Best Adventure Movies of the 1980s

1. 1
   The Empire Strikes Back 1980

   Directed by Irvin Kershner · Streaming on Disney Plus, YouTube TV
   8.4

   8.4 · 19K votes
2. 2
   Back to the Future 1985

   Directed by Robert Zemeckis
   8.3

   8.3 · 23K votes
3. 3
   Castle in the Sky 1986

   Directed by Hayao Miyazaki · Streaming on HBO Max
   7.9

   8.0 · 4.9K votes
4. 4
   Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981

   Directed by Steven Spielberg · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, fuboTV
   7.9

   7.9 · 14K votes
5. 5
   Warriors of the Wind 1984

   Directed by Hayao Miyazaki · Streaming on HBO Max
   7.9

   7.9 · 4.3K votes
6. 6
   Return of the Jedi 1983

   Directed by Richard Marquand · Streaming on Disney Plus
   7.9

   7.9 · 17K votes
7. 7
   Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989

   Directed by Steven Spielberg · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, fuboTV
   7.8

   7.9 · 11K votes
8. 8
   Stand by Me 1986

   Directed by Rob Reiner · Streaming on Philo
   7.8

   7.8 · 6.8K votes
9. 9
   Back to the Future Part II 1989

   Directed by Robert Zemeckis
   7.8

   7.8 · 14K votes
10. 10
    The Princess Bride 1987

    Directed by Rob Reiner · Streaming on Hulu
    7.7

    7.7 · 5.4K votes
11. 11
    Where Is The Friend's House? 1987

    Directed by Abbas Kiarostami · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    7.6

    7.9 · 460 votes
12. 12
    Predator 1987

    Directed by John McTiernan · Streaming on fuboTV, YouTube TV, FXNow
    7.6

    7.6 · 9.6K votes
13. 13
    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982

    Directed by Steven Spielberg · Streaming on Philo, Starz
    7.5

    7.5 · 12K votes
14. 14
    The Goonies 1985

    Directed by Richard Donner · Streaming on Tubi TV
    7.5

    7.5 · 6.5K votes
15. 15
    Fitzcarraldo 1982

    Directed by Werner Herzog · Streaming on fuboTV, Philo, The Roku Channel
    7.5

    7.6 · 934 votes
16. 16
    The Plague Dogs 1982

    Directed by Martin Rosen · Streaming on Philo, Kanopy, Fandor
    7.4

    7.8 · 312 votes
17. 17
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982

    Directed by Nicholas Meyer · Streaming on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
    7.4

    7.4 · 2.2K votes
18. 18
    The Big Blue 1988

    Directed by Luc Besson
    7.4

    7.4 · 1.6K votes
19. 19
    The Secret of NIMH 1982

    Directed by Don Bluth · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Xumo Play, Tubi TV
    7.3

    7.4 · 994 votes
20. 20
    The Abyss 1989

    Directed by James Cameron · Streaming on Disney Plus, Philo, BBC America
    7.3

    7.4 · 3.6K votes
21. 21
    The Mission 1986

    Directed by Roland Joffé · Streaming on YouTube Free, Howdy
    7.3

    7.4 · 1.6K votes
22. 22
    Kin-dza-dza! 1986

    Directed by Georgiy Daneliya · Streaming on Philo, Hoopla, Night Flight Plus
    7.3

    7.7 · 312 votes
23. 23
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984

    Directed by Steven Spielberg · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, fuboTV
    7.3

    7.3 · 10K votes
24. 24
    The Snowman 1982

    Directed by Dianne Jackson · Streaming on Fandango at Home Free, Amebatv
    7.3

    7.6 · 373 votes
25. 25
    Labyrinth 1986

    Directed by Jim Henson · Streaming on Hulu, fuboTV, Peacock Premium
    7.3

    7.3 · 2.9K votes
26. 26
    The NeverEnding Story 1984

    Directed by Wolfgang Petersen · Streaming on Philo, The Roku Channel, YouTube Free
    7.2

    7.2 · 4.5K votes
27. 27
    Big Trouble in Little China 1986

    Directed by John Carpenter · Streaming on Philo
    7.2

    7.2 · 3.5K votes
28. 28
    Alice 1988

    Directed by Jan Švankmajer · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, OVID
    7.2

