Summer movies hold a special place in our hearts. That’s why we’ve collected and stored them on VHS shelves and in DVD wallets long ago. With delays of this summer’s hot movie releases from the “Avengers” and “Fast & Furious” franchises, now’s a good time to share the nostalgia from your favorite classic summer movies with the entire family. So spare the WiFi, and get ready for a blast from the past.
People ran from the beaches and into the movie theater when “Jaws” was released in 1975. When the shores felt safe again, long after John Williams’ ominous music stopped playing, movie stars flocked to the beach to film famous ’80s beach scenes, like Tom Cruise playing volleyball in “Top Gun,” “The Karate Kid” practicing the crane or Sylvester Stallone training to fight Mr. T in “Rocky III.”
The action of the ’80s wasn’t just on the beaches — classics like “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Die Hard” and “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” took us all across the world. And there’s no shortage of science-fiction spectacle in movies like “Back To The Future,” “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” E.T. was an undeniably cuddly star, but even “Aliens” and “Predator” stole the spotlight from Sigourney Weaver and Arnold Schwarzenegger before they later collided in “Alien vs. Predator” in the 2000s.
The summer movie experience wouldn’t be complete without a few laughs. Chevy Chase channels the frustrations of traveling with the Griswolds in “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” while Matthew Broderick skips school for a downtown Chicago joyride in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” You surely won’t be disappointed by the fly-high humor of “Airplane!,” and you know who you’re gonna call if you need some ghostly gags from “Ghostbusters.”