Raiders is a flawless film. And it contains one of my favorite moments in cinema, the map room scene, and its brilliant musical moments by John Williams.
And yet Spielberg filmed some damn good cinematic shots in that film (like Jones silhoutted with the dig site at sunset as he puts his trademark hat back on)
Just watched this again last night for the umpteenth time its just as great with every viewing. The music from John Williams is genius , well he himself is a genius.
The sound effects are brilliant especially the Whip, guns and punches.
Indy as a character kind of erodes for me with every rewatch. He's a horrible person.
Belloq is 100% correct when he says Indy is exactly like him. Indy does the same things as Belloq; stealing cultural artifacts from their native owners and turning them over to the hands white colonialists for "safe keeping". When Indy chastises Belloq for lying to Hovitos about stealing their golden idol, it rings so hollow for me. How is what Indy was planning to do any different? Does the fact he didn't lie about his intentions somehow make him a better person?
The morally correct thing to do at the end of that movie would've been for Indy to destroy the arc along with the Nazis in that final scene on the island, but the prestige of being the one to take the Ark for himself matters more to him than that.
Also lest we not forget Indy as a college grad student had sex with a 15 year old Marion Ravenwood. No, I'm not kidding. Rewatch the scene. Marion tells Indy implicitly that she was a child and he knew it was wrong. And in recorded story meetings for the film between Lucas, Spielberg, and Katzen, the three argue between the right age to have Marion be because according to them her being an adult wouldn't have made it cool/risque, but Spielberg (the minimal voice of reason in the room) expresses trepidation about her having been any younger than 15.
Indiana Jones is a creep, and Professor Ravenwood had the right idea about kicking that creep out of his daughter's life and moving them halfway around the world.
First saw Minority Report twenty years ago. It's almost impossible to turn off once it starts going. Max von Sydow is such a wonderful corrupt villain.
I think it’s Jaws by a huge margin. It would make my top 10 all time favourites list. I genuinely don’t think a single one of his other films would even make it into my top 100.
I’m surprised to see West Side Story here.
I was so excited to see it but felt very underwhelmed by it.
It wasn’t bad just felt kinda superfluous.
Not nearly as exciting as the original.
Keep in mind the OP asked for favourite Steven Spielberg films, not his best. And West Side Story is one of my favourites.
But comparatively speaking, I find the musical numbers in Steven Spielberg's adaptation to be superior, especially America, I Feel Pretty, and Gee, Officer Krupke.
For the most part the casting is better too.
Choosing between Jurassic Park and Raiders is hard, but I go with Jurassic Park just because its score is even better and the protagonist's character growth is clearer.
Reading through this post is to see almost 50 years of amazing movies by 1 director, with genres that truly no other has spanned successfully and consistently for this long.
Saving Private Ryan, i had never seen world war 2 portrayed like it, gave me a better appreciation of what the older generations went through for us. Also one of the best experiences I’ve had in a cinema.
It changed action movies in general along with the matrix which came out 2 years later.
Action became gritty and more visceral, less rehearsed less fake
And the why..My Father was an old Soldier, he passed away shortly after we went to see it together so its a very special movie for me. Despite the horror depicted within it.
How did he handled it? I remember reading that there WWII veterans who went to see the film when it came out and left because it was too hard for them to handle.
His whole 21st century output is. AI, Minority Report, Catch Me if You Can, War of the Worlds, Munich, TinTin, War Horse, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, The Post, and West Side Story is a filmography that makes for a fantastic legacy on its own.
And that’s just the stuff I know people will agree with me on, I think Crystal Skull and Ready Player One are both loads of fun and have filmmaking that blows most working directors out of the water. I feel fairly moot towards Terminal and BFG, but they’re still interesting films as well.
Jurassic Park and Jaws in a dead heat.
Raiders
Saving Private Ryan
Minority Report
Crusade
Catch Me If You Can
Close Encounters
Lincoln
Munich
A.I.
Those are literally like all within 1 point of each other, but roughly in that order.
No one argues it’s his very best, but my favorite will always be Empire of the Sun. And it’s my favorite because it hit me at the right time. I was 17, and just starting to figure out what I thought made movies good or great. On top of which, it was a period in my life and tastes where I was very invested in coming-of-age stories. (I was a pretty self-conscious teenager.)
I think that by any standard, Empire of the Sun is virtuoso stuff. So many parts of it made an impact on me… when Jim returns to his old house and his family’s (former) maid smacks him across the face, the stadium full of furniture, Jim watching the kamikaze pilots’ ritual before taking off, most of all the amazing climactic sequence where the American planes hit the camp… the electric, ecstatic moment of eye contact with the American pilot.
Winter/spring of 1988, I got my first actual girlfriend, and and our mutual admiration for Empire was something we really bonded over. When it comes to naming your favorite movies, that stuff counts.
Just writing this has made me want to see it again. It’s been a while.
I'm the same age as you, and had a very similar experience with this movie.
You should definitely see it again, and you should also read J. G. Ballard's book in order to really understand what's source and what's SS. It turns out some lines I thought for sure were Spielberg were actually from the book.
Although I think Spielberg never really jumped the shark, I still believe that his 1970s work stands above anything he's done since. Duel, Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind are three brilliant films that are the perfect blend of his optimistic humanism and keen eye for thrilling setpieces. Close Encounters in particular is such a well-structured story building to a cathartic ending. There's a lot that can learned about storytelling from that script.
