10 Best Spielberg Blockbuster Movies - Ranked

The film that absolutely put Spielberg on the map and blew up the box office in every conceivable way.

Looking back on it now, Jaws is essentially the prototype for every film Spielberg would go on to make for the rest of his career. His horror roots are certainly found here, with the shark sequences building upon a mounting tension and an unbelievably affect John Williams score.

His use of family and children to bring a sense of innocence and heart to the proceedings is also found here, with Chief Brody's family as well as the children who are attacked by the shark. The film also features some wonderful action beats in its final act, as well as great humor throughout.

Perhaps one of the greatest things about the film though is the very visible lesson it taught Spielberg about restraint and suspense. As has been well-documented for decades now, the animatronic shark they had on set did not work the vast majority of the shoot, which threw a huge wrench into how Spielberg had planned on shooting the film. Thus, he had to adapt and make a much more suspenseful film that only rarely showed the shark. And that changed everything.

It was in having to overcome this obstacle that Spielberg turned to the work of one of his idols, Alfred Hitchcock, and pondered what he would have done in such a situation. The result was a film that horrified audiences and kept them going to the movies that summer, instead of going to the beach.