I’ve been catching up on and rewatching some lately. Legend, Highlander, The Never ending Story. What are some others that are similar? And why do 80s movies seem to hit different than other decades?
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It’s… inconceivable no one has said Princess Bride yet.
You best me to it. And while we’re on Cary Elwes, we should probably mention Robin Hood: Men in Tights as well.
I had to look it up, and that was 1993. Pay the cat tax.
I think that word means what you think it means
Willow
To answer the second question, Willow hit different because in the 80s they were totally fine with making fantasy movies that were meant to be watched by families but also had no problem traumatizing children. Willow had those creepy rat dog things straight out of a nightmare. Same way The Neverending Story has the horse/swamp scene and Gremlins turned fluffy cute animals into scary wicked creatures. Honestly, it’s a miracle any of us millennials survived without a serious case of PTSD every time we went to Blockbuster.
And don’t forget those weird muppets in Labyrinth that pulled their heads off while singing.
The 80s were a great time to be a kid but, yeah, no one cared if we got terrified to the point of not being able to sleep on a regular basis. :)
The threat of nuclear war wasn’t awesome either but we had punk rock, D&D, and it still made sense to buy comic books.
and not every good guy somehow had to survive. that blonde guy (Eric?) died pretty brutally, and even though off-screen the babies mum and the nanny clearly died brutal deaths (and it was heavily implied), I think you even hear the nanny being torn apart by wolves
Oh yes… I still remember the first time seeing that scene where everyone (almost) got turned into pigs in Willow. It really freaked me out at the time.
*shudders*I think the heavy reliance on physical props, models and scenery. Combined with a certain darker style of story telling really made those movies stand out.
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- My Neighbor Totoro
- Big Trouble in Little China
Nausicaa is so good
Labyrinth and The Last Unicorn were two that came to mind
It’s all about the babe
What babe?
The babe with the power!
What power?
The Dark Crystal
Have you watched it as an adult? I loved that movie growing up and watched it a few years ago. Good lord, is it messed up…
Made all the better. Dark fantasy at its best.
Hell yeah
I’ve only seen the Netflix remake but I really enjoyed it. Would you recommend going back and watching the original?
It’s not a remake, it’s a prequel. So you should definitely watch the film.
I didn’t even know there was a remake, so yes
The Netflix is not a remake, but a prequel.
Definitely watch the original as well. They are both great
I really do not like the faces in this movie. Hard pass.
Dragonslayer was pretty good.
This along with Legend. Excalibur was really good too.
“We are all animals, my lady…”
Came looking for this. I particularly liked how everything you’d expect to happen, doesn’t. It ignores the traditional fantasy script and is refreshing doing so.
Labyrinth, Willow, and of course The Princess Bride.
Ladyhawke, Conan…
1982’s “Conan the Barbarian” is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s breakout role as an actor.
That Basil Poledouris soundtrack is amazing, too. I love that they still sample it for games.
I think it inspired Baldur’s Gate 1 theme composer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP7vWiaxw7Y
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=ZP7vWiaxw7Y
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
The Goonies, The Golden Child, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, and The Monster Squad.
Bonus: I think Bill & Ted’s movies were in the 80s too? The one with Death I always felt was sort of similar to Never Ending Story.
Wait, no Ghostbusters!?
Can’t forget Krull!
Yes! And the 80s arcade game based on the movie!
Clash of the Titans
The Secret of Nimh
Xanadu (Modern Fantasy)
LadyhawkeOh, and Return to Oz.
That movie is terrifying
Krull
Flash Gordon
Also Flesh Gordon.
It is exactly what you think, but it’s more comedic than arousing.