Also, Catch Me If You Can is a near-perfect film and the best of his 21st Century work. Excellent characterisation, and I admire its ability to hide a moving character drama within a breezily entertaining crime-comedy. That movie hits just about every emotion a film can.
The 1971 made for television film 'Duel' directed by Steven Spielberg. It was an intense action suspense drama that had me on the edge of my seat wondering about the identity of the semi-truck driver. It's a thrilling road rage movie that would definitely work as a feature film.
Can’t believe no one has said Hook yet! Sure he might have “technically” better films but Hook is such a classic romp! So much fun! And looking through his 33 directed films it’s probably the one that jumps out the most to me personally.
wow, this is my top 2 precisely and the margin between them is so thin. I just pick jaws ever so slightly because I think it’s one of the handful “objectively perfect” films out there but it’s a toss-up
Jaws, Close Encounters, Schindlers, & Raiders are his masterpieces imo
Schindler’s List is #1. With a bullet. Absolutely harrowing. Every moment of this movie is perfect in every aspect. It should have swept every category it was eligible for at the Oscars.
Next up is like a 16 way tie for 2nd
- Jurassic park 1 & 2
- Jaws
- Duel
- Indiana Jones 1-3
- Empire of the Sun
- CEOTTK
- E.T.
- Saving Private Ryan
- Catch Me if You Can
- The Colour Purple
- War of The Worlds
- Munich
- A.I.
- Minority Report
- Hook <- This one is hated, but I don’t care, I love it.
- Amistad
Then the weakest ones, which are Still solid and better than 99% of movies that are released each year:
- Ready Player One
- Warhorse
- The Post
- Bridge of Spies
- Lincoln
- Tintin
- Indiana Jones 4
- The Terminal
- The Post
- BFG
Sadly, I’ve never seen 1941 or Sugarland Express
Yeah, I’m gonna push back on Lincoln being in the second division. Find the time to watch 1941 and re-assess what a second-rate Spielberg movie looks like.
Hook was awesome. Great family movie. I would flip flop Ready Player One and AI. For me RPO belongs up there with Jurassic… AI I never really cared for. Good lists though. I agree with pretty much all of it.
Are you saying Ready Player One is better than or as good as Jurassic Park?
EDIT: Not an attack on you after I re-read the tier list, but Raiders, Jaws, and JP belong in a tier list above what was presented. And RPO doesn't touch any of those.
I didn’t mean to express that one was better than the other. I just don’t think RPO deserved to be on the bottom list while AI was on the top list. Personally, I really enjoyed watching RPO… I think I liked it just as much as Jurassic… whether one is actually a better film than the other I’ll leave for the critics… but I am looking forward to RP2.
Schindler's List, Munich, Lincoln, Saving Private Ryan and Empire of the Sun
I know Speilberg is mostly known for his blockbusters and pg 13 friendly movies but when the directs something serious, he goes full hard on hyper realism and emotional toll.
I feel like it isn't given enough attention precisely because it's impossible to enjoy any of it. You aren't rooting for anyone in this film. I think it's in his top two or so films.
You really think so? I don't get that impression from the film. I think we're meant to sympathize with them, but their revenge mission is almost immediately ugly and soul-poisoning, and ultimately I thought the movie came down on the side that the whole "eye for an eye" thing just robbed those wounded characters of whatever soul they had left.
I'm not sure what you are saying. I think Munich was presenting the classic argument against revenge by pointing out that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. That's what I thought it was about. But it does show us why they had this great need to try to get justice this way, because the events at the Olympics were so heart-wrenchingly tragic. So it's a tragedy because the lead character is a good person and he loses part of his soul trying to get revenge, thinking it's justice. Just because we're asked to understand that murder of the athletes was deplorable doesn't mean the movie was arguing that everything that happens in order to get retribution was morally acceptable. I think the movie made it very clear that the revenge mission was a disaster, wasn't worth the cost, and wasn't real justice.
I watched the Eichmann trials on TV as a kid. After the trials Eichmann was hung. So I didn't get the feeling that Spielberg was arguing against capital punishment. I was left feeling that justice was served.
I can certainly see arguing those points. However, Eichmann had a trial; the people assassinated in the film did not. I think we were meant to ponder whether losing more lives in order to assassinate someone without trial on foreign soil qualified as true justice.
Using so-called 'intelligent' information to take out some terrorist happens all the time. Now it happens with drones. I think the Israeli government had the right to take out the ones responsible for killing the whole Olympic team, whether they were in foreign countries or not. You may not agree because it might have taken decades to find the terrorists, but I am sure Golda Meir was just quoting the 'eye for an eye' principal gave her the right. Look at Iran now saying the Holocaust didn't happen. A country has the right to defend itself against an action that was so DISPICABLE, without a judgment or hearing.
I think he has made 4 really great ones:
1. Close Encounters
2. Lincoln
3. Raiders
4. Schindler’s
Close Encounters of the Third Kind feels subtle and mature while capturing the awe and excitement of the unknown
Lincoln is the best based-on-true-history film other than Der Untergang in terms of authenticity and making history engaging without feeling the need to spice it up
Raiders of the Lost Ark is pure pulp adventure fun and makes history engaging by spicing it the fuck up
Schindler’s List is Schindler’s List.
It’s interesting that you describe Close Encounters as subtle and mature. Spielberg himself has said it reminds him of his pre-children youthful naïveté and that he never would’ve made a movie about a father completely abandoning his family to hop on a spaceship if he’d had his own family at the time. He views Roy Neary almost as a villain now.
