Our Favorite Summer Blockbusters
Jeff Krause
It’s summer and that means it’s summer blockbuster time. With theaters opening again after the pandemic, we’ll soon be able to pony up big bucks for tickets and popcorn and catch that expensive, must-see movie the way it was supposed to be seen. In the spirit of summer here is a list of our favorite summer blockbusters.
There are many things that make a movie a blockbuster. They are big budget, appeal to mass audiences, make lots of money, become cultural phenomena and are remembered for years. Our list is not quantitative. This isn’t the list of highest grossing blockbusters. Its more about those blockbusters that we consider classics and have watched many times over the years. In keeping with our classic theme, our selections were all released at least thirty years ago. Without that restriction, a strong argument could be made for several films, including Jurassic Park (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).
Jaws (June 20, 1975)
The very first summer blockbuster is still our favorite. Jaws set the standard for future summer blockbusters. It was big budget, heavily advertised and was the highest grossing film of 1975. Adjusted for inflation, it is still among the highest grossing films of all time, and it still makes us afraid to go into the water. It has a little bit of everything. It’s full of suspense as we hear dun dun, dun dun and know the shark is about to strike. The scenes on the boat transition seamlessly from thrills to drama to comedy to terrifying suspense. It’s even set during summer in a small seaside community dependent on summer tourism for its survival. How can we not put Jaws at the top of our summer blockbuster list and how can we not make it one of our featured reviews this month?
STAR WARS Episode IV A New HOpe (May 25, 1977)
If Jaws created the summer blockbuster, Star Wars perfected it. Stars Wars had everything that makes a summer blockbuster. It was an instant cultural phenomenon and remains one to this day. It spawned an amazingly successful franchise that, so far, includes eleven feature films, several animated features and a highly successful television series. Star Wars fans have also bought up countless action figures, toy light sabers and every possible form of collectible. For a simple “unknown boy becomes legendary hero” story, the franchise has earned an incredible amount of money. In addition, Star Wars made sci-fi mainstream and paved the way for sci-fi and superhero films to dominate any list of blockbusters over the last 20 years.
Raiders of the lost ark (June 12, 1981)
There are some movies that you can watch over and over again and see something new every time. Raiders of the Lost Ark is not one of those films. Raiders is a movie that many people know from beginning to end and watch it repeatedly because it is one of the most enjoyable movies ever made. Raiders is enjoyable because it appeals to nearly everyone. It has religion, history, exotic locations, adventure, romance, comedy and action. Harrison Ford was already a big star thanks to Star Wars and the Empire Strikes back. Raiders made him a superstar and a household name, and he has been one of Hollywood’s brightest stars ever since.
Alien (May 25, 1979) and aliens (July 18, 1986)
Both Alien and Aliens were summer blockbusters. It’s so hard to choose between them that we’re going to lump them together. The movies form a continuous story, but they are very different. Alien is a dark, suspenseful thriller where the crew of a spaceship responds to what they think is a distress call and discover too late that it was a warning. Only one crew member survives to continue the story in Aliens where a greedy corporation sends a squad of space marines to check out the same location. Aliens turns into a non-stop action film as the alien decimates the marines until the original survivor kills the Alien queen in dramatic fashion.
Alien and Aliens were released seven years apart and the differences between the movies reflects how movies changed to blockbuster mode very quickly once the formula proved successful. Alien looks low budget, is focused on the characters and is a noir–like psychological thriller that leaves us feeling uneasy. Aliens looks expensive, is focused on special effects and has us cheering when the alien is finally destroyed.
blade runner (June 25, 1982)
Blade Runner is not an obvious pick for a summer blockbuster list. It was intended to be one and had all of the familiar elements. It was expensive ($28 million), featured a major star (Harrison Ford) and was part of the newly popular genre made for blockbusters (sci-fi). It did not quite work out that way. Blade Runner grossed only $6 million during its opening weekend and barely broke even with a U.S. box office gross of $32 million. So, why does it make our list? Blade Runner makes this list because it is a beautifully done film. If it had been created forty years earlier, it may very well be considered a noir classic. Instead, it is a sci-fi classic with a lot to say about humanity as Harrison Ford struggles with his mission to destroy several escaped androids that seem all too human.
