Top 89 Ranked

Top Movies of 1982 Ranked

Sci-Fi Spectacles and Cinematic Masterpieces

Explore the best films of a landmark year in cinema, featuring sci-fi classics, intense dramas, and beloved animated adventures from across the globe.

Draft Best 1982 Movies with friends and our judges will crown a winner!

About Movies in 1982

If there is a holy grail year for the modern moviegoer, a twelve month stretch that defines our collective imagination, it is almost certainly 1982. This was the year that the blockbuster grew up, found its soul, and decided to stay forever. It was a period where the high-concept ambition of the late seventies met a new level of technical mastery and emotional resonance. When we look back at the summer of 1982 in particular, it feels less like a release schedule and more like a localized miracle.

The centerpiece of this era was Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. It is difficult to overstate the cultural shadow this film cast. It was not just a hit; it was a global bonding experience that proved science fiction did not have to be cold or distant. By grounding a story of alien visitation in the messy, suburban reality of divorce and childhood loneliness, Spielberg created a blueprint for the modern family epic. It reigned as the highest-grossing film of all time for a decade, reminding Hollywood that wonder was the most valuable commodity in cinema.

However, 1982 was not just about gentle wonder. It was a year of incredible, gritty contrast. Just as E.T. was warming hearts, John Carpenter was freezing them with The Thing. Released on the same day in June, Carpenter's masterpiece of practical effects and mounting paranoia was initially rejected by many critics and audiences who were perhaps too enchanted by Spielberg's friendly visitor. Time has corrected that mistake, and we now recognize The Thing as one of the most perfect horror films ever made, a masterclass in tension that remains unsurpassed in its tactile, grotesque beauty.

The year also gave birth to the neon-drenched rainy streets of Blade Runner. Ridley Scott's vision of a decaying Los Angeles fundamentally changed the visual language of the future. While it was a modest performer at the box office, its philosophical questions about what it means to be human have fueled decades of academic study and fan obsession. Between the high-tech noir of Scott and the digital frontier of Tron, 1982 was effectively the birth year of our modern cyberpunk aesthetic.

Even beyond the heavy hitters of genre, the variety was staggering. This was the year of Poltergeist, a film that turned the television set into a nightmare. It was the year of First Blood, which introduced John Rambo and redefined the American action hero. For those seeking prestige, Richard Attenborough's Gandhi swept the Oscars, while movies like Tootsie proved that the studio comedy could be both a massive hit and a sophisticated piece of social commentary.

Movie fans remember 1982 because it felt like the industry was firing on all cylinders at once. Directors were taking massive risks with high budgets, and the technology was finally catching up to their dreams. It was a year that respected the audience's intelligence while feeding their desire for spectacle. We are still living in the ripple effects of 1982, every time we walk into a theater hoping for that specific mix of awe, fear, and heart. It was the year that the movies truly learned how to fly.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

See Top Ten
89
1982 in Britannia Hospital (1982)
Britannia Hospital
1982

Britannia Hospital, an esteemed English institution, is marking its gala anniversary with a visit by the Queen Mother herself. But when investigative reporter Mick Travis arrives to cover the celebration, he finds the hospital under siege by striking workers, ruthless unions, violent demonstrators, racist aristocrats, an African cannibal dictator, and sinister human experiments.

Comedy
Science Fiction
1h 56m
Lindsay Anderson
Graham Crowden, Leonard Rossiter, Malcolm McDowell, Joan Plowright
88
1982 in The Entity (1982)
The Entity
1982

A single mom is raped by an invisible force. Her psychiatrist believes the experience stems from childhood trauma, while she knows something supernatural is at play.

Horror
Mystery
2h 5m
Sidney J. Furie
Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, David Labiosa, George Coe
87
1982 in Personal Best (1982)
Personal Best
1982

Young sprinter Chris Cahill is having difficulty reaching her potential as an athlete, until she meets established track star Tory Skinner. As Tory and her coach help Chris with her training, the two women form friendship that evolves into a romantic relationship. Their intimacy, however, becomes complicated when Chris' improvement causes them to be competitors for the Olympic team.

Drama
2h 4m
Robert Towne
Mariel Hemingway, Patrice Donnelly, Scott Glenn, Kenny Moore

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86
1982 in Hammett (1982)
Hammett
1982

Chinatown, San Francisco, 1928. Former private detective Dashiell Hammett, a compulsive drinker with tuberculosis who writes pulp fiction for a living, receives an unexpected visit from an old friend asking for help.

Drama
Thriller
1h 38m
Wim Wenders
Frederic Forrest, Peter Boyle, Marilu Henner, Roy Kinnear
85
1982 in Kamikaze '89 (1982)
Kamikaze '89
1982

In a futuristic, totalitarian society wherein the government controls all facets of the media, a homicide detective investigates a string of bombings and uncovers more than he bargained for.

