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[SantaC]

I am born in 1979 so i grew up with all the big blockbusters in the 80s and 90s. Movies back then were creative and innovative. It also wasnt accesible everywhere like it is now. Renting a VHS at the local videostore was a big deal back then.

But really, did the best movies come from the 80s/90s era or is it just nostalgia for someone who grew up during that era? My favorites were Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Back to the Future, Ninja Turtles 1, Rocky movies, sleepy hollow, ghost busters etc.

 

[brap]

Things are better now boomer. Did you see the scene in Avengers when Captain Marvel told Thanos to support trans rights then suplexed him? That was epic.
Movies are also better today because there's more diversity and they try to be PC as to not offend LGBTQIAP+ folx.

 

[bitbydeath]

I think we’re hitting a case of it’s all/mostly been done before.

80’s was peak horror
90’s was peak action

IMO

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

John Hughes and Steven Spielberg basically re-wrote how you do a high-grossing Hollywood film during that time period.

 

[Meowzers]

I think we’re hitting a case of it’s all/mostly been done before.

80’s was peak horror
90’s was peak action

IMO

I tend to agree
80's horror involves usually Friday 13th and April Fool's Day
90's action involves Speed and Enemy of the State/The Matrix

 

[triplestation]

yeah movies aren't a big deal anymore lol

and because of this they are formulaic and sterilized, and this also goes for television

the world has changed so much

 

[brap]

yeah movies aren't a big deal anymore lol

and because of this they are formulaic and sterilized, and this also goes for television

the world has changed so much

Too much. Imagine over 5 million fucking people watching Vegas Vacation on the same night.

 

[The Pleasure]

I tend to agree
80's horror involves usually Friday 13th and April Fool's Day
90's action involves Speed and Enemy of the State/The Matrix

80s had house, ghoulies,nightmare on elm street, sleepaway camp, hellraiser, toxic avenger, and so many more.

 

[triplestation]

 

[Meowzers]

80s had house, ghoulies,nightmare on elm street, sleepaway camp, hellraiser, toxic avenger, and so many more.

SLEEPAWAY CAMP. Damn that's crazy haha.

 

[Meowzers]

Being from Blockbuster era back in the 90's. This shit is weird lol.

 

[Keihart]

80's movies are awesome, one thing i used to miss during the 2000's was good lighting. Almost every movie seemed to be only worried about color grading instead of actually lighting scenes correctly or using it as a tool. I would say that in the last 10 years cinematography has become widely better again. I'm always surprised at how constant are Korean's at good cinematography, even dramas sometimes have such beautiful shots that seem almost out of place considering production when compared to most holly wood shit.

I'm really optimistic with current cinema, there are a bunch contemporary movies that i would put in my all time favorites even though i loved 80's movies in general with all the practical effects and good lighting.

 

[Kev Kev]

i rest my case

 

[Brian Fellows]

The 80’s are definitely my favorite decade for both movies and music.

 

[kunonabi]

70 and 80 is still my personal golden age for film. But yes movies were better. Script writing in particular seems like a lost art these days.

 

[YCoCg]

Partly Nostalgia, there was plenty of shit released, you just don't hear about it and it's been forgotten outside of Wikipedia and iMDb.

 

[It's Jeff]

The problem is that you just rattled off a list of winners - but that's not an accurate sample of movies as a whole. From 1975, we'd probably all argue that Kashmir from Zep was lasting and influential, but the top single of the year was "Love Will Keep Us Together," by the dreadful Captain and Tennille.

MOST of all media released in any year is passable; momentarily pleasant and easily disposed. I'd argue that because there are so many different platforms, with costs of film making coming way down, there's more quality content than ever. It's not heavily advertised and you have to dig for it, but this is easily the best era of entertainment so far.

 

[LegendOfKage]

Super Hero movies are better now. Every other genre was better then.

 

[sol_bad]

It's just nostalgia, people born in the late 90's or early 2000's don't care about those films.

 

[bitbydeath]

TV has come a long way though.

 

[mickaus]

I’d say non superhero movies for adults were better in the 80s - 90s. Too many films these days are subpar reboots/sequels. Just this year I have been watching a lot of retro movies for the first time like Rambo 1-3, Commando, Predator etc. and they just get the job done, modern movies are just getting too complicated.

 

[lock2k]

It's just nostalgia, people born in the late 90's or early 2000's don't care about those films.

Not entirely true. I know a lot of Z folks who enjoy 80s and 90s stuff.

And I understand. I'm an 80s child and ny fave movie is from 1968.

 

[RPS37]

Running out of good new original ideas for big movies.
all sequels and reboots.

 

[brap]

Partly Nostalgia, there was plenty of shit released, you just don't hear about it and it's been forgotten outside of Wikipedia and iMDb.

And plenty of that shit is at least entertaining unlike basically everything that comes out these days.

