10. Its A Proper Steven Spielberg Film
Steven Spielberg is at heart an entertainer, a circus ringmaster someone who is at his best doing light-hearted, heartfelt, popcorn stuff, which typically doesnt win awards. When he tries to be serious, he goes in with the very best intentions, but after a promising start gets bogged down and often falls between two stalls. Put simply,
Jawsis better than
Schindlers List,
War of the Worlds is better than
Munich, and
Raiders of the Lost Ark is better than
Saving Private Ryan. By returning to
Indiana Jones Spielberg is getting back to what he does best. The film contains all the hallmarks of his great early work: aliens, WWII (in some form), fathers and sons reconciling, witty sight gags and purposeful sentimentality. Spielberg may not have quite the energy that he did 19 years ago, but he accounts for the absence of Sean Connery and the late Denholm Elliott quite touchingly, and introduces us to a believably world-weary Indy. His recreation of 1950s America feels in keeping with his evocation of the late-1930s, in least in terms of period details and cinematography. Until
Super 8last year, this was the standard for neo-classical Spielberg.