Action / Science Fiction / Adventure
1980
Battle Beyond the Stars
Battle Beyond the Stars: fear and family, and why this 1980 movie still matters.
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Explore the genre
Adventure movies from the 80s
Adventure movies were made for the 1980s. Treasure hunts, distant worlds, impossible journeys and old-fashioned escapism became some of the decade's most enduring big-screen experiences.
The genre crossed freely into fantasy, comedy, science fiction and action, creating the kind of crowd-pleasing movies that audiences still return to decades later.
70 movies so far
Adventure movies
Cannibal / Adventure / Found Footage / Splatter / Drama
1980
Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust: loss and parents protecting their children, and why this 1980 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Adventure / Fantasy / Comedy
1980
Flash Gordon
Brash heroics, operatic spectacle and a Queen soundtrack — Flash Gordon wears its pulp heart on its sleeve.
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Action / Adventure / Science Fiction
1980
Raise the Titanic
Raise the Titanic: exploitation, and why this 1980 movie still matters.
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Science Fiction / Adventure / Action / Fantasy / Epic / Space Opera
1980
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
A harsher lesson in heroism: mentorship, bad luck and the cost of growing up in a galaxy far, far away.
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Fantasy / Monster / Adventure / Action / Sword-and-sandal
1981
Clash of the Titans
A labour of gods, monsters and one man who won't be pushed around.
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Fantasy / Adventure / Medieval / Sword And Sorcery
1981
Dragonslayer
Dragonslayer: heroism and parents protecting their children, and why this 1981 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Monster / Horror / Adventure
1981
Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror: fear and parents protecting their children, and why this 1981 movie still matters.
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Action / Adventure / Thriller / Road Movie / Dystopian
1981
Mad Max 2
Petrol, fury and a man who would rather ride away — Mad Max 2 still hits like a fistful of sand.
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Action / Science Fiction / Adventure
1981
Outland
Outland: family and mortality and lifespan, and why this 1981 movie still matters.
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Adventure / Drama / Action / Sexploitation
1981
Tarzan, the Ape Man
Tarzan, the Ape Man: family and parents protecting their children, and why this 1981 movie still matters.
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Science Fiction / Fantasy / Adventure / Comedy / Time-travel / Steampunk
1981
Time Bandits
A child's map, six small thieves and a very big imagination.
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Action / Fantasy / Adventure / Sword-and-sandal / Sword And Sorcery
1982
Conan the Barbarian
A musclebound quest that talks about steel, fate and how to be remade by violence.
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Drama / Adventure
1982
Fitzcarraldo
Fitzcarraldo: belief in the supernatural and exploitation, and why this 1982 movie still matters.
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Action / Thriller / Science Fiction / Adventure
1982
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: parents protecting their children and fear, and why this 1982 movie still matters.
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Science Fiction / Science Fiction Comedy / Superhero / Horror / Science Fiction Horror / Comedy Horror / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Monster / Drama / Science Fiction Action / Black Comedy / Thriller
1982
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing: freedom and fear, and why this 1982 movie still matters.
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Fantasy / Adventure
1982
The Dark Crystal
A puppet epic about a broken world — and the quiet Gelfling who must fix it.
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Drama / Adventure
1982
The Plague Dogs
The Plague Dogs: freedom and loss, and why this 1982 movie still matters.
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Fantasy / Adventure / Dark Fantasy
1982
The Secret of NIMH
The Secret of NIMH: family and parents protecting their children, and why this 1982 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Adventure / Cyberpunk
1982
Tron
A film about authorship, arcade‑style justice and a man who literally has to fight for his credit.
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Horror / Adventure / Thriller / Mystery / Natural Horror / Suspense / Drama / Action
1983
Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D: freedom and authority, and why this 1983 movie still matters.
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Thriller / Action / Spy / Adventure
1983
Octopussy
A Fabergé egg, a travelling circus and the Cold War — Bond still does spectacle like a Trojan horse.
