’80s Summer Blockbusters: Which One’s Your Favorite?

'80s summer blockbusters just hit different back in the day. So let's go back to those heady days and talk about some big movies.   I got the idea for this week's 12-Inch Poll after heading to the movies for the first time in over a year earlier this month. Like many people, the pandemic changed my relationship with movie theatres. In my case, I was already going to the movies less frequently before the pandemic. I didn't go at all during the pandemic, and now I only go if there's a movie I really want to see when it's out.   That made me think about what a drastic difference that is from when I was a kid growing up in the '80s. I feel like I went to the movies for EVERY big release back in the day. I'd hit the Showcase Cinema in Woburn (remember the old, green seats with the arms that detached?) or the Showcase Cinema in Revere (RIP). Either with my family or my friends, I was at the movies every other week.   And that's the thing: the releases were big back in those days. They were events. And you had to see them in theatres because there was no streaming. And even when home video came along, you'd still have to wait a pretty long time to see those big films. Home video was for re-watching: if you waited until it was on video to watch it for the first time, it was already spoiled. You'd missed the moment.   '80s Summer Blockbusters: Which One's Your Favorite? Let's recapture those moments. I used this Oscars blog post about summer blockbuster movies from the '80s as a jumping-off point. Now it's up to you to jump into my list, revisit the trailers from these '80s classics, and vote for your favorite. May the force be with you!