Unforgettable Summer of ’82: The Year that Revolutionized Sci-Fi Cinema Forever!

There was an era, not too distant in the past or in a remote universe, when the summer cinema scene wasn’t overpopulated with forgettable fantasy and science-fiction tentpoles. During this time, studios and distributors hadn’t yet learned to place all their bets on a decreasing number of worn-out franchises. As Chris Nashawaty points out in his latest book “The Future Was Now,” “over four decades ago, we were captivated, entranced, and delighted. Today, we are simply beaten into a senseless surrender repeatedly and treated like infants being force-fed the same noisy nonsense.”

Nashawaty focuses his book on a specific time frame — the summer of 1982 — which he suggests was both the zenith and the final celebration of the science-fiction genre as serious, ambitious, and innovative mainstream art. After witnessing the unexpected, unmatched, and profitable craze over “Star Wars” (1977), film executives posed a question they were adept at asking but not necessarily answering: How can we produce something similar (or at least, something that generates comparable obscene amounts of money)?

Much like their counterparts from the previous decade who were enticed by the profits from “Easy Rider,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” and “The Graduate,” these executives aimed to invest their energies and resources into films that would appeal to the younger generation, even though this generation was more fascinated with escapism than revolution.

As Nashawaty notes, “The only issue was that all the studios seemed to learn the exact same lesson at the exact same time.” “The Future Was Now” rapidly covers the production and reception of eight films that Nashawaty categorizes as science-fiction, all of which astonishingly hit theaters within the same two-month period. “Blade Runner,” “Conan the Barbarian,” “E.T. the Extraterrestrial,” “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior,” “Poltergeist,” “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” “The Thing,” and “Tron”: They all competed for viewers’ attention and disposable income. This overload was not sustainable. What would studios learn from this?

The premise of “The Future Was Now” is intriguing, and the book is packed with compelling narratives. One such story is about Steven Spielberg, who had already directed a classic science-fiction film, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and had two projects ready to start shooting at the same time: the hopeful “E.T.” and the terrifying “Poltergeist.”

Due to the Directors Guild of America’s strict rules against directing two movies simultaneously, Spielberg had to find another director for “Poltergeist.” He selected Tobe Hooper, who had proven his horror credentials with “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” Then, according to multiple accounts, Spielberg ended up virtually directing “Poltergeist” over Hooper’s shoulder.

Like the rest of the book, this chapter is meticulously researched; Nashawaty was able to interview many of the individuals he writes about here, including Spielberg.

Not all of the 1982 summer films were successful, and some of their directors suffered significant consequences for their involvement in the eight-movie pileup.

Ridley Scott, fresh off the success of his space horror movie “Alien” (the creation of which is vividly detailed here), had conflicts with his “Blade Runner” lead, Harrison Ford; his crew, many of whom considered him a tyrant; and executive producers who took control of the film in post-production. Disheartened, Scott temporarily returned to his advertising career.

Meanwhile, John Carpenter faced even harsher consequences when “The Thing” was met with apathy from audiences and outright animosity from critics. His multi-picture contract with Universal was revoked, and his career never fully rebounded. “I was treated like muck,” he reveals to Nashawaty.

“The Future Was Now” is packed with information — sometimes, perhaps, too much. A study of eight films will inevitably be scattered, and it often feels like Nashawaty is just starting to delve into one subject when he feels the need to move on to the next. Nashawaty’s enthusiasm for this story is evident, but it also gets diluted by the need to cater to so many interests.

The author is not just a good reporter, but also an excellent and insightful critic, and the book’s frenzied pace does not do justice to his skills. I yearned for more of Nashawaty’s thoughts on what these films make him feel; although this is not the primary focus of the book, a little more of Nashawaty’s voice would have been beneficial.

That being said, major books that deal with films in a thematic manner are rare these days, and “The Future Was Now” is a welcome addition to the collection. Underneath the detailed narrative is a story about the acceleration and commercialization of fan culture, both its allure and its dissatisfaction (which, upon reflection, could make a great book in itself).

For Nashawaty, the summer of ’82 was a pivotal moment, after the “Star Wars” explosion and before studios transformed blockbusters into standard products. He writes: “By the dawn of the ’90s … what should have been a new golden age of sci-fi and fantasy cinema became a pop-culture monster that would cannibalize itself to death and infantilize its audience in the process.” And the consequences are still evident in today’s cinemas.

Chris Vognar is a freelance culture writer.