While 1994 is often considered one of the best-ever years for movies, 10 years earlier, 1984 gave it a run for its money. At roughly the halfway point of the 1980s, it saw the release of numerous classic films that have stood the test of time. Some were successful upon release, while others took a little while to find an audience and have seen their reputations grow considerably in the years (and decades) since first coming out.

What follows are some of the greatest movie releases of 1984, ranked below in order from great to greatest. There are plenty of classics that just missed making the cut, including, Starman, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, which speaks to the overall quality of the year, and the sheer quantity of iconic movies released within it.

12 'The Karate Kid'

Directed by John G. Avildsen

Kicking off a series that remains popular to this day, as demonstrated by the Cobra Kai TV series, 1984’s The Karate Kid is about as straightforward yet satisfying as sports movies get. It follows a young boy named Daniel, who’s struggling with various aspects of his life, and finds himself a target of bullies. Things turn around, however, when a neighbor, the enigmatic Mr. Miyagi, begins training him in martial arts.

The Karate Kid is an underdog story at its core, as well as a coming-of-age movie that can inspire hope for anyone who watches it at a young age, and perhaps nostalgia for anyone who watches it when they’re a little older. It’s got a charm and directness to it that proves hard to resist, and it’s easily one of the best family-friendly films of its decade.

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11 'Paris, Texas'

Directed by Wim Wenders

No one makes movies quite like Wim Wenders, as he’s a filmmaker who specializes in character-focused stories that aren’t afraid to take their time while proving surprisingly immersive as a result. Paris, Texas is one of Wenders’ most acclaimed movies, and deservedly so, being a moving drama about a man who’s lost in more ways than one, before reconnecting with a brother who tries to get his life back on track.

Paris, Texas is a long and undoubtedly slow-paced film, only really having a handful of main characters playing a part within the simple premise, and having a runtime of nearly 2.5 hours. However, it is still worth diving into and devoting one’s attention to, because it offers a unique cinematic experience that’s subtle and moving, not to mention fantastically acted and shot throughout.

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10 'The Killing Fields'

Directed by Roland Joffé

A harrowing historical film about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the mid to late 1970s, The Killing Fields tells a difficult but important story and stands as an essential war movie. It follows a journalist stuck in the country during this violent period in its history, as well as following the plight of Dith Pran, a Cambodian man trying to survive a nationwide genocide that ended up claiming between 1.5 and 2 million lives.

The story being told naturally makes it a disturbing and saddening movie, though it's excellently made and does a good job of shedding light on this terrible (and unnervingly recent) historical event. Haing S. Ngor, who played Dith, also won an Oscar for his performance, notably doing so even though it was his first-ever acting role.

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9 'Gremlins'

Directed by Joe Dante

There's not much that can be said about Gremlins that hasn't already been said. It's a charming mix of fantasy, comedy, and horror, and one of the rare movies that feel like a genuine, warm-hearted Christmas movie and a subversive, dark, almost anti-Christmas movie at the same time. It's the best of both worlds, with something for everyone, regardless of how they feel about Christmas.

Gremlins follows a father getting his son a strange gift for Christmas - a creature called a mogwai - and the chaos that unravels when the son fails to follow the key rules that come with caring for such a creature. It's an entertaining and unique movie that can technically be enjoyed by people of all ages, even if some of its scenes run the risk of traumatizing the youngest of viewers.

8 'Blood Simple'

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

The Coen Brothers came out swinging with their debut feature film, Blood Simple, which demonstrated their mastery of the crime/thriller genres right from the start of their careers. It's a particularly tense neo-noir that follows a husband taking dramatic steps to get back at his wife for having an affair, only for that to set off a chain of chaotic and violent events.

It's a very straightforward film, and as such, might lack some of the depth associated with their best works. However, it's still a great movie, and one that holds up well, considering it's nearly 40 years old. It also helps that it has some great performances too, particularly from Frances McDormand and M. Emmet Walsh​​​​​, the latter of whom plays an underrated and very chilling villainous character in the Coen Brothers movie.

7 'Ghostbusters'

Directed by Ivan Reitman

Though its sequels, reboots, and remakes may prove divisive, the original Ghostbusters endures as a film that very few people seem to dislike. It introduced the world to the novel idea of "ghost-busting," following several men who find New York City to be swarming with paranormal entities, and so decide to set up a ghost-catching business as a way to earn a living.

