Top 10 Summer Blockbusters (And Where to Watch Them)

The theater experience took a gap year, but the summer movie season is formally kicking off this weekend with A Quiet Place Part II. We don’t mind your tardiness, summer movies. We’re just glad you’re here.

To commemorate this monumental moment, I wanted to list my favorite summer blockbusters of the last 40 years. Obviously, dozens of worthy summer flicks could serve as the centerpiece for a cool summer evening, but I’ve built some strict rules to narrow down a top 10. All you need is some popcorn, a free evening, and a friend with both an 80” TV and Sonos surround sound (not sponsored, but would like to be).

The rules:

The film must have been released during the summer blockbuster season, which sadly excludes Top 10 material like The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings.
Only one film per director or franchise is permitted, otherwise this list would just be a ranking of Steve Spielberg movies. Apologies to Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan…you get the idea.
Visuals and sound are prioritized; the louder the movie, the more deserving of a summer watch. That means this list, by default, is largely action and adventure movies. No offense to summer hall-of-famers like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Hangover, and Toy Story 3. Maybe have more explosions next time.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – Ignore the bad taste of the four progressively worse sequels and remember how fun this movie was. The series would eventually overstay it’s welcome, but this initial installment charmed and thrilled 2003 audiences. In fact, the flaws of sequels highlight just what made this first film work so well: the complications, twists, and backstabbing never felt convoluted—just exciting! The villains, led by a scenery-chewing Geoffrey Rush, have a clear agenda and a sense of urgency, and Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow—later placed front and center in the series due to his popularity—was part of the ensemble. We would learn how old Depp’s schtick would get in the spotlight, but as a recurring character who played off his co-leads, Depp’s Sparrow is funny, unique, and supremely rewatchable. Hell, it landed Depp an Oscar nomination! Revisit this one. It’s a great time. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is rated PG-13, runs 153 minutes, and is available to stream on Disney+.

9. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) – I personally prefer other entries in this franchise, but Fallout is universally praised as the apex of this surprisingly durable franchise. It’s critical and commercial success busted the block so hard that it formally killed MoviePass (which was definitely not on it’s way out and was destined to live forever). What elevates the Impossible movies from being above-average, enjoyable action flicks? It has to be the visceral danger that accompanies megastar Tom Cruise as he rolls the dice with his life for our entertainment. What started off as a team-centric, Cold War-era, spy TV series from the 1960s has morphed into Cruise winking at death with ever-escalating stunts, and you know what? We want more, Tom. Tie yourself to a plane as it takes off. Learn to fly that helicopter. Personally scale the tallest building in Dubai. We agree to look past any other drama in your life, as long as every two years you keep shining that huge, shit-eating grin at the Grim Reaper. Mission: Impossible – Fallout is rated PG-13, runs 157 minutes, and is available to rent on Amazon Prime and Google Play.

8. Independence Day (1996) – Is there a more deserving summer blockbuster? The perfect marriage of 1980s camp and 1990s spectacle, this movie is loud, kind of dumb, and a great time. Director Roland Emmerich assembles a fantastic ensemble cast (with Will Smith’s megastar breakout), and delivers on the palpable sense of dread, satisfying destruction of major world landmarks, and thrilling aerial dogfights. Even the most ironic, mocking rewatch will give way to goosebumps during Bill Pullman’s title-declaring speech. Independence Day is rated PG-13, runs 145 minutes, and is available to stream on HBO Max.

7. Star Wars (1977) – You’re better off revisiting the superior and moodier sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, or possibly the sillier, action-packed Return of the Jedi, but we’ve got to give this spot to our first trip to a galaxy far, far away. This is arguably the most influential and consequential American film ever made, so what more needs to be said? The effects, revolutionary for the time, might feel dated 44 years later, but the thrill of the Death Star trench run or the universality of Luke Skywalker staring longingly into his twin sunset with John Williams’ swelling score? That’s timeless. Star Wars is rated PG, runs 121 minutes, and is available to stream on Disney+.

