Aloha! The natural beauty of Hawaii has long inspired and captivated filmmakers longing to show off the soaring cliffs and clear blue waters, in addition to the rich Polynesian culture. Many romantic comedies and coming-of-age films have taken advantage of the stirring imagery to evoke paradise, spirit, and dreamy tenderness. But there’s tragedy and drama to be found there too, given the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, as well as the many wartime epics that have been made showing Hawaii at its most tragic.

Given the geographic variety of the state, it’s no surprise that a diverse range of stories have been told using the islands and its people, and here, we’re taking a look at the 10 best films set in Hawaii.

No thoughts, pure vibes. “North Shore” may lack substance, but it relishes in its Summer of Surf energy that makes the 1987 film a near-cult classic. The film follows a young man, Rick Kane (Matt Adler), recently graduated from high school, awaiting the beginning of college. Rick decides to spend these months at the titular North Shore of Hawaii in the hopes of becoming a professional surfer.

Rick faces the challenges we’ve come to expect from a male-led coming-of-age movie, including confrontations with some scrappy tough guys (a surfer group called, “The Hui,” in this case), lessons learned (Hawaiian culture and customs), and of course, falling in love with a beautiful local (Kiani, played by Nia Peeples). Where “North Shore” becomes special is director William Phelps’ ability to portray that liminal space between adulthood and childhood using the stunning vistas of Hawaii and the persistence-required sport of surfing. The blazing sun gloriously sets on the shore and on Rick’s youth as he sets forth into life armed with the strength and humility only surf can provide.

Here’s the thing about Michael Bay’s “Pearl Harbor”: It’s inaccurate, schmaltzy, and problematic. It was torpedoed by critics upon its release, although it became a commercial success.

All that being said, as a 14-year-old watching “Pearl Harbor” for the first time in theaters, the film began an intense research rabbit hole over this military attack and its enduring aftermath. Although there’s no defending the hokey love triangle between Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale, it does give consideration to the idea that beyond the explosions and devastation, people lived their lives all the same — a ham-fisted way of lending war humanity.

For all of the misgivings towards his filmmaking approach, few directors can put together an action set piece with as much spectacle and effect as Bay can (and we’ve ranked some of his best here), creating a wholly-absorbing experience in the cinema that can ignite the imagination of his target demographic: pre-teens, which is exactly why Bay’s war epic shines. It was never meant to be an accurate retelling of one of America’s darkest moments in history, but it’s a way to introduce the event to young people in a way that would keep their attention and inspire interest. 

An excellent double feature option with “North Shore,” John Stockwell’s “Blue Crush” turns the surfing lens on “girl-surfers” and those in the working class who have the talent but lack the resources to compete professionally. Starring Kate Bosworth in her first leading role, the story of three surfing best friends living in Hawaii continues to reverberate today.

Adapted from Susan Orlean’s 1998 article, “Life’s Swell,” the film co-written by Stockwell and Lizzy Weiss encapsulates the community with which Orlean so eloquently wrote about. “Blue Crush” dazzles through the towering waves and distinct beauty of the shorelines, but the film’s beating heart is found among the friendships and the raw exploration of surfing’s underbelly not often discussed. Orlean’s piece gave voice to the vibrancy and raw desire within those young women to eat, breathe, and sleep surfing, and more importantly, how their small village in Hawaii formed and influenced them, for better and for worse, while Stockwell gave that voice cinematic life.

The second of the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore Trilogy, “50 First Dates” bridges the two Sandlers: the crude jokester and the heartfelt leading man. The latter doesn’t appear often, but when he does, we can typically find Barrymore (or Jennifer Aniston) by his side, as is the case in this Hawaiian rom-com about a woman with short-term memory loss (Barrymore) and the man who attempts to woo her day after day after day (Sandler).

Rekindling their easy chemistry from “The Wedding Singer,” Barrymore and Sandler prove that their collective charisma wasn’t a fluke. Although childish gags dominate much of the film, especially when it comes to Rob Schneider’s questionable role, there’s a tenderness and surprising poignancy to “50 First Dates” that permeates the film. The film makes light of a serious condition, but it also finds the beauty of enduring love through that same condition.

Elvis Presley had a long love affair with Hawaii, arguably his favorite vacation spot, and the singer performed on the island multiple times, including a benefit concert to raise funds for the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in 1961 and, most notably, to record “Aloha from Hawaii,” a concert special seen around the world via satellite in 1973. He also filmed three movies in the Aloha State: “Blue Hawaii,” “Girls! Girls! Girls!” and “Paradise, Hawaiian Style,” the first of which remains a bittersweet endeavor as one of Elvis’ most successful movie outings, and it’s also the one that would establish the Elvis Formula that plagued him for much of the ’60s.

“Blue Hawaii” follows Chad (Presley), a soldier recently released from the army looking to rebuild his life, though desperate to pave his own path separate from his family’s fruit business, while also navigating the advances of multiple women. The campy plot departed from Elvis’ previous two films, “Wild in the Country” and “Flaming Star,” which saw the singer attempt more dramatic and serious roles. Although both films were moderate successes, “Blue Hawaii” not only out-performed those efforts, it produced an acclaimed soundtrack that includes one of Elvis’ biggest hits to date, “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” and also proved to be a huge boon for Hawaii itself.

