Can You Score 20/20 on the Ultimate 1980s Australasian Movies Trivia Quiz?

Answers at the bottom — no peeking!

Step into the rugged landscapes and gripping stories of 1980s Australasian cinema, from Australian outback epics to New Zealand’s bold independents. This 20-question quiz mixes easy warm-ups with tough brain-teasers — perfect for true fans. Grab a pen and see if you can ace it!

Questions

Question 1: In what year was the Australian film Breaker Morant released?

A. 1979
B. 1981
C. 1980
D. 1982

Question 2: Who directed the New Zealand road movie Goodbye Pork Pie?

A. Vincent Ward
B. Roger Donaldson
C. Geoff Murphy
D. Sam Pillsbury

Question 3: Which actor plays Max Rockatansky in Mad Max 2 (1981)?

A. Bryan Brown
B. Paul Hogan
C. Mel Gibson
D. Sam Neill

Question 4: What is the main antagonist creature in the Australian horror film Razorback?

A. Giant crocodile
B. Killer dingo
C. Massive wild boar
D. Vicious kangaroo

Question 5: Who plays the role of Mick ‘Crocodile’ Dundee in Crocodile Dundee?

A. Bryan Brown
B. Mel Gibson
C. Paul Hogan
D. Jack Thompson

Question 6: In Gallipoli, which historical event serves as the backdrop?

A. Vietnam War
B. Gallipoli campaign of World War I
C. Boer War
D. Korean War

Question 7: Who directed the New Zealand sci-fi film The Quiet Earth?

A. Roger Donaldson
B. Geoff Murphy
C. Vincent Ward
D. Ian Mune

Question 8: Which actor plays Jim Craig in The Man from Snowy River?

A. Kirk Douglas
B. Jack Thompson
C. Tom Burlinson
D. Sigrid Thornton

Question 9: What country is the setting for The Year of Living Dangerously?

A. Australia
B. New Zealand
C. Indonesia
D. Vietnam

Question 10: Who plays Rae Ingram in Dead Calm (1989)?

A. Sigourney Weaver
B. Nicole Kidman
C. Rachel Ward
D. Linda Kozlowski

Question 11: What vehicle do the protagonists primarily drive in Goodbye Pork Pie?

A. Ford Falcon
B. Holden Commodore
C. Vauxhall
D. Mini Cooper

Question 12: Who plays Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome?

A. Helen Morse
B. Tina Turner
C. Grace Jones
D. Noni Hazlehurst

Question 13: Which film features Nicole Kidman’s early starring role as Judy?

A. Dead Calm
B. BMX Bandits
C. Razorback
D. Turkey Shoot

Question 14: Who directed Smash Palace, a New Zealand drama about a father’s custody battle?

A. Geoff Murphy
B. Roger Donaldson
C. Peter Jackson
D. Costa Botes

Question 15: What is the primary conflict in the New Zealand film Utu?

A. Nuclear apocalypse
B. Maori Wars revenge
C. Sheep farming dispute
D. Gold rush feud

Question 16: Who directed Dead Calm?

A. George Miller
B. Phillip Noyce
C. Brian Trenchard-Smith
D. Peter Faiman

Question 17: In Vigil, what unusual event disrupts the rural New Zealand farm?

A. Earthquake
B. Plane crash
C. Flood
D. Bushfire

Question 18: What is Mick Dundee’s famous line about a knife in Crocodile Dundee?

A. “This is a knife.”
B. “That’s not a knife… this is a knife.”
C. “Knife? I prefer boomerangs.”
D. “My knife’s bigger than yours.”

Question 19: Which actor stars as the lead scientist Zac Hobson in The Quiet Earth?

A. Sam Neill
B. Bruno Lawrence
C. Temuera Morrison
D. Cliff Curtis

Question 20: Who directed Gallipoli?

A. Bruce Beresford
B. George Miller
C. Peter Weir
D. Simon Wincer

Answers

  1. C. 1980 — Breaker Morant premiered in 1980; 1979 was Mad Max, 1981 Gallipoli, and 1982 The Man from Snowy River.
  2. C. Geoff Murphy — Murphy helmed the 1981 NZ classic; Donaldson did Smash Palace, Ward Vigil.
  3. C. Mel Gibson — Gibson reprises Max from the 1979 original in this 1981 sequel; others star in different Aus films.
  4. C. Massive wild boar — The 1984 horror centres on a gigantic razorback pig; others are unrelated creatures.
  5. C. Paul Hogan — Hogan created and played Dundee in the 1986 hit; others are fellow Aus actors.
  6. B. Gallipoli campaign of World War I — The 1981 film depicts ANZAC soldiers at Gallipoli; others are different wars.
  7. B. Geoff Murphy — Murphy directed the 1985 sci-fi; Donaldson Smash Palace, Ward Vigil.
  8. C. Tom Burlinson — Burlinson is the young stockman in the 1982 film; Douglas plays his father.
  9. C. Indonesia — Peter Weir’s 1983 film is set in 1960s Jakarta; others are home countries.
  10. B. Nicole Kidman — Kidman stars opposite Sam Neill in the 1989 thriller; Ward in Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.
  11. D. Mini Cooper — The 1981 NZ film follows a stolen yellow Mini across the country; others are Aus icons.
  12. B. Tina Turner — Turner plays the Bartertown ruler in the 1985 sequel; others in different roles.
  13. B. BMX Bandits — Kidman’s breakout in the 1983 bike adventure; Dead Calm was later.
  14. B. Roger Donaldson — Donaldson directed the 1981 NZ custody drama; Murphy did Goodbye Pork Pie.
  15. B. Maori Wars revenge — The 1983 film depicts 1870s Maori uprising; others are different NZ plots.
  16. B. Phillip Noyce — Noyce directed the 1989 sea thriller; Miller did Mad Max films.
  17. B. Plane crash — Vincent Ward’s 1984 film starts with a plane crashing near the farm; others are natural disasters.
  18. B. “That’s not a knife… this is a knife.” — Iconic 1986 scene; others parody or misquote it.
  19. B. Bruno Lawrence — Lawrence leads as the lone survivor in the 1985 film; Neill in Dead Calm.
  20. C. Peter Weir — Weir directed the 1981 ANZAC drama; Beresford did Breaker Morant.

How did you do? Share your score in the comments and challenge your mates to beat it — true cinephiles only!