Science Fiction
Thriller
1h 46m
Wolf Gremm
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Günther Kaufmann, Boy Gobert, Arnold Marquis
84
1982 in Butterfly (1982)
Butterfly
1982

Jess Tyler lives a quiet life next to an abandoned mining factory by himself in the desert. His life is turned upside down when a sexually provocative young woman comes to visit him and tells him she's his daughter. Jess finds it hard to adapt to his newfound parenting role, as a mutual attraction grows between them.

Crime
Drama
1h 48m
Matt Cimber
Stacy Keach, Pia Zadora, Orson Welles, Lois Nettleton
83
1982 in Heatwave (1982)
Heatwave
1982

During a Christmas heatwave, a community activist attempts to stop a redevelopment project that is displacing residents in the Kings Cross section of Sydney.

Drama
1h 31m
Phillip Noyce
Judy Davis, Richard Moir, Chris Haywood, Bill Hunter
82
1982 in The Concrete Jungle (1982)
The Concrete Jungle
1982

An unfortunate and naive girl is set up by her boyfriend and convicted of drug smuggling. She is sent to a women's correctional facility where she must constantly struggle to survive.

Crime
Drama
1h 39m
Tom DeSimone
Jill St. John, Tracey E. Bregman, BarBara Luna, June Barrett
81
1982 in Turkey Shoot (1982)
Turkey Shoot
1982

In the near future, after an unspecified holocaust, survivors are herded into prison camps. There, they are hunted for sport by the leaders of the camp. Paul, one of the newest prisoners, is determined not to go down as quietly as the others.

Science Fiction
Action
1h 33m
Brian Trenchard-Smith
Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, Michael Craig, Carmen Duncan
80
1982 in Partners (1982)
Partners
1982

After a series of murders in Los Angeles's gay community, heterosexual police officer Sgt. Benson is assigned to go undercover as half of a gay couple with Officer Kerwin, a Records Clerk

Comedy
Crime
1h 33m
James Burrows
Ryan O'Neal, John Hurt, Kenneth McMillan, Robyn Douglass
79
1982 in Class Reunion (1982)
Class Reunion
1982

Lizzie Borden High's class of '72 are going through the motions at their tenth-year reunion, until deranged alum Walter Baylor, driven insane by a sadistic senior-year prank, escapes from the mental institution and crashes the party. When guests start getting bumped off, the other alumni, including snooty yacht salesman Bob Spinnaker, class tease Bunny Packard, and class zero Gary Nash, spring into action to uncover the culprit.

Comedy
Horror
1h 24m
Michael Miller
Gerrit Graham, Fred McCarren, Miriam Flynn, Stephen Furst
78
1982 in The Escape Artist (1982)
The Escape Artist
1982

The young and self-confident Danny bluffs at the local police-station that he will escape from prison within an hour. What follows is a flashback showing his childhood with his uncle and aunt, who are 'vaudeville'-artists themselves.

Comedy
Crime
1h 34m
Caleb Deschanel
Raúl Juliá, Griffin O'Neal, Desi Arnaz, Teri Garr
77
1982 in Making Love (1982)
Making Love
1982

A perfect typical LA couple find their happily-ever-after life broken when the husband confronts his long-repressed attraction for other men.

Drama
Romance
1h 53m
Arthur Hiller
Michael Ontkean, Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin, Wendy Hiller
76
1982 in Shoot the Moon (1982)
Shoot the Moon
1982

After fifteen years of marriage, an affluent couple divorce and take up with new partners.

Drama
Romance
Albert Finney, Diane Keaton, Karen Allen, Peter Weller
75
1982 in One from the Heart (1982)
One from the Heart
1982

In a dazzling, dreamlike Las Vegas, longtime couple Hank and Frannie break up on their fifth anniversary and each pursue the fantasy of new love over one neon-soaked night—he with a free-spirited acrobat, she with a seductive musician. But as illusion and reality blur, both must decide whether passion or devotion truly defines the heart.

Drama
Romance
Teri Garr, Frederic Forrest, Raúl Juliá, Nastassja Kinski
74
1982 in Dance of the Cookoos (1982)
Dance of the Cookoos
1982

Dance of the Cookoos is merged a cinematic cross section with the high points from almost 100 works of Laurel & Hardy, into an original framework action

Comedy
1h 31m
Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch, Billy Gilbert
73
1982 in Honkytonk Man (1982)
Honkytonk Man
1982

During the Great Depression, a young boy leaves his family's Oklahoma farm to travel with his country musician uncle who is trying out for the Grand Ole Opry.

