Best Movies of 1988

These are the 48 best-rated movies released in 1988, led by Zalzala, Grave of the Fireflies and Cinema Paradiso. Ranked by audience score, with cast, trailers and legal places to watch on every page.

1. Zalzala (1988)

★ 10.0/10

Treasure hidden in an abandoned Shiva temple attracts both good and evil characters to it, but can they retrieve the priceless gold and jewels before the earthquake (Zalzala) hits?
2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

★ 8.5/10

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned…
3. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

★ 8.4/10

A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.
4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

★ 8.1/10

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs…
5. Akira (1988)

★ 7.9/10

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.
6. Die Hard (1988)

★ 7.8/10

NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her offices Christmas Party, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists…
7. Rain Man (1988)

★ 7.8/10

When car dealer Charlie Babbitt learns that his estranged father has died, he returns home to Cincinnati, where he discovers that he has a savant older brother named Raymond and that his father's $3 million fortune is…
8. Mississippi Burning (1988)

★ 7.7/10

Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in…
9. The Big Blue (1988)

★ 7.5/10

Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy-adventure. Jacques and Enzo are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving…
10. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

★ 7.5/10

'Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead…
11. A Case of Honor (1988)

★ 7.5/10

A Case of Honor is a 1991 film directed by Eddie Romero. After escaping from a Vietnamese pow camp where they had suffered for five years, five American soldiers attempt to get out of the country before being spotted…
12. Beetlejuice (1988)

★ 7.4/10

A newly dead New England couple seeks help from a deranged demon exorcist to scare an affluent New York family out of their home.
13. They Live (1988)

★ 7.3/10

A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
14. Heathers (1988)

★ 7.3/10

A girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.
15. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

★ 7.3/10

When the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
16. School on Fire (1988)

★ 7.3/10

A young schoolgirl, Yuen Fong becomes caught in a tragic stranglehold of triad activity after she testifies in court over a triad beating. When this news reaches the triad leader Brother Smart, Yuen Fong must pay him…
17. Big (1988)

★ 7.2/10

When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside…
18. The Land Before Time (1988)

★ 7.2/10

An orphaned brontosaurus named Littlefoot sets off in search of the legendary Great Valley. A land of lush vegetation where the dinosaurs can thrive and live in peace. Along the way he meets four other young dinosaurs…
19. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

★ 7.2/10

While a diamond advocate attempts to steal a collection of diamonds, troubles arise when he realises he’s not the only one after the collection.
20. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

★ 7.2/10

Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas -- despite his protestations that love, not violence, is the path to…
21. Midnight Run (1988)

★ 7.2/10

A bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.
22. Ariel (1988)

★ 7.1/10

A Finnish man goes to the city to find a job after the mine where he worked is closed and his father commits suicide.
23. Willow (1988)

★ 7.0/10

The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with…
24. Bloodsport (1988)

★ 7.0/10

An American Army Major goes AWOL to Hong Kong for an outlawed martial arts contest called the Kumite.
25. Elvis '56 (1988)

★ 7.0/10

The year Elvis Presley went from rising star to pop culture sensation is chronicled through rare footage, interviews and that pelvis-gyrating music.
26. Coming to America (1988)

★ 6.9/10

An African prince decides it’s time for him to find a princess... and his mission leads him and his most loyal friend to Queens, New York. In disguise as an impoverished immigrant, the pampered prince quickly finds…
27. Scrooged (1988)

★ 6.8/10

Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life. But after firing a staff member on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series…
28. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)

★ 6.8/10

Both Dhanraj Singh and Randhir Singh are two bitter and old time enemies. They faced a disastrous situation when their children, Raj and Rashmi fall deeply in love. They openly declare their hatred for one another and…
29. Young Guns (1988)

★ 6.7/10

A group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted.
30. Oliver & Company (1988)

