The 30 best movies of 1983

Ranked by weighted audience rating: among 57 movies with at least 300 votes on TMDb, the formula balances the score with the vote count, so a barely-rated title cannot leap past a classic. Scarface leads, rated 8.1 (1983). The average release year on the list is 1983. The list is recalculated weekly; each title links to its full page, including where to watch in Brazil.

Page updated on 09/20/2026.

1

Scarface (1983)

directed by Brian De Palma · 166 min · 8.2 13,380 votes
2

Return of the Jedi (1983)

directed by Richard Marquand · 131 min · 7.9 17,263 votes
3

Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)

directed by John Landis · 14 min · 8.3 797 votes
4

Koyaanisqatsi (1983)

directed by Godfrey Reggio · 86 min · 7.9 795 votes
5

Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

directed by Burny Mattinson · 25 min · 7.7 1,003 votes
6

Nostalgia (1983)

directed by Andrei Tarkovsky · 124 min · 7.8 621 votes
7

Videodrome (1983)

directed by David Cronenberg · 89 min · 7.3 2,556 votes
8

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)

directed by Terry Jones · 107 min · 7.3 2,169 votes
9

Trading Places (1983)

directed by John Landis · 117 min · 7.2 3,753 votes
10

The Right Stuff (1983)

directed by Philip Kaufman · 193 min · 7.4 1,001 votes
11

Zelig (1983)

directed by Woody Allen · 79 min · 7.4 935 votes
12

The Outsiders (1983)

directed by Francis Ford Coppola · 91 min · 7.2 1,604 votes
13

A Christmas Story (1983)

directed by Bob Clark · 94 min · 7.2 1,465 votes
14

WarGames (1983)

directed by John Badham · 114 min · 7.1 2,245 votes
15

Eddie Murphy: Delirious (1983)

directed by Bruce Gowers · 69 min · 7.6 366 votes
16

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

directed by Harold Ramis · 98 min · 7.1 1,799 votes
17

Project A (1983)

directed by Jackie Chan · 106 min · 7.3 588 votes
18

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

directed by Nagisa Ōshima · 124 min · 7.3 542 votes
19

The Dead Zone (1983)

directed by David Cronenberg · 104 min · 7.0 1,896 votes
20

Terms of Endearment (1983)

directed by James L. Brooks · 132 min · 7.1 856 votes
21

Christine (1983)

directed by John Carpenter · 110 min · 6.9 2,316 votes
22

Rumble Fish (1983)

directed by Francis Ford Coppola · 94 min · 7.0 783 votes
23

Angst (1983)

directed by Gerald Kargl · 75 min · 7.1 436 votes
24

Go for It (1983)

directed by Enzo Barboni · 104 min · 7.0 567 votes
25

Bad Boys (1983)

directed by Rick Rosenthal · 123 min · 7.0 316 votes
26

Gramps Is in the Resistance (1983)

directed by Jean-Marie Poiré · 102 min · 6.9 453 votes
27

Silkwood (1983)

directed by Mike Nichols · 131 min · 6.9 365 votes
28

L'Argent (1983)

directed by Robert Bresson · 85 min · 6.9 300 votes
29

The Big Chill (1983)

directed by Lawrence Kasdan · 105 min · 6.8 666 votes
30

The Day After (1983)

directed by Nicholas Meyer · 127 min · 6.8 461 votes