Drama
Music
Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood, John McIntire, Alexa Kenin
72
1982 in My Favorite Year (1982)
My Favorite Year
1982

Fledgling comic Benjy Stone can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann, gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.

Comedy
Drama
1h 32m
Richard Benjamin
Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, Joseph Bologna
71
1982 in The Atomic Cafe (1982)
The Atomic Cafe
1982

A disturbing collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety.

Documentary
History
1h 26m
Jayne Loader
Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Nikita Khrushchev, Lewis Strauss
70
1982 in Basket Case (1982)
Basket Case
1982

A young man carrying a big basket that contains his extremely deformed, formerly conjoined twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.

Horror
Comedy
1h 31m
Frank Henenlotter
Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Beverly Bonner, Robert Vogel
69
1982 in If You Love This Planet (1982)
If You Love This Planet
1982

Australian pediatrician Helen Caldicott delivers a lecture on the potential medical and societal consequences of a nuclear war, and advocates for nuclear disarmament. The film includes newsreel records of the beginnings of the arms race and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as film records showing the Japanese who were severely scarred and burned in the bombings.

Documentary
26m
Terre Nash
Helen Caldicott
68
1982 in Tex (1982)
Tex
1982

After their mother dies and their father leaves them, teenage brothers Tex and Mason McCormick struggle to make it on their own.

Drama
1h 43m
Tim Hunter
Matt Dillon, Jim Metzler, Meg Tilly, Bill McKinney
67
1982 in Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982)
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
1982

Monty Python perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl, including several from pre-Python days.

Comedy
1h 20m
Terry Hughes
Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle
66
1982 in Still of the Night (1982)
Still of the Night
1982

When one of his patients is found murdered, psychiatrist Dr. Sam Rice is visited by the investigating officer but refuses to give up any information. He's then visited by the patient's mistress, Brooke Reynolds, whom he quickly falls for despite her being a likely murder suspect. As the police pressure on him intensifies, Rice decides to attempt solving the case on his own and soon discovers that someone is trying to kill him as well.

Thriller
Drama
1h 31m
Robert Benton
Roy Scheider, Meryl Streep, Jessica Tandy, Joe Grifasi
65
1982 in Frances (1982)
Frances
1982

The true story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her life took when she was blacklisted.

Drama
2h 20m
Graeme Clifford
Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Bart Burns
64
1982 in Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982)
Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann
1982

Lyle Swann is a successful off-road racer who mistakenly gets sent back in time 100 years. When a band of outlaws robs Swann of his motorcycle, he's forced to outfox the gangsters and give in to the seductions of a gorgeous local lady. With only his smarts and a map from an Exxon station, Lyle must try to make it out of the Old West alive and find a way back to modern times.

Science Fiction
Western
1h 34m
William Dear
Fred Ward, Peter Coyote, L.Q. Jones, Tracey Walter
63
1982 in Eating Raoul (1982)
Eating Raoul
1982

A prudish married couple feel put upon by the swingers living in their apartment building. One night, by accident, they discover a way to both rid themselves of the “perverts” down the hall and simultaneously realize their dream of opening a restaurant.

Comedy
Crime
1h 27m
Paul Bartel
Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Robert Beltran, Susan Saiger
62
1982 in The Challenge (1982)
The Challenge
1982

Rick, a down-and-out American boxer, is hired to transport a sword to Japan, unaware that the whole thing is a set up in a bitter blood-feud between two brothers, one who follows the traditional path of the samurai and the other a businessman. At the behest of the businessman, Rick undertakes samurai training from the other brother, but joins his cause. He also becomes romantically involved with the samurai's daughter.

Action
Drama
Scott Glenn, Toshirō Mifune, Donna Kei Benz, Atsuo Nakamura
61
1982 in Wrong Is Right (1982)
Wrong Is Right
1982

Political double-talk, dirty tricks, hidden microphones, spy satellites, bugging the Oval Office and a nuclear bomb for sale are all ingredients in this swift, funny and frightening look at the possibilities in today's political arenas. Sean Connery stars as TV Newsman Patrick Hale on an international chase to track two suitcase sized nuclear weapons and to uncover the twisting maze of apparent involvement of US Government agencies.

Comedy
Drama
1h 57m
Richard Brooks
Sean Connery, George Grizzard, Robert Conrad, Katharine Ross
60
1982 in Death Wish II (1982)
Death Wish II
1982

Paul Kersey is again a vigilante trying to find five punks who murdered his housekeeper and daughter in Los Angeles.

Action
Crime
1h 32m
Michael Winner
Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Vincent Gardenia, J.D. Cannon
59
1982 in The Pirate Movie (1982)
The Pirate Movie
1982

Left behind by her friends on a boat trip, contemporary teen Mabel takes pursuit but is knocked unconscious on an island, where she has a dream involving pirates, sisters, a modern major-general, romance, and adventure.

