Movie Releases by User Score

The Decline of Western Civilization 1.

The Decline of Western Civilization

July 5, 1981 | Not Rated
The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.
Metascore:
93
User Score:
6.5
Blow Out 2.

Blow Out

July 24, 1981 | R
A movie sound recordist (John Travolta) accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually an intentional killing and consequently finds himself in jeopardy.
Metascore:
86
User Score:
7.8
Raiders of the Lost Ark 3.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

June 12, 1981 | PG
You're in for thrills as Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) confronts snakes, Nazis and one astonishing cliffhanger after another -- all topped off by the discovery and opening of the mystical Ark of the Covenant. [Paramount Pictures]
Metascore:
85
User Score:
8.9
Atlantic City 4.

Atlantic City

April 3, 1981 | R
In a corrupt city, a small-time gangster and the estranged wife of a pot dealer find themselves thrown together in an escapade of love, money, drugs and danger.
Metascore:
85
User Score:
7.3
My Dinner with Andre 5.

My Dinner with Andre

October 11, 1981 | PG
Two old friends meet for dinner; as one tells anecdotes detailing his experiences, the other notices their differing worldviews.
Metascore:
83
User Score:
7.4
Superman II 6.

Superman II

June 19, 1981 | PG
A trio of Krypton villains threaten havoc on Earth, while Superman and Lois Lane are just becoming involved in a long awaited love affair -- an affair which may cost Superman his super powers. [Warner Bros.]
Metascore:
83
User Score:
7.6
Prince of the City 7.

Prince of the City

August 21, 1981 | R
A New York City narcotics detective (Treat Williams) reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption. However, he soon discovers that he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.
Metascore:
81
User Score:
tbd
Time Bandits 8.

Time Bandits

November 6, 1981 | PG
A young boy accidentally joins a band of time traveling dwarves as they jump from era to era looking for treasure to steal.
Metascore:
79
User Score:
7.0
Thief 9.

Thief

March 27, 1981 | R
Becoming closer to his dream of leading a normal life, a professional safecracker agrees to do a job for the mafia, who have other plans for him.
Metascore:
78
User Score:
8.6
Body Heat 10.

Body Heat

August 28, 1981 | R
Body Heat, a sexy, haunting tale of desire and skullduggery that echoes 1940s film noirs but is charged with an energy and passion that could only flare in the '80s. Sit back and bask in this contemporary classic's wicked warmth. (Warner Bros.)
Metascore:
77
User Score:
8.5
Escape from New York 11.

Escape from New York

July 10, 1981 | R
In 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber (Kurt Russell) is sent in to rescue him.
Metascore:
76
User Score:
7.5
Reds 12.

Reds

December 25, 1981 | PG
A radical American journalist (Warren Beatty) becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.
Metascore:
76
User Score:
8.2
Polyester 13.

Polyester

May 29, 1981 | R
A suburban housewife's world falls apart when she finds that her pornographer husband is serially unfaithful to her, her daughter is pregnant, and her son is suspected of being the foot-fetishist who's been breaking local women's feet.
Metascore:
72
User Score:
tbd
Dead & Buried 14.

Dead & Buried

October 9, 1981 | R
A suspense horror film set in a small coastal town where, after a series of gory murders commited by mobs of townspeople against visiting tourists, the corpses begin to come back to life.
Metascore:
71
User Score:
6.8
This Is Elvis 15.

This Is Elvis

April 10, 1981 | PG
The life and career of Elvis Presley are chronicled in home movies, concert footage, and dramatizations. Subjects include early performances, army service, Ed Sullivan Show appearance, marriage, 1968 comeback, health decline and death.
Metascore:
71
User Score:
tbd
Cutter's Way 16.

Cutter's Way

March 20, 1981 | R
[Originally known as "Cutter and Bone," from a 1977 novel by Newton Thornburg] Richard (Jeff Bridges) spots a man dumping a body, and decides to expose the man he thinks is the culprit with his friend Alex Cutter (John Heard).
Metascore:
70
User Score:
tbd
The Great Muppet Caper 17.

The Great Muppet Caper

June 26, 1981 | G
Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie are reporters who travel to Britain to interview a rich victim of jewel thieves and help her along with her secretary, Miss Piggy.
Metascore:
70
User Score:
7.9
Arthur 18.

