Ten 80s and 90s Movies That Shaped a Generation

Born in a time without cellphones and the internet, movies presented us with a whole new world that had unforgettable characters, legendary soundtracks that we still like humming, and stories that are etched in our brain cells forever.

Do you remember “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King? Of course, and that is what we are talking about. The 80s and 90s movies that shaped a generation still have a meaningful impact and spark nostalgia that we still aren’t ready to let go of. 

Movie Insiderz has a list of such movies that you might like to revisit and rediscover their magic, a golden era that shaped pop culture and the way we see the world today. 

Ten 80s and 90s movies that shaped a generation

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

E.T. is a beautiful story of friendship beyond stars and bonding between a human child and an alien. Elliott is a lonesome boy who befriends an Earth-stranded alien. He helps him get back to his planet while hiding him from his mother and the government.

The film opens up on themes like childhood friendships and bonding, even if it is an alien. Friendship is always pure, no matter who the friend is. During that era, it was a groundbreaking sci-fi film that delved deeper into emotions, despite being a dry genre movie.

It showed that science fiction can move us to tears and exhibits a strong power of connection that we don’t want to forget ever. 

Blade Runner (1982)

It is interesting to note that a plethora of flicks diverged their focus to the sci-fi genre during the 80s, and Blade Runner is one amongst them. Blade Runner is a dystopian film set in 2019 Los Angeles and shows a pursuit for the termination of four replicants who stole a ship in space. 

The police unit called “blade runners” is assigned the task of getting the replicants, who were actually robots developed to assist humans. A former blade runner comes back to get the job done. Directed by Ridley Scott, Blade Runner became a cult classic.  

Even three decades ago, the filmmakers were pondering the biggest question of humanity to date: what it means to be a human? The artificial intelligence back then was a big question mark, and the programmed replicants were still making lives of flesh-and-blood human counterparts. 

Back to the Future (1985)

Another sci-fi film that gave us memories of our lives. Marty is a typical 1980s teenager who likes to be with his scientist friend, Doc Brown. The scientist builds a time machine out of a DeLorean in which Marty accidentally goes back to 1955.  

How cool is that to know that if your parents didn’t know each other, you wouldn’t even be born? That is exactly what happened with Marty, but Marty likes the way it is.

He ensures that his parents get close, besides looking for a way to get back to 1985. And of course, DeLorean does work its magic to return to 1985 with lightning speed. 

Die Hard (1988)

Die Hard is based on the 1979 novel authored by Roderick Thorp, Nothing Lasts Forever. Bruce Willis played detective John McClane, who is after a terrorist group under a former radical, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). 

The terrorists are about to rob a corporate vault on Christmas Eve that has 640 million dollars. While keeping his wife and hostages safe, McClane leaves no stone unturned to make his mission successful with the utmost safety of the rest. 

The film was an innovative approach to the blending of action, humor, and suspense, with characters that became memorable through clever writing. The filmmakers knew that they needed to shift the focus from superhumans to real action heroes that made the film relatable. 

Jurassic Park (1993)

Another sci-fi masterpiece that introduced us to something so mesmerizing that we haven’t been able to stop our jaws from dropping to the floor. A wealthy industrialist, John Hammond (played by Richard Attenborough), invites some experts and his grandchildren to a newly developed theme park that has genetically engineered dinosaurs.

The DNA was extracted from fossilized mosquitoes, and to prevent breeding, the dinosaurs were all females. But, a discontented programmer wanted to steal dinosaur embryos for a competitor company, causing the dinosaurs to be released, exposing the guests’ lives to great risk. 

It was the first in its genre that used CGI on the next level to create realistic dinosaurs, giving us nightmares for years to come. It was a significant leap forward in showcasing a visual spectacle with an undeniably excellent and suspenseful direction by Steven Spielberg. 

The Lion King (1994)

The Circle of Life was the best thing that we learned during our childhood through this film, The Lion King. It couldn’t have been better, teaching us the best lesson thus far. It is a story of a young lion, Simba, who “can’t wait to be a king”. 

He wanted to be ferocious and carefree, but his uncle Scar had other plans. Scar feels he should be next to the throne and plans to teach his brother, King Mufasa, a lesson. Simba knows who is behind his father’s death, but gets scared and finally thinks of running away. 

Years later, he returns to the Pride Lands with his friends Timon and Pumba. A climactic battle earns him his rightful place to restore balance. The realistic animal movements brought the characters to life. The Hollywood Reporter reviewed it as, 

“Graced with heart, humor and boundless energy, this Walt Disney presentation should cut a huge swathe through all age groups.” [Source] 

Its stunning animation and deep emotional captivity pulled us in so bad that it became a timeless treasure. Its universal themes of family and friendship stirred us from within, and powerful voice acting along with orchestral music made it an unforgettable animated jewel. The Lion King won two Academy Awards for its music. We have been playing Hakuna Matata on repeat, yes?

Toy Story (1995)

How could toys come to life and feel emotions just like humans? Toy Story showed us how. The story is about a group of toys who pretend to be lifeless when humans are around, but in reality, one of them is jealous. 

Woody is the jealous one when Andy, the young boy, receives a new toy, Buzz. While trying to knock Buzz out of the window, he accidentally flies himself out. He makes it a mission to rescue Buzz and, together, learn to overcome obstacles. 

The flick is special because it was the first fully-animated achievement that helped Pixar establish itself as a major animation studio. The compelling story and striking characters captivated audiences and critics alike. 

Titanic (1997)

Titanic is the story of a hapless “unsinkable” ship from the perspective of fictional characters. It is a romantic story that explores the ship’s downfall.

A poor artist (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (played by Kate Winslet) fall in love as soon as they board the ship. The whole story is the recounting of an elderly Rose who keeps the blue locket close to her heart that reminds her of Jack and their doomed love story that drowned in the dark waters. 

Rose’s throwing of the blue locket, which she called “Heart of the Ocean”, into the water symbolized letting go of the past, the film’s notable message. The historical context of the film fueled the real-life tragedy of the maiden voyage, so tragic that touched our hearts.  

Scream (1996)

The town of Woodsboro is terrorized by a masked killer, Ghostface. A group of school students has to run for their lives, especially Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell).

Sidney knows she needs to stop the killings as the body count rises. With the help of a reporter and a police officer, she attempts to uncover the killer’s identity. She was still grieving her mother’s death, but came to know that the killer was someone connected to her mother’s past. 

The film was a game-changer in the horror genre as the cleverly constructed slasher tropes did not leave our minds that easily. Before that, the slasher genre was considered stagnant. The film is therefore a classic in making us comprehend that bending rules of the horror genre does not hurt.  

The Matrix (1999)

Will you “follow the white rabbit” out of the blue if someone asks you to? We will if it is Keanu Reeves. In a dystopian future, a simulated reality asks you to believe something that is impossible in the real world. 

Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) is prophesied to defeat the intelligent machines and Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and his allies. Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishburne) takes him on board with the notorious red pill. 

The philosophical themes of free will and making choices gave us a thought-provoking narrative of the film with “bullet time” techniques to keep our eyes wide open. With genre-defining action moments and visuals that weren’t possible at that time, the CGI innovation created an action film beauty, still keeping it legally ‘critically acclaimed’. 

Which of these movies have you watched? Which one still steals your heart? We’re all ears.