Romance
Adventure
1h 45m
Ken Annakin
Kristy McNichol, Christopher Atkins, Ted Hamilton, Bill Kerr
58
1982 in Parsifal (1982)
Parsifal
1982

A psychological interpretation of the opera mixing in references to the history of Germany, Wagner’s life, German literature and philosophy. The action is centered on Wagner’s death mask. Kundry is the main character – one might read the film as the story of her redemption rather than that of Amfortas.

Drama
Music
4h 15m
Hans-Jürgen Syberberg
Armin Jordan, Wolfgang Schöne, Martin Sperr, Hans Tschammer
57
1982 in The Tempest (1982)
The Tempest
1982

Exiled Prospero lives on a desolate island with his daughter, Miranda. When Prospero's usurping brother sails by the island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks the ship and changes all of their lives.

William Woodman
Duane Black, Edward Edwards, Roberta Farkas, David Graf
56
1982 in The Last Unicorn (1982)
The Last Unicorn
1982

A unicorn learns from a riddle-speaking butterfly that she is supposedly the last of her kind, all the others having been herded away by the monstrous Red Bull. The unicorn sets out to discover the truth behind the butterfly's words. She is eventually joined on her quest by Schmendrick, a second-rate magician, and Molly Grue, a middle-aged woman who dreamed all her life of seeing a unicorn. Their journey leads them far from home, all the way to the castle of King Haggard.

Fantasy
Animation
1h 33m
Jules Bass
55
1982 in Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Conan the Barbarian
1982

A horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for years on The Wheel of Pain. As the sole survivor of the childhood massacre, Conan is released from slavery and taught the ancient arts of fighting. Transforming himself into a killing machine, Conan travels into the wilderness to seek vengeance on Thulsa Doom, the man responsible for killing his family. In the wilderness, Conan takes up with the thieves Valeria and Subotai. The group comes upon King Osric, who wants the trio of warriors to help rescue his daughter who has joined Doom in the hills.

Adventure
Fantasy
2h 10m
John Milius
54
1982 in Vice Squad (1982)
Vice Squad
1982

An unlikely Hollywood hooker helps a detective set a trap for a mutilator pimp.

Crime
Thriller
1h 37m
Gary Sherman
Season Hubley, Gary Swanson, Wings Hauser, Pepe Serna
53

After a terrified toy salesman is mysteriously attacked and brought to the hospital, clutching the year's most popular Halloween mask, Dr. Daniel Challis sets out to investigate the strange events and finds himself thrust into a nightmarish conspiracy.

Horror
Science Fiction
1h 38m
Tommy Lee Wallace
Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin, Dan O'Herlihy, Michael Currie
52
1982 in Chan Is Missing (1982)
Chan Is Missing
1982

Two cabbies search San Francisco's Chinatown for a mysterious character who has disappeared with their $4000. Their quest leads them on a humorous, if mundane, journey which illuminates the many problems experienced by Chinese-Americans trying to assimilate into contemporary American society.

Drama
Mystery
1h 16m
Wayne Wang
Wood Moy, Marc Hayashi, Laureen Chew, Peter Wang
51
1982 in Q (1982)
Q
1982

A fleeing gangland flunky discovers the New York nest of Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, the man-eating flying serpent.

Crime
Horror
1h 32m
Larry Cohen
Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree
50

Mutated by his own secret formula, Dr. Alec Holland becomes Swamp Thing; a half-human, half-plant superhero who will stop at nothing to rescue government agent Alice Cable and defeat his evil arch nemesis...Even if it costs him his life.

Horror
Science Fiction
Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise, David Hess
49
1982 in Class of 1984 (1982)
Class of 1984
1982

Andy is a new teacher at an inner city high school that is unlike any he has seen before. There are metal detectors at the front door and the place is basically run by a tough kid named Peter Stegman. Soon, Andy and Stegman become enemies and Stegman will stop at nothing to protect his turf and drug dealing business.

Action
Crime
1h 38m
Mark L. Lester
Perry King, Tim Van Patten, Roddy McDowall, Michael J. Fox
48
1982 in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
Airplane II: The Sequel
1982

A faulty computer causes a passenger space shuttle to head straight for the sun, and man-with-a-past Ted Striker must save the day and get the shuttle back on track – again – all the while trying to patch up his relationship with Elaine.

Comedy
1h 25m
Ken Finkleman
Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr, Chuck Connors, Rip Torn
47
1982 in Deathtrap (1982)
Deathtrap
1982

A Broadway playwright puts murder in his plan to take credit for a student's script.

