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Best Music Movies of the 1980s

Music films released 1980–1989, ranked by TMDB rating among titles with at least 500 votes.

1. 
   #1 Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983) · ★ 8.3 · 804 votes · 0h 14m · thriller, horror, music

   A night at the movies turns terrifying when Michael and his date are attacked by zombies. Released at the height of Thriller’s success, the short film redefined the music video, br…

2. 
   #2 Amadeus (1984) · ★ 8.0 · 4,937 votes · 2h 40m · drama, history, music

   Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus M…

3. 
   #3 Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) · ★ 7.9 · 1,687 votes · 1h 35m · drama, music

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

4. 
   #4 Koyaanisqatsi (1983) · ★ 7.9 · 805 votes · 1h 26m · music, documentary

   Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a v…

5. 
   #5 The Blues Brothers (1980) · ★ 7.7 · 4,692 votes · 2h 13m · action, comedy, crime

   Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.…

6. 
   #6 This Is Spinal Tap (1984) · ★ 7.4 · 1,700 votes · 1h 22m · comedy, music

   "This Is Spinal Tap" shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups an…

7. 
   #7 Crossroads (1986) · ★ 7.4 · 501 votes · 1h 39m · romance, drama, music

   A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.…

8. 
   #8 Dirty Dancing (1987) · ★ 7.3 · 6,690 votes · 1h 40m · romance, drama, music

   Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a…

9. 
   #9 La Bamba (1987) · ★ 7.3 · 836 votes · 1h 48m · drama, music

   Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend. But as his star ris…

10. 
    #10 Moonwalker (1988) · ★ 7.1 · 691 votes · 1h 33m · fantasy, music

    This fantastical movie inspired by the music of Michael Jackson features imaginative interpretations of hit tracks from the iconic 1987 album “Bad”.…

11. 
    #11 Radio Days (1987) · ★ 7.0 · 672 votes · 1h 29m · comedy, drama, music

    The Narrator tells us how the radio influenced his childhood in the days before TV. In the New York City of the late 1930s to the New Year's Eve 1944, this coming-of-age tale mixes…

12. 
    #12 Heavy Metal (1981) · ★ 6.5 · 831 votes · 1h 30m · fantasy, adventure, science-fiction

    The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.…

13. 
    #13 Fame (1980) · ★ 6.4 · 534 votes · 2h 14m · drama, music

    A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.…

14. 
    #14 Staying Alive (1983) · ★ 5.8 · 523 votes · 1h 36m · romance, drama, family

    Five years later, Tony Manero's Saturday Night Fever still burns. Now he's struts toward his biggest challenger yet - making it as a dancer on the Broadway stage.…

15. 
    #15 Grease 2 (1982) · ★ 5.3 · 761 votes · 1h 55m · comedy, romance, music

    It's 1961, two years after the original Grease gang graduated, and there's a new crop of seniors and new members of the coolest cliques on campus, the Pink Ladies and T-Birds. Mich…

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