Steven Spielberg Movies
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No website about movies would be complete without mentioning Steven Spielberg movies. Spielberg is probably the most successful and the most influential movie maker of the second half of the 20th century, if not of all time. Has anyone else been involved in more blockbusters, created more new myths? If we included the movies Spielberg was involved in as a producer, we'd be here all day, so this article will only cover those Steven Spielberg movies that he personally directed. (This is not an all-inclusive list; Spielberg has directed over 30 films to date.)
A Blockbuster Fish Story
Spielberg learned his craft in television, directing series episodes and then made for TV movies. His first feature, Sugarland Express, starring Goldie Hawn, gained good reviews but disappointing box office.
It was his next feature that set him for life – 1975's Jaws. The movie was a smash hit, and Spielberg was established before his thirtieth birthday as the hottest director in Hollywood.
Jaws had been based on a blockbuster novel (although that is not always a guarantee of movie success), but for Spielberg's next outing, he was playing without a net, directing his own story. Another blockbuster home-run, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, released in 1977, dealt with humanity's first meeting with aliens, handled with the hopefulness and sense of wonder that became Spielberg's trademark.
Two years later, 1941 was a box-office misfire. A farce about the West Coast preparing for a Japanese invasion after Pearl Harbor, it wasn't what audiences expected from Spielberg.
Tombs and Aliens
But Spielberg was hitting his stride now. Younger readers probably won't be able to comprehend the sense of anticipation when it was revealed that Steven Spielberg was working on a film with George Lucas. It sounded almost too good to be true. In 1981 we saw the result of that collaboration – Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In 1982, Spielberg released the movie that is probably the first thing people think of when they hear his name – ET: The Extra-Terrestrial. The story of the children who help a little lost alien find his way home was more than box-office gold; it was pure movie magic. It is still one of the highest grossing Steven Spielberg movies of all time.
Spielberg directed the two sequels to Raiders Of The Lost Ark; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989. He also showed he could direct non-fantasy films with The Color Purple in 1985 and Empire of the Sun in 1987.
1991's Peter Pan story Hook was a box office disappointment, but in 1993, Spielberg returned to blockbuster status with the dino-fest Jurassic Park.
Spielberg At War
That same year saw the release of the film that many consider Spielberg's best, the Holocaust drama Schindler's List. It was a total departure from his usual fare, and filmed in black-and-white with the exception of one poignant splash of color.
Schindler's List earned seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. (One is tempted to say "finally!")
Spielberg won Best Director again in 1998 for Saving Private Ryan, the WWII drama that remade the face of war movies.
Steven Spielberg Movies Show Versatility
But Spielberg hasn't entirely gone all adult and serious on us, or 'above' his roots as the maker of crowd-pleasing blockbusters. He directed the Jurassic Park sequel The Lost World in 1997, returned to poignant and thought-provoking sci-fi with Artificial Intelligence: AI in 2001, directed the War of the Worlds remake in 2005, and has announced plans for a new Indiana Jones film.
Directors, like actors, often get typecast. Steven Spielberg never let that happen to him, and the movie world has been graced with ground-breaking and history-making movies because of it.
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