★ 6.7/10

A young cat named Oliver is left alone in a kitten box, while all the other young cats have new owners. A big dog named Dodger shows him how to get food and later Oliver lives with him, his owner Fagin and Fagin's…
31. Frantic (1988)

★ 6.7/10

The wife of an American doctor suddenly vanishes in Paris. To find her, he navigates a puzzling web of language, locale, laissez-faire cops, triplicate-form filling bureaucrats and a defiant, mysterious waif who knows…
32. Oh, Moon! (1988)

★ 6.7/10

Eleven-year-old Yekta lives in a crumbling island mansion with her strict aunts and ailing grandfather, yearning for her absent mother. As dreams and surreal visions shape her solitude, she sets out in search of a…
33. Working Girl (1988)

★ 6.6/10

When a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss' job.
34. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

★ 6.6/10

Aliens disguised as clowns crash land on Earth in a rural town to capture unsuspecting victims in cotton candy cocoons for later consumption.
35. Stubborn (1988)

★ 6.6/10

While the dam project will be expropriated, Yellow poplar and Long poplar villages are included in the expropriation. Although this is supposed to protect the confidentiality, a member of the commission sells this…
36. Cocoon: The Return (1988)

★ 6.5/10

The reinvigorated elderly group that left Earth comes back to visit their relatives. Will they all decide to go back to the planet where no one grows old, or will they be tempted to remain on Earth?
37. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

★ 6.4/10

Confined to a mental hospital, young Kirsty Cotton insists her supposedly dead father is stuck in hell, controlled by sadomasochistic demons after being betrayed by his evil, occult-obsessed wife, Julia. Few believe…
38. Brumal (1988)

★ 6.4/10

Adriana and her mother left Brumal, a strange and remote village, and moved to the city while still a child. Once Adriana's mother dies, she's marked by memories and intense nostalgia for her hometown, and returns to…
39. Rambo III (1988)

★ 6.2/10

Combat has taken its toll on Rambo, but he's finally begun to find inner peace in a monastery. When Rambo's friend and mentor Col. Trautman asks for his help on a top secret mission to Afghanistan, Rambo declines but…
40. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

★ 6.2/10

Michael returns to Haddonfield for Jamie Lloyd – the orphaned daughter of Laurie Strode – and her babysitter Rachel. Can Dr. Loomis stop him before the unholy slaughter reaches his innocent young niece?
41. Red Heat (1988)

★ 6.2/10

A tough Russian policeman is forced to partner up with a cocky Chicago police detective when he is sent to Chicago to apprehend a Georgian drug lord who killed his partner and fled the country.
42. Iron Angels 2 (1988)

★ 6.2/10

Mona, Billy and Elaine are a tough trio known as the "Angels." While they are on vacation in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), they find out that one of Billy's school-chums is now a gun-runner plotting a revolution in Malaysia…
43. Cocktail (1988)

★ 6.1/10

After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin, who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his…
44. Twins (1988)

★ 6.0/10

Julius and Vincent Benedict are the results of an experiment that would allow for the perfect child. Julius was planned and grows to athletic proportions. Vincent is an accident and is somewhat smaller in stature…
45. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

★ 5.9/10

Freddy Krueger is resurrected from his apparent demise, and rapidly tracks down and kills the remainder of the Elm Street kids. However, Kristen, who can draw others into her dreams, wills her special ability to her…
46. Crocodile Dundee II (1988)

★ 5.8/10

Australian outback expert protects his New York love from gangsters who've followed her down under.
47. Picture of a Nymph (1988)

★ 5.6/10

Shih Erh, a Taoist monk disciple, takes in a scholar named Tsui Hung-Chuen after he inadvertently burned down his house after battling a demon. Shih Erh and his master Wu Men-Chu house and attempt to protect Tsui from…
48. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

★ 5.5/10

Tina Shepard, a telekinetic teenage girl, accidentally unchains Jason from his watery grave, allowing him to go on another killing spree in the area.