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- quadvods, on 09/06/2008, -1/+55Screw you page-hit whore maxim designer!
10. 1993
We were always taught that dinosaurs once ruled the earth, but we didn´t really believe it until we saw a towering T.rex laying waste to a Ford Explorer in Steven Spielberg´s CGI masterpiece Jurassic Park. After our 30th viewing (we were still virgins), we finally moved on to more contemporary fare, like thrillers The Fugitive, The Firm, and In the Line of Fire and action-adventure romps like Cliffhanger and Sleepless in Seattle. Man, we loved that last one.
9. 1989
Besides giving us suitable sequels to both Ghostbusters and Lethal Weapon and juicing up the Indiana Jones series with The Last Crusade (hear that, George? Last Crusade!), the ´80s went out on a high note, thanks to James Cameron’s The Abyss (whose morphing water creature was James Cameron’s dry run for the badass T-1000 in Terminator 2) and Tim Burton´s Batman, a then-dark, gothic take on the masked vigilante that took nearly 20 years to to top.
8. 1999
Ninety-nine was supposed to be the summer of Star Wars, but after Lucas botched the franchise´s all but guaranteed triumphant return, we were left with nothing, right? Wrong. In The Phantom Menace´s disappointing wake, we got sleeper hits like The Sixth Sense; The Matrix; and the scariest low-budget horror film of all time, The Blair Witch Project.
7. 1982
Set out to plan a "cult hit summer," and you still won´t beat ´82. The third chapter in Sly Stallone´s illiterate-leg-breaker-cum-heavyweight-champ franchise Rocky introduced Mr. T and Hulk Hogan to the Balboa mythos just two weeks before E.T. acquainted us with the heart-wrenching tale of a young boy and his grody alien pal. Fast Times at Ridgemont High not only provided us the hottest bikini scene of our pre-pre-prepubescence, but also the rarest of Hollywood sightings: a tolerable Sean Penn. So spoiled were moviegoers that summer that they completely ignored Harrison Ford´s inevitable sci-fi classic Blade Runner, which would only be truly appreciated years later.
6. 1984
Temple of Doom is better than you remember, and it headlined a summer of supernatural cinema. Highlights included three wack-job paranormal pest controllers in Ghostbusters; thousands of cute, puffy fur balls that morphed into demonic, bloodthirsty gremlins in, uh, Gremlins; and one middle-age teen who, with the help of an old strange man and no inappropriate touching, discovered the metaphysical link between waxing old jalopies and thrashing bouffant bullies in The Karate Kid.
5. 1987
It can be argued that Spaceballs begat the unimaginative blockbuster-spoof genre typified by Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans, but no one could deftly cram one year of pop culture into a movie like Mel Brooks. Add action-franchise kick-starters Predator and Robocop, Vietnam epic Full Metal Jacket, Sean Connery´s Oscar turn in The Untouchables, and one of Eddie Murphy´s last funny roles in Beverly Hills Cop II, and you´ve got nearly all of the "fall back" movies in your DVD collection.
4. 1981
Not only did Raiders of the Lost Ark teach us that old stuff is cool, but it was also nominated for Best Picture (somehow, we doubt Crystal Skull will follow suit). And if that wasn´t enough education for a summer, we also learned that booze-dependent deadbeats could finish first thanks to gut-busters Arthur and Stripes. Finally, Escape From New York confirmed our suspicions that Manhattan is indeed a dystopian prison and that Kurt Russell is the coolest man on earth.
3. 1986
So powerful was Top Gun´s grip on our formative years that we still rock our youth-size aviator jacket, refusing to respond to anything but our call sign (Stork). And if a blockbuster that deftly captured the homoeroticism of naval aviation wasn´t enough, the summer of ´86´s wondrous womb also birthed Aliens; Ferris Bueller´s Day Off; Big Trouble in Little China; Labyrinth; and the lone proof that Rebecca Romijn´s bridegroom Jerry O´Connell was once a tubby dumpster, Stand by Me.
2. 2008
That Batman and his nemesis the Joker blew $500 million worth of minds (and counting) in the Oscar-worthy The Dark Knight alone makes 2008 a summer for the history books. But that audiences and fan boys alike were gifted with the unbridled fun of Iron Man; the surprise punch of franchise-reboot The Incredible Hulk; more Downey brilliance in Tropic Thunder; and a long-anticipated return of everyone´s favorite geriatric archeologist, Indiana Jones, easily makes this the movie summer of the decade.