    7.4 · 372 votes
29. 29
    The Fox and the Hound 1981

    Directed by Ted Berman · Streaming on Disney Plus
    7.2

    7.2 · 3.6K votes
30. 30
    The Land Before Time 1988

    Directed by Don Bluth · Streaming on Wonder Project
    7.2

    7.2 · 2.9K votes
31. 31
    The Last Unicorn 1982

    Directed by Jules Bass · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy, Fandango at Home Free
    7.2

    7.3 · 628 votes
32. 32
    Project A 1983

    Directed by Jackie Chan · Streaming on Hoopla, WeTV
    7.1

    7.3 · 601 votes
33. 33
    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 1986

    Directed by Leonard Nimoy · Streaming on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
    7.1

    7.2 · 1.7K votes
34. 34
    The Dark Crystal 1982

    Directed by Jim Henson · Streaming on fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo
    7.1

    7.2 · 1.3K votes
35. 35
    The Professional 1981

    Directed by Georges Lautner · Streaming on Kanopy
    7.1

    7.2 · 621 votes
36. 36
    National Lampoon's Vacation 1983

    Directed by Harold Ramis
    7.1

    7.1 · 1.8K votes
37. 37
    The Transformers: The Movie 1986

    Directed by Nelson Shin
    7.0

    7.2 · 654 votes
38. 38
    Who's Singin' Over There? 1980

    Directed by Slobodan Šijan
    7.0

    7.5 · 170 votes
39. 39
    La Chèvre 1981

    Directed by Francis Veber · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, Kino Film Collection
    7.0

    7.1 · 748 votes
40. 40
    The Great Mouse Detective 1986

    Directed by Ron Clements · Streaming on Disney Plus
    7.0

    7.0 · 1.9K votes
41. 41
    Sexmission 1984

    Directed by Juliusz Machulski
    7.0

    7.2 · 346 votes
42. 42
    The Bear 1988

    Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
    7.0

    7.1 · 544 votes
43. 43
    Willow 1988

    Directed by Ron Howard · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus
    7.0

    7.0 · 2.3K votes
44. 44
    Marrakech Express 1989

    Directed by Gabriele Salvatores
    7.0

    7.3 · 236 votes
45. 45
    Cat City 1986

    Directed by Béla Ternovszky · Streaming on Philo, Kanopy, Hoopla
    7.0

    7.7 · 108 votes
46. 46
    Ladyhawke 1985

    Directed by Richard Donner · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Hoopla, YouTube Free
    6.9

    7.0 · 1.3K votes
47. 47
    Time Masters 1982

    Directed by René Laloux
    6.9

    7.3 · 204 votes
48. 48
    Armour of God 1986

    Directed by Jackie Chan · Streaming on Darkroom, WeTV
    6.9

    7.0 · 690 votes
49. 49
    Quest for Fire 1981

    Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, Artiflix
    6.9

    7.0 · 602 votes
50. 50
    Itinerary of a Spoiled Child 1988

    Directed by Claude Lelouch · Streaming on France Channel
    6.9

    7.2 · 229 votes

Smart score = (votes × rating + 82 × 6.03) ÷ (votes + 82): the TMDB rating, pulled toward the catalog average as if every film had 82 extra average votes.

1. 1
   Okey, Mister Pancho 1981

   Directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares
   6.7

   8.5 · 28 votes
2. 2
   Katy Caterpillar 1984

   Directed by José Luis Moro
   6.5

   8.0 · 25 votes
3. 3
   ¡El que no corre... vuela! 1982

   Directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares
   6.5

   8.1 · 21 votes
4. 4
   ThunderCats Ho! – The Movie 1987

   Directed by Katsuhito Akiyama
   6.5

   7.8 · 27 votes
5. 5
   Treasure Island: Part II - Captain Flint's Treasure 1987

   Directed by Davyd Cherkaskyi · Streaming on Pluto TV, Plex, Plex Channel
   6.5

   7.7 · 29 votes
6. 6
   Treasure Island: Part I – Captain Flint's Map 1987

   Directed by Davyd Cherkaskyi · Streaming on Pluto TV, Plex, Plex Channel
   6.4

   7.8 · 24 votes
7. 7
   Garfield on the Town 1983

   Directed by Phil Roman · Streaming on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+
   6.5

   7.6 · 31 votes
8. 8
   Doctor Who: The Five Doctors 1983

   Directed by Peter Moffatt
   6.4

   7.8 · 22 votes
9. 9
   Ico, the Brave Horse 1983

   Directed by Manuel García Ferré
   6.4

   7.8 · 20 votes
10. 10
    Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth 1987

    Directed by Bernard Deyriès
    6.4

    7.3 · 35 votes