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The 1980s are a decade marked by excess.
Amidst so much paranoia and fear, movies of the 1980s grew in scale, spectacle, and ingenuity.
But who were the characters that populated these stories?
Movies became more expensive, with more experimentation of techniques in special effects and digital filmmaking.
The stories contained in these movies followed suit.
All told, 1980s movies look and feel far more different than previous decades.
Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
One, two, hes coming for you.
Because Arnold Schwarzenegger was more adept with guns and swords, there was Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Louis Tully (Ghosbusters)
The Ghostbusters are colorful characters in and of themselves.
Gordon Gecko (Wall Street)
Greed is good.
So says Gordon Gecko, the sharp-dressed finance shark of Oliver Stones buttoned-up crime drama Wall Street.
Loretta Castorini (Moonstruck)
Even Cher cant help but fall in love with Nicholas Cage.
(Who among us wouldnt?)
While Cages innate charisma demands attention, Loretta is no slouch of a character either.
Radio Raheem (Do the Right Thing)
Worn on his hands is the tale of good and evil.
Played by Bill Nunn, Radio Raheem is a towering figure with his own inclination to outbursts of anger.
But no one, not even the Korean grocers he agitated, believed he deserved to die with indignity.
Puyi (The Last Emperor)
Imagine being given dominion over an empire at just three years old.
Believe it or not, that actually happened.
Jake LaMotta (Raging Bull)
The title is quite an apt description for its main character.
While Jake flirts with success, his abrasive personality and destructive ways frequently get in his own way.
In true Scorsese fashion, Jake doesnt outright win or lose in the game of life.
Instead, he is doomed to live in a prison of his own making.
These five undergo a life-changing experience that makes them question the walls they put up on a daily basis.
(Ill be back.)
That includes his own brother Charlie (Tom Cruise).
Joel Goodsen (Risky Business)
Ah, to be young and free to dance in the living room.
Tony Montana (Scarface)
The world was his.
Taken from his family, Flyora just barely survives from the onslaught of Nazi cruelty.
If not for ourselves, but for the good of our species.
Party on forever, dudes.
Wah would be so cool, if only the path he walks didnt lead to nowhere.
Rick Deckard (Blade Runner)
Is he human?
Or is he a Replicant?
The answer doesnt matter as much as the act of questioning it at all.
Were talking about Totoro, the oversized bear/rabbit spirit in Hayao Miyazakis animated fantasy My Neighbor Totoro.
But to do that, hell have to survive one hell of a Christmas at Nakatomi Plaza.
While McClane has as many quips (Welcome to the party, pal!)
as he does bullets, what makes him so great are what make him human.
Hes petty and just a bit jealous over his wifes new life without him.
Ferris Bueller (Ferris Buellers Day Off)
He would be so scary if he wasnt in high school.
There aint no harm in a little joyride in his friends dads prized Ferrari.
Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid)
Yoda wasnt the only cool movie mentor of the 1980s.
Wax on, wax off.
Just watch what he can do with some bananas and a sense of humor.
Hell get the job done, and he wont have to jump off any buildings to do it.
Ivan Drago (Rocky IV)
I must break you.
First Blood is a smart movie, almost dangerously so.