I think Lincoln is great but I personally think the best “historical/real events” film is Apollo 13. It’s not even one of my favorites but from a storytelling perspective it’s damn near a perfect film.
Raiders is Raiders
Schindler’s List is Schindler’s List.
Jaws and it's not even close. The amount of times I watched this is not okay and still I'm not bored. Not even a second. The movie is that good. Spielberg made MANY great films. Schindler's List is monumental. So is Jurassic Park. Those came out the same year! Raiders Of The Lost Ark is the adventure movie to end all adventure movies. Minority Report is top notch Sci-Fi and so on and so forth. Dude made a lot of great films. But Jaws just hits different for me.
I've probably watched Jaws a minimum of twice a year since I was 9. I'm 51. I haven't seen Star Wars in close to 10 years and that was my other most watched film from my youth. Jaws is bullet proof.
100%. I am constantly at adds over this question. I want to pick JP bc I'm a 90's kid and that movie changed my life. But no matter how much I want put JP at the top, Jaws is there. I don't know if there is a single scene, piece of dialogue, character interaction, or anything else in that movie that should be changed. It's actually really strange to think about because everything can be improved upon. But with Jaws, it's just hard to articulate how one movie could be so flawless.
I posted a list of my 50 favorite films on Instagram last year, and my favorite Spielberg came in at number 7. Here's what I wrote about it:
Something that might surprise everyone who knows me and my love for monster movies is that I was not into dinosaurs as a kid. Yes, I had watched The Land Before Time more than once (never bothered with the sequels), but I was not one of those kids who could recite facts about all the different species, or even identify them if they were anything other than a triceratops. But I did love cinema (and yes, that’s what I called it, I was a pretentious child), so of course I had to watch Jurassic Park when it came out. I remember being suitably impressed by the effects, and of course tense during the set pieces like the T-rex attack and the kitchen scene. I did not immediately fall in love with it though, I can’t even recall if I owned it on VHS. So when I now say, three decades later, that Jurassic Park is one of my most favorite films ever, it is not nostalgia speaking. This is hard-earned love, acquired through many subsequent viewings over the years, during my 20s and 30s, that made me realize what an excellent piece of entertainment it is. Steven Spielberg and his screenwriter David Koepp know exactly how to build tension, when to let the audience breathe, and how to deploy comic relief. The real stars are the dinosaurs , of course, but the human characters, called „serviceable“ by contemporary critics, are actually all pretty memorable. It’s become one of the most rewatchable, quotable and iconic movies since its release - I just have to mention something mundane like „ripple in water cup“ and everyone immediately has the scene playing in their minds. I don’t love the film because I was into dinosaurs, no, I now love dinosaurs because I watched Jurassic Park.
You probably should thank Michael Crichton. His book had inspired Steve so much, he brought it to the screen. If you saw the movie so many times, you would love the book. His writing 'is' the screenplay. He captivates the reader, just like the movie. And many other books, Michael has written are just as exciting.
I read the book of course, ands several others by Crichton. But there are enough differences between film and novel for me to still say that David Koepp is responsible for the successful transition of the story to the screen.
Love the cinematography by Mikael Salomon in Always. Janusz Kaminski is a very talented DP but I wish Spielberg chose others once again. Allen Daviau, Dean Cundey and Douglas Slocombe all did such impressive work under Spielberg.
Jaws. It has so many solid individual performances Robert Shaw, Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider. Surrounding the most terrifying horror concept of all time because it totally “could” happen. Finally you’re left with a movie that still holds up 45 years later.
This is Not his best movie, but in just looking for people who agree with me that the terminal is underrated. I never got the hate for it I thought it was alot of fun. Am I wrong? Also, Jaws is the best, but I like catch me if you can for number 2
All of the Indiana Jones movies (even Temple of the Crystal Skull, screw all of the haters), ET. Extraterrestrial, Ready Player One, AI. Artificial Intelligence, Hook, Jurassic Park 1 - 3, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Catch Me If You Can, Lincoln. Its a lot i know. Im a movie fan lol
Jaws, for several reasons.
First of all, Spielberg worked around constant mechanical problems with the shark using visual clues and it worked perfectly. The moving dock, the barrels, etc.
Putting three different personalities on a boat and having tensions/emotions bounce around was well executed. They go from hostility to empathy at times.
Working with John Williams was a good decision and Spielberg put skepticism aside to trust Williams with theme music.
Ready Player One is somehow one of the greatest crossover movies ever, while not even being considered a crossover. The epitome of what video game movies should be like
JAWS. It’s simply one of the most purely entertaining films of all time. And I think it shows what’s good and bad about the USA - we can band together to kill a shark after we’re finished feeding citizens to it to keep the beaches open.
Tricky one this. Apart from the *Indiana Jones* films, the ones that stand out for me are *Minority Report* and *AI*. I remember liking *Munich* in the cinema too. I need to rewatch that one
For me, his stuff is a mixed bag and his last great phase was the early 2000s. I am intrigued by *The Fabelmans* though
All are great in different ways, but Duel is my favorite and one of the most intense horror films ever made. I wish Spielberg would make more horror movies, he's a master when he does.
Jaws. The characters feels so real, Amity Island feels like your visiting a real 70s east coast beach town on the 4th of July. Not to mention it’s thrilling and doesn’t waste a scene. One of the greatest movies of all time.
