Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.cbr.com
Steven Spielberg has spent decades making movies that other filmmakers wish they’d made. However, even the man behind Jaws, Jurassic Park and E.T. has his own list of films he can’t help admiring. And when someone who has practically written the rulebook for Hollywood blockbusters starts talking about his favorite movies, it’s worth paying attention.
Spielberg knows a thing or two about unforgettable storytelling, and his admiration for other filmmakers reveals just how much he loves the craft. For anyone looking for a great movie recommendation, these ten films suggested by Spielberg are worth exploring.
Obsession Is the Low-Budget Horror Hit That Impressed Steven Spielberg
When Curry Baker was able to achieve groundbreaking success with his horror phenomenon Obsession for less than $1 million, he impressed many people, including Steven Spielberg. The legendary director publicly praised the film and its remarkable success, giving the young filmmaker an endorsement most directors can only dream of.
The film’s twisted premise has everything you need for an entertaining horror film. A lonely young man uses a wishbone to make his crush fall in love with him, only to discover that getting exactly what he wished for is a terrible idea. Barker takes that simple setup into disturbing territory, mixing uncomfortable humor with some genuinely nasty horror. It’s the kind of filmmaking that makes Obsession such an exciting addition to Spielberg’s list of admired movies.
2001: A Space Odyssey Changed What Science Fiction Movies Could Do
Stanley Kubrick made 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968, and somehow, parts of it still look more convincing than sci-fi movies made decades later. The spacecraft, the mysterious monolith and HAL 9000’s unsettlingly calm voice have become essential pieces of cinema history. Spielberg has long admired the film, which also appears among his widely reported favorites.
What’s remarkable about 2001 is how confidently Kubrick lets the images do the talking. The long silent sequences are not the most compelling aspects for some audience members, but the visual talking behind those stretches remains the most fascinating. And that final journey through space? People are still debating what it means.
The Shining Is Stanley Kubrick’s Horror Masterpiece That Even Spielberg Questioned
Steven Spielberg wasn’t immediately convinced by The Shining, particularly Jack Nicholson’s unhinged performance. His early reaction became part of a fascinating conversation with Stanley Kubrick himself. It’s an interesting reminder that even great filmmakers don’t always agree about what makes a movie work, but Speilberg eventually came around and over time it has become one of its favorites.
Of course, The Shining has since become one of horror’s most endlessly discussed films. From the creepy twins in the hallway to the Overlook Hotel’s impossible architecture, practically every scene has something worth picking apart. Whether viewers love its mysteries or simply enjoy being frightened out of their minds, there’s a reason this film keeps finding new audiences.
Seven Samurai Inspired Generations of Action Movies, Including Steven Spielberg
Forget Avengers, it was Akira Kurosawa who first mastered the art of assembling teams of heroes with Seven Samurai. The 1954 Japanese epic follows seven warriors defending a village from bandits, but the characters, action and emotional stakes make its lengthy running time fly by.
Spielberg has identified Seven Samurai as one of the films he revisits before directing. That’s quite an endorsement, especially considering how much modern action cinema owes to Kurosawa. Its influence can be seen everywhere, from Westerns to ensemble blockbusters, proving just how much one film can teach generations of filmmakers.
Psycho Proved Alfred Hitchcock Could Terrify Audiences With Almost Nothing
Image via Paramount Pictures
Alfred Hitchcock brought a massive cultural pivot to horror cinema with Psycho, especially when he turned an ordinary shower into one of the scariest places in movie history. More than six decades later, Psycho remains a brilliant example of how to manipulate an audience, and it’s among the films included in Spielberg’s widely circulated favorites list.
The famous shower sequence is an obvious highlight, but Hitchcock’s real trick is how thoroughly he messes with viewers’ expectations. Just when audiences think they know whose story they’re watching, the film takes a shocking turn. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates is unforgettable, whose awkward charm makes him all the more disturbing. Add Bernard Herrmann’s screeching score, and it’s easy to understand why filmmakers continue studying this horror classic.
