With 2020 basically a wash, and serving as a cinematic gap of sorts, I was thinking how we're about to start a new, post-Covid movie era this summer, which then got me thinking about past modern movie "eras," how they might be grouped, and wanting to try and compare them all. So, starting with Jaws kicking off the blockbuster era in 1975, I attempted to divide the past 45 years into six distinct movie eras. After a relatively quick, at-a-glance compilation, personally, I feel like the list below best-represents each respective era, in terms of what stands out from/defines each era in hindsight. That said, if I've left off any absolute essentials (not just relatively popular movies), let me know and I'll add them.

That said, which is your favorite era and why?


1975 - 1984

Spielberg and Lucas usher in the blockbuster era, the modern horror genre emerges, and Eddie Murphy breaks onto the scene...

- Jaws (1975)
- Rocky I, II, and II (1976, 1979, 1982)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
- The Star Wars Original Trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983)
- Animal House (1978)
- Halloween (1978)
- Superman I, II, and III (1978, 1981, 1983)
- Alien (1979)
- Apocalypse Now (1979)
- Mad Max (1979)
- Star Trek I and II (1979, 1982)
- Caddyshack (1980)
- Friday the 13th (1980)
- The Shining (1980)
- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- 48 Hours (1982)
- Conan the Barbarian (1982)
- Blade Runner (1982)
- E.T. (1982)
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1982)
- Poltergeist (1982)
- Rambo: First Blood (1982)
- The Thing (1982)
- Tron (1982)
- The Right Stuff (1983)
- Trading Places (1983)
- National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)


... ends with "Temple of Doom" in May '84 and begins the same month with "Sixteen Candles"...


1984 - 1991

The teen/John Hughes takeover and the emergence of the '80s action star...

- Beverly Hills Cop I and II (1984, 1987)
- Gremlins (1984)
- The Karate Kid (1984)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Sixteen Candles (1984)
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
- The Terminator (1984)
- Back to the Future (1985)
- The Goonies (1985)
- Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
- Rambo II and III (1985, 1988)
- Rocky IV (1985)
- The Breakfast Club (1985)
- Weird Science (1985)
- Aliens (1986)
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
- Pretty in Pink (1986)
- Top Gun (1986)
- Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
- Dirty Dancing (1987)
- Fatal Attraction (1987)
- Lethal Weapon (1987)
- Predator (1987)
- The Princess Bride (1987)
- Raising Arizona (1987)
- RoboCop (1987)
- Wall Street (1987)
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- Big (1988)
- Coming to America (1988)
- Die Hard (1998)
- Field of Dreams (1988)
- Rain Man (1988)
- The Abyss (1989)
- Batman (1989)
- Back to the Future Part II and III (1989, 1990)
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
- Dead Poets Society (1989)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Say Anything (1989)
- Edward Scissorhands (1990)
- Ghost (1990)
- Goodfellas (1990)
- Home Alone (1990)
- Total Recall (1990)
- Pretty Woman (1990)
- Boyz n the Hood (1991)
- Father of the Bride (1991)
- Point Break (1991)
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
- Thelma & Louise (1991)


1992 - 1998

The digital VFX age begins (with T2), Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler become comedy kings, and the modern indie scene is born...

- Batman Returns (1992)
- A Few Good Men (1992)
- The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
- Reservoir Dogs (1992)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1992)
- Wayne's World (1992)
- Dazed and Confused (1993)
- Jurassic Park I and II (1993, 1997)
- Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
- Tombstone (1993)
- True Romance (1993)
- Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
- Clerks (1994)
- Forrest Gump (1994)
- The Mask (1994)
- Pulp Fiction (1994)
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- Speed (1994)
- True Lies (1994)
- The Usual Suspects (1994)
- Apollo 13 (1995)
- Bad Boys (1995)
- Billy Madison (1995)
- Braveheart (1995)
- Clueless (1995)
- Crimson Tide (1995)
- Father of the Bride Part II (1995)
- Heat (1995)
- Seven (1995)
- Toy Story (1995)
- Happy Gilmore (1996)
- Independence Day (1996)
- Jerry Maguire (1996)
- Mission: Impossible (1996)
- The Nutty Professor (1996)
- The Rock (1996)
- Scream (1996)
- Swingers (1996)
- Twister (1996)
- Austin Powers (1997)
- Boogie Nights (1997)
- Contact (1997)
- The Fifth Element (1997)
- Good Will Hunting (1997)
- L.A. Confidential (1997)
- Liar Liar (1997)
- Men In Black (1997)
- My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
- Scream II (1997)
- Starship Troopers (1997)
- Titanic (1997)
- Armageddon (1998)
- Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
- Enemy of the State (1998)
- Rushmore (1998)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- There's Something About Mary (1998)
- The Truman Show (1998)
- The Waterboy (1998)


1999 - 2005

The modern blockbuster franchise/superhero machine is unleashed...