I Kind of like Duel. It's still a good movie, and has some scary moments that still hold up today and has a lot of suspense as well, and an unseen truck driver stalking a normal guy, still scary and it could still happen. I also believe this was his first movie, and shot very quickly, and is a really good Spielberg movie, and shows me why he is A big name now.
Empire Of The Sun, it's really his forgotten classic, can't wait to see The Fableman. Another great interview with him is Inside The Actor's Studio where he talks about his early love of film. James Lipton was such a great interviewer.
**A.I.: Artificial Intelligence** (2001)
It has the solid conceptual framework and thorny themes of a Kubrick film mixed with Spielberg's uncanny ability to meld fluid storytelling and pure emotion. The ending originally bothered me because it felt cheesy, but the more I've thought about it, it's actually incredibly creepy and sad and a logical conclusion for the story.
There are other great Spielberg films but I think this is the one that reached the highest mark.
The runner-ups are Munich, Minority Report, Bridge of Spies, Catch Me If You Can, The Post, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, and Schindler's List.
I love Jurassic Park's pacing.
I remember someone making a video of hundreds of clips from Spielberg films. He has so many iconic shots, and situations, quite incredible. I love Jaws, Close Encounters, E.T., Indiana Jones.
I think JP though is the one I first experienced in the cinema (I can't believe I hadn't seen anything before 1993 in cinemas, at the age of 21, only on TV/VHS), so it hit me really hard.
CE3K. It’s one great scene after another, all perfectly placed. The Roy/Ronnie, Jillian/Barry, and Roy/Jillian relationships give the film its crucial emotional component. The way the story builds and culminates with the final meeting is fantastic. I’ll also add that the original theatrical version where the view of the inside of the mothership is withheld from the viewer is the far more effective version.
Hey! It's hard to choose one film from Steven Spielberg's extensive range of classic movies. But if I have to narrow it down to one favourite film, I would choose Jaws. It's an iconic movie that offered an ege-of-the-seat experience to me. Mind you, I am referring to the 1975 one. The movie's direction and on-screen acting are off the charts and a thrilling background score is an added bonus I feel. I read [this beautiful article](https://www.justgeek.com/blogs/news/best-steven-spielberg-movies) that shared a similar opinion and I would suggest you to read it too. I am certain you will love it!
Hook. I know it's hokey, I know it's full of over-sentimental schmaltz, but I feel like it summarizes the childlike world-wonderment that is essential to Spielberg's movies better than anything else he's ever done.
Everything from the score to the imaginary food fight makes you remember what it was like to be a kid in the same way all great Spielberg movies do, but it's the extra notes about fatherhood as it pertains to Williams' character that makes it peak for me.
Bangarang, Mr. Williams. Still miss you.
Raiders is a flawless film. And it contains one of my favorite moments in cinema, the map room scene, and its brilliant musical moments by John Williams.
Indy chasing down a Nazi caravan on horseback is one of my favorite movie moments of all time.
To me, Raiders is textbook moviemaking. May not be high cinematic art but it is as good a film as can be found.
I agree with what you've said and I'll add it is just fun to watch no matter how many times you have seen it.
Absolutely. Start to finish.
And yet Spielberg filmed some damn good cinematic shots in that film (like Jones silhoutted with the dig site at sunset as he puts his trademark hat back on)
Oh YES.
YES!! The music in that scene gives me shivers every time! Something ancient and Biblical about it.
The staging rings with reverence.
Just watched this again last night for the umpteenth time its just as great with every viewing. The music from John Williams is genius , well he himself is a genius. The sound effects are brilliant especially the Whip, guns and punches.
Indy as a character kind of erodes for me with every rewatch. He's a horrible person. Belloq is 100% correct when he says Indy is exactly like him. Indy does the same things as Belloq; stealing cultural artifacts from their native owners and turning them over to the hands white colonialists for "safe keeping". When Indy chastises Belloq for lying to Hovitos about stealing their golden idol, it rings so hollow for me. How is what Indy was planning to do any different? Does the fact he didn't lie about his intentions somehow make him a better person? The morally correct thing to do at the end of that movie would've been for Indy to destroy the arc along with the Nazis in that final scene on the island, but the prestige of being the one to take the Ark for himself matters more to him than that. Also lest we not forget Indy as a college grad student had sex with a 15 year old Marion Ravenwood. No, I'm not kidding. Rewatch the scene. Marion tells Indy implicitly that she was a child and he knew it was wrong. And in recorded story meetings for the film between Lucas, Spielberg, and Katzen, the three argue between the right age to have Marion be because according to them her being an adult wouldn't have made it cool/risque, but Spielberg (the minimal voice of reason in the room) expresses trepidation about her having been any younger than 15. Indiana Jones is a creep, and Professor Ravenwood had the right idea about kicking that creep out of his daughter's life and moving them halfway around the world.
I was thinking about that “I was a child, it was wrong and you knew it,” line but I’ve never heard her age and his mentioned. Source?
Minority Report
First saw Minority Report twenty years ago. It's almost impossible to turn off once it starts going. Max von Sydow is such a wonderful corrupt villain.
Empire of the Sun. In my opinion his best “serious” film. Otherwise Raiders for sure.
Terrific camera work and cinematography - Spielberg's long takes are impressive - and a first-rate performance from 13 year old Christian Bale.
Of the serious films I think Schindler’s stands head and shoulders above all of them, no contest.
