20 modern films and TV series that will make you feel nostalgic for the 80s and 90s

Nostalgia is in fashion. Classic films and TV series continue or relaunched one after the other, and retro soundtracks are heard everywhere. But in addition to remakes, many directors also create modern projects that refer to bygone times. In some films, the action is transferred to the past, in others, a nostalgic atmosphere is simply created or the shooting and plots themselves are stylized.

Films

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

USA, 2014.
Science fiction, adventure, action, comedy.
Duration: 121 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 1.

Space adventurer and thief Peter Quill retrieves an ancient artifact - a sphere containing one of the Infinity Stones. And now the villain Ronan the Accuser, who dreams of conquering the universe, is hunting him and his prey. The salvation of the world is in the hands of Peter and his newly made friends.

Despite the fact that the main action of this chapter of the MCU takes place today in space, the entire film is literally saturated with nostalgia for the eighties. First of all, this concerns the soundtrack: Peter Quill all the time listens to a cassette with old music that his mother once gave him. And many plot twists, humor and even a screensaver will remind you of old fantastic pictures.

2. Donnie Darko

USA, 2001.
Mysticism, thriller.
Duration: 133 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 1.

One night, high school student Donnie Darko, obeying the mental order of a man in a rabbit suit, left the house. The next morning, he discovered that the plane engine that had fallen from the sky had hit exactly his room. From this moment, Donnie notices that he can either predict the future, or change the time itself.

When watching this film, you repeatedly get the feeling that it could have been shot by David Lynch somewhere in the early nineties. The time of the action (the end of the eighties), the visual series in the spirit of the old cinema, and the inexplicable psychedelic in the plot hint at this.

3. Sing Street

Ireland, USA, UK, 2016.
Musical, drama, comedy.
Duration: 106 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 0.

In the mid-eighties, an economic crisis hits Dublin, and Conor Lawlor's parents are on the verge of divorce. The young man has to transfer from a prestigious private school to a public one, where rudeness and ignorance flourish. Soon he gathers his rock band to impress his new lover.

Sing Street is a tribute to many musical films and teenage dramas about the school. The fashion of the eighties, teenage rock music and a large number of references to pop culture will surely bring to mind the "Breakfast Club" and other works of John Hughes and other cult directors.

4. Kung Fury

Sweden, 2015.
Action, comedy.
Duration: 31 minutes.
IMDb: 8, 0.

The coolest police officer Kung Fury is retiring after defeating an entire area while catching criminals. But the hero still has to complete his main task: to travel to the past and kill the master of kung fu Hitler. True, due to the error of the computer genius Hackerman, Fury first finds himself in the days of the Vikings.

The money for this project was collected through crowdfunding. And as a result, a little-known Swedish director has produced an incredible parody of the stereotypes of films of the eighties. Where else can you see how the god of thunder Thor helps the kung fu master to defeat the Nazis. A full-length continuation of the story has already been planned, in which famous actors will star.

5. Drive

USA, 2011.
Thriller, neo-noir.
Duration: 100 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 8.

Ryan Gosling's character works as a stuntman on the set of a movie. And at night he moonlights as a driver for criminals. One day he decides to help his charming neighbor and gets involved in a deadly game.

Director Nicholas Winding Refn stylized the action after old films and dedicated this picture to another famous author - Alejandro Jodorowski. The neon light, the dark and silent hero and the retroelectronic soundtrack by Cliff Martinez clearly refer to the many crime stories of the past.

6. Prepare for the first player

USA, 2018.
Science fiction, adventure.
Duration: 140 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 5.

In the future, the whole world is absorbed in the virtual game OASIS, which helps people to forget about problems in everyday life. Poor neighborhood guy Wade Watts and his friends will have to win the grand prize, but to do so, they will have to confront the powerful corporation IOI.

