Aliens
Dir. James Cameron
The sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien is among the best sequels ever made and one of the rare follow ups that is better than the original (although that is a matter of debate). The movie features more nuanced characters and a bigger story. The film was later expanded with a director's cut that was twenty minutes longer and is generally considered the definitive version.
Back to School
Dir. Alan Metter
One of the best--if not the best--Rodney Dangerfield film was Back to School. Reuniting Dangerfield with writer Harold Ramis (who had co-written and directed the comic in 1980's Caddyshack), Back to School is classic Rodney, playing to his strengths while providing enough of a story to give the movie a narrative shape.
Crocodile Dundee
Dir. Peter Faiman
This Australian film concerned a New York City reporter who travels down under to interview a rugged outdoorsman. Crocodile Dundee was one of the biggest hits of 1986 and spawned two sequels. What's sometimes underappreciated about this film is that it is a romantic comedy, making its box office success all the more impressive.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Dir. John Hughes
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is the crown jewel in John Hughes' filmmaking career. The writer-director had his finger on the pulse of 1980s youth culture and his films frequently possessed a lighthearted irreverence and a quiet profundity. Hughes also set many of his movies in the Chicago area and the action of this film gets out of the suburbs, making it a time capsule of the Windy City in the 1980s. The impact of Ferris Bueller's Day Off can be seen as recently as 2016's Deadpool.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Dir. Tom McLoughlin
The Friday the 13th series was one of the defining franchises of the 1980s and the sixth entry was distinct from the other movies in the series. In the late 1980s the horror genre got silly, combining gore with a goofy sense of humor, and Jason Lives was enjoyably self aware a full decade before Scream. As a result, this film was one of the only Friday the 13th movies to get a few positive reviews from critics.
Hoosiers
Dir. David Anspaugh
The template for the sports film was already established by 1986 but Hoosiers perfected it. The definitive basketball movie, Hoosiers has exactly what we expect from this kind of picture--underdogs, redemption, inspirational speeches--and it set the standard for the way sports movies are made.
Little Shop of Horrors
Dir. Frank Oz
This adaptation of the stage musical (which itself was adapted from the 1960 Roger Corman film) was a fun piece of work with a cast that included Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, John Candy, and Bill Murray. The version released to theaters in 1986 was not the original cut. As originally written and shot, Little Shop of Horrors had a darker ending that was jettisoned due to poor test audience reactions. The original version of Little Shop of Horrors has been restored for the movie's release on Blu-ray.
Manhunter
Dir. Michael Mann
This adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon was helmed by Michael Mann of Miami Vice and Heat fame. The movie is very much a work of the 1980s and it features impressive use of color and music. Manhunter was a box office failure in 1986 but the success of The Silence of the Lambs resulted in its rediscovery and reappraisal.
Platoon
Dir. Oliver Stone
Platoon largely defined the way in which the American experience in Vietnam would be portrayed on screen. The movie concerns a newbie soldier who is dropped into the jungles of southeast Asia and falls under the direction of two opposing officers. Although he made better works since, Platoon is the essential Oliver Stone movie (for both better and worse reasons).
Stand By Me
Dir. Rob Reiner
The irony of Stephen King adaptions is that most of the best films are not adapted from his supernatural horror stories. Instead it's movies like Stand By Me that distinguish the Stephen King filmography. This story of four young men out to find the corpse of a fallen schoolmate has a great cast including Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell. Young male adolescence has rarely been captured as well in a motion picture.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Dir. Leonard Nimoy
The most successful Star Trek film to star either the original or the Next Generation cast, The Voyage Home remains one of the most unique entries in the series. It is very funny and radically different from the more militaristic Star Trek films that followed.
Top Gun
Dir. Tony Scott
The movie that made Tom Cruise a movie star remains one of the actor's best films. Top Gun was on the cutting edge of cinema; its fast paced editing style would become the norm in years to come. It also had a very popular soundtrack and this was one of the first movies in which the soundtrack album became a critical part of the marketing and legacy of the picture.
Other films of 1986 worth mentioning:
- An American Tale
- Big Trouble in Little China
- Blue Velvet
- The Color of Money
- The Delta Force
- The Fly
- The Golden Child
- The Karate Kid Part II
- Labyrinth
- Lucas
- The Mission
- The Mosquito Coast
- Poltergeist II: The Other Side
- Salvador
- Short Circuit
- Sid and Nancy
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
- Three Amigos
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