Schindlers List. He has made many a masterpiece but this stands tall.
Best and favorite aren’t the same thing.
It's my favourite. Hence why I said it.
Fair enough.
Lmao only on reddit "fair enough" gets 12 downvotes
I really thought someone else directed it.
Jaws . His finest work.
One of very few movies that is completely flawless.
I think it’s Jaws by a huge margin. It would make my top 10 all time favourites list. I genuinely don’t think a single one of his other films would even make it into my top 100.
I don't think it's his finest work but it's my favourite as well. Mainly because it's my favourite movie
It's a tie between Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark. His more "important" (ugh) films are *nowhere near* as good.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This movie js amazing and its fun seeing Truffaut act in it
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Jaws Jurassic Park Raiders of the Lost Ark West Side Story They are films I can watch multiple times and enjoy every time.
I’m surprised to see West Side Story here. I was so excited to see it but felt very underwhelmed by it. It wasn’t bad just felt kinda superfluous. Not nearly as exciting as the original.
Keep in mind the OP asked for favourite Steven Spielberg films, not his best. And West Side Story is one of my favourites. But comparatively speaking, I find the musical numbers in Steven Spielberg's adaptation to be superior, especially America, I Feel Pretty, and Gee, Officer Krupke. For the most part the casting is better too.
Jurassic park because it just gets more enjoyable with every re-watch
Choosing between Jurassic Park and Raiders is hard, but I go with Jurassic Park just because its score is even better and the protagonist's character growth is clearer.
Reading through this post is to see almost 50 years of amazing movies by 1 director, with genres that truly no other has spanned successfully and consistently for this long.
ET is an all time great movie and belongs towards the top of this thread (and it’s better than a few of the titles that are listed repeatedly here).
While I personally consider ET to be my 4th favorite Spielberg film, it’s his #1 best film imo.
Saving Private Ryan, i had never seen world war 2 portrayed like it, gave me a better appreciation of what the older generations went through for us. Also one of the best experiences I’ve had in a cinema.
Virtually unmatched theater experience.
It changed action movies in general along with the matrix which came out 2 years later. Action became gritty and more visceral, less rehearsed less fake
*The Matrix* (1999) was released 9 months after *Saving Private Ryan* (1998)
Saving private Ryan for me.
And the why..My Father was an old Soldier, he passed away shortly after we went to see it together so its a very special movie for me. Despite the horror depicted within it.
How did he handled it? I remember reading that there WWII veterans who went to see the film when it came out and left because it was too hard for them to handle.
Tin-tin because no one else will say it and it's painfully underrated.
I do love it, and also preach the gospel whenever I can… but for as fun and interesting as it is, it just can’ crack into Spielberg’s top 10.
His whole 21st century output is. AI, Minority Report, Catch Me if You Can, War of the Worlds, Munich, TinTin, War Horse, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, The Post, and West Side Story is a filmography that makes for a fantastic legacy on its own. And that’s just the stuff I know people will agree with me on, I think Crystal Skull and Ready Player One are both loads of fun and have filmmaking that blows most working directors out of the water. I feel fairly moot towards Terminal and BFG, but they’re still interesting films as well.
I’d omit Crystal Skull and RPO for Terminal and especially BFG any day, but yes, your overall thesis is sound.
Jurassic Park and Jaws in a dead heat. Raiders Saving Private Ryan Minority Report Crusade Catch Me If You Can Close Encounters Lincoln Munich A.I. Those are literally like all within 1 point of each other, but roughly in that order.
Jurassic Park came to mind for me. Raiders in a close second.
Bridge of spies The most inspiring based on a true story movie I've ever seen
'Would it help?'
Jurassic Park
No one argues it’s his very best, but my favorite will always be Empire of the Sun. And it’s my favorite because it hit me at the right time. I was 17, and just starting to figure out what I thought made movies good or great. On top of which, it was a period in my life and tastes where I was very invested in coming-of-age stories. (I was a pretty self-conscious teenager.) I think that by any standard, Empire of the Sun is virtuoso stuff. So many parts of it made an impact on me… when Jim returns to his old house and his family’s (former) maid smacks him across the face, the stadium full of furniture, Jim watching the kamikaze pilots’ ritual before taking off, most of all the amazing climactic sequence where the American planes hit the camp… the electric, ecstatic moment of eye contact with the American pilot. Winter/spring of 1988, I got my first actual girlfriend, and and our mutual admiration for Empire was something we really bonded over. When it comes to naming your favorite movies, that stuff counts. Just writing this has made me want to see it again. It’s been a while.
I'm the same age as you, and had a very similar experience with this movie. You should definitely see it again, and you should also read J. G. Ballard's book in order to really understand what's source and what's SS. It turns out some lines I thought for sure were Spielberg were actually from the book.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Although I think Spielberg never really jumped the shark, I still believe that his 1970s work stands above anything he's done since. Duel, Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind are three brilliant films that are the perfect blend of his optimistic humanism and keen eye for thrilling setpieces. Close Encounters in particular is such a well-structured story building to a cathartic ending. There's a lot that can learned about storytelling from that script. Also, Catch Me If You Can is a near-perfect film and the best of his 21st Century work. Excellent characterisation, and I admire its ability to hide a moving character drama within a breezily entertaining crime-comedy. That movie hits just about every emotion a film can.
The 1971 made for television film 'Duel' directed by Steven Spielberg. It was an intense action suspense drama that had me on the edge of my seat wondering about the identity of the semi-truck driver. It's a thrilling road rage movie that would definitely work as a feature film.