The nostalgic film by the great Steven Spielberg is based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Kline. Literally every page of the book is filled with references to the pop culture of the eighties and nineties: according to the plot, the creator of OASIS adored retro and encrypted clues in films, songs and old games. All this has moved into the picture. In one of the first scenes, you can see a car from Back to the Future racing with a motorcycle from Akira, while King Kong tries to crush them. And there are dozens of such moments.

7. Mid 90s

USA, 2018.
Comedy, drama.
Duration: 84 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 4.

As the name implies, the action takes place in the nineties. Young Stevie is accepted into their party by adult skaters. He amuses them with funny pranks and himself does not notice how their meetings cease to be innocent, and childhood quickly ends.

The directorial debut of the famous actor Jonah Hill primarily reproduces the atmosphere in which the author himself grew up: audio tapes, MTV, skateboards and other joys of children and adolescents.

8. It

USA, 2017.
Horror, drama.
Duration: 135 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 4.

In the small town of Derry, children disappear one after another, but adults seem to instantly forget about it. A group of rogue schoolchildren discovers that it's all about the creepy clown Pennywise, who embodies the fears of people. But, of course, no one believes the guys.

In the new adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel, the action was moved from the fifties to the eighties. So the film became closer and more understandable to the audience, and the authors were able to play on nostalgia, reproducing fashion and referring to the culture of that time. In addition, this move made it possible to make the plot more social, where they showed the gap between children and their parents.

9. Planet of Fear

USA, 2007.
Science fiction, thriller.
Duration: 105 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 1.

A virus appears in a small town that turns people into zombies. The one-legged dancer Cherry Darling and her cool lover Ray will have to resist the invasion of hordes of monsters.

Planet of Fear is part of the Grindhouse Project, invented by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. This is a stylization of bad action films and horror films, which were once played in cheap cinemas - two films could be watched with one ticket. Hence in the plot and ridiculous turns, and even supposedly bad film.

10. Captain Marvel

USA, 2019.
Science fiction, action, adventure.
Duration: 128 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 0.

Air Force pilot Carol Danvers loses his memory and trains for a long time in a special squad far from Earth. The girl gains superpowers and becomes almost invulnerable. And at home, Carol will have to figure out her past and save the planet from invasion.

Against the background of the popularity of retro films, the Marvel studio also decided to transfer the action to the past. Especially for this film, Samuel L. Jackson was rejuvenated using computer graphics, and the legendary hits of Nirvana, R. E. M, Garbage and many other bands were added to the soundtrack.

11. Cabin in the woods

USA, 2012.
Science fiction, horror, comedy.
Duration: 95 minutes.
IMDb: 7, 0.

Five friends go for a weekend in a hut, which is completely isolated from the outside world. In the house, they discover a basement filled with strange objects. Having read a spell from one book, they find themselves participants in a worldwide conspiracy.

Anyone who loves classic horror films should watch this movie. After all, the authors have collected in it literally all the cliches from horror films, starting with the plot set. And by the end, monsters familiar from childhood will appear in the frame. It's not for nothing that The Cabin in the Woods is called a horror film that explains all horror films.

12. Bumblebee

USA, 2018.
Science fiction, action, adventure.
Duration: 114 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 9.

Autobot Bumblebee, hiding from pursuit, arrives on Earth in 1987 and soon loses its memory and voice module. After a while, a girl named Charlie receives a Volkswagen Beetle as a gift, into which the robot has transformed. Bumblebee and the girl become friends, but the Decepticons and the military hunt for the Autobot.

After the extravaganza of action and shootings in the previous parts of the Transformers franchise, they decided to change the atmosphere to a simpler and nostalgic one. The film clearly refers to classics of fiction in the style of Steven Spielberg's "Alien" and other teenage films. Interestingly, the filmmakers had to tell the twenty-year-old actress Hayley Steinfield how a cassette player works, because she had never seen such a thing.

13. Hot American Summer

USA, 2001.
Comedy.
Duration: 97 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 7.

