10 Best Spielberg Blockbuster Movies - Ranked

Not only is this Spielberg's definitive alien invasion movie, it is the definitive alien invasion movie.

While other films that came both before and after this were much more interested in showing alien beings intent on destruction and malevolence, Spielberg was interested in a much more intelligent interaction. He opts to focus on the reaction such an occurrence would generate among the various contingencies of humanity and what that ultimately means.

So many of the core ideas that would go on to power Spielberg's entire filmography truly got their start here. From the exploration of midwestern America's family values, to the asking of larger philosophical questions, to the use of horror-indebted suspense and tension.

It is a 'movie' that is much more 'film' than Spielberg gives himself credit for. In paying homage to the silent films of generation prior with its musical and light-centered methods of communication, Spielberg was able to craft a timeless film that says quite a lot about film as an artform and how we as a people communicate.