Steven Spielberg is one of the best directors of all time, and as he’s partnered with undoubtedly the greatest film composer ever, John Williams, many of his films are some of the most memorable of all time. With tomorrow’s theatrical release of Jurassic Park into theaters, we’re looking back at their best collaborations.

Steven Spielberg first partnered with John Williams on his very first theatrically released film, The Sugarland Express. At the time, Williams was much more of an established artist having already won an Academy Award for Fiddler on the Roof. Spielberg did everything in his power to get a meeting with the composer, and time has told how that worked out. There are only two films in Spielberg’s storied career that haven’t featured John Williams as composer. Prior to The Sugarland Express, Spielberg directed a made-for-TV film, Duel. The only other Spielberg directed film is The Color Purple. At the time Spielberg joined the production of the film, composer Quincy Jones had already been attached to the project.

10. ‘Lincoln’ (2012)

When it was announced that Steven Spielberg would be directing a movie about Abraham Lincoln, most Spielberg fans thought it made so much sense that it was a surprise that it hadn’t happened before. If you could pin Spielberg’s directing down to two elements, it would be his ability to bring out the most human elements and his major set pieces. Lincoln obviously lent itself to that.

Though the film as a whole can’t compare to Spielberg’s best work, Lincoln features one of the best acting performances in any of Spielberg’s movies from Daniel Day-Lewis in the titular role. Lincoln also featured several other very good performances. Spielberg did a very solid job at making us see the human element of Lincoln. While we didn’t need to be persuaded on how good of a president Lincoln was, Spielberg showed just how Lincoln manipulated the politics in a way that most people just don’t know.

While Lincoln doesn’t have a “theme” track like many of the other movies to come, “With Malice Towards None” is the highlight of the score. The track has a classic Williams beauty. While this and the rest of the Lincoln score aren’t as original of some of the rest of Williams’ work, Williams provides a very presidential and very Williams-esque feel throughout that fits Lincoln perfectly.

Lincoln often gets flack for being too inside-baseball political, but that shouldn’t deny how good a film it actually is. Led by its stellar performance, Lincoln is a very good film that fits Spielberg perfectly.

9. ‘Catch Me if You Can’ (2002)

Of all the films to make this list, Catch Me If You Can is the most different from the rest. It has less of the Spielberg flair we’ve come to know and love, but it’s still a really good movie.

Catch Me If You Can is not a unique Spielberg film because it’s based on a true story, nor because it’s unbelievable. The fact that the film has both elements is what makes the story so intriguing. As Frank Abagnale Jr. was once on FBI’s Most Wanted list, you know the movie will end after he gets caught, but it’s more about watching it play out. The performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken take it from a really good story to an immensely fun one to watch.

The Catch Me If You Can theme is a change of pace from most of Williams’ themes. This theme has a very light, Jazzy feel to it. Coupled with the terrific animated opening credit sequence, the score gives a very different feel to this film from the beginning. Even though it’s not his usual style, the Jazz style is a familiar one to Williams. Early in his career, Williams was a pianist in Jazz-legend Henry Mancini’s band.

The only major flaw Catch Me If You Can has is that it is probably about 45 minutes too long. Spielberg has many long movies, and rightly so, but this time the end didn’t come soon enough.

8. ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ (1977)

Spielberg has made plenty of science fiction films throughout his career, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, his first sci-fi film, is still one of his best.

Close Encounters came out the same year as Star Wars, and it’s arguably the better film. Regardless of which one you prefer, it’s definitely stood up just as well. Led by one of the best performances of Richard Dreyfuss’ career, Close Encounters takes a fantastic look at one of man’s favorite topics: the U.F.O. Spielberg wisely left the aliens to the very end of the film. He often uses the human emotion of wonder beautifully. Our wonder matches the wonder of the characters.

John Williams did something masterful with Close Encounters. While the music throughout is one of Williams’ finest, the theme that really stands out is “Wild Signals,” the theme of how the aliens communicate. This theme was more total collaboration between Williams and Spielberg than is typical between composers and directors. Most film scores give the necessary feel to a film, but “Wild Signals” was sound that played as almost another actor.

