The 1980s are a decade marked by excess. Cable TV, credit cards, and constant threat of the Cold War turning hot was the norm for millions everywhere. Amidst so much paranoia and fear, movies of the 1980s grew in scale, spectacle, and ingenuity. But who were the characters that populated these stories?
After the director-driven, “New Hollywood” movement ceased being in vogue, Hollywood studios reclaimed greater creative control and perfected the tentpole blockbuster. Movies became more expensive, with more experimentation of techniques in special effects and digital filmmaking. The stories contained in these movies followed suit. Fantasy characters became even more fantastical, whilst stories with more grounded worlds featured more robust characters who illuminated different depths of the human experience.
