Cast your mind back to 1985, can you remember which movies you were watching and enjoying that year?
Back To The Future
1985 was a great movie year as blockbusters, sci-fi and teen movie all hit the big screen - some going on to become truly iconic moments in cinema history.
Hard to believe, but thirty years have passed and some of those movies that we love so much are celebrating their 30th anniversary. We take a look at some of the films that have a very special birthday this year.
- Back To The Future
Michael J. Fox may have kicked off his acting career in the early seventies but it was Back To The Future and the role of Marty McFly - which was one of his early film roles - that was to send his star rocketing.
Yes, it really was back in 1985 when Back To The Future for the first time as Robert Zemeckis was in the director's chair and Christopher Lloyd joined Fox on the cast list as Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown. Back to the Future was only the fourth feature film of Zemeckis' career, came after the success of Romancing the Stone, and is one of his most enduring movies.
For me, Back To The Future is one of the best time-travel movies of all time and is a movie that is packed with action, humour, and unforgettable characters. It really is a movie that is a lot of fun and is just as good today as it was when it was first released.
Back To The Future grossed over $300 million at the global box office upon release and went on to be the highest-grossing movie of the year. It is now widely regarded as one of the best sci-fi films of all time.
Back To The Future kicked off some of the best sci-fi franchises and we were treated to two further movies in 1989 and 1990. While the movies may not have got some of the technology advances and gadgets quite right, it still remains a true big screen classic.
- The Goonies
There is no movie that lit up my childhood like The Goonies and I really cannot believe that the film I loved so much is thirty years old - it is a film that will always have a very special place in my heart.
Directed by Richard Donner, The Goonies followed a group of friends who set to find an ancient pirate treasure in order to save their home and stay together. Sean Astin took on the central role of Mikey and was joined on the cast list by Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Ke Quan, and Jeff Cohen.
The Goonies is a great swashbuckling adventure about treasure maps, pirates, and good old-fashioned villains - they really don't make kid's movie like this anymore. It is also a movie about friendship and family and I think this is one of the major reasons why this movie has endured the way that it has.
There is just something so magic about the innocence of childhood and that has been perfectly captured by Donner - much like Steve Spielberg did in E.T.
The Goonies may not have been a huge success at the box office when it was released but, over the years, it has gained a major cult following. There has also been a lot of talk about a possible sequel - with the original cast - but I think that this is a film that should be left well alone.
- The Breakfast Club
High school has been the setting for many a movie of the years but there is no high school film that is held in higher regard than The Breakfast Club.
The Breakfast Club remains one of the most memorable films from director/writer John Hughes, has already been remastered, and rereleased this year to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
The movie follows five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought. Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, and Ally Sheedy starred as John, Claire, Andrew, Brian, and Allison - it was the start of the Brat Pack.
The Breakfast Club is a movie that looked at teenagers of the eighties and how they are trying to find an identity and work out where they fit in in society. But Hughes told this story with intelligence and wit and it wasn't a movie that laughed at or belittled the feelings of the teens at the time.
Hughes and the cast developed real feeling characters that audiences could relate and connect with - which is one of the major reasons why this movie was such a success. But what Hughes showed with The Breakfast Club was that the teen movie didn't just have to be all about sex and drugs it could tackle deeper issues and still be funny.
The movie was met with critical acclaim when it was released and is still one of the best coming of age/teen movies. The themes in the movie are just as relevant today as they were back in the eighties and that makes is a relatable movie thirty years on.
- Cocoon
There were plenty of science fiction films released in 1985 and Cocoon was one of the most successful. Cocoon mixed sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy and saw Ron Howard in the director's chair - it was his first film since Splash in 1984.
Set in St. Petersburg, Florida it tells the story of a group of elderly folk who have a close-encounter with aliens when they find a swimming pool filled with strange pods that possess magical powers that restore youth and vitality. Now they must choose between accepting their impending deaths or having eternal life.
While some of the special effects haven't quite stood the test of time, the story is still a very poignant tale about getting older. There is something almost fairytale like to Cocoon and this is really what set it apart from other sci-fi films that were released the same year.
Cocoon is not what you expect from a sci-fi film as Howard delivers a movie that is tender, heart-warming, as well as very funny - he balances all of these different elements wonderfully.
The movie was both a critical and commercial hit when it was released and it went on to be the sixth highest grossing movie of 1985. It went on to be nominated for two Oscars - Best Supporting Actor for Don Ameche and Best Visual Effects - winning both.
- Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
It was back in 1979 when we were introduced to the character of Mad Max for the first time - it was the role that really helped send Mel Gibson's star rocketing. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was the third film in the franchise and came three years after Mad Max II.
Mel Gibson was back in the title role, while George Miller was once again in the director's chair. Tina Turner, Bruce Spence, and Adam Cockburn completed the cast list.
Mad Mad Beyond Thunderdome doesn't quite live up to the dizzy heights set by the first two films but that doesn't stop it from being a terrific watch - there is still of the amazing stunts and vehicle choreography to watch out for; it really is one of the things that this franchise has become famed for.
Gibson is once again terrific as he fleshes out Max even further, while Tina Turner is just terrific as the ruthless ruler of Bartertown, Aunty Entity.
The entire Mad Max series remains a hugely entertaining franchise and it was great to see it return to the big screen earlier this year with Max Mad: Fury Road, which saw Miller back at the helm.
- Weird Science
Writer/filmmaker John Hughes returned to the director's in 1985 as helmed Weird Science, which saw him team up with Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly LeBrock, Bill Paxton, and Robert Downey Jr.
Weird Science was the third feature film for Hughes and followed Gary Wallace and Wyatt Donnelly, two high school nerds attempt to create the perfect woman, but she turns out to be more than that.
Weird Science is a movie that is still a lot of fun as Hughes mixes elements of Frankenstein's monster with teenage male fantasies. It may not be the best movie by Hughes, but Weird Science is a film that you really can just kick back and enjoy. It is funny and charming and is a movie that you cannot dislike.
Upon release, Weird Science was met with mixed reviews but did okay at the global box office... however, it is now widely regarded as a cult classic.
Other movies that are celebrating their 30th anniversary include Rambo: First Blood Part II, St. Elmo's Fire, Ladyhawke, Teen Wolf, and A View To A Kill.
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