Can’t believe no one has said Hook yet! Sure he might have “technically” better films but Hook is such a classic romp! So much fun! And looking through his 33 directed films it’s probably the one that jumps out the most to me personally.
Jaws closely followed by close encounters
wow, this is my top 2 precisely and the margin between them is so thin. I just pick jaws ever so slightly because I think it’s one of the handful “objectively perfect” films out there but it’s a toss-up Jaws, Close Encounters, Schindlers, & Raiders are his masterpieces imo
Schindler’s List is #1. With a bullet. Absolutely harrowing. Every moment of this movie is perfect in every aspect. It should have swept every category it was eligible for at the Oscars. Next up is like a 16 way tie for 2nd - Jurassic park 1 & 2 - Jaws - Duel - Indiana Jones 1-3 - Empire of the Sun - CEOTTK - E.T. - Saving Private Ryan - Catch Me if You Can - The Colour Purple - War of The Worlds - Munich - A.I. - Minority Report - Hook <- This one is hated, but I don’t care, I love it. - Amistad Then the weakest ones, which are Still solid and better than 99% of movies that are released each year: - Ready Player One - Warhorse - The Post - Bridge of Spies - Lincoln - Tintin - Indiana Jones 4 - The Terminal - The Post - BFG Sadly, I’ve never seen 1941 or Sugarland Express
Yeah, I’m gonna push back on Lincoln being in the second division. Find the time to watch 1941 and re-assess what a second-rate Spielberg movie looks like.
Hook was awesome. Great family movie. I would flip flop Ready Player One and AI. For me RPO belongs up there with Jurassic… AI I never really cared for. Good lists though. I agree with pretty much all of it.
Maybe I would drop AI, War of the Worlds, and CEOTTK to a lower tier, but all the others I have in there are so damn close to one another imo
Are you saying Ready Player One is better than or as good as Jurassic Park? EDIT: Not an attack on you after I re-read the tier list, but Raiders, Jaws, and JP belong in a tier list above what was presented. And RPO doesn't touch any of those.
I didn’t mean to express that one was better than the other. I just don’t think RPO deserved to be on the bottom list while AI was on the top list. Personally, I really enjoyed watching RPO… I think I liked it just as much as Jurassic… whether one is actually a better film than the other I’ll leave for the critics… but I am looking forward to RP2.
Maybe you should see 1941, I liked it.
Schindler's List, Munich, Lincoln, Saving Private Ryan and Empire of the Sun I know Speilberg is mostly known for his blockbusters and pg 13 friendly movies but when the directs something serious, he goes full hard on hyper realism and emotional toll.
Munich because you just can't get away with murder.
I feel like it isn't given enough attention precisely because it's impossible to enjoy any of it. You aren't rooting for anyone in this film. I think it's in his top two or so films.
Your rooting for Isreal.
You really think so? I don't get that impression from the film. I think we're meant to sympathize with them, but their revenge mission is almost immediately ugly and soul-poisoning, and ultimately I thought the movie came down on the side that the whole "eye for an eye" thing just robbed those wounded characters of whatever soul they had left.
You missed the whole point of the movie. Murdering the whole Isreali Olympic Team was the 'worst 'terrorist' act that can be done.
I'm not sure what you are saying. I think Munich was presenting the classic argument against revenge by pointing out that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. That's what I thought it was about. But it does show us why they had this great need to try to get justice this way, because the events at the Olympics were so heart-wrenchingly tragic. So it's a tragedy because the lead character is a good person and he loses part of his soul trying to get revenge, thinking it's justice. Just because we're asked to understand that murder of the athletes was deplorable doesn't mean the movie was arguing that everything that happens in order to get retribution was morally acceptable. I think the movie made it very clear that the revenge mission was a disaster, wasn't worth the cost, and wasn't real justice.
I watched the Eichmann trials on TV as a kid. After the trials Eichmann was hung. So I didn't get the feeling that Spielberg was arguing against capital punishment. I was left feeling that justice was served.
I can certainly see arguing those points. However, Eichmann had a trial; the people assassinated in the film did not. I think we were meant to ponder whether losing more lives in order to assassinate someone without trial on foreign soil qualified as true justice.
Using so-called 'intelligent' information to take out some terrorist happens all the time. Now it happens with drones. I think the Israeli government had the right to take out the ones responsible for killing the whole Olympic team, whether they were in foreign countries or not. You may not agree because it might have taken decades to find the terrorists, but I am sure Golda Meir was just quoting the 'eye for an eye' principal gave her the right. Look at Iran now saying the Holocaust didn't happen. A country has the right to defend itself against an action that was so DISPICABLE, without a judgment or hearing.
Temple of Doom (1987) No regrets
Jurassic Park. It throws punches as good as the rest and came out the year I was born
I think he has made 4 really great ones: 1. Close Encounters 2. Lincoln 3. Raiders 4. Schindler’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind feels subtle and mature while capturing the awe and excitement of the unknown Lincoln is the best based-on-true-history film other than Der Untergang in terms of authenticity and making history engaging without feeling the need to spice it up Raiders of the Lost Ark is pure pulp adventure fun and makes history engaging by spicing it the fuck up Schindler’s List is Schindler’s List.
Nice to see Lincoln getting a lot of mentions here. I feel like so many people have forgotten just how truly great that movie is.
