42 iconic summer blockbuster films to revisit at home

With film releases delayed — in some cases indefinitely — summer has snuck up on us without much fanfare. Usually, around this time, big studios would be ready to roll out their multi-million summer blockbusters to make a fortune at the box office, but with cinema halls closed around the world, no such traditions are being observed. But, as we stay home, there are a massive host of iconic summer blockbusters to revisit, starting from the one that started the trend back in 1975. We take a look at 40 seasonal blockbusters released in the past four-and-a-half decades.

Jaws (1975): Now considered the first blockbuster ever created — and one of the best movies in history — Steven Spielberg’s classic ‘Jaws’ follows a man-eating great white shark that attacks beachgoers at a summer resort town, while a police chief, a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter try to put a stop to the horrors.

The Omen (1976): A supernatural horror where a young child dies shortly after his birth, and is replaced by his American diplomat father, without the knowledge of his wife. As violence and death follow, they eventually learn that he is the antichrist.

Grease (1978): Summer blockbusters don’t have to be action heavy and full of testosterone. ‘Grease’ is the perfect example of that. The musical rom com follows a group of working class teens who navigate teen stuff — from friendship and peer pressure to sacrifice and love. Starring John Travolta as greaser Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton John as transfer student Sandy Olsson.

Alien (1979): Ridley Scott’s sci fi horror has produced iconic moments. The crew of a commercial space ship encounter a deadly and aggressive extra-terrestrial creature, who they are trapped with. Sigourney Weaver leads the cast brilliantly.

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): The Indiana Jones franchise — about Dr Henry Walton ‘Indiana’ Jones Jr., a fictional professor of archeology — started here, with Harrison Ford in the lead, fighting a group of Nazis seeking the Ark of the Covenant. This marks yet another summer blockbuster helmed by Steven Spielberg, this time based on a story co-written by George Lucas (‘Star Wars’).

Blade Runner (1982): There’s something visually breathtaking about Ridley Scott’s 'Blade Runner', which arrived at a time when computer graphics weren’t as heavy duty as they are today. The sci-fi story follows a blade runner (Harrison Ford) who has to chase — and destroy — for replicants who stole a ship in space to come back to Earth to find their creator. (Trust us: you have to watch it to understand.)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982): One of our personal favourite blockbusters from Steven Spielberg on this list, E.T. is a tearjerker. Young boy Elliot befriends an alien named E.T., who is stranded on Earth, and helps him go home. The emotional concept was based on Spielberg’s own imaginary friend, who he created after his parents divorced in 1960.

Risky Business (1983): High school teen Joel Goodson is home alone in Chicago without his wealthy parents, hoping to have fun, but things spiral out of control in this coming-of-age comedy drama. Featuring Tom Cruise in his breakout role, wearing that famed white shirt and sliding around on his socks.

Back to the Future (1985): An American sci fi film starring Michael J Fox as the teen Marty McFly, who inadvertently travels thirty years back in time — from 1985 to 1955. He meets his future parents and becomes his mom’s romantic interest. Also featuring Christopher Lloyd as the eccentric Dr Emmett ‘Doc ‘Brown, the inventor of the time-traveling DeLorean car.

Top Gun (1986): Tom Cruise is lieutenant Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchel, a young naval aviator on the USS enterpriser who is given the oppurtunity to train at the US Navy’s Fighter Weapons School alongside his Radar Intercepter officer Nick Goose Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards).

Big (1988): This fantasy dramdey stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young kid who makes a wish to be ‘big’ and, overnight, finds his wish come true. ‘Big’ was a huge box office success — and critics adored it, too; Hanks’ performance was particularly praised, and earned a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars.

Ghost (1990): The romantic fantasy thriller, starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, follows a murdered young man (Swayze) who teams up with a reluctant psychic (Whoopie Goldberg) to save the life of his lover, who is in danger (Moore). Featuring that one scene — you know the one.

Dave (1993): This romcom starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver takes place after the US president goes into a coma. To avoid a political scandal, the owner of a temp agency who holds an uncanny resemblance to the prez — and has a side job impersonating him — is asked to appear in his place.

