Movies in the 80’s had a lot of elements that made them extremely cheesy and fun.. I believe one of the biggest ingredients to their recipe of fun is the montage.. For those of you that don’t know the 80’s montage is basically made up with one really cheesy 80’s song and a bunch of scenes cut together to give the illusion of time passing and people getting things accomplished.. I think a lot of you will know a bunch of the scenes on this list.. But some might suprise you.. So sit back and enjoy the 80’s cheesiness that is the montage..

As we count down the Top 10 Movie Montages, we will begin with the least sincere in order to culminate with the montage that combines sharp editing with sonically triumphant music and a compelling narrative..

And, yeah, we know there are some very worthy montages that didn’t make the list, but we had to choose 10.. So instead of ripping us a new one, post your own list of favorites in the comments!

10.. Team America: World Police
Song: ” Montage ” by Trey Parker
Type: Training montage

I know this isn’t an 80’s montage but watching this last night is the reason for this Top 10.. In the hyper - ironic cartoon era, in which irony often hammers you over the head, Team America delivers irony in thick gobs.. This is not to say that Team America is bad - it is actually very good.. But there is nothing dry about the sense of humor at work here..

In the film, as the anti - terrorist network Team America prepares to do battle with Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, the film decides that what the team really needs is to become a heroic global police force with a kick - ass training montage.. And the montage our heroes get is full of montage cliches that inlcude tacky 80’s - sounding rock music, a husky and earnest male voice a la Kenny Loggins, a female back - up singer who echoes the song’s chorus, and a slow fade at the end that bolsters the illusion that a lot of time has passed.. Not only that, but the song is actually called, ” Montage..” Get it?

9.. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Song: ” I’m into Something Good ” by Herman’s Hermits
Type: Dating montage

The Naked Gun is pure slapstick comedy and it makes no effort to be subtle.. Like Team America, the montage sequence is an over - the - top parody.. Having fallen in love, bumbling police detective Frank Drebin ( Leslie Nielsen ) is shown gallivanting with his love interest in a series of date - like scenarios: running along the beach, getting love tattoos, buying hot dogs in the park, etc.. In each montage clip, however, something goes drastically wrong, but since nothing can ever go wrong in a montage and the couple is too happy to care, they just laugh their way through the sequence.. When buying hot dogs from a street vendor, for example, Nielsen’s character accidentally squirts mustard all over his date.. But she’s so happy, she squirts him back with ketchup and then they have an all - out condiment fight..

8.. Kickboxer
Song: Unknown
Type: Training montage

Kurt Sloan is the corner - man for his brother, U.S. kickboxing champion Eric Sloan.. When Kurt witnesses his brother become maliciously paralyzed in the ring by Thailand champion Tong Po, Kurt vows revenge.. With the help of Zion, a kickboxing trainer who lives in a remote area of Thailand, and a great training montage, Kurt trains for the fight of his life..

This montage moved away from the 80’s music to a blend of Thai and spiritual music.. This went well with the movie as you felt Van Damme become the best he can be to go against Tong Po, and become centered within himself..

7.. Dirty Dancing
Song: ” Hungry Eyes ” by Eric Carmen
Type: Training / dating montage

A classic chick - flick, Dirty Dancing may suck as a film to some people, but was there a better make - out film made in the ’80s? If you missed the boat, the dated fashion won’t change the effect it will have on your old lady.. And while she watches Patrick Swayze’s seductive charm, you can keep your eyes on the two hotties in leotards whose thighs collide in this steamy training montage.. Keep in mind that if all goes well and you plant a kiss at just the right time, this montage should work, in the words of Tone Loc, like a ” Funky Cold Medina..”

6.. No Retreat, No Surrender
Song: Unknown
Type: Training montage

With a title like that - a training montage isn’t just expected, it is necessary.. This got me so pumped up that I bought myself a wooden dummy, made a CD of montage music and got to training.. It actually worked, I was pumped and trained hard while listening to it..

Jason Stillwell, a Bruce Lee fan, is beaten numerous times and trains from the ghost of Lee.. Jason then must use his newly acquired skills to save Seattle from a crime syndicate, whose top martial artist is the deadly Ivan..

