Greetings, reader!
Schindler's List, the winner of seven Oscars that is widely considered Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, turns thirty years old today. To mark this anniversary, I'm sharing my ranking of Spielberg's greatest films. From gripping wartime dramas to feel-good fantasy, from horror to adventure to biopic to comedy, these are the finest works from the legendary filmmaker.
Here are my honorable mentions: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), West Side Story (2021).
10. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
"Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am the second mouse"
Tom Hanks and Leo DiCaprio both provide captivating performances in this thrilling cat-and-mouse tale, filled to the brim with clever ruses and slick getaways. While it's not up there among the most emotionally powerful or cinematically grandiose Spielberg flicks, it's a decent reminder that even a more 'basic' Spielberg flick is guaranteed to be a well-produced end result, built by a perfectionist artist. A fun and witty flick, this one.
9. Jaws (1975)
"You're gonna need a bigger boat"
People often think of Spielberg as a 'duality of man' director, known best for A) his whimsical fun-for-the-whole-family works, and B) his gripping works on topics of war and the holocaust. However, he has exited this binary to further his range multiple times, most clearly by making this iconic suspense flick.
Jaws is horror cinema royalty. John Williams' stellar soundtrack stays with you, and the overall suspense will make you think twice about entering an open body of water for a while after seeing the film. I also love the use of the 'don't show the audience what they want to see' trope; especially as the era and budget of the film didn't allow for the shark to look particularly scary, it's an act of genius on Spielberg's part that we only see it in the final act. This stone-cold classic is bound to keep one on the edge of their seat.
8. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
"I'll...be...right...here"
While the magic of cinema still manages to put me in awe today whenever the right film comes along, there's nothing that quite compares to how magical certain films felt when viewed as a child. And very few films out there were as magical as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
The creepy vibe of the mystery alien is as spine-tingling as the eventual bond between Elliott (Henry Thomas) and E.T. (Pat Welsh) is heart-melting. The final act mixes sci-fi and fantasy, intense thrills and feel-good magic, with a touch of childhood amazement that could only be accomplished by a filmmaker who truly understood the heart of a child even at an adult age. This is Spielberg's most wholesome film, and one that has left a mark on many hearts.
7. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
"I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne. Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky..."
While the third Indiana Jones flick isn't quite as groundbreaking as the first, it's certainly a step up from the second - the film is, quite simply, a blast. The plot is pretty much non-stop entertaining, from the flashback opening sequence through the castle escapes and motorcycle chases and plane chases et cetera all the way to the riveting and one-of-a-kind final act.
Sean Connery has fun with his brilliant role as Indiana's father Henry Jones Sr., and the chemistry between the actors is as poignant as it is hilarious. Spielberg's solid directing sees the film through its exhilarating action sequences, memorable dialogues and moments of general adventure mayhem. One of the classic and quintessential Hollywood sequels, this one.
6. The Terminal (2004)
"Ever feel like you're living in an airport?"
It's crazy that the same man who moved us all to serious tears with Schindler's List is also behind this fun and heartfelt rom-com. The Terminal follows one of the most hijinks-heavy premises I've seen: while immigrant Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is on a flight to the United States, a coup takes place in his homeland, leading to the predicament that he can't enter the U.S. because he is stateless, but he can't return home as they have no government - so he takes up residence at the airport.
The Terminal may not be as dramatic and powerful as many Spielberg films, but it's exceptional within the category of feel-good comedies, and by God, we need movies like that. The atmosphere is chill, Hanks is amiable as usual, and the central love story is sweet - all in all, a shenanigan-filled package with tons of heart.
5. The Fabelmans (2022)
"Our secret"
"Definitely...unless I make a movie about it. Which I'm never, ever going to do!"
For years, the people who knew Steven Spielberg urged him to make a movie about his own life. Finally, he listened, and the world of cinema is better off for it. This 7-time Oscar nominee from last year is a love letter to cinema, telling the pseudo-autobiographical story of a young boy who came from rough conditions but found his voice through the art of filmmaking.
The acting is sublime, from Michelle Williams' layered performance to Judd Hirsch showing up for one sequence and walking away with an Academy Award nomination. The balance between humorous dialogue, magical fun and gripping realities makes the end result feel like Spielberg at his purest, and fans of the filmmaker will love how deeply personal it all is. Oh, and that ending - an absolute chef's kiss.
4. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
"Earn this...earn it"
War movies tend to win a bunch of awards for many reasons - the genre is hard to write, as the complex thematics aren't easy to deal with in a manner that feels meaningful and not black-and-white, and the combat sequences are hellishly hard to direct. Saving Private Ryan is a film that does the first in an impressive manner, and the second in an arguably all-time-great manner.
The fictional story, set in the midst of a very non-fictional Second World War, has a gripping premise that makes for moral dilemmas and serious ponderings about the very nature of war. But the film's most remarkable asset has to be Spielberg's directing - the Normandy Landing opening sequence in particular is one for the ages, as such a spectacular combination of moving elements is brought together in a fashion as intense as it is realistic (or so I hear - I wasn't there).
3. Schindler's List (1993)
"It's Hebrew, it's from the Talmud. It says: Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire"
The film of the hour, celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of its release today, doesn't quite make it to first place in my subjective ranking, although I completely understand the reasoning for many considering it his best. It is, quite objectively, a cinematic masterpiece - the set design, cinematography and other production values are masterfully crafted, the use of colors is genius, and Rahlp Fiennes, Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley deliver some of the finest acting in 90's Hollywood. All its acclaim is beyond deserved.
Furthermore, I do see it as some sort of fucked-up badge of honor that Schindler's List is deservedly known as the hard-to-watch movie in all of cinema. There are many upsetting, downright depressing films out there, but this is the one that takes the cake as the example people always use. The horrors of the holocaust are dealt with in such a sobering manner, that Schindler's List truly is a film that everyone should watch once but most people (including myself) won't want to watch for a second time.
2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
"Be ready for me, I'm going after that truck"
"How?"
"I don't know, I'm making this up as I go"
It's just a damn good adventure flick with a kick-ass John Williams score, the charming grit (or gritty charm?) of a young Harrison Ford, and a truly immaculate vibe. There's nothing quite like Indiana Jones, and in the first film, the atmosphere is the purest. Nothing more to say, really - it's just a damn fine adventure flick.
1. Jurassic Park (1993)
"God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs"
"Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth"
First of all, let me say that my expectations for this film were different. I was about 10 years old when I saw it for the first time, and I'm not sure what had happened - I either confused it with some other movie or I had just been mislead by people about what sort of movie it is. I was expecting downright horror, Jaws but with dinosaurs instead of a shark if you will, a film made to spook people with thrilling dinosaur jump scares. So I was more than a bit confused by just how beautiful and majestic the movie actually was.
Sure, there are moments of thrilling tension, and Spielberg does those with an amazing touch - the T-rex scene is edge-of-your-seat perfection. But for the most part, it's an aesthetic feel-good treat, with lovable characters going on an exciting adventure to the backdrop of beautiful nature, awe-inspiring creatures, and some of the best movie music ever composed (courtesy of John Williams, naturally).
I'm positive that I've never seen a movie where the visual effects are as good in relation to the time of the film's release as the original Jurassic Park - they still hold up today, and you quite simply won't believe that you're watching a film from 30 years ago. That's right, exactly 30 years; Jurassic Park and Schindler's List came out in the same year. How Spielberg was able to make two cinematic masterpieces of such different genres in the same year is beyond me, and a true testament to why he's rightfully considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I answer my friend Tuukka's challenge and prove my listmaking skills by ranking 10 random things from different categories that he asked me to rank.
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