Comedy
Crime
Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon, Irene Worth
46
1982 in Liquid Sky (1982)
Liquid Sky
1982

An alien creature invades New York's punk subculture in its search for an opiate released by the brain during an orgasm.

Science Fiction
Thriller
1h 53m
Slava Tsukerman
Anne Carlisle, Paula E. Sheppard, Bob Brady, Susan Doukas
45
1982 in Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
Trail of the Pink Panther
1982

The Pink Panther diamond is stolen once again from Lugash and the authorities call in Chief Inspector Clouseau from France. His plane disappears en-route. This time, famous French TV reporter Marie Jouvet sets out to solve the mystery and starts to interview everybody connected to Clouseau.

Comedy
Crime
David Niven, Peter Sellers, Capucine, Herbert Lom
44
1982 in Parasite (1982)
Parasite
1982

Paul Dean has created a deadly parasite that is now attached to his stomach. He and his female companion, Patricia Welles, must find a way to destroy it while also trying to avoid Ricus & his rednecks, and an evil government agent named Merchant.

Horror
Science Fiction
1h 25m
Charles Band
Robert Glaudini, Demi Moore, Luca Bercovici, James Davidson
43
1982 in Five Days One Summer (1982)
Five Days One Summer
1982

A 1930s Scottish doctor goes climbing in the Alps with an infatuated niece he passes off as his wife.

Drama
Romance
1h 48m
Fred Zinnemann
Sean Connery, Betsy Brantley, Lambert Wilson, Jennifer Hilary
42
1982 in Split Image (1982)
Split Image
1982

An impressionable young man finds himself enslaved by a modern-day religious cult. In an effort to bring him back to reality, the boy's parents hire a deprogrammer to kidnap him and return him to his family.

Drama
1h 51m
Ted Kotcheff
Michael O'Keefe, Karen Allen, Peter Fonda, James Woods
41
1982 in The Toy (1982)
The Toy
1982

On one of his bratty son Eric's annual visits, the plutocrat U.S. Bates takes him to his department store and offers him anything in it as a gift. Eric chooses a black janitor who has made him laugh with his antics. At first the man suffers many indignities as Eric's "toy", but gradually teaches the lonely boy what it is like to have and to be a friend.

Comedy
Family
40
1982 in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.

Comedy
Mystery
1h 29m
Carl Reiner
Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Alan Ladd, Carl Reiner
39
1982 in Firefox (1982)
Firefox
1982

The Soviets have developed a revolutionary new jet fighter, called 'Firefox'. Worried that the jet will be used as a first-strike weapon—as there are rumours that it is undetectable by radar—the British send ex-Vietnam War pilot, Mitchell Gant on a covert mission into the Soviet Union to steal the Firefox.

Science Fiction
Action
Clint Eastwood, Freddie Jones, David Huffman, Warren Clarke
38
1982 in Kiss Me Goodbye (1982)
Kiss Me Goodbye
1982

Not until three years after the death of her husband Jolly, Kay dares to move back into their former home, persuaded by her new fiancée Rupert. But soon her worst expectations come true, when not only her old memories haunt her, but also Jolly's ghost, who doesn't approve of her new mate. Invisible to anyone but Kay, he tries to prevent the wedding.

Comedy
Fantasy
1h 41m
Robert Mulligan
37

Five grisly tales from a 1950s-style comic, including a murdered father rising from beyond, a bizarre meteor, a vengeful husband, a mysterious crate's occupant, and a plague of cockroaches.

Horror
Comedy
Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen
36
1982 in Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
Amityville II: The Possession
1982

Anthony and Dolores Montelli, along with their four children, move into their dream house in Amityville and are immediately plagued by a string of paranormal experiences. When the abusive Anthony wrongly places the blame on their children, Dolores recruits a local Catholic priest to exorcise the house.

Horror
1h 44m
Damiano Damiani
James Olson, Burt Young, Rutanya Alda, Jack Magner
35
1982 in Cat People (1982)
Cat People
1982

After years of separation, Irena Gallier and her minister brother, Paul, reunite in New Orleans. When zoologists capture a wild panther, Irena is drawn to the cat – and zoo curator Oliver to her. Soon, Paul will have to reveal the family secret: that when sexually aroused, they revert into predatory jungle cats.

Horror
Thriller
1h 58m
Paul Schrader
Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O'Toole
34
1982 in Young Doctors in Love (1982)
Young Doctors in Love
1982

An 'Airplane!'-style spoof of hospital soap operas—a brilliant young trainee can't stand the sight of blood; a doctor romances the head nurse in order to get the key to the drugs cabinet; and there's a mafioso on the loose disguised as a woman.

