Re: Choose The Best Summer Movie Season ('89-'06)
Of the years listed in the original post, I think 1994 is the most consistent with Forrest Gump, The Lion King, and The Mask, and Speed being the summer releases from that year that I loved most at the time and still enjoy just as much today. The year I remember with the most reverence, however, is 1997. Men In Black, My Best Friend's Wedding, and Face/Off, are some of my favourites from teenage years and will always have some nostalgia value for me. I thought the most satisfying heavily hyped summer movie was X2, as I was excited about it for three years and it gave me exactly what I wanted and more, unlike the Spider-Man and Batman sequels. Spider-Man 2 may be more epic and mature (and generally regarded as better than X2), but I thought X2 was much leaner and better paced (until the end) so I still like it more.
I was too young to be aware of T2 and the hype surrounding it when it came out, but I've watched it many times in recent years and wouldn't argue with anyone calling it the greatest summer blockbuster of the 90s. I think it's one of the most confidently directed movies I've ever seen, with impeccable choices made by a director who seems to know exactly what he wants to do and how to do it perfectly for maximum effect, and it never ceases to enthrall me. Everything about it from the direction, to the writing, to the acting, to the cinematography and music is just mesmerizing every time.
Probably the only uber-hyped summer film to exceed expectations and spectacle meters.
