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Best Movies of 1983

The highest-rated films released in 1983, ranked by TMDB user score among titles with at least 500 votes.

📊 A century of movies in numbers 39 titlesavg ★ 6.90 avg 105 min Drama Horror Comedy Thriller

Most watched in 1983

Return of the Jedi1983 · ★ 7.9 · 2h 12m

Scarface1983 · ★ 8.2 · 2h 50m

The Evil Dead1983 · ★ 7.3 · 1h 25m

Trading Places1983 · ★ 7.2 · 1h 56m

Videodrome1983 · ★ 7.2 · 1h 28m

Christine1983 · ★ 6.9 · 1h 50m

← 1982 All years 1984 →

#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 Scarface (1983) · ★ 8.2 · 13,380 votes · 2h 50m · action, drama, crime
After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands…
#3 Return of the Jedi (1983) · ★ 7.9 · 17,265 votes · 2h 12m · action, adventure, science-fiction
Luke Skywalker leads a mission to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, the Emperor prepares to crush the Rebellion with a more powerful Death Star, and t…
#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 Nostalgia (1983) · ★ 7.8 · 629 votes · 2h 4m · romance, drama
Russian poet Andrei Gorchakov journeys through Italy with his interpreter Eugenia to research the life of an 18th-century Russian composer who once lived abroad. Isolated and consu…
#6 Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) · ★ 7.7 · 1,007 votes · 0h 25m · animation, family
Ebenezer Scrooge is far too greedy to understand that Christmas is a time for kindness and generosity. But with the guidance of some new found friends, Scrooge learns to embrace th…
#7 The Right Stuff (1983) · ★ 7.4 · 975 votes · 3h 13m · adventure, drama, history
At the dawn of the Space Race, seven test pilots set out to become the first American astronauts to enter space. However, the road to making history brings momentous challenges.…
#8 Zelig (1983) · ★ 7.4 · 941 votes · 1h 19m · comedy
Fictional documentary about the life of human chameleon Leonard Zelig, a man who becomes a celebrity in the 1920s due to his ability to look and act like whoever is around him. Cle…
#9 The Evil Dead (1983) · ★ 7.3 · 4,747 votes · 1h 25m · horror
In 1979, a group of college students find a Sumerian Book of the Dead in an old wilderness cabin they've rented for a weekend getaway.…
#10 Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) · ★ 7.3 · 2,176 votes · 1h 47m · comedy
Life's questions are 'answered' in a series of outrageous vignettes, beginning with a staid London insurance company which transforms before our eyes into a pirate ship. Then there…
#11 Project A (1983) · ★ 7.3 · 595 votes · 1h 45m · action, comedy, adventure
In late 19th century Hong Kong, the British may rule the land, but the pirates rule the waters. Coast Guard officer Dragon Ma is determined that his beloved Coast Guard will not be…
#12 Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) · ★ 7.3 · 549 votes · 2h 4m · drama, history, war
Island of Java, 1942, during World War II. British Major Jack Celliers arrives at a Japanese prison camp, run by the strict Captain Yonoi. Colonel John Lawrence, who has a profound…
#13 Trading Places (1983) · ★ 7.2 · 3,790 votes · 1h 56m · comedy
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.…
#14 Videodrome (1983) · ★ 7.2 · 2,558 votes · 1h 28m · horror, science-fiction, mystery
As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture…
#15 The Outsiders (1983) · ★ 7.2 · 1,616 votes · 1h 31m · drama, crime
In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny…
#16 A Christmas Story (1983) · ★ 7.2 · 1,470 votes · 1h 33m · comedy, family
The comic mishaps and adventures of a young boy named Ralph, trying to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift for…
#17 WarGames (1983) · ★ 7.1 · 2,260 votes · 1h 54m · thriller, drama, science-fiction
High school student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Department…
#18 National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) · ★ 7.1 · 1,817 votes · 1h 39m · comedy, adventure
Clark Griswold is on a quest to take his family to the Walley World theme park for a vacation, but things don't go exactly as planned.…
#19 Terms of Endearment (1983) · ★ 7.1 · 862 votes · 2h 12m · comedy, drama
Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find reasons to live a joyful life…
#20 The Dead Zone (1983) · ★ 7.0 · 1,913 votes · 1h 43m · thriller, horror, science-fiction