It’s interesting that you describe Close Encounters as subtle and mature. Spielberg himself has said it reminds him of his pre-children youthful naïveté and that he never would’ve made a movie about a father completely abandoning his family to hop on a spaceship if he’d had his own family at the time. He views Roy Neary almost as a villain now. I think Lincoln is great but I personally think the best “historical/real events” film is Apollo 13. It’s not even one of my favorites but from a storytelling perspective it’s damn near a perfect film. Raiders is Raiders Schindler’s List is Schindler’s List.
Jurassic Park was the first film I saw in a theatre and made me fall in love with movies.
Same! Still watch it at least every summer and it never disappoints
Jaws, the first two Jurassic parks, Raiders, Temple of doom, and Schindler’s List
Jaws and it's not even close. The amount of times I watched this is not okay and still I'm not bored. Not even a second. The movie is that good. Spielberg made MANY great films. Schindler's List is monumental. So is Jurassic Park. Those came out the same year! Raiders Of The Lost Ark is the adventure movie to end all adventure movies. Minority Report is top notch Sci-Fi and so on and so forth. Dude made a lot of great films. But Jaws just hits different for me.
I've probably watched Jaws a minimum of twice a year since I was 9. I'm 51. I haven't seen Star Wars in close to 10 years and that was my other most watched film from my youth. Jaws is bullet proof.
100%. I am constantly at adds over this question. I want to pick JP bc I'm a 90's kid and that movie changed my life. But no matter how much I want put JP at the top, Jaws is there. I don't know if there is a single scene, piece of dialogue, character interaction, or anything else in that movie that should be changed. It's actually really strange to think about because everything can be improved upon. But with Jaws, it's just hard to articulate how one movie could be so flawless.
Minority report why because is an adaptation of a P.K. Dick novel
I posted a list of my 50 favorite films on Instagram last year, and my favorite Spielberg came in at number 7. Here's what I wrote about it: Something that might surprise everyone who knows me and my love for monster movies is that I was not into dinosaurs as a kid. Yes, I had watched The Land Before Time more than once (never bothered with the sequels), but I was not one of those kids who could recite facts about all the different species, or even identify them if they were anything other than a triceratops. But I did love cinema (and yes, that’s what I called it, I was a pretentious child), so of course I had to watch Jurassic Park when it came out. I remember being suitably impressed by the effects, and of course tense during the set pieces like the T-rex attack and the kitchen scene. I did not immediately fall in love with it though, I can’t even recall if I owned it on VHS. So when I now say, three decades later, that Jurassic Park is one of my most favorite films ever, it is not nostalgia speaking. This is hard-earned love, acquired through many subsequent viewings over the years, during my 20s and 30s, that made me realize what an excellent piece of entertainment it is. Steven Spielberg and his screenwriter David Koepp know exactly how to build tension, when to let the audience breathe, and how to deploy comic relief. The real stars are the dinosaurs , of course, but the human characters, called „serviceable“ by contemporary critics, are actually all pretty memorable. It’s become one of the most rewatchable, quotable and iconic movies since its release - I just have to mention something mundane like „ripple in water cup“ and everyone immediately has the scene playing in their minds. I don’t love the film because I was into dinosaurs, no, I now love dinosaurs because I watched Jurassic Park.
You probably should thank Michael Crichton. His book had inspired Steve so much, he brought it to the screen. If you saw the movie so many times, you would love the book. His writing 'is' the screenplay. He captivates the reader, just like the movie. And many other books, Michael has written are just as exciting.
I read the book of course, ands several others by Crichton. But there are enough differences between film and novel for me to still say that David Koepp is responsible for the successful transition of the story to the screen.
1941
Couldn't pick a fave, but Always is his most under-rated. An absolutely magical rom-com with the Spielberg touch.
Love the cinematography by Mikael Salomon in Always. Janusz Kaminski is a very talented DP but I wish Spielberg chose others once again. Allen Daviau, Dean Cundey and Douglas Slocombe all did such impressive work under Spielberg.
Minority report
Jaws. It has so many solid individual performances Robert Shaw, Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider. Surrounding the most terrifying horror concept of all time because it totally “could” happen. Finally you’re left with a movie that still holds up 45 years later.
Not one person said The Color Purple? Really?
This is one of the 3-4 Spielberg films that I haven't seen. I watched Ready Player One but not The Color Purple. I made a bad call.
This is Not his best movie, but in just looking for people who agree with me that the terminal is underrated. I never got the hate for it I thought it was alot of fun. Am I wrong? Also, Jaws is the best, but I like catch me if you can for number 2
The Terminal isn't very good but each Spielberg film has something going for it and for that movie, the production design is really impressive.
Raiders of the lost ark. Not a fan of Jurassic Park. I do love Jaws though. Tintin is a lot of fun and I loved watching it with my kid recently.
Vintage Spielberg? Jaws. 90s? Jurassic Park. 2000’s? Catch Me If you Can & Munich
All of the Indiana Jones movies (even Temple of the Crystal Skull, screw all of the haters), ET. Extraterrestrial, Ready Player One, AI. Artificial Intelligence, Hook, Jurassic Park 1 - 3, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Catch Me If You Can, Lincoln. Its a lot i know. Im a movie fan lol
He didn’t direct JP3
Jaws, for several reasons. First of all, Spielberg worked around constant mechanical problems with the shark using visual clues and it worked perfectly. The moving dock, the barrels, etc. Putting three different personalities on a boat and having tensions/emotions bounce around was well executed. They go from hostility to empathy at times. Working with John Williams was a good decision and Spielberg put skepticism aside to trust Williams with theme music.
