I don’t know how I made it this far without talking about Ladyhawke. Honestly, that feels like a personal failure. This movie is everything I loved—and still love—about 80s cinema: weirdly intense, deeply romantic, a little bit cheesy, and totally unapologetic about it. You’ve got sword fights, star-crossed lovers, medieval curses, Matthew Broderick talking to himself, and a synthesizer score that somehow works even though it really shouldn’t. It’s the kind of movie that shouldn’t exist but thank the gods it does.
Movies like Ladyhawke were a genre unto themselves. Not quite fantasy, not quite romance, not quite action—but somehow all of those things at once. They had a grit and heart that’s hard to explain to people who didn’t grow up renting VHS tapes with faded cover art and trusting the blurb on the back to deliver magic. (Spoiler alert: it usually did.)
Let’s talk about Legend. You want to see a very young Tom Cruise battling literal darkness? Like, Tim Curry in full demonic prosthetics as Darkness? This movie was visually stunning, totally bonkers, and again—synthesizers. So many synthesizers. And unicorns. It was peak dreamlike fantasy.
And how could we forget The NeverEnding Story? That movie traumatized a generation with the swamp scene (you know the one), but we came back anyway. Why? Because deep down, we all wanted to believe that if we shouted a name into the storm, something magical might actually happen.
Then there’s Willow. Part buddy comedy, part epic quest, part “we have no CGI so let’s make this pig transformation scene the stuff of nightmares.” It had charm, wit, and enough heart to make you believe a ragtag group of nobodies could save the world.
The thing about these movies—Ladyhawke included—is that they weren’t afraid to be earnest. They weren’t winking at the camera or trying to be edgy or ironic. They went full throttle into their stories. You want a cursed knight who can only see his lover at dusk and dawn? Done. Want an elf with a high-pitched voice and a forest full of glitter? Why not. Want a castle in the sky, a magic sword, and a talking dragon? Here, take two.
Sure, some of the effects don’t hold up. And yes, there’s a fair amount of “this plot makes no sense if you think about it too hard.” But honestly? That’s part of the magic. These were stories told with so much sincerity and imagination that the imperfections only made them better. Like putting on a worn leather jacket—it creaks in places, but it fits just right.
I could go on forever. (Krull, Clash of the Titans, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth—don’t worry, we’ll get there.) For now, let’s raise a goblet of suspiciously glowing potion to the strange, beautiful, melodramatic masterpieces of 80s fantasy.
Until next time,
MTFBWYA – I LOVE THE 80’S
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