Everyone already knows that the ’80s were a defining decade for cinema. But when it comes to action movies specifically, there’s one year that deserves special mention because it played a huge role in shaping the genre’s golden age: 1987. During that time, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars were at the peak of their careers, studios were betting on more ambitious ideas, and it felt like one classic was arriving after another. So, for those who were born in the ’70s and grew up in the following decade, they got to experience firsthand the movies that would later become genre-defining favorites.
Still today, some of those films are remembered for their iconic action scenes, unforgettable characters, and endlessly quotable lines. On the other hand, others haven’t held up nearly as well, and plenty of people have little interest in revisiting them. So, between timeless classics and movies that many would rather forget, these are the 5 action films that defined 1987.
One of the most iconic action franchises of all time got its start in the ’80s, and it’s still winning over people today. Predator follows Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), an elite soldier sent into the jungle with his team on what seems like a rescue mission, only to discover that they’re actually being hunted by a highly advanced alien predator. So everything becomes a tense fight for survival, where brute force means very little against an enemy that can see, track, and kill without ever revealing itself. And that’s really the secret behind the movie, because even though it’s an action feature, that’s far from all it is.
Predator takes everything audiences expected from an ’80s action movie (massive guns, memorable one-liners, and an almost unstoppable hero) and completely flips it on its head. It’s just as much a thriller as it is an action blockbuster. For people who grew up in the ’80s, it’s a reminder of a time when action movies had a strong identity, only to break that formula in the best possible way. Besides, the creature is still one of the most recognizable monsters in movie history, and Schwarzenegger gives us one of the strongest performances of his career.
Lethal Weapon isn’t talked about as much as some of the other action classics from the ’80s, which makes it easy to forget just how influential it was. But Gen X audiences and longtime fans of the genre definitely remember it, not just because of its action scenes, but because the movie is far more interested in its cops than its shootouts. The story follows Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), a reckless detective struggling with the loss of his wife, who ends up being paired with Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), an older detective who’s counting down the days until retirement.
The “reckless cop meets by-the-book veteran” formula wasn’t exactly new, but Lethal Weapon made it feel fresh by giving both characters real emotional baggage. Riggs isn’t just the wild, unpredictable partner, but a broken man trying to hold himself together. Murtaugh, meanwhile, isn’t just the older cop keeping him in check, since he’s dealing with the reality that his life is changing whether he’s ready or not — so their relationship is the heart of the movie. While several buddy-cop films from that era feel dated today, Lethal Weapon still holds up because the chemistry between Gibson and Glover is its biggest strength.
When people think of RoboCop, the first things that usually come to mind are the armor, the violence, and the one-liners, right? But what really allowed the movie to stand the test of time is that it’s far smarter than it first appears. The story follows Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), a police officer who is brutally killed in the line of duty before being brought back as RoboCop, a cybernetic law enforcer created by the OCP corporation to fight crime in a Detroit consumed by violence. It sounds like the setup for a story about a robot shooting criminals, but it becomes something much bigger. How?
RoboCop is ultimately a commentary on corporate power, sensationalist media, and the way society reduces people to products. That’s one of the biggest reasons longtime fans still hold it in such high regard. It delivers everything you’d want from a great action blockbuster, but it also has a personality and a point of view that many movies in the genre lacked during the ’80s. For people who grew up in the ’70s, it’s the kind of production that seemed cool when they were kids, only to become even better once they were old enough to appreciate everything hiding beneath the action.
This is where we get to a movie that plenty of fans would rather forget, especially now that there’s a remake that’s generally considered the stronger adaptation. The disappointing part is that Masters of the Universe had everything going for it back in 1987, since He-Man was already one of the biggest fantasy franchises, and bringing that world to the big screen seemed like a guaranteed win. The film follows He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) as he battles Skeletor (Frank Langella), who seeks to conquer Eternia using a powerful device capable of opening portals between worlds. So what went wrong? It drifted away from the very elements that made this universe so popular in the first place.
Instead of being a grand adventure across Eternia with castles, fantastical creatures, and the colorful world fans knew from the animated series, the live-action movie spends much of its runtime on Earth. For kids who grew up with the original Masters of the Universe, that was a huge letdown, as it often feels like a completely different film that just happens to feature familiar character names. Yes, there are still bright spots like Frank Langella’s performance, but they’re simply not enough to make up for it.
Divisive from the very beginning, The Running Man actually has an idea that’s much better than its final execution, and that’s no surprise since the story was created by Stephen King. The plot follows Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a man wrongly convicted of a crime who is forced to compete in a TV show where he has to fight for his life against professional killers while a live audience watches it all as entertainment. It’s a really interesting concept because it tackles reality TV, the media, and the transformation of violence into spectacle — which was especially relevant, even back in the ’80s.
The problem is that it’s hard to tell whether the movie wanted to be a serious satire or a big, over-the-top action movie, and that combination ends up making everything feel a little uneven. Unlike Predator, for example, which knew exactly what it wanted to be, The Running Man often feels stuck between intentional camp and moments that were supposed to have more impact. It’s still entertaining enough for anyone who enjoys action movies from that era, so much so that, when compared to its recent remake, plenty of people still prefer the original because of its charm. Overall, though, it could have been much better, because it definitely had the potential.
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