Comedy
Sean Young, Michael McKean, Gary Friedkin, Kyle T. Heffner
33
1982 in Missing (1982)
Missing
1982

Based on the real-life experiences of Ed Horman. A conservative American businessman travels to Chile to investigate the sudden disappearance of his son after a military takeover. Accompanied by his son's wife he uncovers a trail of cover-ups that implicate the US State department which supports the dictatorship.

Drama
Mystery
2h 3m
Costa-Gavras
Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, Melanie Mayron, John Shea
32
1982 in The World According to Garp (1982)
The World According to Garp
1982

A struggling young writer finds his life and work dominated by his unfaithful wife and his radical feminist mother, whose best-selling manifesto turns her into a cultural icon.

Drama
Comedy
2h 16m
George Roy Hill
31
1982 in The State of Things (1982)
The State of Things
1982

On location in Portugal, a film crew runs out of film while making their own version of Roger Corman's The Day the World Ended (1956). The producer is nowhere to be found and director Munro attempts to find him in hopes of being able to finish the film.

Drama
2h 1m
Wim Wenders
Isabelle Weingarten, Rebecca Pauly, Jeffrey Kime, Geoffrey Carey
30
1982 in A Little Sex (1982)
A Little Sex
1982

Michael and Katherine have enjoyed a long relationship together even before they tie the knot. But Michael does not hide the fact he's a womanizer and sex addict, cheating on Katherine during their pre-married relationship. Because Katherine is genuinely in love with him, she is willing to overlook this and believes that perhaps marriage will change things.

Comedy
Drama
1h 35m
Bruce Paltrow
Tim Matheson, Kate Capshaw, Edward Herrmann, John Glover
29
1982 in Tenebre (1982)
Tenebre
1982

A razor-wielding serial killer is on the loose, murdering those around Peter Neal, an American mystery author in Italy to promote his newest novel.

Horror
Thriller
1h 41m
Dario Argento
Anthony Franciosa, John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi, Giuliano Gemma
28
1982 in Summer Lovers (1982)
Summer Lovers
1982

Michael Pappas and his girlfriend, Cathy, are enjoying the white sand beaches of a Greek island as well as the freewheeling nature of the locals. When Michael meets Lina, who is in Greece from Paris doing archaeological work, he is enamored with the beautiful foreigner. Cathy, unhappy about Lina getting close to Michael, confronts the woman -- only to be unexpectedly wooed by her charms as well.

Drama
Romance
1h 38m
Randal Kleiser
Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah, Valérie Quennessen, Barbara Rush
27
1982 in Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
1982

On the 20th anniversary of his death, the members of a James Dean fanclub gather at a five-and-dime for a reunion.

Drama
Cher, Sandy Dennis, Karen Black, Sudie Bond
26
1982 in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
1982

When a Conservative TV crusader threatens to shut down beloved brothel, the Chicken Ranch, proprietress Miss Mona Stangley and her girls won't go down without a fight.

Comedy
1h 54m
Colin Higgins
Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Dom DeLuise, Charles Durning
25

Based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe, Fast Times follows a group of high school students growing up in Southern California. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for love, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett and Mike Damone. Jeff Spicoli, a perpetually stoned surfer faces-off with the resolute teacher, Mr. Hand. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue.

Comedy
Romance
1h 30m
Amy Heckerling
Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates
24
1982 in Annie (1982)
Annie
1982

An orphan in a facility run by the mean Miss Hannigan, Annie believes that her parents left her there by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to let an orphan live at his home to promote his image, Annie is selected. While Annie gets accustomed to living in Warbucks' mansion, she still longs to meet her parents. So Warbucks announces a search for them and a reward, which brings out many frauds.

Comedy
Drama
Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking
23

Frank Galvin is a down-on-his-luck lawyer and reduced to drinking and ambulance chasing, when a former associate reminds him of his obligations in a medical malpractice suit by serving it to Galvin on a silver platter—all parties are willing to settle out of court. Blundering his way through the preliminaries, Galvin suddenly realizes that the case should actually go to court—to punish the guilty, to get a decent settlement for his clients... and to restore his standing as a lawyer.

Drama
Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason
22
1982 in The Secret of NIMH (1982)
The Secret of NIMH
1982

A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to transplant her home to firmer ground.

Family
Animation
1h 23m
Don Bluth
Elizabeth Hartman, Derek Jacobi, Arthur Malet, Dom DeLuise
21
1982 in Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Fanny and Alexander
1982

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.

Fantasy
Drama
Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Jan Malmsjö, Ewa Fröling
20
1982 in Veronika Voss (1982)
Veronika Voss
1982

In Munich 1955, German film star Veronika Voss becomes a drug addict at the mercy of corrupt Dr. Marianne Katz, who keeps her supplied with morphine. After meeting sports writer Robert Krohn, Veronika begins to dream of a return to stardom. As the couple's relationship escalates in intensity, Veronika begins seriously planning her return to the screen -- only to realize how debilitated she has become through her drug habit.