6. Back to the Future (1985) – What a movie! It’s Oscar-nominated screenplay is air-tight. The central idea is both original and universally relatable, milking the most comedy out of its premise without turning the whole movie into a one-note joke. But the true success of the film is the balancing act of its tone: heartwarming, cheeky, and exhilarating. This is in large part thanks to the chemistry and perfect casting of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. The behind-the-scenes drama, including one of the most infamous recasting episodes in Hollywood history, make the resulting movie feel even more like a lightning-in-a-bottle miracle. Back to the Future is rated PG, runs 116 minutes, and is available to stream on Netflix.

5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – James Cameron is teetering on becoming a joke with his decade-long fixation on multiple Avatar sequels, whose release dates are further delayed every year, but never forget: do not bet against James Cameron. Before directing Titanic and Avatar, two of the highest-grossing movies ever made, Cameron delivered one of the best sequels of all time. (And no, not Cameron’s other masterful sequel, 1986’s Aliens; there’s a reason this guy is a cinematic King Midas). Terminator 2’s groundbreaking visual effects still impress 30 years later, but wouldn’t work as well if the film didn’t deliver on the exhilarating and terrifying sequences, or the surprising amount of heart that Cameron imbues in his time-traveling sci-fi romp. But be warned: if you’ve never seen this, Cameron’s first Terminator is required viewing. It’s a double feature you won’t regret. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is rated R, runs 137 minutes, and is available to rent on Amazon Prime and Google Play.

4. The Dark Knight (2008) – Enough time has passed to reassess Nolan’s Batman trilogy with clearer critical eyes. You’re not just dubbed a contrarian if you point out obvious flaws with Nolan’s crowning film. Nolan likely would’ve delivered a satisfying follow-up to Batman Begins regardless, but the mesmerizing, unforgettable, Oscar-winning performance from Heath Ledger propels it to the upper echelons of essential viewing. Nolan’s insistence on prioritizing practical effects creates a tension and reality missing in most modern blockbusters. This is a gripping crime thriller dressed up as a Batman movie, whose cultural impact is still being felt over a decade later. The Dark Knight is rated PG-13, runs 152 minutes, and is available to stream on HBO Max.

3. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – This is probably the best action movie ever made. The plot is simple and stripped down. Drive here and drive back. That elementality doesn’t cheapen the movie, but enriches every aspect: the amazing practical stunts, gorgeous cinematography, and engrossing, nuanced performances. Creator and director George Miller, in revisiting his Max world after 27 years, takes everything he learned from that earlier Mel Gibson trilogy, and delivers on the creative, unspoken world-building and inventive, electrifying sequences. It’s pure adrenaline, and reminds you why you watch movies in the first place. Mad Max: Fury Road is rated R, runs 120 minutes, and is available to stream on HBO Max.

2. Avengers: Endgame (2019) – This may feel like a boring or predictable pick, but I don’t care. Endgame is the capstone to one of the most critically and commercially successful industry endeavors of the last 50 years. Yes, it’s arguably not so much of a movie as it is a series finale. But Marvel has a talent at packing enough humor and charm to keep new and passing fans entertained, along with all the Easter eggs and callbacks to reward the diehards. Directors Joe & Anthony Russo have crafted a perfect send-off to characters we’ve watched grow and evolve for the better part of a decade. Endgame meshes moods and tone beautifully: a somber, stakes-setting first act; a hilarious, greatest hits, victory lap for its second act; culminating in a satisfying, emotional, crowd-pleasing third act. It will never recapture the jubilance of seeing it in theaters for the first time, but it comes close. Avengers: Endgame is rated PG-13, runs 181 minutes, and is available to stream on Disney+.

1. Jurassic Park (1993) – It might be blasphemous to omit Jaws from a list like this. You can blame the 90s kid in me. Jurassic Park may not be Spielberg’s best movie, but it is his most purely entertaining. It’s a perfect movie. Spielberg spends just enough time with memorable characters, and imbues enough pseudo-science into the central premise, to invest us emotionally once we set loose on the adventure. A watershed moment for visual effects and the birthplace of computer-generated imagery, Jurassic delivers just as well as it did nearly 30 years ago. The childlike “Spielberg face” wonder of discovering the Park. The expert pacing and perfect tension of the T-Rex paddock sequence. The thrilling terror of the escalating finale. Take a Saturday and pair this with Jaws for a true summer double feature of ‘Jawsassic Park’ (term coined circa 2019). Jurassic Park is rated PG-13, runs 128 minutes, and is available to rent on Amazon Prime and Google Play.