The Five Once Great 80's Movies That Have Aged the Worst

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | September 29, 2009 |

I probably should’ve done so before reviewing the most recent remake of Fame, but I checked out the trailer for the original and quickly realized that my perception of the 1980 movie was completely off. There was no edge; no grit; no seediness. That was just old film stock and bad camera work. The trailer brought it all back: 1980’s Fame was every bit as edgeless and cheesy as the 2009 version. It’s possible, even, that the newer version might be slightly better.

So, I decided to look back at the trailers for some other 80’s favorites. Unsurprisingly, quite a few of those movies have held up well: Romancing the Stone, Beatlejuice, Wall Street, and Beverly Hills Cop, to name a few. Sure, there’s a certain 80s aesthetic that’s hard to look past, but if you can overlook the synth pop and the bad hair, those movies still hold up fairly well.

However, these five did not. I’d planned to write descriptions, but the trailers will more than suffice to prove my point. If you loved these movies when you were an early teenager, you’re excused. If you loved them past the age of 20, then you need to get your head checked.

Honorable Mentions: Risky Business, Purple Rain, Red Dawn, Three Amigos and The Big Chill.

5. War Games