'The Karate Kid' vs. 'Spider-Man': Vote for the Greatest Summer Movie Ever
Which teen outcast will swing through Round 1 of the Summer Showdown?
Summertime means summer movies, and this year could be one of the biggest season's ever. But which blockbuster of the past is truly the best? We've pitted 32 of the most successful and beloved summer movies against each other. And now you get to decide which is your favorite. After four rounds of voting, only one movie will be left standing. Which title will be declared the greatest summer movie of all time?
The Karate Kid
Release date: June 22, 1984
The first true get-up-and-cheer underdog story since "Rocky" (1976), "The Karate Kid" showed us that all any bullied new kid in town (in this case, Ralph Macchio's Daniel-san) really needs is a Japanese gardener who knows martial arts (Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi). A classic tale of pride and dignity as well as one of the best mentor-apprentice stories ever (ever), "The Karate Kid" taught us that a little wax-on, wax-off goes a long way.
Spider-Man
Release date: May 3, 2002
Then again, who needs Mr. Miyagi when you have a radioactive spider? Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) can catch flies, too, and he doesn't need no set of chopsticks to do it, either; he can also scale walls, swing from webs, and make ladies swoon with upside-down kisses. You can put aside last year's competent but overly familiar reboot -- Sam Raimi's affectionate, mischievous and crowd-pleasing origin story is the real deal.
