The 80s Were The Very Peak of Cinema

The 80s: you know that decade very well.

PACMAN. The death of John Lennon. The Chernobyl Reactor explosion. The first airing of what would become The Simpsons. I'm not here to talk about the releases of videogames; nor am I here to discuss the artiste of John Lennon.

To me, as a person that did not live through the events of the 1980s, it will forever be a decade known for its sheer cinematic brilliance. It would be the decade that really kickstarts the birth of pop culture through the genres of film. The birth of some of the largest cinematic influences in history, and that is without taking Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back into consideration.

A small part of me wants to believe that the best era for film would be right now, and there's definitely a plethora of films to justify that assumption, but when compared to the strong, not-so-heavily-marketed films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Back to the Future, and Gremlins, there really isn't any competition.

I could say that these films were very much heavily marketed as well, and that's why they're successful, but that really isn't the case with many of these films. They succeeded because their ideas were raw: these were films that dove deep into untouched genres, with the dedication of filmmakers to create something new, as well as entertaining. These films didn't need a setup of story arcs and three hours to introduce characters, leading to a small climax and an ending that heavily implies a sequel; the characters were introduced to the viewer through a well-blended mixture of actions, dialogue, and narrative.

It is worth considering the fact that filmmakers were still being introduced to new technologies during the 80s. Special effects were available, but not particularly a necessity. Practical effects would still reign high above special effects unless they were essential for the scene. Instead of relying heavily on special effects to deliver a space sequence, the filmmakers could use a blend of practical effects: building miniature models of buildings, structures, vehicles. Blade Runner did this very well.

Moving back towards the genres: the 1980s had such a huge variety of new ideas across quite literally every genre you could think of. The Breakfast Club: comedy. Poltergeist: horror. Sixteen Candles: romance. There was something big for everyone. These days, it doesn't particularly feel that way; the film industry feels heavily oriented around comedy and action, and a little science fiction. Everything outside of those genres seem to fall flat.