordplay throughout this uneven movie.
While Lambert and accent are nominally the star of the film, both Sean Connery and Clancy Brown absolutely dominate their scenes. Brown, especially, is a real treat as the villain Kurgan. As a bonus, the entire soundtrack was scored by Queen, including an incredible rendition of "New York, New York."
While there were several forgettable sequels made — and a remake is in the works with Henry Cavill — do yourself a favor and check out the original.
Watch "Highlander" on Prime Video now
While its title would have you think that "Evil Dead II" is a sequel, it's more of a remake of the original 1981 film, but with the blood and campiness dialed up to the extreme. A group of college students goes for a little vacation in the woods, but when they play a recording from the Necronomicon (the book of the dead), they unleash an evil terror who tries to kill them all. Their only hope is Ash (Bruce Campbell), who's as quick with a joke as he is with a chainsaw.
The movie, directed by Sam Raimi ("Spider-Man," "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"), is carried by Campbell, who really sells the slapstick in sliced-off limbs. If you enjoy this movie, then be sure to check out its sequel "Army of Darkness," which came out in 1992, and is more action than horror — but even funnier.
Watch "Evil Dead II" on HBO Max now