The Five: Greatest Summer Movies of All Time

We're less than 24 hours away from the 2010 Summer Moviegoing Season, and even if it might not feel like summer yet (because you're still in school and the weather is still kind of cool), it's going to start looking an awful lot like summer at your local multiplex, with big films like Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, Shrek Forever After and Sex and the City 2 arriving in theaters throughout the month.

So, of course, why not make this week's "The Five" summer movie related by putting out the following question to you: What are the greatest summer movies of all time? Naturally I'm talking about movies that came out during the summer and aren't necessarily about summer or take place during the summer months. Here are five that stand out for me …

1. Star Wars – While many will argue that the Empire Strikes Back was the film in this entire series, the first Star Wars will always hold a special place

in my heart as being one of the first films I was ever obsessed with. George Lucas introduced us to a world like no other, forever changing the sci-fi genre with his groundbreaking special effects and addictive storytelling. The summer moviegoing season was nothing like it is today back when Star Wars first came out, but still you'd be hard-pressed to name movies that belong higher on the best-ever list than this one.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark – Star Wars introduced us to Harrison Ford, but Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark made the man a superstar. The hat, the whip and the cocky attitude – all of which combined to form one of the greatest on-screen heroes in cinema history. He's afraid of snakes, sure, but I wouldn't want anyone else saving my day.

3. The Dark Knight – The most recent film on this list, Christopher Nolan's second Batman film brought

home all sorts of box office records thanks mainly to an Oscar-winning performance from Heath Ledger as Batman's arch-nemesis, The Joker. The film is so rewarding because it delivers everything we'd expect from a summer blockbuster (action, special effects, suspense and a big cast), but it does so in a brilliant way with a smart script and characters you really care about.

4. Back to the Future – Who knew a movie about a teenager who goes back in time to when his parents were in high school would go on to become one of the most beloved movies ever. Back to the Future is one of those films that carries a near-perfect script, not to mention our most memorable Michael J. Fox performance, and it helped launch the career of Robert Zemeckis, who of course went on to win Oscars with films like Forrest Gump.

5. Jurassic Park – I don't remember being as blown away by special effects as I was when those dinosaurs first walked across the screen in this Steven Spielberg film. Not only that, but this was one of the first surround sound screenings I attended, and you actually felt like the dinosaurs were in the room with you – it was insane. I was a teenager, and yet I was terrified; my heart was beating a mile a minute. It's those films that define this time of year – those escape-from-reality movies that just completely sweep you up and take you on a ridiculous roller coaster ride for two hours. That's what I love so much about the summer movie season, and it's what I love so much about Jurassic Park.