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Was 1982 the best summer movie season ever? Fans have thoughts

Carpenter, Spielberg, and Scott, oh my.

Blade Runner
Image via Warner Bros.

Every summer has its blockbuster, its golden boy, its must-see motion picture; 1981 had Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1986 had Top Gun, and 1975 started it all with the record-breaking success of Jaws.

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But there are some summers that spoil moviegoers absolutely rotten with the sheer selection on offer, and among the very top of this wealth of content was 1982, as pointed out by one Sean Fennessey on Twitter.

Indeed, 1982 brought us the likes of Rocky III, which saw the titular boxer step back into the ring to throw down against Clubber Lang with his former rival Apollo Creed backing him up, Ridley Scott’s legendary sci-fi flick that continues to spawn spinoffs to this very day, The Thing, John Carpenter’s masterclass in vomit-inducing practical effects and rebounding from negative reviews, and E.T., the heartwarming film about a lost alien that fared much worse on the Atari.

Fans were quick to step in with 1982 flicks of their own choosing, even if just for an easy laugh, which was the case with Airplane II, a crash-landing in comparison to its predecessor.

Another user cheated by granting themselves the month of May, so as to include the neo-noir comedy Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.

One other user challenged the tweet with a list of some of this year’s noteworthy summer releases.

Topping the summer of 1982 might be a hefty ask, but at the end of the day, movies are here to be enjoyed, not competed against. Speaking of which, fans can enjoy an exciting blockbuster lineup this summer, consisting of Elvis, Bullet Train, Nope, and, of course, Top Gun: Maverick.