Close Encounters got even better with Spielberg’s special edition released in 1980, three years after the initial release. The special edition features extra scenes. Most notably is the scene where Spielberg takes us inside the spaceship.

7. ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982)

Five years after Close Encounters, Spielberg delved into sci-fi again and made the best sci-fi film of his career: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.

Spielberg is known for his use of the human element, and it’s interesting that this is at its most prevalent in a story about aliens. E.T. is about way more than aliens. It paints a beautiful picture of childhood friendship and love, wonder of what lies above, death, and having to say goodbye. The film doesn’t take it at all easy on the emotions – it’s very moving. The fact that we really don’t know anything about where E.T. comes from is to the film’s credit. We wonder just as much as the characters themselves.

John Williams’ score and the E.T main theme are as wondrous as the film itself. The “Flying Theme” brings a sense of flight while at the same time presenting a very youthful feel. I never saw this film as a child, but the theme itself still gives me a nostalgic feeling about my childhood. It’s also one of the best known movie themes ever. Most movie theme medleys include bits of this theme (as well as several others from this list).

E.T. will forever be known as one of the best alien movies of all time. Its touching story makes an impression on those who see it.

6. ‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

It’s hard to look at the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and remember that it came out 20 years ago.

Jurassic Park‘s strongest quality is of course the special effects on the dinosaurs, and they look just as good today when watched on the most recent Blu-ray conversion. (Note: purchase on Amazon gives you a ticket to see it in theaters.) We’re very excited to see how the good 3D conversion is. We’re typically not fans and would have rather seen it re-released in remastered 2D, but you can bet we’ll be in our seats tomorrow night happy to see it on our big screens – and for the first time for some of us. Will you be going to the theater to see it again? Let us know in the comment section!

John Williams, master of so many grand themes, created a theme that is as grand as any other he’s ever written. It holds up to the likes of the themes from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and Superman. Jurassic Park‘s theme is as adventurous as the film, and every time we hear it we want to go on an adventure.

Jurassic Park is without a doubt the premiere dinosaur movie of all time, and it’s one of the better monster movies, too.

Before getting to the top 5, it’s time to look at some of the films that didn’t quite make this list. Spielberg has made some other great science fiction movies. Tom Cruise starred in a pair of them: Minority Report and War of the Worlds. Minority Report is generally considered one of Spielberg’s better movies, and it just fell short of making this list. Though generally Minority Report is seen as the better film, I actually prefer the film Spielberg took over from Stanley Kubrick, A.I. Artificial Intelligence. A.I. tells a gripping love story that really makes you think, and, if you’re like me, you can still have realizations about it weeks after seeing it. There are many more films that have to be mentioned. Empire of the Sun, Amistad, Munich, The Sugarland Express, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom are all really good films that just fell short of making this list.

Spielberg has also had some low points in his directorial career. Hook, 1941, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park are all seen as failures while The Terminal and Always aren’t looked upon with that great of light.

5. ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998)

Spielberg often wows with his fantastical visuals, but in Saving Private Ryan Spielberg uses intensely realistic visuals with dramatic effect.

You can’t talk about Saving Private Ryan without discussing the first 20 minutes. The initial beaches of Normandy scene is on of the most intensely graphic war scenes ever depicted on film. These scenes almost forced the movie to receive an NC-17 rating. Spielberg doesn’t take it easy on the audience – everything imaginable and unimaginable happens. One of the most disturbing is when a soldier picks up his arm from the ground as if he’s going to need to later. Beyond the initial sequence, the film remains strong. Tom Hanks delivers one of his better performances of his career.

The score on the whole isn’t one of Williams’ best, but it still delivers one of the saddest themes of his career. “Hymn to the Fallen” is heart-wrenchingly sad and beautiful. It’s not to Williams’ discredit that the score isn’t one of his best. As the most powerful scenes were the intense war scenes, these scenes didn’t call for music.