Drama
1h 45m
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rosel Zech, Hilmar Thate, Cornelia Froboess, Annemarie Düringer
19
1982 in Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Fitzcarraldo
1982

Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so, in order to finance his project, he embarks on an epic adventure to collect rubber, a very profitable product, in a remote and unexplored region of the rainforest.

Drama
Adventure
2h 37m
Werner Herzog
Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy, Miguel Ángel Fuentes
18
1982 in Victor/Victoria (1982)
Victor/Victoria
1982

A struggling female soprano finds work playing a male female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life.

Music
Comedy
Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren
17

Following Rocky Balboa's intense battle with his most powerful adversary yet – the ferocious Clubber Lang – Rocky joins forces with former rival Apollo Creed in an effort to get back his fighting spirit.

Drama
Action
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
16

On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal and restore order to his world, before the grotesque race of Skeksis find and use the crystal for evil.

Adventure
Family
1h 33m
Jim Henson
Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz
Why it ranks

Jim Henson and Frank Oz abandon the familiar to craft a tactile, fully realized fantasy world of breathtaking ambition. Every frame drips with hand-crafted detail, offering a darker and more mature mythology than anything previously seen in the genre.

15
1982 in Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
Pink Floyd: The Wall
1982

A troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.

Music
Drama
Bob Geldof, Christine Hargreaves, James Laurenson, Eleanor David
Why it ranks

Alan Parker translates sonic isolation into a jarring, hallucinatory visual language that defies traditional narrative structure. It is a sensory assault, utilizing surrealist animation and visceral imagery to map the landscape of a fracturing psyche.

14
1982 in Diner (1982)
Diner
1982

Set in 1959, Diner shows how five young men resist their adulthood and seek refuge in their beloved Diner. The mundane, childish, and titillating details of their lives are shared. But the golden moments pass, and the men shoulder their responsibilities, leaving the Diner behind.

Comedy
Drama
Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon
13

When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

Action
Adventure
1h 33m
Ted Kotcheff
Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy, Bill McKinney
12

Zack Mayo is an aloof, taciturn man who aspires to be a navy pilot. Once he arrives at training camp for his 13-week officer's course, Mayo runs afoul of abrasive, no-nonsense drill Sergeant Emil Foley. Mayo is an excellent cadet, but a little cold around the heart, so Foley rides him mercilessly, sensing that the young man would be prime officer material if he weren't so self-involved. Zack's affair with a working girl is likewise compromised by his unwillingness to give of himself.

Drama
Romance
2h 4m
Taylor Hackford
Richard Gere, Debra Winger, Louis Gossett Jr., David Keith
11
1982 in Tron (1982)
1982

When brilliant video game maker Flynn hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer, he is beamed inside an astonishing digital world and becomes part of the very game he is designing. In his mission through cyberspace, Flynn matches wits with a maniacal Master Control Program and teams up with Tron, a security measure created to bring balance to the digital environment.

Science Fiction
Action
1h 36m
Steven Lisberger
Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan
10

The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.

Action
Adventure
1h 53m
Nicholas Meyer
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, DeForest Kelley
Why it ranks

This operatic space drama revitalizes a franchise by grounding its interstellar conflict in themes of aging, sacrifice, and personal consequence. It is a muscular, high-stakes revenge tragedy that finds its greatest power in the interpersonal chemistry of its legendary cast.

9
1982 in Poltergeist (1982)
Poltergeist
1982

The Freelings' suburban home becomes the center of paranormal activity that opens a portal to the 'other side'. With help, they must cross over to get their daughter back.

Horror
1h 54m
Tobe Hooper
JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne
Why it ranks

Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg fuse domestic warmth with relentless supernatural dread to create the definitive modern ghost story. It subverts the safety of the American dream, turning every television flicker and closet door into a source of primal terror.

8

When struggling, out of work actor Michael Dorsey secretly adopts a female alter ego – Dorothy Michaels – in order to land a part in a daytime drama, he unwittingly becomes a feminist icon and ends up in a romantic pickle.

Comedy
Romance
Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman
Why it ranks

Dustin Hoffman’s transformative performance anchors a sharp, sophisticated comedy that interrogates gender roles and professional ego with unexpected grace. It balances razor-wit satire against a genuine heartbeat, proving that the smartest humor often comes from a place of sincerity.

7

Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin attempts to achieve success in show business by stalking his idol, a late night talk-show host who craves his own privacy.

