What are your 4 favorite Spielberg directed films and why?

[JiNX-01]

In this order:
Raiders of the Lost Ark: Great adventure and Indy wasn't Superman.
E.T. the Extraterrestrial: It gave me the vicarious thrill of meeting a friendly space alien.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: One of the best sci-fi films ever!
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Good story, great chemistry between Ford and Connery.

ETA: "The Whys"

 

[Balrog]

Raiders of the Lost Ark - This was movie that came out of left field when I saw it as a kid. Still the best action adventure movie of all time.

Saving Private Ryan - The first moments of this movie are simply amazing.

E.T. - Still one of his best and heart-warming.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - This movie gets way too much crap. It's a beautiful movie, wonderfully shot, and a whole lot of fun. What's not to like? Yes, I do like it more than The Last Crusade.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Raiders of the Lost Ark- It's my favorite film, bar none. Adventure, humor, excitement, romance. It's got it all.

Jurassic Park- I remember being a kid and seeing this for the first time. I think it's the movie that made me love movies. It was dinosaurs! right there! I knew they were special effects, of course, but it didn't make it any less breathtaking.

Jaws- Giant shark terrorizes people should be silly b-movie crap. Spielberg made is suspenseful and engaging. Bravo sir, bravo.

Minority Report- Incredibly under rated film. Sci-fi action fun mixed with actual ideas to ponder. I don't agree with the people that say the ending is a cheat, either.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Minority Report- Incredibly under rated film. Sci-fi action fun mixed with actual ideas to ponder. I don't agree with the people that say the ending is a cheat, either.

The whole movie is a cheat. The Pre-crime people are practicing inhumane science on children, cruel and unusual punishment on the "criminals, and bottom line is that the most they could ever arrest anyone for is "attempted murder." If the murders don't happen, they don't happen. Plain and simple. The film is the most idiotic bit of sci fi to come out , well, ever!

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Jaws: The greatest tale of man vs. nature put to film.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: Fun. Funny. Hopeful and optimistic while being completely heartbreaking at the same time. That rare movie. All things to all people.

Raiders of the Lost Ark: The finest tale of high adventure ever told.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The greatest science fiction film of all time.

 

[Davros]

I'm tempted to include E.T., but I haven't seen it since I was 10. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen Close Entcounters of the Third Kind.

That's funny, because I haven't seen Close Encounters since I was a kid and have never seen ET.

 

[lurok]

The most shamelessly manipulative of the movie brats (besides De Palma).

Raiders - but I think credit to Lucas is undervalued...

Amistad - mawkish but at least about something important...

Empire of The Sun - a mess, but a favorite...

Poltergeist - best Spielberg film he never really directed

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Minority Report- Incredibly under rated film. Sci-fi action fun mixed with actual ideas to ponder. I don't agree with the people that say the ending is a cheat, either.

The whole movie is a cheat. The Pre-crime people are practicing inhumane science on children, cruel and unusual punishment on the "criminals, and bottom line is that the most they could ever arrest anyone for is "attempted murder." If the murders don't happen, they don't happen. Plain and simple. The film is the most idiotic bit of sci fi to come out , well, ever!

Which is entirely the point. The system doesn't work.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Yeah but they did it for six years before the Feds sent anyone to check it out.

It's one thing to make a movie about a system that doesn't work and another to make one this stupid

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

The most shamelessly manipulative of the movie brats (besides De Palma).

Raiders - but I think credit to Lucas is undervalued...

I don't think that's true. Most people know that George Lucas created Indiana Jones. It's also generally known that Lucas considered Raiders and equal collaboration between himself, Spielberg, Kasdan and Ford. He's a very humble fellow.

 

[Gaith]

Too easy!

Raiders
Jurassic Park
Minority Report
Munich


I don't know what my 5th would be, because I haven't seen another Spielberg movie I've really liked. The Indy sequels, Lost World, War of the Worlds, Amistad, and Hook all kinda suck. Saving Private Ryan, Jaws and ET are all sorta good but overrated. Haven't seen Close Encounters, Schindler's List, Duel, or Catch Me if You Can or The Color Purple. So, if I had to pick a fifth, it'd be Schindler's List, I guess.