Arthur

July 17, 1981 | PG
Arthur is a happy drunk with no pretensions at any ambition. He is also the heir to a vast fortune which he is told will only be his if he marries Susan. He does not love Susan, but she will make something of him the family expects. Arthur proposes but then meets a girl with no money who he could easily fall in love with.
Metascore:
69
User Score:
7.4
Knightriders 19.

Knightriders

April 10, 1981 | R
The members of a traveling Renaissance Faire, who saddle up on motorcycles instead of horses, ride from town to town to stage medieval jousting tournaments with combatants in suits of armor and wielding lances, battle-axes, maces and broadswords. The spectacle of this violent pageant soon garners national attention, much to the dismay of the current king of this Camelot. A challenger to his throne arises as they try to maintain their fairytale existence in a world wrought with corruption.
Metascore:
69
User Score:
tbd
The Howling 20.

The Howling

April 10, 1981 | R
After a bizarre and near fatal encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
Metascore:
68
User Score:
8.0
True Confessions 21.

True Confessions

September 25, 1981 | R
A worldly ambitious monsignor (Robert DeNiro) clashes with his older brother (Robert DuVall), a cynical Los Angeles homicide detective who is investigating the brutal murder of a young prostitute.
Metascore:
68
User Score:
5.5
On Golden Pond 22.

On Golden Pond

December 4, 1981 | TV-14
Originally a successful Broadway play, Ernest Thompson's On Golden Pond, the film features Norman (Henry Fonda), a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda). At Golden Pond, he and his wife (Katharine Hepburn) nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea's new boyfriend (Dabney Coleman), and a most unexpected relationship blooms.
Metascore:
68
User Score:
7.5
Stripes 23.

Stripes

June 26, 1981 | R
Two old friends who are dissatisfied with their lives decide to join the army to mix things up.
Metascore:
68
User Score:
7.3
Dragonslayer 24.

Dragonslayer

June 26, 1981 | PG
A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.
Metascore:
68
User Score:
6.1
The Fox and the Hound 25.

The Fox and the Hound

July 10, 1981 | G
Two childhood friends find themselves forced to become enemies.
Metascore:
65
User Score:
7.9
Absence of Malice 26.

Absence of Malice

December 18, 1981 | PG
When a prosecutor leaks a false story that a liquor warehouse owner is involved in the murder of an union head, the man's life begins to unravel.
Metascore:
64
User Score:
8.0
The French Lieutenant's Woman 27.

The French Lieutenant's Woman

October 16, 1981 | R
A film is being made of a story, set in 19th century England, about Charles, a biologist who's engaged to be married, but who falls in love with outcast Sarah, whose melancholy makes her leave him after a short, but passionate affair. Anna and Mike, who play the characters of Sarah and Charles, go, during the shooting of the film, through a relationship that runs parallel to that of their characters.
Metascore:
64
User Score:
6.8
Continental Divide 28.

Continental Divide

September 18, 1981 | PG
A hard-nosed Chicago journalist has an unlikely love affair with an eagle researcher.
Metascore:
64
User Score:
tbd
Wolfen 29.

Wolfen

July 24, 1981 | R
A New York cop investigates a series of brutal deaths that resemble animal attacks.
Metascore:
64
User Score:
7.6
Southern Comfort 30.

Southern Comfort

September 25, 1981 | R
During a routine exercise, a team of National Guards are threatened by angry and violent locals.
Metascore:
63
User Score:
6.7
They All Laughed 31.

They All Laughed

August 21, 1981 | PG
A mad cap private-eye caper about a team of detectives who are following, and are being followed by, a group of beautiful women.
Metascore:
63
User Score:
tbd
Quartet 32.

Quartet

October 25, 1981 | R
Marya finds herself penniless after her art dealer husband, Stephan, is convicted of theft. Marya accepts the hospitality of a strange couple, H.J. and Lois Heidler, who lets her live in their house.
Metascore:
62
User Score:
tbd
S.O.B. 33.

S.O.B.

July 1, 1981 | R
A movie producer who made a huge flop tries to salvage his career by revamping his film as an erotic production, where its family-friendly star takes her top off.
Metascore:
62
User Score:
tbd
The Postman Always Rings Twice 34.

The Postman Always Rings Twice

March 20, 1981 | R
The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
Metascore:
61
User Score:
8.2
Eyewitness 35.

