Hawaii has a lot to offer a prospective visitor, from lush sandy beaches to warm blue seas. In the years prior, Hawaii was one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide, welcoming millions of visitors each year. Data by the Hawaii Tourism Authority even showed that Hawaii reached over 10 million visitors in 2019, a record-setting high for the archipelago.
Because of its beauty, Hawaii is also a popular filming destination. Many famous movies have been filmed in Hawaii. The views of that of a stereotypical tropical paradise, and as such it makes perfect sense to bring the cameras over and get some shots that cap off a great movie. If you are visiting Hawaii or looking to buy real estate here, then you might be interested to know these famous movies contain scenes filmed on the island.
Jurassic Park (1993)
This quintessential dinosaur film spawned many sequels, spoofs, and imitations. Its modern revival Jurassic World was recently adapted into a console game. However, nothing beats the original film. A few key parts of the first Jurassic Park were filmed in Hawaii. Maui was featured, but only as a false special effects backdrop. However, the iconic scene when the team arrives at Jurassic Park was filmed in Kauai, and it is a ride you can take today. Jeff Goldblum clearly enjoyed the experience, he still brings his jazz band to the islands to this day, reports KITV.com.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Harrison Ford is a qualified pilot who enjoys flying planes, according to Poker.org, so it stands to reason he’s powered up the engines and come to Hawaii on more than one occasion during his time filming there. Mind you, he has crashed a World War Two-era plane on a golf course, and put a helicopter into a riverbed, so it might be best to not fly with him. After achieving stardom as Han Solo, he cemented his place in cinema history as Indiana Jones. Kauai’s Kipu Ranch and Anahola Mountains were chosen as location for the film, supposedly set in the Peruvian jungle. Ford was jetting back over 20 years later to film Blue Crush, featuring plenty of locations from the North Shore of Oahu.
The Hulk (2003)
Maui got to feature in the very final scene of the 2003, where we catch up with Bruce Banner in the Amazon rainforest. Eric Bana, the Hulk actor, was actually on Maui filming the final scene, where he warns mercenaries stealing medicine that they ‘won’t like me when I’m angry’. Indeed, they would not, but they could console themselves with being on one of the most beautiful islands on earth whilst trying to placate him!
Point Break (1991 & 2015)
Both the original cult classic starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze and the 2015 Point Break remake were filmed in Hawaii. Some of the surf scenes from the first film were shot at the popular surfer’s location at Oahu’s famed Waimea Bay. The art of surfing stayed with Reeves, who is known to still enjoy it today after learning how to do it for this role. The newest film was not well received by the critics, but it did at least come back to Hawaii, specifically filming surfing scenes at Jaws-Peahi, Maui’s biggest surf break.
If you never get the chance to set foot on the islands of Hawaii, you have many opportunities to catch its beauty on the big screen. Hawaii has been a popular location for filming ambitious blockbusters, including Jurassic Park, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and Point Break. Given its breathtaking natural beauty, the archipelago will likely score more starring roles in future Hollywood productions.