5.. The Karate Kid
Song: ” You’re The Best ” by Joe Esposito
Type: Sports montage

Before Tina Turner monopolized the market of songs about being the best, with the screeching classic “ Simply The Best,” Joe Esposito had “ You’re the Best,” a terrible song that was used to stir the emotions of viewers who watched Daniel - son motor through the members of Cobra - Kai, his karate archenemies.. As a skinny kid who looks scared and is shown chewing his fingernails in the first shot, Daniel - san now has Mr. Miyagi’s martial wisdom to rely on.. As sports montages go, this is classic underdog material..

4.. Ghostbusters
Song: ” Ghostbusters ” by Ray Parker Jr.
Type: Media montage

After finishing their first job busting ghosts, the Ghostbusters are all over the news.. And what better way to show their notoriety than through a media montage.. Although less common than the training montage and the cleaning montage, the media montage was also something of an industry standard back in the heyday of movie montages..

Set to the hip, urban jazzy sound of Ray Parker Jr.’s “ Ghostbusters,” this montage shows our heroes around town, at home, and driving their hearse - like Ecto - Mobile.. In juxtaposition with these shots are wipes and split - screens showing newspaper cover stories, TV reports, and interviews with the Ghostbusters who all seem pretty blazé, which provides a stark contrast with the media mayhem.. Technically, this Ghostbusters montage is one of the more technically innovative montages around..

3.. Rocky
Song: ” Gonna Fly Now ” by Bill Conti
Type: Training montage

Just about every Rocky film has a training montage that uses this disco - tinged song as its theme, but the original montage in the Oscar - winning Rocky is rock solid.. Beginning with a run through an industrial wasteland and into a Philadelphia slum, Rocky ( Sylvester Stallone ) moves into a training gym to do a few one - armed push - ups, then into a meat locker to practice his uppercut on a beef shank.. Then, to round out the montage, Rocky returns to the streets, passes by a shipyard and climbs the steps of Philadelphia’s Museum of Art, raising his arms in victory.. All in all, it tells a good story about Rocky’s familiarity with the streets ( By day, Rocky works for a loan shark collecting debts ), and his dream of rising in the world by turning himself into a boxing champion..

2.. Scarface
Song: “Scarface (Push it to the Limit) ”
Type: Rise to power montage

Like the Rocky montage, the Scarface montage is full of foreshadowing details.. At the outset, we see Tony Montana ( Al Pacino ) with various business associates, shaking hands and counting money.. At this point in the film, Tony has achieved the perversion of the American Dream, having gone from rags - to - riches by killing and trafficking drugs.. Everything seems to be on the up - and - up, but there are signs of impending destruction.. The song, “ Scarface (Push it to the Limit) ” suggests that Tony doesn’t know how to keep things from spiraling out of control.. Also, at the end of the montage, the close - up of Tony’s new bride snorting coke, drinking booze, smoking a cigarette, and looking shaky suggests that the Montanas may not live happily ever after..

1.. Rocky IV
Song: ” The Training Montage ” by Vince DiCola
Type: Training montage

Unquestionably, the Rocky franchise has provided the industry standard for montages.. No other films in recent memory have conveyed as much information through their montages.. In Rocky IV, the Cold War has come to the boxing ring.. It is Rocky Balboa ( Sylvester Stallone ) versus Ivan Drago ( Dolph Lundgren ); it is American desire versus Russian strength; it is man versus machine..

In this training montage set to a synth - heavy beat, the heavily edited images shift back - and - forth between Rocky, who is training outside in the Russian wilderness, and the robotic Drago, who is training on machines in an American gym.. Visually, this is an exceptional sequence of mirroring images, juxtaposed by their contrasting settings..

The Build Up..

The purpose of a movie montage is to motivate the viewer into cheering for the film’s hero because he is the champion of something that is good.. Like writing in point form, an effective montage gives us enough of the right details to tell a little story, without taking ages to convey the information.. Its fast pacing should also fuel the viewer’s adrenaline, so that we’re ready to cheer for victory in the ensuing scene..