Eyewitness

February 13, 1981 | R
Eccentric Vietnam War vet turned janitor claims to have witnessed a murder of a man tied to international political underground in order to get the attention of a TV reporter he has a huge crush on. The cops suspect his loser best friend.
Metascore:
61
User Score:
4.5
Eye of the Needle 36.

Eye of the Needle

July 24, 1981 | R
A ruthless German spy (Donald Sutherland), trying to get out of Britain with vital information about D-Day, must spend time with a young woman and her crippled husband.
Metascore:
61
User Score:
8.4
Raggedy Man 37.

Raggedy Man

September 18, 1981 | PG
It's 1944 in the small town of Gregory, Texas. Divorcée Nita Longley has been brought into the town by the telephone company to work as its switchboard operator, a job which requires her to be at the switchboard day and night. She was originally told by her boss Mr. Rigby that this job would only be a stepping-stone to a more lucrative job with regular working hours, which Mr. Rigby seems to be reneging on since he has now told her that her position is frozen due to the war. As such, Nita feels trapped by this situation. Nita lives in the telephone switchboard office building with her two sons, adolescent Harry and infant Henry. Because of her marital status, many of the townsfolk, especially the men, view Nita either with contempt or as a loose woman. One evening, Teddy Roebuck, a sailor on a four day furlough who is hitchhiking back to his home in Ardmore, Oklahoma, stops by to make a telephone call. When he learns that the reason for his trip home no longer exists, Teddy decides to stay in Gregory instead. Teddy strikes up a friendship with Nita and her two boys, which blossoms into love. The appearance of this stranger does not sit well with locals Calvin and Arnold, who had plans of having their way with loose Nita, who earlier rebuked their advances. The town's unidentified disfigured man, who Nita fears, may ultimately provide her with the ability to move on with her life.
Metascore:
61
User Score:
tbd
Scanners 38.

Scanners

January 14, 1981 | R
Scanners are telepathic and when one (Ironside) seeks to control the world, another (Lack) tries to stop him.
Metascore:
60
User Score:
7.9
Clash of the Titans 39.

Clash of the Titans

June 12, 1981 | PG
Perseus must battle both Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
Metascore:
59
User Score:
6.1
Sharky's Machine 40.

Sharky's Machine

December 18, 1981 | R
Tom Sharky is demoted to vice after a bust goes terribly wrong. He and his team stumble across a mob murder tied to prostitution and government.
Metascore:
58
User Score:
tbd
Ragtime 41.

Ragtime

November 20, 1981 | PG
Set in the early 1900s, an upper middle class family takes in a young African-American woman and her infant son. When the father of the child returns, everything changes.
Metascore:
57
User Score:
5.9
Victory 42.

Victory

July 31, 1981 | PG
As allied POWs prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape.
Metascore:
57
User Score:
8.4
American Pop 43.

American Pop

February 13, 1981 | R
The story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music in the 20th century.
Metascore:
57
User Score:
6.8
Excalibur 44.

Excalibur

April 10, 1981 | R
The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table receives its most impressive screen treatment in Excalibur. All the elements of Sir Thomas Malory's classic Le Morte Darthur are here: Arthur (Nigel Terry) removing the sword Excalibur from the stone; the Round Table's noble birth and tragic decline; the heroic attempts to recover the Holy Grail; and the shifting balance of power between wily wizard Merlin (Nicol Williamson) and evil sorceress Morgana (Helen Mirren). [Warner Bros.]
Metascore:
56
User Score:
7.6
The Funhouse 45.

The Funhouse

March 13, 1981 | R
Four teenage friends spend the night in a carnival funhouse and are stalked by a deformed man in a Frankenstein mask.
Metascore:
56
User Score:
7.8
The Dogs of War 46.

The Dogs of War

February 13, 1981 | R
Mercenary James Shannon, on a reconnaissance job to the African nation of Zangaro, is tortured and deported. He returns to lead a coup.
Metascore:
56
User Score:
5.0
Nighthawks 47.

Nighthawks

April 10, 1981 | R
Conservative street cop Deke DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) reluctantly agrees to terminate an international terrorist who has demanded media attention. But DaSilva's "at-home" tactics are very much put to the challenge.
Metascore:
56
User Score:
7.7
Mommie Dearest 48.

Mommie Dearest

September 25, 1981 | PG
The abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, screen queen Joan Crawford, is depicted.
Metascore:
55
User Score:
7.0
An American Werewolf in London 49.

