Top 5 iconic films every college student should see

By Tatianna Salisbury

Classics are exactly that: pieces of the cinematic universe so iconic and legendary that they have earned their own category of Netflix queues. Check out these top five classic movies every college student should see.

“Back to the Future” (1985)

Nearly everyone has wanted to achieve the exact level of Michael J. Fox’s coolness when they hit high school. Fox plays Marty McFly, a rock n’ roll bad boy with a “slacker” mentality, who accidentally goes back in time to the 1950s after a failed experiment alongside his friend and mentor Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd. Fox provided a lovable and charming take on the most haunting prospect facing the human race: the future. The film encourages audiences to remember the past, sit back and relax through the present and constantly try to improve the future.

“The Breakfast Club” (1985)

High school is full of stereotypes, self indulgent remarks and challenging authority. This film encompasses these three things perfectly. Molly Ringwald headlines as Claire, the popular princess, while Judd Nelson delivers an outlandish performance as Bender, the tough guy with a bad reputation. Anthony Michael Hall rounds the group out as the brainiac goody-two-shoes, obsessively reminding everyone not to leave their tables. This film is more than a cute teen comedy from the ‘80s — it’s a humorous and altogether real approach about what life is like for a teenager. There is life beyond the walls of Shermer High School; they just have to get through four years of it first.

“Superbad” (2007)

As people grow up, they outgrow certain things and into others. While they are anxious and excited for what’s ahead, they aren’t quite ready to leave behind what they have. The friendship between Seth, played by Jonah Hill, and Evan, played by Michael Cera, demonstrates the struggle of growing up. Hill and Cera perfectly capture the pain and heartbreak of leaving their best friend behind. Hill’s loud and obnoxious take on the character was a nice contrast to Cera’s hesitant and quiet manner. There’s a lot of crass, crude humor and casual F-bomb dropping, but the film’s value is worth its weight in Goldslick vodka.

“Hard Candy” (2005)

Ellen Page plays Hayley Stark, a bold and empowered 14-year-old girl who is a bit psychotic but earns audiences’ trust and sympathy. After all, she’s invited to the house of a possible pedophile and murderer, Jeff, played by Patrick Wilson. The film confronts uncomfortable subjects like rape and murder but with an artistic and poetic sensibility. It makes audiences chuckle, cringe, double-take and almost vomit in a matter of seconds.

“Kick-Ass” (2010)

This film has obscene amounts of swearing, gore and teenage hormones, making it the perfect film to round off the classics list. The characters were cast perfectly, from Nicolas Cage playing a Batman-esque hero named Big Daddy, to Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a curly-haired and sex-crazed high schooler desperately attempting to be cooler than he is. The film ushered in a new kind of superhero movie subgenre in which the audience and even the characters themselves debate if they really are super. The existential crisis coupled with the vicious amount of blood and gruesome deaths plastered on the screen in vivid colors make for a visually stunning piece of cinema.