Why 80s Movies Look and Feel Different

80s movies have what I call The 80s Movie Feel. But why? Why do movies from that decade feel so distinctly 80s? Why do 80s movies look different? Why do 80s movies sound different? Why do 80s movies FEEL different? Is it just nostalgia or is there something tangible behind it?

In this video we dive into the topic of why 80s moves feel like 80s movies.

If there are reasons you think I missed, make sure to leave a comment. I'll be sure to join in on the conversation.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Music and Sound
02:37 - Practical Effects
03:43 - Color
05:44 - Style
06:35 - Product Placement

If you have any other ideas for videos, leave a comment and I might make a video with your idea.

#80sMovies #80s #TopGun #BackToTheFuture

Why do movies from the 80s feel different? / Why do movies from the 80s look different? / Why do movies from the 80s sound different? / Tom Cruise / Top Gun / Back to the Future / Marty McFly / Terminator / Arnold Schwarzenegger / The Breakfast Club / Footloose / Dirty Dancing / Flashdance / Michael Jackson

[batangbatugan]

I think one more notable aspect in the 80s, not just in movies, is the level of IMAGINATION. I was born in 77, and entering the 80s as a young kid there were so many things that inspired, scared and blew my mind. Aliens, robots, monsters, demons, ghosts, spaceships, fantasy lands, cool cars, jets, guns, gadgets, everything!

[drumatticmatt]

The 80s colors made the films so comfortable to watch. Nothing against films these days as there are some really nice looking films due to the colors, but often I see movies use colors wrong and it really takes away from the experience.

[renealexander]

The 80s was special, unique, and magical.

[rb]

The 80s and 90s were such a special time. Perhaps I’m a bit biased having been born in 1980, but I really feel like the movies and the music were unmatched.

[kasperchristensen]

One of the things that made 80s movies so magical is the fact that when they were released there was no internet. It may sound like a strange statement, but back then a new Hollywood movie was not "a thing *some people* were talking about" (like today), but "THE thing *everyone* was talking about" because they weren't bombarded with millions and millions of different pieces of information 24-7 on their smartphones/computers. As an example, whenever a new Rocky movie came out it was something every boy at my school here in Denmark knew about, and when a new episode of Dynasty or Dallas was shown on television is was something all adults could talk about for the simple reason that there really wasn't anything else to talk about (regarding television entertainment). Back then you had millions of people watching *the same thing* every day in contrast to today where you have millions of people watching equally many *different things* every day. For the same reason movies were a HUGE thing and very much regarded as pieces of art, hence why so much effort were put into them.

[threatlevel_TACO]

I firmly believe the best years in cinema history spanned from 1975-1995. Great video.

[jasonmountain]

Nothing beats the 1980s. So glad I was alive to experience the whole decade.

[vanguard]

I wasn't born in the 80s, I was born in the 70s and grew up in the 80s. That nostalgia Hits different when you're a teenager in the 80s.

[bodie]

Born in 74. The 80s were great, best films, tv & music & I discovered BMX. The summer seemed to last forever when you were 10yrs old ❤

[alexanderboulton]

The 80s make you feel like you're living in a fantasy. The modern day makes you feel like you're living in reality.

[simonbelmont]

Movies from the 80’s and early 90’s gives you a great nostalgic feeling especially if your childhood was around those times because the world was not ruled by internet, cell phones, and social media.

[averagechadlegionary]

Something about them just felt so much better, they have a passion that you just don’t see anymore in most movies nowadays.

Edit: I don’t mind the graininess BC I think it adds to the fantastic atmosphere that most 80s films have.

[johnpark]

My friend’s father was born in 66 and class of 84, so he was a teen and young adult in the 80s. Even from him, a young adult, I heard stories of how amazing the 80s were and I could see it was as amazing as it looked in the pop culture, and I understand why he misses the 80s so much.

[renevanderwesthuizen]

There was something very special and cinematic about the story telling in the 80s. In the 90s everything did feel bigger on a cinematic scale. But 80s movies were simultaneously big and unassuming. A weird but wonderful combination. But this is why someone like Freddie Kruger were so much more frightening in the 80s than in the 2000s. Gosh, Micheal Jackson's Thriller still freaks me out more than any thriller movie of today!

[samuelplacensia]

I was born in 1977 and I was an 80s kid. It was a magnificent decade.

[cgimovieman]

I was born in mid-1979 and grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. Although obviously from a kid’s perspective, it was truly a great time to be alive in my opinion, and really feel sorry for people who grew up after it. I also in my adult life got my degree in film and video production and chose it for my career. Putting any technical ideas aside, I think what made so many 80’s movies great was one thing. They were real. And let me explain what I mean by that. First off, effects were pretty much all done practically and optically. There were just a few short bits of cgi by the late 80’s with things like morphing such as in “Willow”. But the 80’s also I feel pretty much just tried to be itself. Today we have a million movies and TV shows trying to replicate or recreate things from the 80’s. Squeezing out a sequel to an 80’s movie from decades ago rarely is a good idea. But similarly, scripts seem unoriginal to me today too. While movies were always somewhat to make money too, today they are COMPLETELY about that. Studios used to be willing to try new things and take a risk that it would fail in the 80’s. Today, movies pretty much HAVE to be guaranteed to make money. And that’s why you see so many comic book and superhero movies, sequels and spin-offs, remakes, and movies driven by one famous actor. It’s less about art and the craft of making cinema, and more about squeezing another penny out of a franchise that should have been allowed to go out on a high note. Some cases in point are Star Wars, the Indiana Jones trilogy, or the Terminator franchise. Among others. But the 80’s had great 80’s music in it because…it was the 80’s. Whereas today people put 80’s music in them as a throwback, or simply because music today (in my opinion) isn’t as good. Another huge problem are people’s basic motivations. Actors or musicians in the 80’s did what they did because they loved their craft. Sure they wanted to make money too, but their intentions were pretty pure I think, and a lot of their backgrounds to learn to do what they did were more tradition. Today I think actors and musicians don’t actually want to BE actors or musicians. They simply want to BE one thing; famous. And that’s not very admirable, nor should it be why you want to get into anything.

[davidcomito]

One thing I have noticed from early 80s movies that shot on location in cities is that the street lamps have a blue or green tint to them. That all changed when there was a national push to change street lamps to a warm color as it was believed that the blue and green colors where a factor in increased crime. That blue green look is pretty unique.

[thexjade]

For me, what makes 80s movies look unique is how they move their camera, so simple yet effective

[r.jclark]

Finally someone talks about this! I've always noticed a stark difference in the general "look" of 1980s film that nobody else does.

[e]

The reason 80s movies evoke a feeling of nostalgia even in 90s kids is because those movies were still popular in the 90s so they still played a major role in our childhoods