8 Best Movies of 1980

By Vlad Zakh · June 27, 2026

1980 mixed comedy, horror and space opera. Airplane! has a traumatised ex-pilot landing a passenger plane, The Blues Brothers has two brothers getting the band back together on a mission from God, and The Gods Must Be Crazy has a Kalahari tribesman disposing of a Coke bottle. Superman II, Raging Bull, The Elephant Man, The Shining and The Empire Strikes Back round out the eight.

Superman II (1980)

TMDB ★ 6.8

Superman must give up his powers for love just as three escaped Kryptonian criminals threaten Earth.

Directed by Richard Lester · 2h 07m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A Kalahari tribesman sets out to get rid of a Coca-Cola bottle that fell from the sky, believing it to be a curse.

Directed by Jamie Uys · 1h 49m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Darkroom, Artiflix · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Airplane! (1980)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 97% Metacritic 78

A disaster-movie parody in which almost every gag lands, one after another.

Directed by Jerry Zucker & David Zucker · 1h 28m · Rated PG

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award3 wins & 7 nominations total

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Blues Brothers (1980)

TMDB ★ 7.7

Two brothers get the old band back together, on a mission from God to save the orphanage they grew up in.

Directed by John Landis · 2h 13m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, YouTube TV, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Raging Bull (1980)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 92% Metacritic 90

A boxer's paranoid jealousy destroys every relationship in his life outside the ring.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 09m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars24 wins & 28 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Elephant Man (1980)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 91% Metacritic 78

A severely deformed man is rescued from a freak show by a doctor who helps him regain his dignity.

Directed by David Lynch · 2h 04m · Rated PG

Nominated for 8 Oscars11 wins & 22 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Shining (1980)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 84% Metacritic 68

A writer's winter caretaking job at an isolated hotel unleashes his descent into supernatural-fuelled madness.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick · 2h 24m · Rated R

6 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, AMC, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

IMDb ★ 8.7 RT 93% Metacritic 82

The rebellion is scattered and Luke learns a truth about his father that changes everything.

Directed by Irvin Kershner · 2h 04m · Rated PG

Won 1 Oscar27 wins & 21 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 1980

Superman II (1980)

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

Airplane! (1980)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Raging Bull (1980)

The Elephant Man (1980)

The Shining (1980)

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

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