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Science Fiction / Adventure / Fantasy / Action
1983
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi: mortality and lifespan and mortality, and why this 1983 movie still matters.
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Adventure / Family
1983
The Black Stallion Returns
The Black Stallion Returns: friendship and freedom, and why this 1983 movie still matters.
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Adventure / Drama / Historical
1983
The Right Stuff
A lone test pilot, a public spectacle — and the stubborn shape of American heroism.
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Science Fiction / Adventure / Drama / Mystery
1984
2010: The Year We Make Contact
2010: The Year We Make Contact: our relationship with technology and humanity, and why this 1984 movie still matters.
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Fantasy / Comedy Horror / Monster / Action / Adventure / Comedy / Science Fiction / Buddy / Ghost
1984
Ghostbusters
A ragged band of scientists, a sardonic frontman and a city that refuses to behave — Ghostbusters still sells the joke.
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Action / Adventure / Treasure Hunt
1984
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
A globetrotting pulp rush that’s equal parts kid-rescue thriller and teeth-grinding ritual horror.
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Action / Thriller / Propaganda / Disaster / Coming-of-age / War / Adventure
1984
Red Dawn
Red Dawn: family and freedom, and why this 1984 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Adventure
1984
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock: our relationship with technology and family, and why this 1984 movie still matters.
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Science Fiction / Science Fiction Comedy / Action / Adventure / Coming-of-age
1984
The Last Starfighter
A trailer-park teenager, an arcade cabinet and a very old-school call to adventure.
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Action / Thriller / Spy / Adventure
1985
A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill: freedom and courage, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Science Fiction / Adventure / Comedy / Teen / Time-travel
1985
Back to the Future
A time machine, a restless teenager and a very particular set of family problems.
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Horror / Thriller / Adventure / Mystery / Comedy
1985
Cat's Eye
Cat's Eye: family and fear, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Adventure / Military Science Fiction / Drama
1985
Enemy Mine
Enemy Mine: humanity and mortality and lifespan, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Science Fiction / Science Fiction Comedy / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy
1985
Explorers
Explorers: our relationship with technology and family, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Romance / Fantasy / Adventure / Drama / Sword And Sorcery
1985
Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke: courage and freedom, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Fantasy / Adventure / Epic / Dark Fantasy / Sword And Sorcery / Cinematic Fairy Tale
1985
Legend
Legend: parents protecting their children and courage, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Science Fiction / Adventure / Vampire / Zombie / Science Fiction Horror / Monster / Horror / Thriller / Suspense / Drama
1985
Lifeforce
Lifeforce: mortality and freedom, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Action / Adventure / Dystopian / Post-apocalyptic / Science Fiction
1985
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
A gladiator ring, a methane economy and one reluctant road warrior — Mad Max still knows how to make survival feel personal.
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Biographical / Drama / Romance / Adventure
1985
Out of Africa
Out of Africa: love and greed, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Fantasy / Adventure / Action / Sword And Sorcery
1985
Red Sonja
Red Sonja: freedom and courage, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Action / Thriller / Survival / Drama / Prison / Adventure
1985
Runaway Train
Runaway Train: freedom and mortality, and why this 1985 movie still matters.
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Adventure / Comedy / Children's / Treasure Hunt / Action / Pirate / Family
1985
The Goonies
A scrappy band of kids, a busted attic map and Mikey’s stubborn heart — that’s The Goonies in a nutshell.
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Action / Horror / Thriller / Science Fiction Horror / Adventure / Science Fiction / Monster / Suspense / War / Science Fiction Action
1986
Aliens
Motherhood, marines and monsters: why Ripley still makes Aliens sing.
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Science Fiction / Adventure / Comedy Horror / Horror / Comedy / Action
1986
Critters
Critters: freedom and family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.
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Adventure / Romantic Comedy
1986
Crocodile Dundee
A bushman's grin in Manhattan — watch Crocodile Dundee and you remember why that mismatch still makes you laugh.
