His best films are enduring though. Close Encounters and E.T. are great films that stick in the memory over 30 years later. I would add ‘War of the Worlds’ as well which I thought was shamefully underrated. And then there’s Schindler’s List...
I have a love hate relationship with Spielberg. A couple of my all time favorite bring them on a desert island movies are by him, specifically Jaws but also Duel and for unknown reasons 1941 (which is a movie that wrong in so many ways but I love it so). On the other side he’s so addicted to happy endings and so many of hims movies are the equivalent to pre-fabricated pop music. And I really really hate his attempts to make “important” movies like Schindler and Color Purple, they’re so pretentious and wrapped up in themselves. But no matter I have to admit that as far as the technical aspect of directing goes he’s one of the best, and when he gets it right man does he get it right. Which makes the times he doesn’t get it right more annoying, they’re like lost opportunities, they could have been Jaws instead they’re just Jurassic Park.