“‘Blue Hawaii’ did more for Hawaii than anything the Hawaii Visitors Bureau could’ve done in that period,” Honolulu events promoter and radio personality Tom Moffatt told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald in 2016. “That put Hawaii on the world map. Everyone who loved Elvis went to see Elvis in ‘Blue Hawaii’ — and they saw Hawaii for the first time.”

Mahalo. Mahalo nui loa.

Elvis’ Hawaii connection continues to extend beyond his lifetime, as perfectly demonstrated in the 2002 Disney film, “Lilo & Stitch.” The story of how a monstrous (yet somehow cuddly) other-worldly creature disrupted and eventually brought together two orphaned sisters introduced a generation of kids to not only the King but Hawaii and the concept of ohana.

Throughout the film, whether through older sister Nani’s (Tia Carrere) pursuit of gainful employment or younger Lilo’s (Daveigh Chase) lessons to the blue fuzzy alien Stitch (Chris Sanders) on how to become a “model citizen” using Elvis as her prototype, the film highlights the beauty of the island, the culture, and importance of familial bonds, regardless of blood relation.

“Lilo & Stitch” marks the end of an era in Disney animation history as one of the last major releases in the traditional 2D animation style. It also exemplifies why Disney earned so much success in the family-friendly genre to that point by intertwining laughs and light-hearted gags amidst dealing with the difficult issue of two young children grieving over the sudden death of their parents. Even Elvis’ inclusion in “Lilo & Stitch” strikes a poignant note with co-director Chris Sanders explaining that the singer could have served as a bridge between Lilo and her Elvis-loving parents.

For those who dismiss “Pearl Harbor” and desire a more accurate dramatization and serious re-telling of America’s formal entry into WWII, the 1970 war epic “Tora! Tora! Tora!” fits the bill entirely. A co-production between Japan and the US, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” recounts the events leading up to the attack on December 7, 1941 by flipping between the Japanese and American perspectives.

The film’s attention to detail — in terms of production design and historical accuracy — sets the standard for all other war films. From the various aircraft carriers to the strategies set and maneuvers made, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” demonstrates a considered and educated treatment towards the history. Not to be outdone, though, the cinematic proficiency of the filmmakers is particularly exemplified in the vast action sequences.

Director duties on the film were divided between “Soylent Green” director Richard Fleischer assuming responsibility over the American story, and Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku over the Japanese side. For cinephiles, the absence of director Akira Kurosawa is glaring. Notoriously, 20th Century Fox hired the legendary filmmaker, but his involvement was short-lived as Kurosawa found their oversight difficult. Kurosawa’s unfortunate involvement aside, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” stands as one of the best wartime films ever-made.

Alexander Payne’s comedy-drama starring George Clooney and Shailene Woodley as father and daughter, respectively, untangles the complexity of family and marriages through the eyes of children and those in long-term relationships. After a boating accident causes the duo’s wife and mother to be in a state of comatose, Woodley’s Alex informs her father that she learned of her mother’s affair, unbeknownst to Clooney’s Matt.

Clooney’s disarming vulnerability, Woodley’s abrasive honesty, along with the affecting performance of Judy Greer, highlights the character-forward movie where emotions are neither binary nor linear. The film wholly understands the messiness of life and death, while introducing the idea that one shouldn’t denigrate the other. Payne’s script (which he co-wrote with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash) treats the situation and characters gently, guiding audiences through the extraordinary circumstances with surprisingly little anger. Rather, humor and compassion colors the film, which, in many ways, reflects the spirit of Kauai.

A film so good Marlene Dietrich told director Fred Zinnemann audiences could “smell it,” 1953’s “From Here to Eternity” managed to deliver an unwavering (and rather unflattering) glimpse into military life in spite of Hays Code restrictions. Set in 1941 in the days and months leading up to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Zinnemann’s adaptation of James Jones’ novel ventured into the tense inter-politics and relationships of soldiers living in the barracks of Oahu.

Starring a murderer’s row of the Golden Age, Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Mickey Shaughnessy, and Frank Sinatra made for a compelling ensemble, providing the characters and their tight confines layers of nuance. The Academy nominated the film for a whopping 13 awards, including acting nods for Lancaster, Clift, Kerr, Sinatra, and Reed — with the latter two winning; Zinnemann also won for Best Director, and the film itself picked up the coveted Best Picture trophy.

One of the best rom-coms of the 2000s, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (an honorary vampire movie) begins with one of the most devastating and memorable break-ups put to film, as Jason Segel’s Peter lets it all hang out upon hearing that his TV actress girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), has moved on. The majority of the film follows Peter attempting to free himself from the memory of Sarah at an Oahu resort, where Sarah and her new beau, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), also happen to be staying.

Aside from Peter’s “surprise” for Sarah and the numerous other hilarious moments in the film (I’d be remiss not to mention Jack McBrayer and Maria Thayer’s hilarious performances as newlyweds), the reason “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” tops this particular list is in its use of Hawaii as a setting. While most of the other films use Hawaii for historic purposes or as a scenic backdrop, Nicholas Stoller’s film (written by Segel) incorporates the lives of those working at the many resorts, considers the use of Hawaii by mainlanders as merely a place to runaway from their problems, as well as comically juxtaposing a tropical paradise with one of the lowest moments of Peter’s life. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” cleverly uses the beauty of Hawaii without neglecting the reality beneath it.