1984 Ranked Films
A ranked list of 1984 films that I have seen so far.
List activity
317 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
26 titles
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobert RedfordRobert DuvallGlenn CloseA middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.10/10
Getting baseball right more than any other movie before it, The Natural with its mesmeric score and apt direction transcends the sports genre. - DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonMichael BiehnA human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.9/10
Making a star out of Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron’s The Terminator is a wholly tense, wholly kinetic science-fiction thriller. - DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsNoah HathawayBarret OliverTami StronachA troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.9/10
A hallmark of the fantasy genre, The NeverEnding Story has a tremendous amount of spirit and fantastical imagination. - DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsRalph MacchioPat MoritaElisabeth ShueRecently relocated from NJ to LA, Daniel becomes the target of a gang of Cobra Kai dojo students. When Mr. Miyagi saves him with expert Karate skills, Daniel convinces him to teach him to defend himself, and put his bullies in their place.8/10
Elevating a simple setup to a thoroughly endearing story thanks to rich characterizations, The Karate Kid isn't the best around but fairly close. - DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayDan AykroydSigourney WeaverThree parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.8/10
Utilizing a well-matched cast to comedic perfection, Ghostbusters is an inventive supernatural sci-fi pic that more than answers the call. - DirectorFrank OzStarsJim HensonFrank OzDave GoelzKermit and his friends go to New York City to get their musical on Broadway only to find it's a more difficult task than they anticipated.8/10
While hardly the gang's most narratively sound adventure, it's one of its funniest, as The Muppets Take Manhattan takes our charmed hearts in the process. - DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.8/10
From the wonderfully demented mind of Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street might just keep viewers from wanting to sleep again. - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsRichard GereGregory HinesDiane LaneMeet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.8/10
While not as focused as Francis Ford Coppola's previous efforts, The Cotton Club nevertheless retains the director's captivating visual style and vitality. - DirectorRon HowardStarsTom HanksDaryl HannahEugene LevyA young man is reunited with a mermaid he briefly encountered as a boy and falls in love with her without knowing her secret.7/10
As silly it can get at times, Splash gets a lot of comedic mileage out of its charismatic leads and engaging, literal fish-out-of-water premise. - DirectorJoe DanteStarsZach GalliganPhoebe CatesHoyt AxtonA young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.7/10
As disturbing as it is funny, Gremlins is a wicked good time and a zany alternative for those looking for Yuletide horror. - DirectorHerbert RossStarsKevin BaconLori SingerJohn LithgowA city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.7/10
While it doesn’t always walk the line between its two tones fluidly, Footloose still has plenty of toe-tapping tunes you can really cut loose to. - DirectorJeff KanewStarsRobert CarradineAnthony EdwardsTimothy BusfieldAt Adams College, a group of bullied outcasts and misfits resolve to fight back for their peace and self-respect.7/10
Some of its plot devices have aged rather disgracefully, but for those willing to work around it, there’s still plenty of collegiate fun to be had with Revenge of the Nerds. - DirectorPeter HyamsStarsRoy ScheiderJohn LithgowHelen MirrenA joint USA-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to learn exactly what happened to the "Discovery" and its H.A.L. 9000 computer.7/10
2010 isn’t nearly as psychedelic or wondrous as its predecessor, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have something to say in its own right. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKate CapshawKe Huy QuanIn 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.6/10
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is often less focused than its counterparts, but some dark themes and visuals will offer something different for fans of the whip-cracking hero. - DirectorJohn HughesStarsMolly RingwaldAnthony Michael HallJustin HenryA girl's "sweet" sixteenth birthday is anything but special: her family forgets about it, and she suffers from every embarrassment possible.6/10
Problematic characterizations and a flimsy identity aside, Sixteen Candles bears enough familiar John Hughes personality to get its wish. - DirectorW.D. RichterStarsPeter WellerJohn LithgowEllen BarkinAdventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.6/10
The plot is often unwieldy, though there's enough slyly satirical pulp to go around in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. - DirectorAlbert MagnoliStarsPrinceApollonia KoteroMorris DayA young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.5/10
It's undeniable that Prince brings a certain magnetism to the film, however Purple Rain wants for the kind of conviction it needs to pull off its heavy themes. - DirectorLeonard NimoyStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyAdmiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock's body.4/10
Playing cleanup for a superior predecessor, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock proves to be a general slog and an indication that the classic series typically doesn’t work on the big screen. - DirectorJohn MiliusStarsPatrick SwayzeC. Thomas HowellLea ThompsonIt is the dawn of World War III. In the west mountains of America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.4/10
Red Dawn wants to be a timely speculation on Cold War relations turned hot, but its teen angle largely jumbles the bigger picture. - DirectorCharles E. Sellier Jr.StarsLilyan ChauvinGilmer McCormickToni NeroLittle Billy witnesses his parents getting killed by Santa after being warned by his senile grandpa that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18 and out of the orphanage, and he has just become Santa himself.4/10
While there are certainly worse seasonal slasher flicks, jarring tonal shifts and laughable acting makes Silent Night, Deadly Night rather naughty. - DirectorJoseph ZitoStarsErich AndersonJudie AronsonPeter BartonAfter being announced dead and taken to a morgue, Jason Voorhees spontaneously revives, escapes from the hospital, and stalks a group of friends renting a house in the countryside near Crystal Lake.3/10
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter takes a decent stab at wrapping up the story of Jason, but otherwise is a fairly rote outing for the classic killer. - DirectorDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanVirginia MadsenFrancesca AnnisA Duke's son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father's evil nemesis to free their desert world from the emperor's rule.3/10
David Lynch's take on the imposing source material has atmosphere in spades but not the kind of engaging storytelling to suck audiences into the complex world of Dune. - DirectorHugh WilsonStarsSteve GuttenbergG.W. BaileyKim CattrallThe mayor declares that anyone can enroll in the police academy irrespective of their physical condition or education level, and many misfits descend on the academy, including a young troublemaker who's forced to apply or go to jail.3/10
The viewer's response largely dependent on relative appeal to scattershot humor, Police Academy is hardly serious filmmaking, even by farcical standards. - DirectorMark L. LesterStarsDrew BarrymoreDavid KeithFreddie JonesA couple who participated in a potent medical experiment gain telepathic ability and then have a child who is pyrokinetic.3/10
It makes sure to end with some fireworks, but Firestarter, though faithful to it, lets down its source material with a reach that far exceeds its grasp. - DirectorFritz KierschStarsPeter HortonLinda HamiltonR.G. ArmstrongA young couple is trapped in a remote town where a dangerous religious cult of children believes that everyone over age 18 must be killed.2/10
Despite a delightfully perturbing premise, Children of the Corn bungles it on dull, corny thrills and a lack of genuine atmosphere.