The great 1980s action movies VERSUS the great modern CBMs

[DA_Champion]

Which is a more impressive list in terms of showing great stories:

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Terminator (1984)
Aliens (1986)
Predator (1987)
Die Hard (1988)

VERSUS

Spider Man 2 (2004)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Watchmen (2009)
The Avengers (2012)

I tried to pick the top-5 in the respective categories that are the most respected, as opposed to my personal favourite. I excluded 2014 CBMs since none of are objective on the most recent movies.

I realise that some of you, most of you, will pick a different top-5 for the two categories, but I hope that the overlap is large enough that we can focus on the point at hand, and simply compare the two classes of movies.

 

[DA_Champion]

I voted for The Empire Strikes Back, The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Die Hard, with the caveat that I have not watched Predator and Die Hard in a very long time. Four of the five are internally closed, and only two are sequels. They each manage to build both their heroes and their villains without relying on several previous movies to do the leg work.

What's prompting this thread is that I watched parts of James Cameron's Aliens the other night, the director's cut that is, I don't know if I've ever watched the theatrical cut.

The first action scene in the movie takes place 71 minutes into the film. Prior to that there is a lot of setting up of the story, laying down seeds, building characters, and none of it is boring.

They don't make blockbusters like that anymore. Godzilla tried to be like that, but the human scenes were boring so it didn't work.

Then again I'm very biased and in love with the 1980s. If we had a similar thread for popular music, where we compared Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Madonna, U2, to Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Lady Antebellum, Robin Thicke I would make the same vote and vote for the 1980s.

 

[metaphysician]

Maybe if you dropped Watchmen and replaced it by something good, your poll would have more credibility.

 

[DA_Champion]

Maybe if you dropped Watchmen and replaced it by something good, your poll would have more credibility.

A lot of people on these forums like Watchmen, but in any case, read the ****ing post:

I realise that some of you, most of you, will pick a different top-5 for the two categories, but I hope that the overlap is large enough that we can focus on the point at hand, and simply compare the two classes of movies.

 

[Fallen Angel]

1980s

 

[DA_Champion]

Damnit, I knew I forgot something: Robocop. Might have put that in instead of Die Hard, or gone 6 movies against 6 movies, adding First Class to the modern CBMs.

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

Maybe if you dropped Avengers and replaced it by something good, your poll would have more credibility.

Fixed

 

[psylockolussus]

If only one of the X-Men films was included in this poll I would have voted for the 21st century films.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I'm probably biased, I love comic book movies more than most of the rest of the movies
Out of the 80s list I love The Terminator and Die Hard, don't care about the rest
Out of the CBMs, I love The Dark Knight more than everything else on both lists, but I do enjoy the rest

 

[horacethegrey]

I go for the 80's movies. I grew up with them and they still hold up incredibly well today, with the exception of Predator. For a movie that's a better than average scifi thriller, it has some incredibly cheesy moments that drag it down a bit. I'd replaced with Robocop.

As for the modern CBMs, I'd drop Avengers and Watchmen. Avengers because it's way overrated, and Watchmen for being terrible. I'd replace with X-Men Days of Future Past and Captain America The Winter Soldier.

 

[DA_Champion]

I go for the 80's movies. I grew up with them and they still hold up incredibly well today, with the exception of Predator. For a movie that's a better than average scifi thriller, it has some incredibly cheesy moments that drag it down a bit. I'd replaced with Robocop.

As for the modern CBMs, I'd drop Avengers and Watchmen. Avengers because it's way overrated, and Watchmen for being terrible. I'd replace with X-Men Days of Future Past and Captain America The Winter Soldier.

Thank you for voting based on the intent of the poll rather than the details of the movies selected which were only there to help guide the conversation.

There is no list of top-5 movies for either category that this forum would agree upon.

 

[Rorschach2012]

good question.

I'm a comic book fan and i prefer superheroes as protagonists, but i voted for the 80s films. They're classics and can't really be touched IMO. Empire alone wins this poll

 

[The Batman]

IMO, The only Superhero films that come close to the 80's films are TDK and Avengers, in terms of bringing new ideas to the screen.

Spider-Man 2 is a great film, better than the original, but I feel the first one brought more new ideas to film. For example, I don't think its a surprise that after Spider-Man 1, we saw more vulnerable heroes that you can "relate to" on the bigscreen.

 

[The Endless]

It's a great time to be a comic book fan with all these great movies.

But man... the 80s were awesome. Had to vote for them.

 

[DCW]

Wow, double post.

 

[DCW]

Easily 80's movies for me. While I enjoy most modern comic book movies, I don't think they even compete with 80's classics like the ones listed in the pole.

 

[Bren]

For me, I think it's a bit unfair (but that's life), as I was very young in the 80's and besides being great, those films were also new shiny things to me, as I'd hardly watched films to that point.

Obviously the latest bunch miss out on the that impact.

Still, good times regardless!

 

[StarLord]

Even though I was born in '85, I didn't see most of the 80s movies until mid 90s or at least that's when I remember watching them.

I love The Terminator and Predator so that's a definite vote for the 80s from me.

 

[bluerayer]

I really like Iron Man and Watchmen but i voted for the 80s action movies too. Mostly for the Arnold factor there. The double-whammy of The Terminator and Predator is hard to beat.

 

[childeroland]

Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, and Terminator make the 80s list the easy winner. From the other list, only TDK stands with them. IMO, of course.

 

[Steamteck]

Both are great lists but although I love all of above mentioned films ( or similar ones) from both lists, I've always been a superhero geek so the current bunch wins for me.

The Avengers gave me a joy on screen I haven't had since the original Star wars in 1977.

 

[DA_Champion]

I wasn't expecting this massacre of the CBMs on a forum dedicated to CBMs. Colour me surprised.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I commented on the movies listed, but my vote was in favor of CBMs over 80s action movies in general

 

[Batmannerism]

my top 5 cbm's (in no order)

Guardians of the Galaxy
Man of Steel
Dark Knight
Spider Man (Raimi)
Iron Man

vs

Star Wars: A New Hope (yes, it's 1977)
Terminator 2: judgment day (yes that's 1991)
Aliens (1986)
Predator (1987)
Die Hard (1988)

honourable mention to Robocop !

What a tough call. Going with cbm's but only just. Interesting comparison !

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

CBMs: Avengers (geek heaven), TDK (gave CBM a certain level of credibility), DOFP (biggest comeback for a superhero franchise)

versus

80's action: Predator (manliest movie ever made), Die Hard (greatest action movie ever made), Robocop (most quotable action sci-fi movie of all time), Aliens (one of the greatest sci-fi action movie), Terminator (the most relevant cautionary tales from the 80's)

Sorry but the 80's action movies were more iconic and ground-breaking than anything from the golden age of superheroes (the only possible exception is Heath Ledger's Joker).