- American Pie (1999)
- Austin Powers 2 and 3 (1999, 2002)
- Big Daddy (1999)
- The Blair Witch Project (1999)
- Fight Club (1999)
- The Insider (1999)
- Magnolia (1999)
- The Matrix Trilogy (1999, 2003)
- Notting Hill (1999)
- Office Space (1999)
- The Sixth Sense (1999)
- The Star Wars Prequels (1999, 2002, 2005)
- Three Kings (1999)
- Toy Story 2 (1999)
- Almost Famous (2000)
- Cast Away (2000)
- Gladiator (2000)
- High Fidelity (2000)
- Meet the Parents (2000)
- Memento (2000)
- Unbreakable (2000)
- O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
- X-Men 1 and 2 (2000, 2003)
- Ali (2001)
- The Fast and the Furious 1 and 2 (2001, 2003)
- Harry Potter 1, 2 and 3 (2001, 2002, 2004)
- Jurassic Park III (2001)
- Legally Blonde (2001)
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
- Ocean's Eleven and Twelve (2001, 2004)
- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
- Shrek (2001)
- Training Day (2001)
- Zoolander (2001)
- 8 Mile (2002)
- Bourne 1 and 2 (2002, 2004)
- Catch Me If You Can (2002)
- Gangs of New York (2002)
- Minority Report (2002)
- Spider-Man I and II (2002, 2004)
- Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2 (2003, 2004)
- Lost in Translation (2003)
- Old School (2003)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
- School of Rock (2003)
- Anchorman (2004)
- The Aviator (2004)
- Collateral (2004)
- Man on Fire (2004)
- Mean Girls (2004)
- Million Dollar Baby (2004)
- Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
- The Notebook (2004)
- The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2004)


... ends with "Revenge of the Sith" in May '05, begins in June '05 with "Batman Begins"...


2005 - 2012

The emergence of Christopher Nolan and the MCU, as the Judd Apatow era explodes...

- Brokeback Mountain (2005)
- The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012)
- The final five Harry Potter movies (2005-2012)
- Hitch (2005)
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
- Walk the Line (2005)
- Wedding Crashers (2005)
- Daniel Craig takes over as Bond (2006, 2008, 2012)
- Children of Men (2006)
- The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
- The Fast and the Furious 3, 4 and 5 (2006, 2009, 2011)
- Bad Robot takes over the Mission: Impossible franchise (III-2006, Ghost Protocol-2011)
- Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 (2006, 2007)
- The Prestige (2006)
- Talladega Nights (2006)
- 300 (2007)
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
- Knocked Up (2007)
- Michael Clayton (2007)
- No Country for Old Men (2007)
- Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
- There Will Be Blood (2007)
- Transformers (2007)
- Zodiac (2007)
- Cloverfield (2008)
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
- Phase One of the MCU (2008-2012)
- Pineapple Express (2008)
- Step Brothers (2008)
- Taken (2008)
- The Twilight Saga (2008-2012)
- WALL-E (2008)
- 500 Days of Summer (2009)
- Avatar (2009)
- District 9 (2009)
- The Hangover (2009)
- Inglorious Basterds (2009)
- Moon (2009)
- Star Trek (2009)
- Watchmen (2009)
- Black Swan (2010)
- Inception (2010)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
- The Social Network (2010)
- The Town (2010)
- Brides Maids (2011)
- Contagion (2011)
- Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
- Moneyball (2011)
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
- X-Men: First Class (2011)
- Argo (2012)
- Lincoln (2012)
- Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
- Zero Dark Thirty (2012)


The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Harry Potter franchise, The Twilight Saga, and Phase One of the MCU all come to an end in 2012, paving the way for the latest, yet-to-be-named era...