Drama
Comedy
Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard
Why it ranks

Robert De Niro discards his usual quiet intensity for a desperate, skin-crawling cheeriness as the delusional Rupert Pupkin. It remains his most unnerving transformation because he replaces his typical cinematic weight with a hollow, radioactive need for fame. This role proved De Niro could be more terrifying as a mediocre nobody than as a lethal gangster.

6
1982 in Gandhi (1982)
1982

In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.

Drama
History
3h 11m
Richard Attenborough
Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud
Why it ranks

This sweeping biographical epic possesses a rare, dignified stillness despite its massive scale. Richard Attenborough manages to frame a monumental historical shift through the intimate, magnetic lens of a single man’s indomitable spirit.

5
1982 in Sophie's Choice (1982)
Sophie's Choice
1982

Stingo, a young writer, moves to Brooklyn in 1947 to begin work on his first novel. As he becomes friendly with Sophie and her lover Nathan, he learns that she is a Holocaust survivor. Flashbacks reveal her harrowing story, from pre-war prosperity to Auschwitz. In the present, Sophie and Nathan's relationship increasingly unravels as Stingo grows closer to Sophie and Nathan's fragile mental state becomes ever more apparent.

Drama
Romance
2h 31m
Alan J. Pakula
Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin
Why it ranks

A devastating showcase of Meryl Streep’s unparalleled technical precision and emotional gravity. This film navigates the suffocating weight of historical trauma with a quiet, poetic intensity that leaves the audience breathless.

4

A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.

Crime
Action
1h 36m
Walter Hill
Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O'Toole, Frank McRae
Why it ranks

Eddie Murphy arrives as a fully formed superstar, weaponizing a high-frequency charisma and razor-sharp comic timing that effortlessly steals the screen from Nick Nolte. This is the definitive blueprint for the modern fast-talking action hero, marking the precise moment Murphy transformed from a television sketch player into a global cinematic force. He navigates the film with a cocky, infectious electricity that remains the gold standard for every buddy-cop dynamic that followed.

3

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

Horror
Mystery
Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter
Why it ranks

John Carpenter delivers a clinic in escalating paranoia, stripping away the comfort of the monster movie to reveal a bleak, visceral study of isolation. Its practical effects represent a grotesque pinnacle of craftsmanship that feels dangerously tactile.

2

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.

Why it ranks

Ridley Scott’s rain-slicked neon nightmare redefines the boundaries of science fiction through its staggering visual density and haunting philosophical depth. It lingers in the mind as a profound meditation on what it means to be human in a decaying machine age.

1

An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.

Science Fiction
Adventure
Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton, Peter Coyote
Why it ranks

Steven Spielberg captures lighting in a bottle with this masterclass in suburban wonder and emotional vulnerability. It remains the year’s most transcendent cinematic experience, turning a simple story of friendship into a universal symphony of awe.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

Steven Spielberg's 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' is ranked number one due to its groundbreaking blend of science fiction, adventure, and heartfelt family storytelling. Its cultural impact, box office success, and enduring emotional resonance set it apart as a defining film of 1982.

'Blade Runner' directed by Ridley Scott is celebrated for its visionary sci-fi narrative and atmospheric dystopian aesthetics. Its influence on the science fiction genre and cyberpunk culture secures its high rank among the best films of 1982.

The 1982 top movies list features a strong presence of science fiction, drama, and thriller genres, exemplified by films like 'The Thing,' 'Blade Runner,' and 'E.T.' There's also notable representation of comedy and romance, such as 'Tootsie' and 'An Officer and a Gentleman,' highlighting genre diversity that year.

One surprising inclusion is 'Pink Floyd: The Wall,' a music drama that stands out amidst more conventional genre films. Conversely, some popular 1982 releases like 'Conan the Barbarian' are absent, reflecting the list's emphasis on cultural impact and critical acclaim over box office alone.

The list captures 1982 as a pivotal year when blockbusters matured with films like 'E.T.' and 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,' combining high-concept storytelling with emotional depth and technical innovation. This year marked a turning point where commercial success and artistic ambition coalesced.

Steven Spielberg is featured prominently with 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,' while Ridley Scott and John Carpenter also contribute iconic films like 'Blade Runner' and 'The Thing' respectively. These directors helped define 1982's cinematic landscape with their distinct visionary styles.

Themes of humanity, identity, survival, and emotional connection recur throughout the top films of 1982. For example, 'Blade Runner' explores identity and humanity, 'E.T.' focuses on friendship and family, and 'Sophie's Choice' delves into trauma and resilience.

'Poltergeist,' directed by Tobe Hooper, is included for its innovative approach to horror that blends supernatural scares with suburban family drama. Its lasting influence on the horror genre and popular culture cements its place in the top movies of 1982.
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