An American Werewolf in London

August 21, 1981 | R
Blending the macabre with a wicked sense of humor, director John Landis (National Lampoon's Animal House) delivers a contemporary take on the classic werewolf tale in this story of two American tourists who, while traveling in London, find their lives changed forever when a vicious wolf attacks them during a full moon. (Universal)
Metascore:
55
User Score:
7.9
Bustin' Loose 50.

Bustin' Loose

May 22, 1981 | R
Joe Braxton is an ex-con who has been given a second chance to freedom after violating his probation. He has been hired by a school teacher named Vivian Perry to repair and drive an old school bus and drive a group of Special kids to Ms. Perry's Washington Farm from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to give them a new home after The Clarmont Center for Children is shut down by the city. The kids have severe mental problems and Joe is not looking forward to the trip at all, but Joe later bonds with Vivian and the children, offering his support and love and changes his outlook on life. But Donald, the social worker and Vivian's lover who gave Joe his break is hot on their tail and wants Joe back in prison. Joe and Vivian must now prevent Donald from sending the children back to Philidelphia where they'll have no future.
Metascore:
55
User Score:
tbd
The Four Seasons 51.

The Four Seasons

May 22, 1981 | PG
Three middle-aged wealthy couples take vacations together in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Along the way we are treated to mid-life, marital, parental and other crises.
Metascore:
55
User Score:
tbd
Caveman 52.

Caveman

April 17, 1981 | PG
A cave-man seeks revenge on a much larger competitor for the hand of a beautiful cave-woman.
Metascore:
55
User Score:
tbd
For Your Eyes Only 53.

For Your Eyes Only

June 26, 1981 | PG
James Bond, Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British encryption device and to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Metascore:
54
User Score:
6.5
Zorro: The Gay Blade 54.

Zorro: The Gay Blade

July 17, 1981 | PG
Mexico, 1840s. When the new Spanish Governor begins to grind the peasants under his heel, wealthy landowner Don Diego Vega follows in his late father's footsteps and becomes Zorro, the masked man in black with a sword who rights wrongs and becomes a folk hero to the people of Mexico. When Vega sprains his ankle and cannot figure out how to continue his campaign against the corrupt Captain Esteban, luck stays with Vega when his long-lost twin brother Ramon, who was sent off by their father to the British Royal Navy to make a "man" of him, whom is also flamboyantly gay, and now known as Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth, appears for a visit. 'Bunny' agrees to temporarily take his brother's place as Zorro, but wishes to make some changes. Bunny becomes 'the Gay Blade' in which his new suits are lemon, plum, and scarlet colored, and Bunny insists on using a whip. Bunny also becomes the liaison between Don Vega and the liberal American activist/feminist Charlotte a long-time critic of Captain Esteban's policies, and who has a crush on her masked hero.
Metascore:
52
User Score:
tbd
The Watcher in the Woods 55.

The Watcher in the Woods

October 9, 1981 | PG
An American family moves into a spooky manor house located within a wooded area in the English countryside. Before long they start to see some odd things, like mirrors that don't reflect, and the ghost of a blindfolded girl. The new tenants learn that 30 years ago, a teenage girl, who bears an uncanny resemblance to their daughter Jan, disappeared nearby. Soon, the supernatural presence starts contacting both sisters.
Metascore:
52
User Score:
tbd
Rich and Famous 56.

Rich and Famous

October 9, 1981 | R
Liz (Jacqueline Bisset) and Merry Noel (Candice Bergen) become friends as college roommates and their friendship endures over the years. Liz becomes a respected "serious" novelist. Merry Noel marries, has a daughter and writes, too: "trash" fiction which becomes enormously successful. Their story begins in college and jumps ahead some years at a time to show their relationship with each other and those in their orbits as they grow and mature.
Metascore:
52
User Score:
tbd
Heavy Metal 57.

Heavy Metal

August 7, 1981 | R
A glowing green orb - which embodies ultimate evil - terrorizes a young girl with an anthology of bizarre and fantastic stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.
Metascore:
51
User Score:
7.1
Fort Apache the Bronx 58.

Fort Apache the Bronx

February 6, 1981 | R
In New York, South Bronx's main police precinct is nicknamed Fort Apache by its employees who feel like troopers surrounded by hostiles in a wild west isolated outpost.
Metascore:
49
User Score:
tbd
Outland 59.