1. 1980
While you were but a nagging itch in your old man´s Jockeys, the summer of ´80 was yielding Stanley Kubrick´s masterwork of pants-***** horror The Shining; the greatest installment in the Star Wars franchise (Empire, duh); Airplane; Superman II; and the only SNL-alumni comedies worth a crap, The Blues Brothers and Caddyshack. - Thepack1138, on 09/07/2008, -2/+23Seems like Harrison Ford owns the summer.
- HallenbeckJoe, on 09/07/2008, -4/+17What about 2003?
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Pirates of the Caribbean, X-Men 2, The Italian Job
plus: Matrix Reloaded, Finding Nemo, The Recruit, Life of David Gale
THIS was a great movie summer! - DownIsTheNewUp, on 09/07/2008, -0/+4Exactly. There have been major hit movies for decades, but the "summer blockbuster" didn't surface until Jaws.
- inactive, on 09/07/2008, -0/+4I dugg you up because Speed Racer is a great family film.
My favorite family film of the summer; I loved Wall-E too but it was more of a 'Pink Panther' type of short. - opticwind, on 09/07/2008, -2/+6If it makes you feel better, I did not even exist.
- Earendil1, on 09/07/2008, -4/+82. 2008!?!?!? WTF
- Rimher, on 09/07/2008, -2/+5Dugg of Blues Brothers #1
- phogasmic, on 09/07/2008, -1/+4I hate Slideshows. Maxim you are a page hit whore.
- DailyRich, on 09/07/2008, -2/+5Return of the King came out in December.
1982 also had Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Conan the Barbarian, Poltergeist, Tron, and The Road Warrior. That year should be #1 in a cakewalk. - solidus636, on 09/07/2008, -1/+4Dude...you're ten?...
- Halsfield, on 09/07/2008, -2/+4i thought 1982 was the biggest blockbuster summer as far as quality of movies and blockbusteryness. rocky, blade runner, fast times, and e. t . huge huge movies that everyone should have on their dvd shelf/hard drive(that doesnt mean torrent them). The other summers had big movies too but i kinda thought most of those only had 1-2 movies that were really amazing and then the other 2 were kinda ho-hum. example 2008/1999. crystal skull was awful, episode I was probably the worst rated star wars movie ever and the only reason most people saw it was simply to know how the story began and led to clone wars.
- goreyend, on 09/07/2008, -1/+3Sadly i think your right
- rnelsonee, on 09/07/2008, -1/+3Gone With The Wind wasn't released in the summer.
Mr Smith Goes to Washington wasn't released in the summer.
Stagecoach wasn't released in the summer.
Ninotchka wasn't released in the summer.
Gunga Din wasn't released in the summer.
Of Mice and Men wasn't released in the summer.
Jesse James wasn't released in the summer.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame wasn't released in the summer.
Now, Wizard of Oz was released in late August, and Wuthering Heights was April, and Goodbye Mr Chips (never heard of it) was released in May. So there were three summer movies, only one or two of which are fun (comedy or action) movies you normally associate with summer blockbusters. - t0spmad, on 09/07/2008, -3/+51939
Gone With The Wind (AFI #4)
The Wizard of Oz (AFI #6)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (AFI #29)
Stagecoach (AFI #63)
Wuthering Heights (AFI #73)
Ninotchka
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Gunga Din
Of Mice and Men
Jesse James
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - tempurasama, on 09/07/2008, -0/+2It's a List of SUMMER FILMS... hardly the sophisticated dramas that you would like to watch. Relax and enjoy.
- stbs4clk, on 09/07/2008, -0/+2Get off my lawn!
- lacrimosa2008, on 09/07/2008, -0/+11986 called...it wants its movie posters back!
No, seriously: 1986 FTW°! - ry4nsm1th, on 09/07/2008, -0/+1No I'm not 10.
- riptor666, on 09/07/2008, -0/+1I think most people missed the Matrix in theaters, I've only had the pleasure of watching it on DVD. I'd have to say 1993 showed the pinnacle of best special effects with Jurassic Park, more than 15 years later the CGI seems to have gotten worse and cheesier. Not only that but storytelling for the most part is thrown out the window. I agree on 2008 being a big year Dark Knight was a big surprise, Pnneaple Express, Tropic Thunder and Step Brothers were pretty damn funny, Iron Man kicked ass. I can't recall a summer where I've had to see a new movie just about every week.
