1. "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade"

The 2nd Indiana Jones movie was fun but a little too dark and somewhat racist for it to age well. The 4th Indiana Jones movie I enjoyed as a kid, not having seen the previous Indy movies, but soon realized that everyone who did grow up with it considers it a cinema abomination. So I conveniently haven't seen it since. The first one we'll get to later, but the third one is one of the best and most underrated action movies of the 80s.

This movie is a fitting sequel to the "Raiders of The Lost Ark" (which we will get to later) and showcases Indy's relationship with his father played by Sean Connery. The movie's thrills and chills go back to what made the first movie work: Indiana Jones riding around the world finding historic and holy artifacts and punching Nazis!

2. "The Color Purple"

At the time, "The Color Purple" was groundbreaking with the entire main cast of black actors and characters.

According to IMDB, Spielberg did not want to direct the movie believing that the African-American story should be made by an African-American. Even so, Spielberg made one of the most celebrated and influential films in African-American history.

The introduction to this movie couldn't be more horrific: the main character is a teenage girl giving birth after being impregnated by her father (turns out later on that he wasn't her biological father, still bad but THANK GOD)

What's incredibly compelling about this iconic story and movie is the fact that the main character, a young black woman, being enslaved to a terrifying husband in a post-slavery America.

3. "Catch Me If You Can"

The only Spielberg picture of the 21st century to make the list, "Catch Me If You Can" is based off the true story of Frank Adbignale Jr.'s odyssey of success through the 1960s as a runaway teen who could come off as an adult.

It doesn't have the spectacle of his science fiction or adventure films nor the epic scope of his historical dramas, but "Catch Me If You Can" is endearing because it focuses on this cat-and-mouse chase between two leads that have gone down as all-time great actors in Leonardo Dicaprio and Tom Hanks.

4. "Close Encounters of The Third Kind"

While Spielberg was a master a Sci-Fi, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is not as innocent as "E.T.", as it shows it's protagonist basically abandon his family (and cheats on his wife) to become the first person to meet with alien-kind.

Even though it's a Speilberg alien film with spectacle and awe, it's not very family friendly. Not family-friendly in "sex and violence" but: a man leaving his family behind to discover the arrival of a brand new alien race.

5. "Jurassic Park"

"That first park was legit!" Yes, it was Jake Johnson, yes it was.

Just as earlier films we're box office sensations, "Jurassic Park" was one of the biggest event films of the 1990s. With revolutionary groundbreaking visual and practical effects that still hold up well 25 years later.

Fun characters and an exciting and scary environment that is the park itself, there was no movie experience as thrilling as when a kid saw the greatest dinosaur movie ever made in 1993.

6. "Raiders of The Lost Ark"

As fans of 1930s serial adventure films, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas collaborated to create an adventure hero for a new generation and cast the perfect charismatic actor to play him.

"Raiders" is "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Casablanca" if it were an action movie

The opening sequence of Raiders is one of cinema's most iconic action sequence as it gets us right into the action. Indiana Jones is just a smart college professor who wants to preserve history, but his peers call him to action in seeking the Ark of Covenant in Egypt before the evil Nazis can get their hands on it in 1933.

Wonderful set pieces and beautiful cinematography, and an ending as memorable and graphic as any blockbuster before it, "Raiders of The Lost Ark" is one of the most rewatchable movies ever.

7. "Saving Private Ryan"

One of the most beloved and respected films made about World War II, "Saving Private Ryan" was another pinnacle film for Spielberg. From the incredible opening scene capturing the chaos at Normandy to the emotionally exhausting climax, "Saving Private Ryan" comes close to capturing the horrifying and haunting experience of the greatest generation through the most incredible war in the history of the world.

8. "E.T."

Before Eleven was the most compelling badass little girl in "Stranger Things", there was an innocent and shy puppet from outer space who just wanted to go home.

"E.T." defined a generation of family films as one of the biggest box office hits of all-time and would go onto inspire countless future filmmakers.

A story is simply a group of kids who find a new alien friend and try to protect him from the government-oh, my god, this movie is more real than I thought-OH THE PAIN.

Either way, when you think of 1980s pop culture, you inevitably have to think of "E.T." and it's beautiful innocence.

9. "Jaws"

Once upon a time, a 27-year-old up-and-coming filmmaker adapted the novel "Jaws" into a feature-length film. Things didn't go planned however as the mechanical shark didn't function, meaning his screen time in the movie was limited.

That unintended misfortune turned out to be a Happy Accident because, like most iconic horror villains, the character has limited screen time but its presence is created through description and fear of fellow characters.

What this movie has what most shark movies and horror movies don't is a good premise, memorable characters, great tension, and fantastic payoffs.

That young filmmaker who was nearly destroyed by the tumultuous filming of "Jaws" was named Steven Spielberg, and "Jaws" would go onto be the launching pad of not only his directing career but the Summer Blockbuster as a whole.

10. "Schindler's List"

As remarkable as Spielberg's catalog is, I think his undisputed greatest film of all-time is "Schindler's List". First of all, it's surprisingly the only Spielberg film to win the Best Picture Oscar. It delivered 7 Oscars out of 12 nominations. The American Film Institution ranked it as the 8th greatest American film ever made. And no film made since has been as remarkable and moving.

"Schindler's List" is unlike most Spielberg films and Oskar Schindler is unlike most Spielberg protagonist. Yes, he is the hero of the film, but for the first two acts, he's motivated by business ventures as a member of the Nazi party. The film focuses on the complex politics and humanism of one of the most unexplainable and unfathomable periods in human history: The Holocaust.

What separates Oskar Schindler from the usual cinema hero is the fact that he is flawed. Because he had the trust of the despicable Nazis, he was capable of doing what he did. His humanity rose to the occasion and used his influence to save over a thousand lives.

It's almost a cliche to say that this movie resonates with people today, but in reality, it resonates with all people for all time: It takes you right in the middle of the horror of the Holocaust and yet finds a way to find the beacon of light in humanity in the darkest of times.

"Schindler's List" isn't just a film, it's an experience of a lifetime, one that everyone should see whether they're a movie fan or not.