FilmwardSubscribe
← All lists

Top 5 Steven Spielberg Films

Directed by Spielberg only, so no Poltergeist. We agreed on the top two, just not the order.

Hear it on episode 3 at 49:57 →

Jeff's picks

  1. 1
    Jurassic Park (1993)

    You know what's coming and it still builds so much tension. It makes you feel like you're really in the park.

  2. 2
    Schindler's List (1993)

    Heavy and hard to watch, but beautiful in how it honors what Schindler did. A classic for a reason.

  3. 3
    Hook (1991)

    Maybe a minor Spielberg, but he's a huge Robin Williams fan and loves the big action scenes. Rufio!

  4. 4
    Lincoln (2012)

    Daniel Day-Lewis is incredible, and it feels like a real insight into who Lincoln was.

  5. 5
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

    Standing in for all three original Indiana Jones films. Great action with a little absurdity, and it leaves him tense and smiling at the same time.

Matt's picks

  1. 1
    Schindler's List (1993)

    The girl in red, Ralph Fiennes' haunting performance, and images that stay with you. An important film.

  2. 2
    Saving Private Ryan (1998)

    The D-Day opening dispelled the myth of war movies before it. Band of Brothers is still his favorite, though.

  3. 3
    Jurassic Park (1993)

    John Williams' score, Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm, and effects that still look amazing more than thirty years later.

  4. 4
    Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

    Nonstop adventure grounded in just enough history to feel possible. Last Crusade nearly made it too.

  5. 5
    Jaws (1975)

    Only really sat down with it in the past few years. Great character study of the three men on the boat.

Two films made both lists: Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. They were Jeff's top two and Matt's number one and number three. Honorable mentions came up for Last Crusade, and Matt had to rule out Poltergeist because Spielberg wrote and produced it but didn't direct it.