A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Best Films of Steven Spielberg

He has been called one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. They call him The Beard (a play on The Bard), and anyone who was a kid in the 1980’s will call him the architect of their childhoods. His films play with childhood dreams, family drama, and the history of the world. His name is Steven Spielberg; Oscar-winner, Hollywood giant, and silver screen legend. 

In the last few weeks Spielberg’s name has been mentioned a lot in news circles and internet chatter. Not because of a new film, but from his stance on the role of streaming services in today’s cinema (read more on that HERE). The debate, rage, and support of Spielberg has led to discussions and re-examinations of his films, which has inspired this Blogger, who as a wee-lad grew up with The Beard’s movies, to compile a list of his Top 10 Best. 

This is what happens…

10. LINCOLN (2012)

Instead of trying to sum up the entire life of President Abraham Lincoln, Spielberg instead focused on one of the man’s best achievements; the abolition of slavery in the United States and the end of the Civil War. The film is loaded with the politics of the time, but it sustains an identity as a character-piece, thanks to a gentle touch by Spielberg and a towering performance from Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln. 

9. INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)

The second adventure for Spielberg’s new hero, Indiana Jones, was actually a prequel to his first film. There is a turn late in the film which establishes the Dr. Jones that we know and love for good, and the circumstances of that turn (releasing enslaved children) are as powerful as we can ask for. Spielberg made this during a dark period of his life and it shows, as this adventure is dark, spooky, and darn near hard to watch. As the second film in the franchise it didn’t repeat itself and gave elemental players Harrison Ford and composer John Williams opportunities to give some of their best performances. 

8. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

Spielberg’s alien-visitation and abduction story played with the mythos of UFO’s, but also served as a family story with a mystery to unwrap. The special effects work and set-pieces are dazzling, and once again John Williams delivered one of his most memorable scores. How good is it? Even a mundane task like air-traffic control is made exciting. 

7. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)

Indy’s third adventure on the big screen was a search for the Holy Grail on the surface, but the real grail he was searching for was the father he never knew. It was an added element to Indiana Jones that improved the character greatly, and finally gave us a way to see something of ourselves in him. Harrison Ford is matched perfectly with Sean Connery, and the father-son dynamic makes LAST CRUSADE the perfect Father’s Day movie. 

6. JURASSIC PARK (1993)

Thanks to some dazzling brand-new special effects called CGI, and a few thrilling sequences, Spielberg captured the imagination of the entire world with JURASSIC PARK as he brought dinosaurs back to life to roar, stomp, and chomp on the big screen. Quotable, iconic, has earned a permanent spot in pop culture, and also features another fantastic score from John Williams. 

5. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)

Where his CLOSE ENCOUNTERS showed us aliens that were causing chaos and messing up families, E.T. showed us how gentle and friendly an alien can be. Told through the eyes of a child, E.T. was a tearjerker and perhaps Spielberg’s most emotional work. E.T. the alien is wonderfully brought to life, and John Williams score cannot be listened to today without the tears welling up. 

4. SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)

This Oscar-winning, towering work of art was Spielberg’s second film of 1993, and was a far cry from the whimsy of his box office-crashing dinosaur adventure. A Holocaust story which focused on Jews being civil rights victims, SCHINDLER’S LIST is one of those films which is masterfully crafted, but so moving and powerful that it can only be watched every 10 years or so. 

3. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

One of the greatest war films ever made. It recreates the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach in jaw-dropping form, and the human story which follows brings our boots to the ground with some of the best characters to ever form a platoon. The cast is perhaps the best ensemble The Beard has ever had, and with John Williams epic Hymn to the Fallen, the films stands as a lasting tribute to all veterans of war. 

2. JAWS (1975)

Iconic, funny, tragic, and classic in every way. Spielberg’s first smash was dependent on a mechanical shark that never worked, and it turned into something that fed on character moments. The action is spectacular, John Williams’ score is seared into our minds, and the characters of Quint, Chief, and Hooper had the opposites-attract dynamic which is now the basis of all filmmaking. As the grandfather of all modern blockbusters, JAWS has ushered in today’s generation of filmmakers. 

1. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

Spielberg’s best buddy George Lucas may have created the hat-wearing, whip-slinging archeologist Indiana Jones, but it was Spielberg who crafted a timeless adventure. Partly inspired by James Bond, Indy trotted the world as an obtainer of rare antiquities while loving women, battling evil, dodging bullets and arrows, and even staring at the power of the divine. Harrison Ford went from Han Solo to Indy in a year, and instantly became one of cinema’s biggest stars. John Williams’ score was once again one of the most recognizable themes of all time, and the script became a source of endless quotes. Spielberg, and cinema, loves adventure, and perhaps no other film defines that word as perfectly as RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. 

REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 FILMS OF STEVEN SPIELBERG

1. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
2. JAWS
3. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
4. SCHINDLER'S LIST
5. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
6. JURASSIC PARK
7. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
8. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
9. INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
10. LINCOLN