The Fugitive (1993): Nominated for seven Oscar awards, ‘The Fugitive’ follows Dr Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) after he is wrongly accused of murdering his wife; on the loose and target of a nationwide manhunt, he looks for the real killer.

Mrs Doubtfire (1993): Robin Williams was unforgettable as the recently divorced father posing as the female housekeeper in order to get closer to get to his kids. Williams was so great at pulling at our heartstrings and making us laugh in equal measure, and Sally Field was the ideal co-star.

In the Line of Fire (1993): Secret Service Agent Frank (Clint Eastwood) is taunted by calls from an obsessed former CIA assassin who knows a lot about him — including the fact that he failed to save President John F Kennedy. Frank is determined to keep history from repeating itself.

Jurassic Park (1993): Oh, Steven, do you ever rest? Spielberg strikes again with Jurassic Park, based on an eponymous 1990 novel, about a wealthy business man and a team of genetic scientists who create a park of resurrected dinosaurs. Of course, disaster ensues.

The Lion King (1994): A tear-jerker through and through, ‘The Lion King’ — about a young cub who must overcome his father’s death and grow into his own destiny, with the help of meerkat and warhog duo Timon and Pumbaa — is one of Disney’s highest grossing animations of all time.

Speed (1994): It won two Oscars and it starred a baby-faced Keanue Reeves and Sandra Bullock, stuck on a bus rigged by a sadistic bomber — if the bus’s speed ever dips below 50 miles per hour, the whole thing explodes. (Bonus: Reeves and Bullock both had a crush on each other during filming, but didn’t find out until more than a decade later, when they each revealed their feelings on Ellen’s talk show in separate interviews!)

Babe (1995): In this comedy drama, a pig named Babe is raised as livestock and wants to do the work of a sheepdog. It received seven Oscar nominations — including for Best Picture.

Independence Day (1996): Independence Day was a milestone in the history of summer blockbusters, changing the landscape for big budget disaster films. In the sci fi epic, several groups of people have to come together in the Nevada desert, after a global attack by an extraterrestrial race; they agree to launch an all-out counterattack on July 4 — Independence day. Starring Will Smith in the lead.

Face/Off (1997): In John Woo’s critically acclaimed action flick ‘Face/Off’, an FBI agent (John Travolta) and a terrorist (Nicolas Cage) assume each other’s physical identities.

Men in Black (1997): American pop culture and UFO conspiracy theories will have you believe that men in black are supposedly agents (dressed in black suits) affiliated with the government, who intimidate UFO witnesses to keep them quiet. This is the inspiration for the legendary comic book turned sci fi comedy film franchise MIB, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.

The Truman Show (1998): Jim Carrey stars in this sci-fi dramedy about an adopted man called Truman Burbank, who is unknowingly raised by a corporation inside a simulated television show watched by innumerable people. Upon discovering his reality, he tries to escape.

Armageddon (1998): In this sci-fi disaster flick from Michael Bay, NASA sends a group of deep-core drillers to stop a massive asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth. Bruce Willis leads the cast, which includes Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Live Tyler, Owen Wilson, Steve Buscemi and more. Critics weren’t loving Armageddon at first, but it was a massive box office hit, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1998.

Die Hard (1998): The action thriller starring Bruce Willis as NYPD detective lieutenant John McClane, ‘Die Hard’ is one of the most iconic ‘lone hero’ films, where the protagonist comes against seemingly insurmountable odds. It was also successful enough to launch a franchise.

Saving Private Ryan (1998): Steven Spielberg’s epic war drama is hard to stomach due to its violent nature, but it made huge impact when it released. Starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon and more, the film was known for its graphic and unflinching depiction of the Second World War. It is considered one of the greatest films ever made and laid out a blueprint for war films to come.

Shrek (2001): One of the most beloved modern day animations, Shrek features a mean lord who exiles fairytale creatures to a grumpy ogre’s swamp; meanwhile, the ogre, Shrek (Mike Myers), must go on a quest — with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) — to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz). The hilarious adventure comedy animation also holds a deeper message about vanity and self-esteem.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001): ‘Yer a wizard, Harry!’ If you haven’t delved into the Harry Potter franchise because you never had time: here’s your perfect chance. Based on JK Rowling’s best-selling children’s book series, it follows orphaned kid Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) who goes into a school of wizardry and forms lifelong friendships while fighting terrible evil that lurks.

