Amazon Prime's Best 80's Superhero Movies
Ah, the 80's! A decade known for its super out-there fashion, funky beats, "bigger" being better (hair, shoulder pads, makeup, attitude), the Thriller video is gifted to the world, CDs become commonplace, and the internet is created, right at the end of the decade. This was also, arguably, one of the best decades for movies, especially action hero films, such as "Die Hard" and "Ghost Busters", as well as fantasy flicks like "The Neverending Story", "The Princess Bride" and "Labyrinth".
The surge in action and fantasy gave way to some of the best, very first superhero movies that have since become cult, even those that at the time were demolished in critiques, but today are watched by millions, and are even being remade. Obviously, there are huge franchise names on this list that continue to this day and are reincarnated again and again, like Superman and Batman, but there are also beautiful superhero movies that were a one time wonder that we relish watching today, no matter how out of date the visual effects may be.
Here are 9 superhero movies from the 80's that you can watch on Amazon Prime right now.
SUPERMAN 2 (1980)
What a classic, incredible duo was formed when Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman became bitter rivals as Superman and Lex Luthor. This second installment picks up right where the original ended, with even more iconic characters like General Zod and his accomplices, as well as Lois Lane, madly in love and in the know of Superman's true identity. Apparently, this was Reeve's favorite of the franchise, and for good reason. This film was also supposed to have had the legend Marlon Brando as Superman's father, but the actor sued for his cut of the earnings, and refused to appear. In fact, the film encountered non stop issues throughout, including massive reshoots that took months and months. Still, this is one of the best, most beloved Superman movies ever.
So we got to know Zod and his team in the first film, who in this one get freed from their out-of-space prison, and come down to earth wanting to enslave us all. At the same time, as things heat up and get real serious with Lois Lane, Kal-El realizes he has to relinquish his powers, which is the only way to have children with his reporter lover Lois. But the happiness doesn't last long, Superman has to regain his powers to stop Zod and his accomplices. So, he goes back to the fortress of solitude to confront them. Will he get his powers back? Will he save all humanity and defeat Zod?
BATMAN (1989)
It's hard to imagine today, with a million Batman movies already made, that there was the very first Batman shot in 1989, with a very young Michael Keaton and an unhinged to perfection Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Both had never read or even heard of the comics, before being offered these roles. The third element that got people going gaga for this film was it's female star, Kim Basinger, that still remains a stunning, successful actress. At the time, Keaton was married to another huge star, Michelle Pfieffer, and she plays Catwoman in Batman 2, ironically, after the two split up in real life. The film racked up all the dough that year, and was the highest grossing film of 1989.
The story of this first Batman film was simple and became a classic 80's tale of drugs and crime: Gotham city is ruled mostly by gangs, and a terribly corrupt police department. Enter Bruce Wayne, a handsome rich billionaire with a dark past, involving the passing of his parents right in front him as a child. Though he was deathly afraid of bats, he turned that phobia into his crime fighting persona, made a bat costume and a Batmobile, and even used a bat cave under his mansion for all the high tech gadgets he employs. Will Batman be able to keep his true identity a secret, and will he be able to clean the police department, while also defeating his nemesis, the brilliant yet insane Joker?
ROBOCOP (1987)
The year - 2043. The city - Detroit. Overrun with crime, the residents are becoming more and more desperate and afraid, nervous to leave their homes. Where else can humanity turn but machines to fight what they're too scared to fight themselves? This film comes only 3 short years after the first Terminator movie, and it's director credits the former flick to get the funding and budget to make RoboCop. This film is one of the first to combine science fiction and the real world, and heralded in, along with movies like the Terminator, an age that will last all the way to now, about the terror and the benefits of combining the biological and the technological.
The vicious crime lord Clarence (the always excellent Kurtwood Smith) has killed countless innocents, and so, so many cops. Seems like the only way out of this mess is to rely on robotics, the ED-209 droid series to be precise. While the demonstration of the droid is a huge mess with the droid nearly killing people, the creator is not deterred. After police officer, Murphy, gets shot about 100 times but somehow is still alive, they bring him into the ED-209 facility and turn him into... RoboCop. There are many dark, scary scenes of crimes and how they create this human droid, but the end result is RoboCop becoming a crime fighting machine. Will Murphy/RoboCop regain full memory of his past? And will he manage to single handedly save Detroit?
SWAMP THING (1982)
Directed by the incomparable and, now, very famous Wes Craven, this creature feature was one of the first to deal with the perils of trying to play god to mother nature, who does not like to be messed with. Wes Craven went on to direct many other horror flicks such as "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream", and it's a great to get to see him in one of his first directorial efforts. While the movie was trashed among critics, it resonated with audiences against all odds, and become a "Midnight" movie sensation, leading to a TV show, and another film.
The story is a classic one of a scientist turning into the thing he is studying, in this case, Dr. Alec Holland turning into a living swamp plant, which he had studied for years prior. While in this film this is a change that is forced upon him, the good doctor takes advantage of his newfound powers, and decides to take revenge on the person that messed around in his lab, making him into said Swamp Thing. Arcane, the bad guy, also happens to be evil and wants to be immortal. In classic superhero film fashion, Arcane drinks the formula himself, and turns into a giant monster. Will Swamp Thing defeat Arcane, and also save his lovely replacement and confidant, Alice?
FLASH GORDON (1980)
Americans are wildly disliked around the world for being terrible tourists, and so, it only makes sense to make a movie about an all American football player, called Flash, that travels to another planet called Mongo to save the planet. It goes about as well as you'd imagine, and if the movie wasn't so bananas and camp, it probably would not have aged as well as it did. Believe it or not, George Lucas was the first director attached that wanted the story, but as the script wasn't ready yet. So, he decided to make Star Wars IV instead. In fact, Lucas had said that the reason he made Star Wars was because he wanted to make an updated Flash Gordon.