Citizen Kane Was So Important to Spielberg That He Bought Rosebud
How much can a movie mean to someone? In Steven Spielberg’s case, enough to spend a fancy amount of money on one of its most famous props. In 1982, the director purchased a Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane, a particularly fitting tribute to a film he deeply admired.
Orson Welles’ 1941 masterpiece is famous for its innovative cinematography and unusual storytelling, but its central mystery is what makes it so compelling. Who was Charles Foster Kane, and why did his final word matter so much? The film gradually reveals the life of a powerful man through other people’s memories, leaving viewers to piece together the truth.
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The Dark Knight Took Superhero Movies to Another Level
The Dark Knight is one of those films that has given so many people so much. For Batman fans, it remains irreplaceable; for Christopher Nolan, it’s one of his best films; and for cinema, it defines an era. However, the biggest reason it is so iconic is undoubtedly Heath Ledger’s performance as Joker. The unpredictable and frightening nature of Ledger’s craft gave some of the most memorable moments in superhero cinema. The film also appears on Spielberg’s widely reported list of favorites.
The Dark Knight is entertaining because of how far Nolan pushes Batman’s world beyond the usual superhero formula. Gotham feels like a city on the verge of collapse, and the Joker’s schemes force Batman into increasingly impossible decisions. The spectacular truck-flip sequence, tense interrogation scene and enormous practical set pieces only add to its appeal. Nearly two decades later, it’s still one of the easiest superhero movies to recommend.
Dune: Part Two Left Steven Spielberg Absolutely Blown Away
When the director of E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind calls your sci-fi movie one of the most brilliant he’s ever seen, you’ve probably done something right. That’s the level of praise Steven Spielberg gave Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two during a 2024 Directors Guild of America conversation.
And it’s easy to see what impressed him. Villeneuve transforms Frank Herbert’s universe into a pretty amazing cinematic experience, complete with colossal sandworms, brutal battles and breathtaking desert landscapes. Spielberg was particularly enthusiastic about the sequence where Paul Atreides rides a sandworm, singling it out as an extraordinary filmmaking achievement. Between its incredible scale, Hans Zimmer’s music and Timothée Chalamet’s commanding performance, Dune: Part Two earns every bit of its blockbuster reputation.
The Godfather Remains One of Hollywood’s Greatest Crime Movies
The Godfather has to appear in places wherever people discuss the greatest movies ever made. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 crime drama has practically everything: an unforgettable cast, brilliant dialogue, mafia violence and one of cinema’s most fascinating character transformations. Like most people, Spielberg continues to adore the impact it has on the crime genre and just on cinema in general.
Marlon Brando’s Don Vito Corleone may be the film’s most recognizable figure, but Al Pacino’s Michael is where the story becomes especially gripping. Watching him gradually take control of the family business is both fascinating and unsettling. Coppola fills the movie with scenes that have become part of popular culture, from the opening wedding to its chilling final moments. For a film that runs nearly three hours, The Godfather has remarkably little wasted time.
It’s a Wonderful Life Is a Steven Spielberg Favorite Worth Watching Again and Again
Image via RKO Radio Pictures
Steven Spielberg has reportedly named It’s a Wonderful Life among the films he returns to before starting a new directing project. Considering the director’s gift for making audiences laugh, cry and occasionally do both within the same scene, his affection for Frank Capra’s 1946 classic makes perfect sense.
James Stewart gives one of his finest performances as George Bailey, a man who has spent years putting everyone else’s needs ahead of his own. When George reaches his lowest point, the film takes him on an extraordinary journey that changes how he sees his entire life. Its emotional payoff is so satisfying that even viewers who know exactly what’s coming can find themselves tearing up. Even 80 years later, It’s a Wonderful Life still has that rare ability to make an audience feel a little better about the world.