Not entirely true. I know a lot of Z folks who enjoy 80s and 90s stuff.

There's plenty who do. Literally who the fuck is only watching movies from like 2000+?

 

[Happosai]

80's and 90's? Just one from each decade could surpass anything made in the last 20-years. I get redundant about that in threads but things were better.

Some key points that made those two decades better in film:

-Director-writer driven movies rather than producer driven
-Real sets, less soundstages, much less green screen
-Photography to the cinematographer was actually important and looked great on 35mm, not some cheap chrome filtering
-Actors who could be defined or remembered by just one role
-Awesome VHS artwork and promotional players made by real artists
-Origin soundtracks, scores, and composers (not some idiot inserting recycled sound clips and dubstep)
-Stories that make the audience wait and don't throw action in the first 5-seconds. Suspense.
-Sequels but rarely prequels (they knew when to let something end)
-Real props, set designers, costumes
-Real blood and synthetics (that's all CGI now)

I'll keep going but look at it this way: does anyone remember more than 20% of movies made in the 2000's? How about more than 40% from the 2010's? I've asked this question to people before and the only movies that really impacted them were before their time.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Terminator 2. Ya, the metal man effects are kind of cheesy sometimes, but the movie still holds up.

And as Happosai mentioned above, movies didn't rely so much on CGI and actors spending all their time in front of green screens.

They actually did something called...... walking in a real life set or city.

 

[Happosai]

Terminator 2. Ya, the metal man effects are kind of cheesy sometimes, but the movie still holds up.

And as Happosai mentioned above, movies didn't rely so much on CGI and actors spending all their time in front of green screens.

They actually did something called...... walking in a real life set or city.

that's why we can still remember the names of actors from 40 + years ago. Their performance defined them and the effort out into their work. I can't remember more than 3 notable actors/actresses from the past 2-decades.

 

[brap]

that's why we can still remember the names of actors from 40 + years ago. Their performance defined them and the effort out into their work. I can't remember more than 3 notable actors/actresses from the past 2-decades.

You don't remember the great Rob Schneider?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

that's why we can still remember the names of actors from 40 + years ago. Their performance defined them and the effort out into their work. I can't remember more than 3 notable actors/actresses from the past 2-decades.

Ya.

There were articles saying the guy who played Gandalf hated working on LoTR because the guy's background is theater and he felt like a moron spending all his time in front of a green screen talking to himself.

He should have known better given the type of movie it is with fantasy fights. But he probably thought he'd at least be talking to more people face to face and walking around real rocky locations. Instead, an old man like Gandalf is stuck pretending to whack enemies in a sound studio.

 

[Mistake]

I rewatched The Toxic Avenger the other day, and it was like a huge breath of fresh air from all the current bullshit

 

[brap]

I rewatched The Toxic Avenger the other day, and it was like a huge breath of fresh air from all the current bullshit

Remember when the kid gets run over by a car? Lmao. That shit would never happen today.


Also the kid is in the comment section

 

[Northeastmonk]

Terminator 2. Ya, the metal man effects are kind of cheesy sometimes, but the movie still holds up.

And as Happosai mentioned above, movies didn't rely so much on CGI and actors spending all their time in front of green screens.

They actually did something called...... walking in a real life set or city.

The scene where Terminator is on a bike chasing T100 is still pretty good.

I think movies back then had more magic to them. I watch horror movies now and they mostly suck. Rob Zombie tried to bring back Halloween and it was ok. He was still bringing back something that has done before. Name a serial killer from the last 20 or so years that’s actually stuck out? Maybe Scream, but that film is aging as we speak. There is no new Freddy or new Jason. It’s all built on existing franchises. Movies have to be borderline disturbing to stick out anymore. Parasite (not a horror movie) was good. It’s just a rare occasion that a film actually sticks with you now a days. I feel like the Star Wars hype dropped super fast once it all ended. There’s no feeling like I want to rewatch the last couple films.

 

[Mobile Suit Gooch]

Movies back then didn't have to worry about being "PC"

 

[cryptoadam]

80s and 90s were better because it was pre digital age and the creators grew up with great influence.

70s to 2000s was golden age for culture. Started going downhill in the 2000s and hasnt recovered.

 

[Raphael]

Double post. Explained below. Apologies.

 

[GeorgPrime]

I am born in 1979 so i grew up with all the big blockbusters in the 80s and 90s. Movies back then were creative and innovative. It also wasnt accesible everywhere like it is now. Renting a VHS at the local videostore was a big deal back then.

But really, did the best movies come from the 80s/90s era or is it just nostalgia for someone who grew up during that era? My favorites were Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Back to the Future, Ninja Turtles 1, Rocky movies, sleepy hollow, ghost busters etc.

