Only 3 Steven Spielberg Movies Are Better Than ‘Jaws’

When Jaws hit theaters in 1975, it didn’t just scare audiences from spending time at the beach, but it also reshaped the entire film industry and signaled the arrival of Steven Spielberg, arguably the greatest director working today. Jaws essentially invented the modern blockbuster and the summer moviegoing season, codifying what a movie event looks like. For many directors, a seminal and acclaimed film like Jaws would stand as the defining achievement of their career, but Steven Spielberg’s filmography is anything but ordinary.

Here, we take a look at three Spielberg movies that are better than Jaws, which set an incredibly high benchmark and essentially canonize him as a singular talent and a titan of cinema. While numerous Spielberg movies also deserved to at least be in contention for this list, the movies below are exemplary for their emotional resonance and personal storytelling, trademarks that differentiate Spielberg from other equally impressive directors from his generation. From staging the scenes to his collaborations with his closest collaborators, like composer John Williams and editor Michael Kahn, these movies also show Spielberg’s mastery in filmmaking.

‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)

Image via Columbia Pictures

Close Encounters of the Third Kind centers on Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), an ordinary man whose encounter with a UFO obsessively consumes him, straining his family life as he seeks answers. The story also follows other everyday individuals who have encountered UFOs until ultimately they converge at Devil’s Tower, where they make contact with the extraterrestrial guests.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is arguably Spielberg’s most personal film, at least until The Fabelmans arrived in 2022. The story stems from Spielberg’s experience when his father took him to see the meteor showers. During an episode of Inside the Actor’s Studio, Spielberg famously connected the dots behind his inspiration for the aliens with some help from the late James Lipton. The film, however, is not only about meeting aliens. Most importantly, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is about exploration and human connection. Leading the ensemble, Richard Dreyfuss delivers a compelling performance as a man unraveling under the weight of his experience. The use of music and visuals in this film is so magnificent that it further elevated the experience, turning it into one of the defining sci-fi movies of the 20th century. As one of the most important films ever made, it also influenced filmmakers like Denis Villeneuve and J.J. Abrams.

‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)

1993’s Schindler’s List follows Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a businessman who arrives in Nazi-occupied Poland seeking profit. Initially exploiting Jewish labor to run his factory, Schindler’s conscience gradually transforms as he witnesses the brutality inflicted upon the Jewish population. With the help of his accountant, Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), he employs thousands of Jews to protect them in his factories.

Spielberg’s treatment of Schindler’s extraordinary tale is profound and heartbreaking. With its stark black-and-white cinematography, Schindler’s List has an emotional gravity that only a few films can match. The Oscar-nominated performances by Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as the ruthless Amon Göth are powerful and unforgettable, with both arguably being robbed of the prestigious award (apologies to Tom Hanks and Tommy Lee Jones). The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. While Jaws revolutionized blockbuster filmmaking, Schindler’s List demonstrated Spielberg’s ability to confront humanity’s darkest chapters with maturity and restraint. It must also be noted that this film shows Spielberg’s versatility, as he released it in the same year as the blockbuster adventure Jurassic Park.

Image via Universal Studios

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial tells the story of a lonely boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas) who discovers and befriends an alien left behind on Earth, calling it E.T. As Elliott and his siblings, Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and Gertie (Drew Barrymore), hide E.T. from government authorities who want to experiment on it, they forge a deeper bond of genuine love. Together, they must find a way to help E.T. contact his spaceship and go home.

E.T. is one of Spielberg’s most enduring and beloved works because of its emotional storytelling and timeless themes; in fact, it might even be considered his trademark effort. E.T. is meant to be inoffensive, with Spielberg describing it as “a vegetable,” making it more personal than just an entertainment for families. Moreover, it was a subversion of previous tropes that presented aliens as menacing or at least ethereal; E.T. was warm and approachable. The performances, particularly that of young Henry Thomas and a scene-stealing Drew Barrymore, feel authentic and unforced that the film relatable to the audiences. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was a massive critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of its time and earning four Academy Awards, including one for John Williams‘ memorable score.