The 1980s has been one such golden era where we experienced some of the most amazing action movies in history. This era blessed us with legendary characters like Indiana Jones, Batman, Luke Skywalker, and many others. These action gods provided us with an extreme level of action brilliance, and people from every generation will remember their action sequences.
Who doesn’t love to experience a fight sequence with dangerous weapons such as lethal weapons and machine guns? The action movies in the 80s have a unique charm that captivates the attention of every action lover out there. Here is a list of the 5 most popular action films from the 80s that are written with golden letters in history.
80s Popular Action Movies:
The action scenes in these 80s action films will surely make you unlock a whole new world of action.
5. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

- Cast: Eddie Murphy; Judge Reinhold; John Ashton; Lisa Eilbacher; Ronny Cox; Steven Berkoff
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
- Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Beverly Hills Cop is one of the greatest action films in the 80s that was released in the early 80s.
Beverly Hills Cop Plot:
This action film revolves around a police officer named Alex Foley investigating a complicated murder case. In order to find important information about the murder, he gets involved in the unique culture of Beverly hills.
Beverly Hills Cop Review:
This action film filled with some of the most epic action sequences and well-established characters will be one of your life’s most thrilling experiences. This action movie proved to be a turning point in the career of the stand-up comedian Eddie Murphy as this movie made him a popular personality overnight.
Murphy got so much fame in the 80s that everyone wanted to work with him. Beverly Hills Cop remains one of the major masterpieces of Eddie Murphy.
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

- Cast: Harrison Ford; Karen Allen; Paul Freeman; Ronald Lacey; John Rhys-Davies; Denholm Elliott
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Raiders of the Lost Ark Plot:
Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most legendary action movies as it has the most beloved character of the entire generation, Indiana Jones. This action movie follows an archeology professor named Indiana Jones, who risks everything to take away a biblical artifact named the Ark of the Covenant. He needs to fight against Renee and a group of Nazis.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Review:
It’s unfortunate how the creators nowadays don’t approve of making magnificent action movies like this anymore. Harrison Ford was popular for the character of Indiana Jones. It has been the fourth year since the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it remains one of the most iconic movies in history.
The Indiana Jones franchise has been widely popular movies in the action movie genre. You need to possess brilliant movie-making skills to create such a compelling action film. Steven Spielberg proved his unique direction style through this epic action movie.
This movie received a lot of love and is one of the highest-rated action movies on IMDb.
3. Batman (1989 film)

- Cast: Jack Nicholson; Michael Keaton; Kim Basinger; Robert Wuhl; Pat Hingle; Billy Dee Williams; Michael Gough; Jack Palance
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Batman Plot:
There is something about the Batman franchise that makes it different from the rest of the action franchises we have experienced in history. This movie was released in the late 80s and is focused on our beloved superhero, Batman. In this movie, Batman protects Gotham City from evil forces.
The people who haven’t seen Michael Keaton, you are certainly missing out on a true movie legend. He gave the character of Batman a supernatural flair that was missing in later films from this franchise. Tim Burton’s amazing direction blended with the iconic star cast definitely made this movie the greatest action movie.
Fans call this movie Batman ’89 to separate it from the other films in this franchise.
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2. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

- Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
- Streaming Platform: Disney+
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Review:
This is one of the best action movies from the Star Wars franchise. The 80s proved to be fruitful for this franchise as it was highly popular among people. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is pure gold as it incorporates a series of mind-boggling action scenes.
This is undoubtedly the greatest science fiction movie. The trilogy came to an end in the 80s after this movie. Mark Hamill and James Earl Jones were brilliant in playing their characters in the masterpiece movie.
1. Die Hard (1988)

- Cast: Bruce Willis; Alan Rickman; Alexander Godunov; Bonnie Bedelia
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
- Streaming Platform: Disney+
Die Hard Review:
Die Hard is one such action movie that has completely transformed the action star Bruce Willis’s acting career. The character of John Mcclane became extremely popular in the 80s, and the Die Hard movie was considered a treat for all the action lovers out there. This is one of the best action movies in history.
Conclusion:
The 80s has been an epic era, providing us with legendary characters such as Bruce Willis, John Matrix, Luke Skywalker, and many others. These are the characters in the movies that paved the way for mind-blowing action movies. The Terminator is one such movie in which Arnold Schwarzenegger amused the entire generation through his epic performance.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and First Blood also made history with their unique action and storyline. Blade Runner was regarded as the best cult classic from the 80s. The 1985 film Commando, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger played the character of Colonel John Matrix, is also a highly recommended film. Aliens, directed by James Cameron, is also a well-known action movie. These are some of the greatest action movies.
We also have a list of 90s best action movies especially created for action lovers. Hope you liked our list of the top 5 amazingly creative action movies that will make you crave more and more 80s action movies.