This summer, Tim and I are diving deep into Summer 1982 because that season had a ridiculous amount of hits. It isn’t difficult to find articles about how important that year was to Blockbusters. Poltergeist, ET, Wrath of Khan, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, to name the big moneymakers came out, and flops that became classics like Blade Runner, The Thing, and Tron were released as well. Of those movies listed, five of those were released in the same month. If you went to a large enough multiplex on Saturday June 26, 1982 you would have to decide between Poltergeist, ET, Wrath of Khan, Blade Runner, and The Thing. Being more of a horror guy, I’m either seeing Poltergeist or the Thing, but that is still not an easy decision. The average person is probably seeing ET, and I don’t blame them. The idea of picking any movie at a cinema and it be a classic is hard to fathom, even if people wouldn’t know it at the time. Let’s take a moment to reflect on how important June 1982 was to genre film.
These movies really play up the magic and spectacle of cinema. Generally, I have not been the biggest proponent of “special effects” movies. This probably has more to do with me having grown up in the 1990s, when many effects leaden films were lacking in story. These five films for the most part have a strong story whose effects enhance it, instead of merely showcasing. The Thing in particular is still considered by many to be the apex of practical effects, but I think its staying power is because of how well those effects go with story. Same with Poltergeist.
I don’t know if there has ever been so many sci-fi films on the marquee at one time, or genre films in general. On top of that, they are profoundly influential films. Each of these would go on to inspire many filmmakers. Blade Runner‘s overall bleak techno-grim style would influence dozens of dystopia films. To put it somewhat crassly: June 1982 might be the most important month in the history of Nerd. I don’t think Stranger Things, and all of its geeky wonders, would exist were it not for that one month 40 years ago.
I am not exactly nostalgic for this time. I wasn’t there, for one thing, but I do lament that we will probably never have a month like this again for quite some time. I suppose one can never tell, I doubt movie-goers knew in 1982, especially since The Thing and Blade Runner were received so poorly back then. Some of this is how we watch movies now. Home video was booming then, so movies could have another life, and thus more revenue, after they left theaters. So perhaps studios would be more likely to take chances. This is how The Thing and Tron became cult classics, and to a different extent Blade Runner.
Lately, it seems that only “sure-fire” ideas make it to the cinemas, especially because physical media is less and less popular. Everything else goes to streaming, and that doesn’t pay like the box office. I’m not the first to bring that up. I think it is a huge step forward that streaming allows so many different kinds of films to find an audience, but it also changed what goes to the literal big screen. I think gone are the days where a film like Little Miss Sunshine can win over cinema-goers. I’m not saying this is the end of cinema here, there’s still great stuff coming out each week, but I will say I envy those who walked up to the box office in late June 1982 and had their pick of winners.
~Andrew