Saving Private Ryan‘s biggest fault is that the second act is somewhat forgettable, but the rest of the film is so strong that it is one of the best war movies ever.

4. ‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)

Spielberg’s best “serious film,” Schindler’s List is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Ranking Spielberg’s movies became very difficult here. Any of the top four films on this list could have been number one, and each held that position on different drafts of the list. Schindler’s List is Spielberg’s film that did the best critically, winning seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Score. Shot mostly in black and white, Schindler’s List is a long portrayal of the moving transformation of Oskar Schindler from a powerful businessman to a Jewish savior.

As masterful of a job as Spielberg did with Schindler’s List, Williams arguably created just as much of a masterpiece. Williams’ score is both beautiful and simple, a rare treat in a career filled with treats. Violinist Itzhak Perlman plays the main theme and other tracks beautifully. The theme is repeated across many instruments throughout the film, but it never ceases to get old.

Schindler’s List is not only possibly Spielberg’s greatest film, but it could also be the best movie of all time.

3. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)

Among all of his movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark is arguably Spielberg’s most influential.

Spielberg (with George Lucas) redefined the action-adventure with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Raiders was an influence for many movies to come. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Mummy, National Treasure, and The Goonies are a few examples of Indiana Jones knock-offs. It’s hard to imagine what Raiders or any of the sequels would have been like if Tom Selleck had been able to accept the role. Harrison Ford prefers his role as Indiana Jones to Han Solo, and he’s right to do so. The film is almost flawless from top to bottom, and Indiana Jones remains one of the all-time greatest characters.

Williams’ “Raiders March” theme is one of his grandest, but without Spielberg’s help, it would have never been created. Williams wrote two different themes that he thought might be good for Raiders and asked Spielberg to pick. Spielberg loved them both so much that he thought they should be combined, and “Raiders March” was created.

Raiders of the Lost Ark could very well be the best action-adventure movie ever made.

2. ‘Jaws’ (1975)

With just his second theatrically released film, Spielberg created his first classic.

Jaws was the first blockbuster movie. It was released in the summer, and it also started the summer blockbuster trend. It’s hard to imagine a time when some of the biggest movies of the year didn’t come out during the summer. If you ask anyone who remembers, they’ll tell you the same thing. When Jaws was released, it scared people from swimming in the ocean. The way Spielberg did this was nothing short of brilliant. The film’s highest points are before the shark is seen, and his way of slowly teasing is masterful.

John Williams’ score for Jaws was brilliantly simple and complex. At its most basic, the shark’s creeping theme is just the use of two notes. For the musically inclined, that’s two notes a half step apart. Beyond that, the score is probably more complex than you remember. The score was done with such perfection that it won Williams his second Oscar, and his first of three for movies in which Spielberg directed.

Jaws will forever be remembered as one of best thrillers and for how it brought about the summer blockbuster.

1. ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)

When compiling this list I knew I’d get flack for this, but I stand by this ranking. In my opinion, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the best film Spielberg ever made.

When it came down to it, I was comparing Raiders and Last Crusade to each other. Most people consider Raiders the best Indiana Jones movie, but upon thinking about it, I could only come up with one reason that Raiders was better: it came first. I don’t think that’s a good enough reason. Was Last Crusade a safer bet? Sure. Spielberg came up with a terrific formula for an action adventure film with Raiders. In my opinion, he took what was already good in Raiders and perfected it in Last Crusade. The only element that suffered was the action. Last Crusade became more of an adventure film and less of an action-adventure film. Last Crusade is as strong as it is because of the genius casting of Sean Connery as Dr. Jones Sr.

As expected, Williams’ Last Crusade score is very similar to his Raiders score. In the closing track that played through the credits, Williams took the best bits of “Raiders March” and made them even better.

There are others on this list that are more typical choices for Spielberg’s best film, but in my opinion, Last Crusade is his best film from beginning to end.

What are your favorite Spielberg movies?

[poll id=257]