On the last day of the summer camp, high school students and the leadership are trying to hastily solve all their problems related to friendship and love. All this is accompanied by many adventures and even saving the heroes from the falling debris of the space station.

Director David Wayne directed the film as a parody of stereotypical youth comedies like American Pie. The absurd humor in the style of the eighties camp glorified many actors, such as Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Even funnier is that 14 years later, a prequel series was released, where the action was postponed two months ago. And it was played by the same, but already aged actors.

14. The Expendables

USA, 2010.
Action movie.
Duration: 103 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 5.

Barney Ross and his squad of special forces are tasked with finding and destroying a cruel tyrant of one South American country. A small team of professionals will have to confront an entire army.

Sylvester Stallone has created a franchise that will delight fans of classic action movies. Almost all the cool heroes of the past gather in the films of this series: from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Chuck Norris.

15. Jacuzzi Time Machine

USA, 2010.
Science fiction, comedy.
Duration: 99 minutes.
IMDb: 6, 4.

The four friends go to a ski resort, where they spent their most memorable days in the mid-80s. But this time the hotel is in complete disrepair. Bored, the heroes climb into the jacuzzi, which suddenly turns out to be a time machine. Friends move to the eighties and try to repeat all their youthful exploits, so as not to change the future.

This selection of films could not do without a story about time travel. But "Jacuzzi Time Machine" rather hints that you can miss your past, but you shouldn't repeat it.

Serials

1. Hooligans and nerds

USA, 1999-2000.
Drama.
Duration: 1 season.
IMDb: 8, 8.

The action takes place in the early eighties in one of the schools in the town near Detroit. Sam Veer and his geek friends are trying to change their place in the ossified school hierarchy. And Sam's sister Lindsay falls in love with the leader of the "freaks" Daniel Desario.

Another story about the school - they were very fond of shooting such pictures at the end of the 20th century. This project lasted on the screens for the entire season, but then became cult and is even considered one of the best series about the school.

2. Stop and burn

USA, 2014-2017.
Drama.
Duration: 4 seasons.
IMDb: 8, 4.

After the release of the IBM PC, one of the company's former employees is trying to develop his own innovative idea - to create a portable personal computer. To do this, he takes a ready-made apparatus as a basis and assembles a team of a talented engineer and a brilliant young programmer.

It is hard to imagine a time when people did not have personal computers. And this nostalgic project takes viewers back to the early eighties, when the technical revolution began.

3. Shine

USA, 2017 - present.
Drama, comedy.
Duration: 2 seasons.
IMDb: 8, 1.

The series tells about the birth of female wrestling. The main character is the actress Ruth. After failing another casting, she decides to go into a new project organized by the former director of low-quality films, Sam Sylvia. A large team of girls is gradually gathering, which should become the basis of the first ever female wrestling show "Shine".

The plot is based in part on a true story: the "Shine" show did exist in the late eighties. And the authors added to this also excellent shooting, a lot of humor, and, of course, a unique atmosphere of the time.

4. Man of the future

USA, 2017 - present.
Comedy, fantasy.
Duration: 2 seasons.
IMDb: 7, 9.

Josh moonlights as a janitor at the research center. The only hobby in his life is a complex video game in which he achieves considerable success. But one day the characters of the game come to the hero and say that he must go to the past in order to save humanity.

Despite the fact that part of the plot in this series takes place in the present or even the future, the authors also did not forget to recall the pop culture of the past years. When traveling in the past, the characters directly quote "Pulp Fiction", "The Terminator" and "Back to the Future", which turns the plot into a good set of references.

5. It sucks

USA, 2018.
Comedy, drama.
Duration: 1 season.
IMDb: 7, 5.

In a small and very boring city, the only entertainment for teenagers is the video club and the drama club of a high school in Oregon. One day, young talents decide to unite to make their own film.

A cute project about schoolchildren of the nineties in many ways resembles "Stranger Things", only without any mystical component. Children and adults are solving their pressing problems and trying to adapt to the new world.