Johnny Smith is a schoolteacher with his whole life ahead of him but, after leaving his fiancee's home one night, is involved in a car crash which leaves him in a coma for 5 years.…
#21 Rumble Fish (1983) · ★ 7.0 · 787 votes · 1h 34m · romance, drama, crime
Absent-minded street thug Rusty James struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days of gang warfare.…
#22 Go for It (1983) · ★ 7.0 · 570 votes · 1h 47m · action, comedy, adventure
After Doug picks up hitchhiking Rosco with his truck, they are mistaken for two bank robbers by the traffic police. They manage to escape only to be confused for two secret agents…
#23 Christine (1983) · ★ 6.9 · 2,333 votes · 1h 50m · horror
Nerdy high schooler Arnie Cunningham falls for Christine, a rusty 1958 Plymouth Fury, and becomes obsessed with restoring the classic automobile to her former glory. As the car cha…
#24 The Big Chill (1983) · ★ 6.8 · 668 votes · 1h 45m · comedy, drama
Seven old college friends gather for a weekend reunion after the funeral of one of their own.…
#25 The Hunger (1983) · ★ 6.7 · 685 votes · 1h 37m · drama, horror
Five-thousand-year-old vampire Miriam promises her lovers the gift of eternal life. When John, her cellist companion for centuries, discovers that he has suddenly begun growing old…
#26 Risky Business (1983) · ★ 6.6 · 1,531 votes · 1h 38m · comedy, romance, drama
Meet Joel Goodson, an industrious, college-bound 17-year-old and a responsible, trustworthy son. However, when his parents go away and leave him home alone in the wealthy Chicago s…
#27 Sudden Impact (1983) · ★ 6.6 · 1,038 votes · 1h 57m · action, thriller, drama
When a young rape victim takes justice into her own hands and becomes a serial killer, it's up to Dirty Harry Callahan, on suspension from the SFPD, to bring her to justice.…
#28 Flashdance (1983) · ★ 6.5 · 1,649 votes · 1h 35m · romance, drama
Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dr…
#29 Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) · ★ 6.5 · 839 votes · 1h 41m · fantasy, horror, science-fiction
An anthology film presenting remakes of three episodes from the "Twilight Zone" TV series—"Kick the Can", "It's a Good Life" and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"—and one original story,…
#30 Psycho II (1983) · ★ 6.5 · 768 votes · 1h 53m · thriller, horror, crime
Norman Bates is declared sane and released from the facility in which he was being held, despite the complaints of Lila Loomis, sister of his most famous victim. Is he really cured…
#31 Octopussy (1983) · ★ 6.4 · 2,286 votes · 2h 11m · action, adventure, thriller
James Bond is sent to investigate after a fellow “00” agent is found dead with a priceless Fabergé egg. Bond follows the mystery and uncovers a smuggling scandal and a Russian Gene…
#32 Sleepaway Camp (1983) · ★ 6.3 · 823 votes · 1h 25m · horror
Years after a terrible boating accident, Angela is sent to Camp Arawak where a series of bizarre and violent "accidents" begin to claim the lives of various campers.…
#33 Blue Thunder (1983) · ★ 6.3 · 587 votes · 1h 50m · action, thriller, drama
Los Angeles, California. Officer Murphy, a veteran Metropolitan Police helicopter pilot suffering from severe trauma due to his harsh experiences during the Vietnam War, and Lymang…
#34 Cujo (1983) · ★ 6.2 · 1,172 votes · 1h 33m · thriller, drama, horror
A friendly St. Bernard named "Cujo" contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.…
#35 Never Say Never Again (1983) · ★ 6.1 · 1,690 votes · 2h 14m · action, adventure, thriller
James Bond returns as the secret agent 007 to battle the evil organization SPECTRE. Bond must defeat Largo, who has stolen two atomic warheads for nuclear blackmail. But Bond has a…
#36 Krull (1983) · ★ 6.1 · 648 votes · 2h 1m · action, fantasy, adventure
A prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet.…
#37 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.…
#38 Superman III (1983) · ★ 5.5 · 1,949 votes · 2h 5m · action, comedy, adventure
Aiming to defeat the Man of Steel, wealthy executive Ross Webster hires bumbling but brilliant Gus Gorman to develop synthetic kryptonite, which yields some unexpected psychologica…
#39 Jaws 3-D (1983) · ★ 4.5 · 1,446 votes · 1h 38m · thriller, horror
A giant thirty-five-foot shark becomes trapped in a SeaWorld theme park and it's up to the sons of police chief Brody to rescue everyone.…