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Sci-Fi / Adventure / Family
1986
Flight of the Navigator
A boy, eight missing years and a chrome spaceship that needs him as much as he needs home.
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Fantasy / Adventure / Thriller / Action / Swashbuckler
1986
Highlander
Immortality, loneliness and very sharp swords.
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Fantasy / Musical / Adventure / Children's / Coming-of-age
1986
Labyrinth
A teenager, a goblin king and a maze that asks you to grow up.
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Science Fiction / Science Fiction Comedy / Adventure / Time-travel
1986
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Humpback whales, a stranded starship crew and Admiral Kirk’s habit of ignoring the rulebook — in other words, proper Star Trek business.
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Action / Fantasy / Comedy / Adventure
1986
The Golden Child
The Golden Child: parents protecting their children and mortality, and why this 1986 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Adventure / Super Robot
1986
The Transformers: The Movie
A loud, fast, slightly brutal toy advert that somehow turns a brash kid into a leader.
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Fantasy / Adventure / Superhero / Action / Sword And Sorcery
1987
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe: heroism and freedom, and why this 1987 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Horror / Thriller / Suspense / Science Fiction Horror / Adventure / Monster / Science Fiction Action
1987
Predator
A squad of soldiers, a silent hunter — and mud becomes a weapon.
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Science Fiction Comedy / Adventure / Parody / Science Fiction / Comedy
1987
Spaceballs
A madcap space spoof where a reluctant hero, a man-dog and a merchandising gag steal the show.
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Horror / Science Fiction / Adventure / Comedy Horror
1988
Critters 2: The Main Course
Critters 2: The Main Course: fear and mortality, and why this 1988 movie still matters.
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Comedy / Action / Adventure
1988
Crocodile Dundee II
Crocodile Dundee II: friendship and parents protecting their children, and why this 1988 movie still matters.
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Buddy / Musical / Children's / Comedy Drama / Family / Adventure
1988
Oliver & Company
Oliver & Company: family and greed, and why this 1988 movie still matters.
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Action / Adventure / Buddy Cop / Crime / Thriller
1988
Shoot to Kill
Shoot to Kill: family and the safety of home, and why this 1988 movie still matters.
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Fantasy / Comedy / Adventure
1988
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen: loss and mortality, and why this 1988 movie still matters.
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Family / Coming-of-age / Adventure / Buddy / Drama
1988
The Land Before Time
A small longneck, a fierce loss and a journey that still finds you where you live.
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Horror / Zombie / Supernatural / Supernatural Horror / Fantasy / Adventure / Suspense / Thriller / Folk Horror / Mystery
1988
The Serpent and the Rainbow
The Serpent and the Rainbow: mortality and lifespan and corporate power, and why this 1988 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Action Thriller / Dystopian / Thriller / Science Fiction Action / Horror / Science Fiction Horror / Black Comedy / Adventure / Suspense
1988
They Live
Sunglasses, slogans and a man who will not let you look away.
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Action / Horror / Science Fiction / Monster / Science Fiction Horror / Suspense / Thriller / Adventure / Natural Horror / Drama
1989
DeepStar Six
DeepStar Six: fear and parents protecting their children, and why this 1989 movie still matters.
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Action Comedy / Adventure / Treasure Hunt
1989
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: freedom and parents protecting their children, and why this 1989 movie still matters.
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Action / Science Fiction / Adventure
1989
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: humanity and power, and why this 1989 movie still matters.
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Comedy Drama / Horror / Adventure / Mystery
1989
The 'Burbs
Suburban suspicion, small-time vigilantes — and one man who would rather spy than sunbathe.
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Science Fiction / Adventure / Drama / Mystery
1989
The Abyss
Deep-sea scares, a tense countdown and a foreman who keeps everyone breathing.
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Comedy / Adventure
1989
Troop Beverly Hills
Troop Beverly Hills: family and mortality and lifespan, and why this 1989 movie still matters.
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