 

[M'Sharak]

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1941
"LA 2017" (1971 episode from TV series The Name of the Game)

 

[Lucky]

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Fantastic adventure movie, and my personal favorite of the series

Jaws - Great suspense and acting

Saving Private Ryan - One of the greatest war films ever

E.T. - A true classic, it never gets old

Honorable mentions: Minority Report, Catch Me if You Can, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters of the Third Kind

 

[bluedana]

Raiders of the Lost Ark. This movie had no bad moments. The quiet moments were necessary and just right, and the adventure moments were perfect. It took all of the cinema classics and elevated them.

The Color Purple. Alice Walker's book made me cry. This movie made me weep. (This is one of the worst disses in Hollywood history -- how can the entire cast and the film be nominated for Oscars, but not the director??) I can watch this film over and over, and cry every time. Spielberg got all of the nuances of the story right.

Schindler's List. This movie made me cry as well, and I don't think I could ever watch it again. It's a devastating film.

Amistad. While others might dismiss this true life story as unimportant in the scheme of things, Spielberg gave it the credit and gravitas it is due. I love that he made this film for his other son.

Honestly, when I look at my list of favorites and the ones that others have mentioned, I am amazed at what a phenomenal filmmaker Spielberg is. He really is head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[Art Vandelay]

I cannot believe that post #34 is the first one that mentions The Color Purple. It is my absolute favourite, for the reasons bluedana mentions. That movie gets me every time.

Next up is Raiders of the Lost Ark. Best adventure movie ever made.

Then there is Munich. I really thought Spielberg would turn this into pure tragedy, and didn't expect it to turn out as a phenomenally taut and exciting thriller with a well-balanced political statement.

Next up is Close Encounters of the Third Kind. No other film before or since has managed to capture this kind of wonder and awe.

And, just because I cannot limit myself to just four movies, there is Catch Me If You Can, a masterfully skilled caper movie. Spielberg makes something truly skillful and great look effortless.

Honorable mention goes to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom for being the perfect thrill ride, and to E.T., because everybody loves E.T.

It's really amazing how diverse Spielberg is - most other directors are limited to a single flavour. His Tintin should prove a great adventure movie, really looking forward to it. If I can find a theatre that shows it in 2D.

 

[suarezguy]

-Schindler's List: Strong acting, excellent cinematography and intensity.
-Catch Me If You Can: Great interplay between DiCaprio and Hanks and identification with the characters.
-Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: I like this best of the Indy films for being the least "serialesque" and having the best comic relief and great action.
-Raiders of the Lost Ark: Strong action, characters and mood.
Honorable mention to Munich with strong characterizations and mood.

bottom line is that the most they could ever arrest anyone for is "attempted murder." If the murders don't happen, they don't happen. Plain and simple.

The first near-murder we saw certainly came close. I would have liked the film more if it was more of a straight drama; the action scenes felt a little basic and tired (as did Williams's music during them).

 

[I Grok Spock]

I'm thinking of favorite as a movie that greatly entertained me, made an indelible impression, and which I would happily revisit any time.

Raiders of the Lost Ark - for all reasons posted above, plus I went into it not knowing a thing about what I was going to see and was completely entranced.

E.T. - Being the same age as the protagonist (Eliot, not E.T.) helped. In retrospect, it's a great little memoir of the early 80s.

Jurassic Park - The first film to really show the full promise of computer-generated visuals. Add that to a thrill-ride story and it makes the top four.

I guess there really isn't a fourth. Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan are brilliant, amazing films that made an impression, but I rarely have a desire to revisit them. The Indy sequels are various degrees of entertaining, but don't approach the first. CE3K is good, but never quite clicked for me. Catch Me If You Can is a very fun flick, but no more than that. Maybe Jaws comes closest for the fourth slot. I was too young to see it in theaters, but when I did see it several years later I was impressed. Thankfully, he's not done making movies, so I think I'll hold that last slot open, for now.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

CE3K was the only one of his films I really liked.