It was a surprise success upon release, and kicked off a huge franchise that remains popular (or at least "passionately" discussed and debated) to this day. Thanks to its memorable theme song, iconic characters (with Bill Murray making a particularly strong impression), and mix of humor and fantasy/sci-fi concepts, Ghostbusters rightly stands as a classic, and one of the decade's biggest blockbusters.

6 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'

Directed by Wes Craven

Though Freddy Krueger is seemingly unstoppable, and kept coming back from the dead to feature in numerous Nightmare on Elm Street movies, it's hard to argue that the best of the series isn't the first. It introduced horror fans to the legendary villain, and stood out because of its uniquely unsettling premise, which involved a murderous demon that could only harm you in your sleep.

Therefore, A Nightmare on Elm Street can be boiled down to a film about various teenagers who are trying to stay awake, and the surreal, often deadly nightmares they fall into when the urge to sleep becomes overwhelming. It's a lot more engaging and tense than that might sound, and it's the creativity of the story and its visuals that are a big reason why the original Nightmare on Elm Street lives on as a horror classic.

5 'Stop Making Sense'

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Few concert movies feel as cinematic as traditional feature films do, but Stop Making Sense is far from most concert movies, and is also a top-notch documentary, if one wants to classify it as such. It's a creatively shot and edited film showing Talking Heads performing some of its best music live, with the concert itself also being quirky, fun, and infectiously energetic throughout.

It even builds and progresses in an interesting way, with various band members, guest musicians, dancers, and aspects of the stage being added as the track list goes on. It keeps momentum going for its whole runtime, and is a joy to watch from beginning to end. It's a must-watch for Talking Heads fans, and any non-fans who watch it are almost guaranteed to be converted to the church of David Byrne once it's over.

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4 'This is Spinal Tap'

Directed by Rob Reiner

Though it wasn't the very first mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap is the one to which all others are compared. It's a classic of the genre for good reason, showing the disastrous American tour of a once-popular but now washed-up heavy metal from England, and the various misadventures that befall them.

It's endlessly quotable, and perhaps one of the funniest (largely) improvised comedy movies of all time. It presents larger-than-life characters, constant gags, and a bitingly funny look at the music business and the fragile relationship between celebrities and their seemingly loyal fans. In that sense, This is Spinal Tap works as a great piece of satire, having non-stop gags and some surprisingly memorable music, all clocking in at a lean and no-nonsense 82 minutes.

3 'The Terminator'

Directed by James Cameron

Science-fiction action movies don't get a whole lot more iconic than The Terminator, which - like Ghostbusters and A Nightmare on Elm Street - was another 1984 film that kicked off a series that now spans decades. It follows a woman named Sarah Connor who finds herself fighting for survival after an unstoppable cyborg travels back in time to kill her, as she's to be the mother of the one man who'll grow up to defeat a worldwide machine uprising.

At its core, The Terminator is also a surprisingly effective love story, thanks to the fact that a seemingly ordinary man is also sent back in time to protect Sarah. It uses its relatively low budget effectively, manages to be surprisingly tense in parts, and was also an instrumental movie in making Arnold Schwarzenegger a star, with The Terminator still holding up as his most famous role to date.

2 'Once Upon a Time in America'

Directed by Sergio Leone

Running for almost four hours and telling a truly epic story that spans decades, Once Upon a Time in America is an undeniable epic, and one of the best crime films of all time. It starts at the beginning of the 20th century and ends in the 1960s, with an unusual structure that sees the past and present collide with other scenes that may well be dreams, giving it a surreal, even haunting feel for much of its runtime.

It also boasts some great performances, with the talented Robert De Niro playing one of the most vicious and troubling protagonists in crime film history, and backed up by a supporting cast that includes Joe Pesci, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, and even a very young Jennifer Connelly. With fantastic visuals and one of Ennio Morricone's best scores, it stands as not just a classic of 1984, but one of the best films of its decade.

1 'Amadeus'

Directed by Milos Forman

Amadeus won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and it's the rare instance where most would agree that it was indeed the best picture of its year. It's a historical drama/biopic that plays fast and loose with the facts, to some extent, depicting a fictionalized rivalry between two composers: the world-famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the less-known Antonio Salieri. Still, it shows how biographical movies can be great without necessarily focusing on historical accuracy, particularly when the story being told happened so long ago.

It might not sound too exciting on paper, but the way it unfolds in action is a blast to watch, regardless of how much you like classical music. It exists as both a theatrical cut and an extended cut, with both being compelling, fantastically acted, and naturally backed by some incredible and dramatic music throughout.