Flash Gordon starts when the earth suffers all kinds of natural disasters, created by Emperor Ming, that's living on the plant Mongo. Through all kinds of weird accidents, quarterback "Flash" Gordon discovers this, gets on board a spacecraft made by a former NASA scientist, and is quickly convinced to fly to Mongo with his two buddies. The Emperor's daughter and Princess falls madly in love with him and saves his life, but more trouble awaits in the place they escape to, Arboria. Though originally taken there without his clear consent, Flash becomes a hero. Once he takes on that role, the question remains, will he finally rid the world of evil Emperor Ming? And will he be able to get back to earth?
TRON (1982)
Now a huge Hollywood name that everyone adores, Jeff Bridges stars in this film that doesn't come from a comic book series, just a good old fashioned script. He is Kevin Flynn, a programmer transported into the insides of a computer. Though by today's standards this may sound silly, Tron was one of the first movies to ever use CGI effects, and blow audience's minds. It was supposed to be nominated for an Oscar, but at the time, the academy decided that using computers for special effects was like cheating, so it was disqualified. Inspired by the director's love of the game Pong, this is one fun thrill ride.
For those among you readers who are video game designers, it may feel like you're getting sucked into the world of your game, but for Flynn, this becomes a reality. The reason being, he's trying to bring down a giant company called ENCOM, that stole the games he had created. Their reply? Use a particle beam laser and shove him into a program of theirs for all time. Master Control, who rules this terrifying universe, treats everyone like his personal slaves, and so Flynn and his girlfriend go on a quest to stop the tyranny and put into place the program Tron, a heroic security program. Will they succeed? Will they be able to return to the real world?
THE TOXIC AVENGER (1986)
The Toxic Avenger is one for the books when it comes to gore, cruelty, and gruesome crimes, and that's saying a lot in a decade that relished horror. There's a scene where a dog gets killed, a little boy's skull gets crushed, a criminal points a gun at a baby, and someone makes out with a sheep. That aside, this movie is heaps of action and at points even funny, as the criminal's actions become more and more severe; it almost feels like a Tarantino movie. This movie is not for everyone, but if you love your horror movies with a side of super, you'll love it.
Many, many superhero stories begin with a regular person being either stung, hit, or drowned in some kind of toxic substance, as does this one, throwing poor Melvin into toxic waste. Apt for the 80's and many of the films on this list, a drug lord rules the city, and in this instance is called Cigar Face. Melvin appears with his botched, yet super strong body, and kills all the criminals except CF, that escapes. Melvin also saves a blind girl, Sara, and they fall in love. But there's an even larger evil force, the mayor Belgoody. Will The Toxic Avenger defeat Belgoody and his crime ring? Will the town folk of Tromaville accept Melvin as one of their own?
CONDORMAN (1981)
Condorman is an unusual, sweet superhero movie that is perfect for those who like their superheros not quite super, but very sweet and quirky. These days, spy spoof movies are quite popular, but at the time, with very dramatic and real spy movies, Condorman was quite an anomaly, and failed miserably at the box office. However, it became a cult classic, and spawned many other comedy-spy movies to become huge hits, especially in the 90's. The star of the film, Michael Crawford, was actually a Broadway hero, and starred in giant shows such as Phantom of the Opera, and sang opera himself.
Woody is a comic book writer that decides to try out a flying suit that he makes into a comic, because he has strong ethics and will only write about something that can actually, really work in real life. Well, joke's on him because it goes so badly he ends up in the Seine river after the costume failing miserably. Somehow, this leads a CIA agent to send him to Istanbul under the name Condorman, to meet the gorgeous Russian Natalia and exchange information (who he later makes into "Laser Lady"). They, along with Harry the agent, travel around Europe to try and catch Krokov the bad guy. Will they find and end Krokov? Will Woody remain a spy himself or go back to his comic book writing day job?
HERO AT LARGE (1980)
It's always nice to look at an actor that today is known for so many roles and talents, and realize that 40 years ago, he played a struggling actor who stops a robbery by accident. This Emmy winning actor has played everything from the ultimate good, wholesome guy ("Three's Company"/"8 Simple Rules"), to absolute deranged sociopaths ("Bad Santa"/"Bride of Chucky"), and has had an incredible career. This film may not have been a home run, but watching it today makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, because it's such a sweet, kind hearted attempt at a superhero film.
Sometimes, you just become a superhero, even though you didn't plan it, nor do you have any sort of special abilities whatsoever. Steve Nichols is a struggling actor that finally catches a break when getting a role in a superhero movie. On one of his breaks, just getting coffee, a bunch of criminals try to rob a store, and he's right there, as shocked as everyone else. He somehow manages to stop the robbery by sheer luck, and decides to continue pretending to be a superhero. Things get complicated, and the world turns against "Captain Avenger". What will Steve need to do to get the people back on his side? And will he go back to his acting career, or continue on his faux-superhero quest?
Conclusion
The 80's excelled in action, superheros, horror and romance, but they also did brilliantly well with feel-good, heart warming stories. Most of the superhero films on this list may seem dark and upsetting, as stories go, but unlike other decades, most of the films end on either a positive, hopeful, or even joyous note. You get stories that are mostly good people, that due to terrible circumstances become better, even though the life of crime-fighting was thrust upon them. It doesn't get much more enjoyable than that.