2013 - 2020

- The Snyder-Verse DCEU (2013, 2015, 2017)
- The Fast and the Furious 6, 7 and 8 (2013, 2015, 2017)
- Gravity (2013)
- Her (2013)
- Phases Two and Three of the MCU (2013-2019)
- The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
- Boyhood (2014)
- Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
- Gone Girl (2014)
- Interstellar (2014)
- John Wick Chapter 1, 2, and 3 (2014, 2017, 2019)
- Matt Reeves' Planet of the Apes sequels (Dawn-2014, War-2017)
- Whiplash (2014)
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
- The Big Short (2015)
- Creed (2015)
- Jurassic World I and II (2015, 2018)
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
- The Martian (2015)
- Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible sequels (Rogue Nation-2015, Fallout-2018)
- Disney takes over the Star Wars franchise (2015-2019)
- Sicario (2015)
- Arrival (2016)
- Deadpool (2016)
- Hell or High Water (2016)
- La La Land (2016)
- The Nice Guys (2016)
- Moonlight (2016)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
- Get Out (2017)
- Dunkirk (2017)
- Lady Bird (2017)
- Logan (2017)
- Game Night (2018)
- A Star Is Born (2018)
- Roma (2018)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
- Jojo Rabbit (2019)
- Knives Out (2019)
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
- Parasite (2019)
- Uncut Gems (2019)
- Nomadland (2020)
- Tenet (2020)

And who knows how the next few years will compare...

2021 - ????

- The Post-Snyder DCEU (2021-????)
- The continuation of The Fast and the Furious franchise (2021-????)
- The continuation of The Matrix franchise (2021-????)
- Phase Four and Five of the MCU (2021-????)
- Warner Bros. reinvents the Dune franchise (2021-????)
- Christopher McQuarrie continues the Mission: Impossible franchise (2021, 2022)
- Top Gun: Maverick (2021)
- Avatar 2 and 3 (2022, 2024)
- Matt Reeves' The Batman franchise (2022-????)
- The continuation of the Indiana Jones franchise (2022)
- The continuation of the John Wick franchise (2022-????)
- The continuation of the Jurassic World franchise (2022-????)
- The continuation of the Mad Max franchise (2023)
- "Phase Two" of Disney's Star Wars (cinematic) franchise (2023-????)

Personally, I have to go with 2005-2012. I think I had the most fun at the movies during that era and the most memorable movie-going experiences overall, as 2005 was also the year I moved to LA. It just felt like something awesome or hilarious was coming out every other month. The Nolan TDK era (in combination with The Prestige and Inception), Phase One of the MCU, the Apatow era, the yet-to-be matched 2007 slate of all-time award-winners, along with so many other gems (Children of Men, Star Trek, The Social Network, Zero Dark Thirty, etc) all made for such incredible experiences, both in the theater and following it all online.

With the ridiculous slate we have in store for the second half of this year, considering I still haven't been to a theater in 13 months, I'm hoping the next year or so comes close to recapturing what I felt during the highs of the 2005-2012 era. We'll see...

Any reason you started in 75 instead of 70? Two of the 5 best movies ever made came out in 72 and 74 and to me Godfather feels like the lightswitch from campy 60s cowboy movies made by WW2 era directors to the 70s auteurs that then inspired all the 90s guys.

I thought about starting with The Godfather, but there just weren't enough similar, big-name movies between '72 and '74 that feel of the same ilk as everything else I have listed. Jaws is considered the first bonafide blockbuster, and basically immediately after it we start getting the first superhero movies, the first modern sci-fi movies, the first true franchise blockbusters, etc. It just felt right to start there, with Spielberg. I wasn't really trying to capture '70s cinema culture or anything, but rather movies that feel like they're connected to movies today. Plus, that era was already longer than any of the other eras.

My selection is likely influenced by my age. I was 13-20 during the 1984 - 2021 era. I was out of video games (Atari), and I got my license in the middle of it. Where did you go when you started driving in the 80s? The backroads, the mall, and the movies. Sounds like a lot, but with no internet and only 3 TV channels, there was plenty of time.

I started college in 89, so I saw a lot of 89-91 after the fact.

Great breakdown of these eras, TCTTS. For me there is also the modern comedy era that started with Old School and Hangover. It's a little heavy on Will Ferrel, but some good comedies came out post 90s. They inspired the modern Sudeikis/Bateman era - We're the Millers, Game Night, Tag, Horrible Bosses, Hall Pass, etc.

For comedies I rewatch the most give me 1984 - 1991, but LOTR and Almost Famous want me to take 99-05

The first era followed closely by the second.

The '21-???? era sounds horrible, but I guess that's what someone who's favorite two eras are what they are WOULD say.

75-84 is the best but 92-98 was me 13-19, so that would be the most memorable.

2013-2020 is the peak TV era. Where the only movies made are huge budget or tiny budget and everything in the middle is made for TV.

84-91

But you forgot Heathers

While I find it mind-blowing that the Marvel comics I was reading in the 80's have been turned into massively entertaining movies these past 15 years, I would still have to say that the era of the 80's were the best in my life.

They were my formative years of elementary through high school and I was watching everything I could thanks to cable television showing these movies several times a day throughout the month. I was absorbing so much.