Minority Report (2002): From the hands of Steven Spielberg, king of the summer blockbuster, comes the sci-fi action flick Minority Report. Set in 2054, a specialised police department called PreCrime (you can’t make this up) apprehends criminals based on foreknowledge provided by psychics — i.e. ‘precogs’. Tom Cruise stars as the Chief of PreCrime.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003): This swashbuckler, combining fantasy, action and comedy, is largely seen as the film (and eventually, franchise) that launched Johnny Depp as a leading box office man, thanks to his iconic depiction of the slurring, swaying and untrustworthy Captain Jack. Also starring Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.

Hairspray (2007): This feel-good musical rom com boasts a mega-cast that feels incredibly rare these days: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney and Nikki Blonsky. It follows teen dancer Tracy Turnblad who chases her dream on local TV show and pushes back against racial segregation.

Transformers (2007): The first film from from Michael Bay’s live action ‘Transformers’ franchise stars Shia LaBeouf as a teen Sam Witwicky, who is caught in the middle of a war between the good guys, the Autobots, and the bad guys, the Deceptions. The factions of alien robots can disguise themselves as machinery and vehicles.

The Dark Knight (2008): Heath Ledger’s unforgettable Joker is, arguably, the first thing you think of when this Christopher Nolan superhero franchise comes to mind — even before Christian Bale as Batman. ‘The Dark Knight’ surpassed $1 billion at the global box office and was the highest grossing film that year; it also received eight nominations at the Oscars, of which Best Supporting Actor was given, posthumously, to Ledger.

Up (2009): If you’ve seen Up, you have probably either ugly cried to it — or thought about ugly crying to it. The film follows an elderly widower, Carl, and a young boy Russell; Carl tries to follow his dream of seeing the wilds of South America, and fulfil a promise he made to his late wife, by tying thousands of balloons to his home. ‘Up’ was the first ever animated film to open the Cannes Filnm Festival.

How to Train Your Dragon (2010): In this heartwarming (and Oscar nominated) action adventure animation, Young Viking Hiccup aspires to hunt intruder dragons on behalf of his town — until he befriends a dragon, Toothless, and forms an unexpectedly strong bond with him.

Bridesmaids (2011): Paul Feig’s all-female comedy film took an axe to the idea that women can’t be funny. The R-rated flick, starring Kristen Wiig (also the film’s co-writer), Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey, it follows a competition between the maid of honour and bridesmaid over who the bride’s best friend is. Chaos follows. It earned two Oscar nominations and won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy; it also became the highest-grossing Judd Apatow-produced film to date.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011): A substance that is designed to help the brain repair itself, gives advance intelligence to chimpanzee named Caeser; passing on the treatment to an animal shelter full of apes, they lead an uprising against humanity. The beginning of a three-film franchise.

The Avengers (2012): Now that the Avengers saga as we know it is over, why not indulge in a bit of nostalgia and revisit the 2012 film that started it all? Once third-highest grossing film of all time (now still in the top 10), Avengers follows the world’s mightiest heroes as they attempt to stop Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.

The World’s End (2013): In this sci-fi comedy, five old friends reunite after 20 years in their hometown to finish an incomplete pub crawl. But they find themselves having to tend to bigger things, like saving mankind. Director Edgar Wright has a tendency for unusual comedy, and this film was no different.

Yesterday (2019): Not your typical ‘summer blockbuster’, 'Yesterday' tells the story of struggling musician Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), who, after an accident, finds out that he’s the only person who remembers who the Beatles are. So, he starts to sing their songs... and take credit for them. Also starring Lily James, Kate McKinnon and Ed Sheeran.

Extraction (2020) Chris Hemsworth’s bloody Netflix action flick ‘Extraction’ might be the closest thing we’ve had to a summer blockbuster this year. The thriller based on a graphic novel, follows a black ops mercenary on a mission to rescue the kidnapped son of an Indian drug-lord in Bangladesh. The film received mixed reviews for its plot and excess violence, but the action sequences — and Hemsworth’s performance — were a point of praise.