Most movies were better back then. Or do you want to say that the old Ghostbusters are just nostalgia compared to the bad girls version in 2016? xD

 

[Raphael]

Past 20 years we have a lot more consistancy with good to great movies, more of those but definitely less phenomenal gems like the 90s and 70s had. 80s was ok but i would Say worse. What we do get in the new milienium however is unmatches tv shows. The wire, sopranos, the sheild, breaking bad. There was nothing On that level before. I think this is what replaces the Godfather level movies.

I alsothink it can be argued that 00-09 was way better than 10-19. 20-29 will probably be the worst though with the pc and cancel cultures.

 

[bender]

Terminator 2. Ya, the metal man effects are kind of cheesy sometimes, but the movie still holds up.

And as Happosai mentioned above, movies didn't rely so much on CGI and actors spending all their time in front of green screens.

They actually did something called...... walking in a real life set or city.

Furlong kind of ruins the movie for me.

Most of the action movies I loved as a kid just don't hold up. I tend to lean towards martial arts flicks these days. Predator still kicks ass though.

 

[Elektro Demon]

No it's not nostalgia, movies back then were better. They didn't worry about being pc, racially diverse and didn't support the lgbt community unlike basically every movie that comes out nowadays.

 

[TGO]

I'd say anything before 2012 with a few exceptions

 

[slugbahr]

Most movies were better back then. Or do you want to say that the old Ghostbusters are just nostalgia compared to the bad girls version in 2016? xD

Great example!

Put aside the remake aspect ...
Ghostbusters 1 and 2 .... great movies.
Recent one ... shit movie.

Terminator 1 and 2 ... classics.
The rest ... what the fuck were they thinking?!

Predator ... nothing need be said.
Predators and The Predator ... try to follow, try to copy, try to turn it up to 12. Horrible failures.

Also, way too many movies have bloated runtimes. And yet, they still have trouble telling their story.

 

[nkarafo]

Movies were far better in the 80's/90's.

Same with Anime. 80's/90's OVAs and high budget movies have much better detail/animation than current anime. They used to put a lot of money and detail into hand drawn animation but the bubble burst when anime became mainstream in the west. Computers/CGI only made things worse for anime.

Western cartoons also suck now. I think the peak was the Looney Tunes era (amazing animation quality and humor). After then it got progressively worse with animation becoming cheaper and the style more kid friendly and politically correct. But it was still OK during the 80's. Not so much in the 90's. Today they are at the worst state i have seen 2D animation ever being, at least when we are talking about kids/family stuff.

Non-animated TV series are far better now though.

 

[Skyr]

Yes they are.

That's especially true for action movies. CGI ruins modern action movies for me. I can't stand that shit.

Take T2 with the few sparingly used CGI scense, which btw hold up pretty well considering the time period.
The rest were all laborious practical effects and risky stunt setups.

Nobody does that these days as they don't consider the risk vs reward ratio worth it.
Instead they do CGI for everything and I don't care how well it's done, it still looks fake.


Take that scene for example. 90% would be cgi these days and it would look like shit.

 

[Foamy]

Ferris Bueller's mothafucking Day Off bitches.

 

[TGO]

I know something nobody will agree with me on!
Godzilla 1998 is better then the new Godzilla films.
Come at me!!

 

[Armorian]

Look how great The Thing looks, and then how shit sequel/prequel with all CG bullshit.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

The 1980s were without a doubt the best decade for movies.

The 1990s were very bifurcated though, the first half was good, the latter half was kind of mediocre and things have been mostly mediocre ever since, Hollywood never managed to quite recapture the 1980s and early 1990s heyday.

Just imagine, future generations will never know that smell.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Oh yeah it’s without question movies were better. Think of all the new classic series invented then vs now. It’s silly to even try and compare.

Filmmakers now are pathetic and have no ideas besides doing remakes and reboots. Due to mostly corporate risk aversion we just see the same old stuff recycled. In 20 years nobody will want to remake anything from the 2000s. Because outside of a few exceptions there is nothing there that inspires that same level of imagination.

Where is the Ghostbusters or Jurassic Park of the 2000s? Where is our new Goonies or ET? Where is our The Lost Boys? When you see the endless parade of reboots it only drives the point further. Where is our Point Break? Where is our Robocop? Even a trashy b movie like Big Trouble in Little China is looking like a towering achievement compared to the dismal sameness we are now stuck with.

Where is creativity? Where are the new IP? There are none. Instead of making new things we have been stuck in a postmodern holding pattern for two decades. Remakes and reboots. Just like a privileged antifa rioter tearing down statues, they have nothing new to offer, just cultural (and moral) destruction.

 

[SantaC]

I admit that I enjoyed the Harry potter movies, but it started in 1999 didnt it?

 

[Birdo]

More risks were taken in the 80's. Which led to a more diverse range of genres and styles.

Due to rising production costs, modern films have to be far more market safe.