Steven Spielberg is one of Hollywood’s greatest directors born on December 18, 1946, he pioneered a new era of Hollywood that exploded blockbusters for the American summer.
Most of his films are qualitatively successful and achieve substantial commercial earnings, some of which are even able to combine the Oscars with the box office.
At the beginning of his career, most of his films were in the sci-fi genre, but he’s been doing more historical films since then. The two genres that have become its mainstay have been studied in every detail. That’s the Oscar-signed director’s advantage. Each movie is always awaited by fans and film connoisseurs around the world.
So here we pick out the 10 best movies to date. This movie list is based on Oscar awarding criteria for Steven Spielberg and his films, high box office results and ratings from several popular movie websites.
Jaws [1975]
- Release year : 1975
- Genre: Adventure, Horror
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
- Production company : Zanuck / Brown Productions, Universal Pictures
The horror film, often considered the pioneer of the “summer blockbuster”, was the film that paved the way for Spielberg to set foot in Hollywood as one of the best filmmakers.
Adapted from the novel by Peter Benchley, the film set on the fictional beach of Amity Island has grossed US$260 million and is one of the highest-grossing films ever made.
Additionally, the failed 3-sequel sequel also won Academy Awards in the categories Best Sound, Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay Score, as well as a nomination for Best Picture. best . In 2001, the film was registered in the National Film Registry as a classic.
The Terminal
- Release year : 2004
- Genre: Drama, Comedy
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Zones, Stanley Tucci
- Production company : Amblin Entertainment
Viktor Navonski (Tom Hanks) is a citizen of Krakozhia (fictional) who departs from his home country for New York, United States. When Viktor arrived at John F. Kennedy airport, Viktor’s passport and visa had been suspended by his country due to the civil war there, resulting in the entire country of Krakozhia being unable to travel anywhere from or to the land. that country. Pandara, Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) finally intervenes to handle Viktor’s case.
Instead of getting help, Viktor was ordered to commit a crime by fleeing the airport (which can be considered a crime since it means Viktor entered the US illegally because of Viktor’s immigration records). illegal ); this was done because Dixon didn’t want to bother taking care of Viktor. Viktor doesn’t run away, he’s still a good citizen and finally enjoys living in an airport terminal that hasn’t been used for a long time. Survive there, get to know the people at the airport so Viktor isn’t alone and has a story.
Raiders of the Lost Ark [1981]
- Release year : 1981
- Genre: Action, Adventure
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
- Production company : Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm
One of the best adventure films is the first in the Indiana Jones franchise, which would later spawn three sequels, a television series, and 15 video games. Based on the idea of filmmaker George Lucas, this film is about a history professor who is assigned by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before it was captured by the Nazis.
Full of entertaining adventure elements in it, this film was later nominated for an Academy Award in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Cinematography. It also won Oscars in the categories of Best Art Direction , Best Editing , Best Sound , Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects Editing .
Ranked as one of the best box office grossing films, it grossed US$248 million and was listed on the National Film Registry as a classic in 1999.
ET the Extra-Terrestrial [1982]
- Release year : 1982
- Genre: Family, Science Fiction
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote
- Production company: Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
This family sci-fi movie never gets bored watching over and over again. Produced on a budget of $10.5 million with locations in California, the film that once topped the world’s highest-grossing films has grossed $435 million from three releases in different locations. 1982, 1985 and 2002.
At the Academy Awards, the film, whose scene became Amblin Entertainment’s iconic scene, won Oscars in the categories of Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Original Score. , and was nominated for Best Picture , Best Director , Best Original Screenplay , Best Cinematography and Best Editing .
A classic after being registered with the National Film Registry in 1994, the film that inspired many “kind alien” films is still ranked number one in science films. best fiction.
The Color Purple [1985]
- Release year : 1985
- Genre: Drama
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey
- Production company: Amblin Entertainment, The Guber-Peters Company, Warner Bros.
This dramatic drama, set between 1909 and 1937, was Steven Spielberg’s first outside of his blockbuster printing habit. Adapted from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this film takes on the theme of discrimination against African Americans in North Carolina, specifically focusing on a woman named Celie, played by Whoopi Goldberg.
Nominated in 11 categories at the Oscars, unfortunately not a single Oscar was awarded. But this did not detract from the quality of the film, which grossed $98 million in the US.
Empire of the Sun [1987]
- Release year : 1987
- Genre: Action, Drama, History
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson
- Production company: Amblin Entertainment, Warner Bros.
