Every decade brings a film that defines its era—a movie that captures the culture, pushes boundaries, and leaves a lasting impact. From the 1980s to today, certain films have stood above the rest, shaping the industry and captivating audiences worldwide. But which movies are truly the best of their decade? Let’s take a look at the greatest film from each of the last four decades and what makes them unforgettable.
1980s- Princess Bride.
The Princess Bride has aged like fine wine. Whether you grew up in the 80s or the 2000s, this movie has been a staple film of childhoods of all generations. What makes it great is the perfect balance of romance, action, comedy, and drama.
The stories within the stories, such as Inigo Montoya’s dedication to avenge his father who was killed by Count Rugen. These inner stories not only keep the viewers engaged, but also strengthen the plot itself, as it gives it more depth than a linear plot. Some people will complain the visual effects are poor and trashy, but remember, this movie was made in the 1980s with a medieval setting, it didn’t need to be Star Wars.
Although, I must contend that the scenes in the Fire Swamp are comparable to Luke’s lessons on Dagobah with Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. The actors also do a great job with their roles. The characters are vibrant and like I mentioned earlier about Montoya, they give the plot the juice it needs to keep viewers captivated.
Honorable mentions: E.T., Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
1990s- Forrest Gump.
In my opinion, Forrest Gump is the greatest film ever created. Tom Hanks was spectacular in playing a man with a severely low IQ who finds himself in many different situations and meeting many people, all historically accurate, I must add.
Hank’s accent was also incredible and strengthened his character. Gump’s story from childhood to adulthood is full of comedy and takes many twists and turns, but underneath all of the laughs and jaw-dropping experiences, the plot of resiliency is what holds it all together. What Gump went through, losing his mother, losing his best friend, or his ever-changing occupation, he remained true to himself, and continued to Run.
The movie places an emphasis on the historical situations going on during the specific parts of the story. I appreciate this, I think that it serves a functional purpose because it helps the viewers understand what the time-period is and what are the problems or major things happening, and that time has progressed in the story.
But the directors did a phenomenal job of incorporating this history in a manner that keeps Gump’s character traits, making it seem as if he just stumbled upon these historical events, such as the protest at the Lincoln memorial, or meeting the president while playing football of the University of Alabama.
Ultimately the movie fluctuates between light-heartedness and bigheartedness. The balance is good, and leaves the audience to reflect at the intricacies of life and the circle of life, as seen by the final scene of the movie, in which Gump and his son, sit side by side fishing, with their heads tilted at the same angle.
Honorable mentions: Good Will Hunting, The Shawshank Redemption
2000s- (500) Days of Summer.
People can say whatever they want about Rom-Coms, but 500 Days of Summer transcends the classification of Rom-Com. The narrator at the beginning of the film argues that the story was not a love story, and I agree to an extent. Tom, the main character, is struggling with coping with losing what he thinks is the love of his life.
The movie highlights his feelings and how he’s affected by it through the ever changing in the color of leaves of the tree that marks a change in season of life. When everything is going great for Tom, and he’s dating Summer, the leaves of the trees are green and vibrant, for summer.
When they’re no longer dating and Tom is miserable, the leaves have fallen of the tree and colors are bleak, signifying the season of winter and sadness. This pattern continues, fall for when the relationship begins to crumble, spring when Tom begins to heal. The tree is a symbol of life’s continuation, that with time, the season of life will change, and no other film encapsulates a theme as well as 500 Days of Summer.
Going back to the rom-com discussion, it is rom-com at times. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel played amazing together, and their characters clearly had chemistry with each other. But, again, this movie can’t be a rom-com when the two characters aren’t even friends at times, which is why I’d argue that this movie is more about self-discovery, as Tom eventually grows, along with the tree, pursuing his dreams, and even meeting a new girl.
Honorable mentions: Coach Carter; Cast Away
2010s- Silver Linings Playbook.
Silver Linings Playbook is a film that flies under the radar often. Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro did incredible jobs with their roles. Cooper excellently portrayed a rehabilitated man trying to rebuild his life, as did Lawrence in her role as a young grieving widow trying to rebuild her life, and De Niro, in his characteristic way, gave his character life and passion.
The main focus point of this movie is rebuilding. Learning how to grow and start anew, even if it means letting go of the past. It’s done in a way that still allows a comedic effect, and elevates the relationships between the main characters. The movie also did a great job portraying what a family looks like, with raw emotions and hectic situations such as fist fights within the family.
Although the plot is arguably a little predictable, the director did a great job of lacing everything at the end, it all comes together perfectly, and leaves the viewers with the feeling that happiness and growth is possible to achieve. The underlying story of Pat Solitano creating a bond with his father is also heartwarming, especially since throughout the entire movie their relationship is a rollercoaster. In a two hour movie, the director managed to put an incredible amount of detail and scenes into it.
Honorable mentions: The Perks of Being a Wallflower; Whiplash
2020s- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Yes, this is an animated movie, but who said animated movies can’t be great? In fact, in the first half of this decade, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse easily stands out over the rest. Of all the movies I’ve ever watched, I’ve watched this film the most (five times). In fact, I’ve never watched a film before, and want to rewatch it two weeks later.
You might be reading this and scowling at me, it’s because he’s young, that’s why, and while I am young, the truth is that I’ve seen hundreds of movies, ranging from silent films, dramas, musicals, and more. Name a genre, and I could tell you a film I’ve seen, and it likely won’t compete with this animated film.
Yes, I’m young, but this film isn’t just good for young people, but everyone. Let me explain. When this movie first came out, I didn’t want to watch it. I wasn’t interested to see what another animated spiderman movie would look like. I had watched the first movie five years prior, and had little memory of it, (which is where I went wrong in the first place) so I didn’t watch this film.
I didn’t watch it even when my friends raved about it, nor when clips became famous on social media. It took an entire year for me to see what all the hype was about. I have never been left craving the sequel for a movie as much as this one did. I was left speechless. Why? The plot was amazing, the music was incredible, the animation and cinematography was elite, the dialogue and characters were human and accurate for their ages, and the list goes on.
One of the biggest reasons though, is that this movie encapsulates what it’s like to be a teenager, the dynamic with the parents, the thoughts, the emotions. As a 17-year old, I felt as though I could relate with the main character.
I loved the use of colors as auras around characters, it helps set the moods and is a creative way to help create the characters. The plot was creative and even more, the ending was unpredictable. It’s easy to push this movie to the side, and not think much of it, but I guarantee you once you finish watching the movie, you won’t believe that you decided not to watch it at first.
Honorable mentions: The Holdovers
So, after reading this, and maybe adding and watching the movies I’ve crowned as the best of each decade, what do you think? And if I did terrible, what’s your list look like?
