Movies · 1983
Blockbusters, Sci-Fi Echoes, and Unforgettable Cinematic Icons
In 1983, cinema balanced epic franchise finales and high-octane pop culture hits with dark, provocative character studies. Audiences flocked to multiplexes for synth-driven soundtracks, groundbreaking special effects, and career-defining performances that shaped the decade.
- May 1983 | Sci-Fi | Dir. R. Marquand
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
The original Star Wars trilogy reaches its epic climax as Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader and the Emperor while the Rebellion attacks the second Death Star.
- December 1983 | Crime | Dir. B. De Palma
Scarface
Al Pacino delivers a legendary performance as Tony Montana, a ruthless Cuban immigrant who violently rises to power in Miami's drug-fueled underworld.
- Nov 1983 | Drama | Dir. James L. Brooks
Terms of Endearment
This acclaimed tearjerker exploring thirty years of a complex mother-daughter relationship went on to dominate the Academy Awards and win Best Picture.
- April 1983 | Drama | St. Jennifer Beals
Flashdance
Jennifer Beals stars as a Pittsburgh steel mill welder by day and exotic dancer by night in a pop-culture juggernaut featuring iconic dance sequences.
- August 1983 | Comedy | St. Tom Cruise
Risky Business
Tom Cruise catapulted to stardom as a suburban teenager who turns his parents' house into a lucrative brothel in this stylish, synth-scored coming-of-age comedy.
- October 1983 | Drama | Dir. P. Kaufman
The Right Stuff
An epic adaptation of Tom Wolfe's book detailing the military test pilots selected for America's first human spaceflight program, Project Mercury.
- Feb 1983 | Sci-Fi Horror | D. Cronenberg
Videodrome
James Woods stars as a sensationalist TV executive who discovers a mind-bending broadcast signal that causes hallucinations and terrifying bodily mutations.
- June 1983 | Thriller | St. M. Broderick
WarGames
Matthew Broderick plays a young computer hacker who accidentally accesses a U.S. military supercomputer and nearly triggers World War III thinking it's a video game.
Enjoyed your trip back in time?