For audiences who claim to be fans of Christian Bale, they must know this movie as his first movie when he was a child. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by JG Ballard, Christian Bale plays an expatriate Englishman who is separated from his family while in Shanghai and becomes a prisoner of the Japanese army’s invasion of China and the rest of the world. Next site.
Although it only earned $22 million and was nominated for an Oscar in 6 categories without winning a single win, this film has since become a cult classic in the hearts of the audience because of its elaborate staging. Beautiful cinematography and techniques.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [1989]
- Release year: 1989
- Genre: Action, Adventure
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody
- Production company : Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm
The success of the Indiana Jones adventure series received a lot of criticism in his second film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom [1984], so Spielberg promised to reduce the level of violence and darkness in the sequel. this third movie. With a better story and the presence of Sean Connery as the father of Indiana Jones, that adds even more value to this movie, which was largely shot in Europe.
Taking home only the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing , the film was also nominated for Best Sound and Best Original Score . At the box office chart, this film has achieved a gross of 197 million US dollars.
Jurassic Park [1993]
- Released year: 1993
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
- Production company: Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
The film is considered to be a pioneer in the use of CGI in this film, including among the best adventure and sci-fi films ever made. After three sequels, the film debuted in the summer of 1993, was adapted from the best-selling novel by Michael Crichton and grossed US$402 million.
With the debut of DTS by Industrial Light and Magic, it was only natural that this film would later win Oscars in the categories Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing for its jarring appearance. dinosaur sound at that time. In addition, in the category of Best Visual Effects, the film shot in Hawaii won an Oscar thanks to the care of the CGI team.
Schindler’s List [1993]
- Released year: 1993
- Genre: Biography, Drama, History
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
- Production company: Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
The film, shown in black and white, is Steven Spielberg’s best film to date. Tells the story of Oskar Schindler’s struggle to save the Jews of Poland from the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis. With the participation of Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley, the film has successively achieved success at all world film awards.
At the Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Actor for Liam Neeson, Best Supporting Actor for Ralph Fiennes, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Makeup. And won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, and Best Original Score. best .
At the time, the film grossed US$96 million at the box office. Schindler’s List became a classic after being registered in the National Film Registry in 2004.
Saving Private Ryan [1998]
- Release year : 1998
- Genre: Drama, War
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore
- Production company: DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
The movie set during World War II is recognized for having war scenes that are very close to reality, especially the 27-minute opening scene that shows the battle at Omaha Beach which is heart-pounding. With a movie length of nearly 3 hours, there are still many war scenes shown, even though Saving Private Ryan is essentially a drama.
Tom Hanks was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and several other nominations from this film in the categories of Best Art Direction , Best Makeup , Best Original Screenplay Score , Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
Meanwhile, the Oscars won in the categories of Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Mixing and Mixing. With a gross of US$216 million, the film was later registered in the National Film Registry in 2014.
Catch Me If You Can [2002]
- Release year : 2002
- Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
- Production company: DreamWorks, Kemp Company, Splendid Pictures
Based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. who became a millionaire before turning 19 through various frauds, pairing Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks as the two main stars. The added value of this biopic is that it’s an enjoyable pacing to enjoy and not get bored.
With a box office record of US$164 million, this film got Christopher Walken nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor and John Williams in the category of Best Original Film. Just for the record, Frank Abagnale, Jr. who is currently working at the FBI as a professional agent, welcomes the film featuring this excerpt of his life story.
War of the Worlds [2005]
- Release year : 2005
- Genre: Science Fiction, Action
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin
- Production company : Amblin Entertainment
Rey Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a widow who lives with her two children, Rachel and Robbie. Rey’s relationship with the two children is not very good, but everything changes when an attack from a foreign mother plane comes unexpectedly; shoot laser beams and turn all humans to dust.
Rachel and Robbie’s vacation plan with their father turns into a life-or-death struggle against the aliens invading Earth. The authorities have begun to attack again but they have not found the weak point of the dead ten-meter-tall alien. At such a critical time, Rey, Rachel and Robbie run away together and leave the city before it’s too late.
Those are the 10 best films directed by Steven Spielberg during his career so far. It is certain that he will continue to make movies with good quality because he already has his own standard of success.
In particular, in most of his films, he always relies on his team, which are Janusz Kaminski in cinematography, Michael Kahn in film editing and John Williams on music. So, despite carrying a different theme in each film, the unique flavor of Steven Spielberg and his team has always been maintained.