There have been so many great summer blockbusters, but I challenge you to prove Star Wars isn’t the best of them. Head down to the comments and prove me wrong if you can.
If you’re like me, the best part of summer isn’t the brilliant sunshine, the slight breeze caressing your skin, or the unspoken expectation to partake in physical activity. No, the real highlight is packing yourself into a darkened room full of people you’ve never met, remortgaging your home to pay for snacks, and watching the latest major blockbusters on the biggest screen possible.
When considering the greatest summer blockbuster of all time, there are only three realistic contenders. The first is Jaws – the 1975 Steven Spielberg movie that started the tradition in the first place. The second is Jurᴀssic Park, with Spielberg perfecting his own formula 18 years later. The real behemoth of summer blockbusters, however, has to be 1977’s Star Wars.
Two years after Jaws set the standard, George Lucas came along with nothing more than a script and a vision, then duly proceeded to take over the world. Is Star Wars a better movie than Jurᴀssic Park and Jaws? I think so. But is Star Wars a better summer blockbuster than Jurᴀssic Park and Jaws? I challenge you to say otherwise.
Head down to the comments and prove me wrong if you can, whether by sticking up for Steven Spielberg’s movies or bringing Marvel into the conversation. Challenge my GOAT, but be careful. You may have a rubber shark, a less-rubbery T-Rex, and a Hulk, but we have fleets of Star Destroyers, a killer moon space station, and an army of morally-confused killer monks.
Star Wars Is Exactly What A Summer Blockbuster Should Be
Naturally, summer movies must ooze broad appeal and mainstream accessibility, but the true hallmark of a perfect summer blockbuster is the capacity to be as dumb or as clever as each viewer requires. The casual pᴀsser-by looking for 2 hours of escapism, the family who saved up for their monthly movie, and the cinephile carrying a notebook must all exit the theater equally satisfied.
Despite being rated PG upon release, Jaws falls short of perfect marks in this respect, edging into horror territory that muddies its appeal for younger versions (or their parents, at least). Jurᴀssic Park finds a more pleasing balance, and is just as enjoyable to those who want gripping adventure as it is to those examining the moral subtext of cloning and man’s obsession with playing god.
Star Wars started a mythology so vast that barely-visible patrons of Mos Eisley are still being written about decades after the fact.
Even so, where to pick apart those two strands of Jurᴀssic Park‘s cinematic DNA isn’t always obvious. Star Wars, on the other hand, got promoted to “master of the summer blockbuster formula” with such ease, some say Anakin Skywalker can still be heard complaining about it.
Audiences can enjoy the thrilling space battles, the special effects, the spare-faring heroism, and John Williams’ sweeping score, but when the season changes and it’s time to rewatch George Lucas’ sci-fi epic on VHS in the cold of winter, one can appreciate the thinly-veiled political commentary and the comparisons to Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress.
Of course, Star Wars also started a mythology so vast that barely-visible patrons of Mos Eisley are still being written about decades after the fact. Star Wars‘ unrivaled ability to offer a level of depth to suit any and all viewers is the chief reason I simply cannot look past it as the perfect summer blockbuster.
The Generational Legacy Of Star Wars Cements It As The Perfect Summer Blockbuster
Any movie can become the best summer blockbuster of a single year. That depends merely on the quality of opposition, so anything released against some generic animated sequel and Misguided Attempt to Adapt Popular Video Game Franchise #37 will be guaranteed victory. A truly great summer blockbuster is one that remains relevant summer after summer.
All three of our candidates – Jaws, Jurᴀssic Park, and Star Wars – are rites of pᴀssage for young film fans, just as popular today as they’ve ever been. But Star Wars is the only one that many parents actively pᴀss onto their children. My own first exposure to the galaxy far, far away came when my dad took me to the theatrical re-releases in the 1990s.
Star Wars is the greatest summer blockbuster ever put to film, and I challenge you to prove otherwise.
30 years later, I’m subtly dropping The Clone Wars episodes between installments of Bluey in preparation for the day I finally sit down with my own child to watch the 1977 movie together, thus beginning the journey of a lifetime. Jaws and Jurᴀssic Park are great, but neither inspires quite the same sensation of pᴀssing the torch.
Fans who experienced that initial excitement in the summer of 1977 felt the urge to give their children the same feeling of cinematic joy years later. Those children are now doing the same for their children. As Luke Skywalker almost said, “My child is a Star Wars fan, like my father before me.”
The power of Star Wars‘ impact as a summer blockbuster, the emotion of it, the awe and wonder, the invitation to join a sprawling cinematic universe – none of that will ever die. It will pᴀss from generation to generation, and very likely outlast the concept of a summer blockbuster itself.
When watching Jaws or Jurᴀssic Park for the very first time becomes a multi-generational bonding event for countless fans, we can talk. Until then, Star Wars is the greatest summer blockbuster ever put to film, and I challenge you to prove otherwise.