Outland

May 22, 1981 | R
In the distant future, a police marshal stationed at a remote mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy, and gets no help from the populace when he later finds himself marked for murder.
Metascore:
48
User Score:
6.6
So Fine 60.

So Fine

September 25, 1981 | R
While trying to get his father out of a financial jam, a man (Ryan O'Neil) comes up with an idea that turns into an unexpected overnight financial fashion success - the bottomless pants.
Metascore:
48
User Score:
tbd
Back Roads 61.

Back Roads

March 13, 1981 | R
A prostitute and a drifter find themselves bound together as they make their way through the rural South, doing what they have to do to survive.
Metascore:
48
User Score:
tbd
Neighbors 62.

Neighbors

December 18, 1981 | R
A quiet man's peaceful suburban lifestyle is threatened by the new, obnoxious couple that moves in next door.
Metascore:
47
User Score:
tbd
History of the World: Part I 63.

History of the World: Part I

June 12, 1981 | R
Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.
Metascore:
47
User Score:
7.1
Condorman 64.

Condorman

August 7, 1981 | PG
Cartoonist Woody becomes the superhero he draws. Using his gadgets he helps a Soviet spy defect to the West.
Metascore:
46
User Score:
tbd
Paternity 65.

Paternity

October 2, 1981 | PG
A single man (Burt Reynolds) searches for a woman who will bear his baby with no strings attached.
Metascore:
45
User Score:
tbd
Halloween II 66.

Halloween II

October 30, 1981 | R
Picking up precisely where its predecessor left off, Halloween II follows the same ill-fated characters as they encounter the knife-wielding maniac they left for dead in the first Halloween. It seems the inhuman Michael Myers is still very much alive and out for more revenge as he stalks the deserted halls of the hospital where his sister lays waiting. As he gets closer and closer to his terrified target, Dr. Loomis discovers the chilling mystery behind the crazed psychopath's savage actions. [Universal]
Metascore:
40
User Score:
7.9
Rollover 67.

Rollover

December 11, 1981 | R
An Arab oil organization devises a plan to wreck the world economy in order to cause anarchy and chaos.
Metascore:
36
User Score:
tbd
Shock Treatment 68.

Shock Treatment

October 31, 1981 | PG
In this "sort-of sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show," (Dave Kehr) Janet and Brad become contestants on a game show... but wind up as captives instead. Denton, Denton USA!
Metascore:
36
User Score:
tbd
The Final Conflict 69.

The Final Conflict

March 20, 1981 | R
The now adult Antichrist plots to eliminate his future divine opponent while a cabal of monks plot to stop him.
Metascore:
34
User Score:
6.7
Endless Love 70.

Endless Love

July 17, 1981 | R
A high school student's (Martin Hewitt) love for a 15-year-old girl (Brooke Shields) is thwarted by parental disapproval, circumstance and accident.
Metascore:
30
User Score:
6.3
The Cannonball Run 71.

The Cannonball Run

June 19, 1981 | PG
A motley crew of eccentric competitors participate in a frenetic and illegal cross-country road race. However, the entrants will do anything to win the road race, including low-down, dirty tricks.
Metascore:
28
User Score:
7.6
Friday the 13th Part 2 72.

Friday the 13th Part 2

May 1, 1981 | X
Mrs. Voorhees is dead, and Camp Crystal Lake is shut down, but a camp next to the infamous place is stalked by an unknown assailant.
Metascore:
26
User Score:
7.2
Tarzan the Ape Man 73.

Tarzan the Ape Man

July 24, 1981 | R
“The Blue Lagoon” with elephants. - Roger Ebert. While on an African expedition with her father, Jane Parker (Bo Derek) meets Tarzan (Miles O'Keeffe), and the two become fascinated by each other.
Metascore:
24
User Score:
tbd
Looker 74.

Looker

October 30, 1981 | PG
Plastic surgeon Larry Roberts performs a series of minor alterations on a group of models who are seeking perfection. The operations are a resounding success. But when someone starts killing his beautiful patients, Dr. Roberts becomes suspicious and starts investigating. What he uncovers are the mysterious - and perhaps murderous - activities of a high-tech computer company called Digital Matrix.
Metascore:
20
User Score:
5.8

Titles with fewer than 7 critic reviews are excluded.