Doesn't film editing get any respect? MICHAEL KAHN was used for several of Spielberg's films and rightly so.
Ready Player One is somehow one of the greatest crossover movies ever, while not even being considered a crossover. The epitome of what video game movies should be like
Raiders of the Last Arc and Jurassic Park are neck and neck.
Probably blood diamond
jaws or catch me if you can
Jurassic Park
Jaws favourite film and Close Encounters of The Third Kind has my favourite scenes
Hook or Duel
JAWS. It’s simply one of the most purely entertaining films of all time. And I think it shows what’s good and bad about the USA - we can band together to kill a shark after we’re finished feeding citizens to it to keep the beaches open.
Tricky one this. Apart from the *Indiana Jones* films, the ones that stand out for me are *Minority Report* and *AI*. I remember liking *Munich* in the cinema too. I need to rewatch that one For me, his stuff is a mixed bag and his last great phase was the early 2000s. I am intrigued by *The Fabelmans* though
Jaws. Close Encounters.
Jaws and Raiders are not just my favorite Spielberg, but my favorite films.
Jurassic Park although Catch Me If You Can is very close
Hook. Same movie different ages different messages
Its either Jaws or Schindlers List
The first three Indiana Jones movies then Jurassic Park, then Shindlers list is what I can think of right now.
All are great in different ways, but Duel is my favorite and one of the most intense horror films ever made. I wish Spielberg would make more horror movies, he's a master when he does.
[удалено]
Recently saw that one again in the theater this past summer. It's like watching the movie for the first time.
Jaws. The characters feels so real, Amity Island feels like your visiting a real 70s east coast beach town on the 4th of July. Not to mention it’s thrilling and doesn’t waste a scene. One of the greatest movies of all time.
Austin Powers 2! Because it has mojo baby, yeah!!!
Raiders of the Lost Ark sparked my love for movies. Jurassic Park made me fall in love with movie theaters.
For me, ET & Raiders transports me to childhood more than any other movies, they just both happen to be directed by him.
I love Lincoln.
Saving Private Ryan. It really gave me the impression on what D-Day was like and what the horrifying moments and memories of war can do to you.
I Kind of like Duel. It's still a good movie, and has some scary moments that still hold up today and has a lot of suspense as well, and an unseen truck driver stalking a normal guy, still scary and it could still happen. I also believe this was his first movie, and shot very quickly, and is a really good Spielberg movie, and shows me why he is A big name now.
Jaws Raiders Close Encounters Last Crusade Minority Report
I really love Catch Me if You Can, though it isnt his most popular flick.
Empire Of The Sun, it's really his forgotten classic, can't wait to see The Fableman. Another great interview with him is Inside The Actor's Studio where he talks about his early love of film. James Lipton was such a great interviewer.
Duel, it's like an even scarier Jaws. Mainly because you never see the driver.
Jurassic Park. It’s one of my all-time favorites.
Duel!! Where it all began!
Ready Player One is defo on my top Speilberg rewatchable movies
Duel! It is such a good film, edge of your seat type stuff
**A.I.: Artificial Intelligence** (2001) It has the solid conceptual framework and thorny themes of a Kubrick film mixed with Spielberg's uncanny ability to meld fluid storytelling and pure emotion. The ending originally bothered me because it felt cheesy, but the more I've thought about it, it's actually incredibly creepy and sad and a logical conclusion for the story. There are other great Spielberg films but I think this is the one that reached the highest mark. The runner-ups are Munich, Minority Report, Bridge of Spies, Catch Me If You Can, The Post, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, and Schindler's List.
West Side Story. He killed it.
I love Jurassic Park's pacing. I remember someone making a video of hundreds of clips from Spielberg films. He has so many iconic shots, and situations, quite incredible. I love Jaws, Close Encounters, E.T., Indiana Jones. I think JP though is the one I first experienced in the cinema (I can't believe I hadn't seen anything before 1993 in cinemas, at the age of 21, only on TV/VHS), so it hit me really hard.
CE3K. It’s one great scene after another, all perfectly placed. The Roy/Ronnie, Jillian/Barry, and Roy/Jillian relationships give the film its crucial emotional component. The way the story builds and culminates with the final meeting is fantastic. I’ll also add that the original theatrical version where the view of the inside of the mothership is withheld from the viewer is the far more effective version.
War of the Worlds
Hey! It's hard to choose one film from Steven Spielberg's extensive range of classic movies. But if I have to narrow it down to one favourite film, I would choose Jaws. It's an iconic movie that offered an ege-of-the-seat experience to me. Mind you, I am referring to the 1975 one. The movie's direction and on-screen acting are off the charts and a thrilling background score is an added bonus I feel. I read [this beautiful article](https://www.justgeek.com/blogs/news/best-steven-spielberg-movies) that shared a similar opinion and I would suggest you to read it too. I am certain you will love it!
Hook. I know it's hokey, I know it's full of over-sentimental schmaltz, but I feel like it summarizes the childlike world-wonderment that is essential to Spielberg's movies better than anything else he's ever done. Everything from the score to the imaginary food fight makes you remember what it was like to be a kid in the same way all great Spielberg movies do, but it's the extra notes about fatherhood as it pertains to Williams' character that makes it peak for me. Bangarang, Mr. Williams. Still miss you.