- inactive, on 09/07/2008, -0/+1As a teenager in 1982, it rocked.
Poltergeist, The Thing, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan weren't mentioned. - bagboyrebel, on 09/07/2008, -0/+1I still don't understand why people here hated Indy 4 so much, apparently CG gophers for a couple minutes at the beginning of a movie can ruin it. Haven't seen Pineapple Express or Tropic Thunder yet but I want to, and I agree with all of the other movies on your list, even Death Race.
- opticwind, on 09/07/2008, -2/+3My pick goes to 1980. Empire Strikes Back, Blues Brothers, and the Shining? Iron Man is a great action movie but it has more charisma than actual substance.
- sevenalive, on 09/07/2008, -0/+1get off digg while you can
- r00fus, on 09/07/2008, -0/+1KHAAAAAAAAAAN!!!
- NinjaJoshy, on 09/07/2008, -1/+2Agreed. They should stick to listing movies that were good.
- gettarat, on 11/25/2008, -0/+1Dugg of Blues Brothers #1
http://blockbusternewreleases.org/ - CleoQKazoo, on 09/08/2008, -0/+1people remembering movies that old dont know how to use the internet
- Steeeeve1, on 09/07/2008, -0/+1I hope maxim figures out soon they're losing hits because people want to actually do more reading than clicking. Thanks for that.
- thelimopit, on 09/07/2008, -2/+2How is the Matrix a sleeper hit? It had a $63million budget!
- paperthin0, on 09/07/2008, -1/+11999? that's funny considering the matrix came out in march of that year. came out on my birthday. way to go research!
- Lazn0r, on 09/07/2008, -5/+5No.
- Spideristic, on 09/07/2008, -2/+2BTTF2 was also released in 1989
- dmoontown5, on 09/08/2008, -0/+0AlphaAlchy.com, the premier site for alcohol lovers WorldWide!!!
- Iztikeit, on 09/07/2008, -3/+2This list just sucks.
- Brodie321, on 09/07/2008, -4/+3WTF Maxim? Nothing before 1980? Did they not release movies in the summer before then? Buried for Maxim having their heads buried in their asses.
- Iztikeit, on 09/07/2008, -4/+3Maybe the best list for 20-30 somethings who have no idea what good cinema is.
1980 seemed pretty good, though.
The fact this list never dips earlier is proof there were no film aficionado working on this article. - DarkoKun, on 09/07/2008, -6/+5I think maybe Pineapple express should of took the place of Indiana Jones for 2008.
- sakuraz, on 09/07/2008, -3/+1FOR ME TO POOP ON
- tempurasama, on 09/07/2008, -5/+3For all the summers at the theatres that I've experienced, 2008 is easily the best.
It started for me with Forbidden Kingdom, which I thought was the perfect movie for the two stars: Jackie Chan and Jet Li, to unite. It was not only a good Martial Arts movie, but it includes a lot of philosophies of the two stars, and it included some great fight scenes, both in Jackie's and Jet's style.
Then came Iron man, which I thought was better than The Dark Knight... only by a tiny bit. I just like the dry humor coming out of Downey Jr. And I thought all the scenes where he put together his suits are just plain cool. The writing was not as sophisticated, or as deep as TDK, but it was just as enjoyable.
Then came Speed Racer, easily my favorite film of the summer. I love Wachowski's revolutionary film making, and I thought it was the perfect adaptation of the cartoon.
The Dark Knight punctuated mid summer like no other films, and I don't need to tell you how great it was.
This is a very unpopular opinion, but I loved Indy 4. I thought it was extremely enjoyable, and Spielberg is at the top of his game directing wise. Writing kinda fell a bit short, but it was an extremely fun film.
Pineapple Express busted my guts. So did Tropic Thunder.
And here's another unpopular opinion, but my summer ended with a huge bang with Death Race, which I enjoyed immensely. I liked the fact it was all shot for real, and I like Anderson's enthusiasm and energy. I also like the film's no nonsense approach to unapologetic action genre.
SO there... 2008... great summer. - ry4nsm1th, on 09/07/2008, -7/+4There is no way I was only five years old when Jurassic Park came out. O.o
- inactive, on 09/07/2008, -5/+2Dugg for movies!
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