This also coincided with the heyday of the horror movie boom (which was my favorite genre at the time) and the rise of the action movie stars (Schwarzenegger, Stallone, etc). Plus, the home video market was exploding and there were so many of these movies showing up on video shelves. It seemed like every week there was either some new action/horror/teen comedy premiering in the theater or coming out on video.

My parents were really cool about me seeing these movies. My mom would buy my ticket to some random horror movie at the box office when I was still too young to see them, then she'd go shopping in the mall while I saw the movie. When I got my license and turned 17, I was at the movies at least once a week.

Oh, and I completely forgot about the appearance of a Cinemark that was a dollar theater that opened in San Antonio in the late 80's. Me and my friends spent a lot of time there, seeing movies we'd already seen, movies we'd missed and movies that may not have been interested in but hey...they were only a buck.

To me, the 1980's were just a special time for movies for me

I'm not a big tournament guy, but if someone else wanted to do it, I think the play would be to do it by year and have a "Best Modern Movie Year" tournament. Start with the year of The Godfather in 1972 and go through 2020 (with 2020 being one of the lowest seeds). An even 48 years. Say, eight movies from each year (five feels too low and ten feels too high) - using my OP as a guide/foundation - movies that best-represent each year in terms of the current zeitgeist, how we see them now, etc. In other words, each year doesn't have to include that year's Oscar winners or whatever. Would be pretty fun.

99

75-84 for me. I was 8 at the onset and 17 at the end. Of my top 5 favorites, 4 come from that era (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, and Star Wars; the fifth is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).

There were so many others from that era that continue to resonate with me ... Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman: The Movie, Halloween, 1941, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Final Countdown, For Your Eyes Only, Conan the Barbarian, The Road Warrior, ET, Poltergeist, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Thing, Blade Runner, The Right Stuff, Return of the Jedi, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ...

Ag 11 said:

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You should put all of those into a tournament

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Not it.

Really glad you included Say Anything. Hugely overlooked movie and one of my favorites.

2008 forward for me is when I was an adult and had the disposable income to go to the movies as much as I wanted so that lol

I think this is a function of your era relating to you. 80s for me so the John Hughes era types are what I have a tendency to watch and remember the most.
That said I think you did a great job in making the eras but left off Dead Poets Society

Thank you for giving Waterboy some love. Most underrated movie of all time

I have to vote for the 90s era as those were my prime development years. I graduated high school 01. Adam sandler was my generations most quotable and memorable movie maker. Also....is there another year out there that beats out 1994????

atag said:

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Also....is there another year out there that beats out 1994????

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Full disclosure- I had two stints working in movie theaters, 1985-87 and 1992-95.

1987 > 1994

94 is the greatest movie year ever. 84 is a close second.

Quote:

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- Superman I (1977)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978)

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You reversed these. CE3K came out in December 77 and Superman the following December.

I'm going with era 1 but as others said it's probably a function of my age. It has the most influential movies of all time that shaped my life: Star Wars.

And it has the greatest John Carpenter film and horror movie ever made: The Thing.

Also, why is the following even in our national consciousness still? Are they trying to make this like Friday the 13th?

Quote:

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(The continuation of The Fast and the Furious franchise (2021-????)

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Honestly given how absolutely, utterly ****ed up to the core hollywood is, i am truly grateful it made so many great movies. I think its pretty firmly 74-84, but am surprised how many good ones are on that list through 2005.

I even found ten or so good ones on your list fhrough 2015, and about 13 since then. Fun post, thanks.

I'm partial to the '92-'98 group (although the saw missing SPR). Most of my teens though and high school. Going to the movies was a big deal then. Don't feel it as much anymore

Just added...

- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
- Conan the Barbarian (1982)
- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1982)
- Poltergeist (1982)
- Rambo: First Blood (1982)
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
- Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
- Rambo II and III (1985, 1988)
- Dead Poets Society (1989)
- Father of the Bride Part II (1995)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- Game Night (2018)

... which beefed up 1982 considerably. Also corrected the Close Encounters/Superman mix-up. Thanks for the notes/recommendations, guys. Can't believe I left some of those off. Though, in my defense it was late and I powered through that list pretty fast. Still, any others I may have left off, let me know...

Game Night is a quiet classic

What three year run is the greatest since the 70s. You could argue 1939 for one year was unbelievable but what about a three year look. Also Breakfast Club should be in the 80s list

94 looks good but 84-86 is what I will always look back at in terms of movies. Now that can't compete with the digital abilities and CGI etc of the present time but some really good movies during that run as well