Steven Spielberg is an iconic film director. He has created countless movies—Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Jurassic Park, and so on—that have gone on to become record-breaking blockbuster hits, instant favorites for millions of movie fans, and have inspired a whole generation of up-and-coming filmmakers into telling stories of their own.
With The Fabelmans, his most recent production, Spielberg is inspiring himself with his latest film, a semi-autobiographical look at his childhood as an aspiring filmmaker growing up in Arizona. Yet, outside the world of Spielberg-directed films, there are many stories that have been influenced by his movies on the big (and small) screen.
'Mac and Me' (1988)
When a young extra-terrestrial is separated from his family, a boy in a wheelchair named Eric (Jade Calegory) befriends him, and he sets out to reunite the alien with his family.
Sound familiar? That's because 1988s Mac and Me practically stole the plot from E.T., Spielberg's crowd-pleaser blockbuster from 1982. The same premise (boy meets alien, they develop a friendship), similar story beats, and even Eric's brother, Michael (Jonathan Ward), shares the same name as the older brother in E.T. But thanks to the hilarious running gag from Paul Rudd, Mac and Me has gained a cult following since its release with fans appreciating the film's 10-minute McDonald's sequence and blatant Coca-Cola product placement.
'Signs' (2002)
Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) and his brother, Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), are farmers. When their crop fields are marked with mysterious symbols, they begin to witness unexplained events that threaten the safety of their family.
Like Jaws with open water, M. Night Shyamalan's thriller Signs terrified audiences and made them think twice about crop fields. Many Spielbergian touches can be found in this movie, whether it's slow suspense-filled sequences or inventive ways to scare viewers without showing the aliens. In many ways, Signs is also influenced by Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The mysterious tone of extra-terrestrial life, contact from UFOs above, and characters obsessed with their experiences show that Shyamalan's sci-fi thriller shares many qualities with Close Encounters.
'Nope' (2022)
Two siblings, Haywood Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer), run a ranch where they train horses. But their lives and their farm are threatened when they encounter something sinister and alien above.
2022's Nope, an imaginative sci-fi horror movie from Jordan Peele, is a thrilling throwback to two of Steven Spielberg's classic '70s blockbusters: Jaws and Close Encounters. Nope's horrifying nature and depictions of UFOs, the fear of the unseen, and the John Williams-like score by Michael Abels serve as a timely reminder of the powerful magic behind Spielberg's movies.
'Sahara' (2005)
While seeking a lost Civil War battleship, explorer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) helps WHO doctor Eva Rojas (Penélope Cruz) escape from a dictator.
McConaughey's rugged looks, easygoing charm, and line of work as Pitt are very reminiscent of Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones. In fact, Breck Eisner's 2005 action-adventure film Sahara follows similar story beats to Spielberg's Indiana Jones movies in terms of finding lost treasure and jumping through hurdles to get there. With a charismatic lead performance and a great supporting cast featuring Steve Zahn and Rainn Wilson, Sahara is an entertaining mid-2000s action film that will remind audiences of the great '80s Spielberg adventure films.
'The Goonies' (1985)
A group of kids, spending their last days together, stumble upon a treasure map and set out on an adventure to find the lost gold of legendary pirate One-Eyed Willy.
Steven Spielberg practically invented the kids-on-bikes genre with E.T., which was a critical success and dominated box-office charts in 1982. Indeed, audiences would see that same nostalgic charm and wonder they saw in E.T. a few years later with The Goonies in 1985. Directed by Richard Donner and featuring Spielbergic shots of young pre-teens riding around on bikes in suburban America, The Goonies also contains an incredible cast of rising '80s stars (consisting of the likes of Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan, and Josh Brolin) who would go on to have successful careers.
'Arrival' (2016)
Louise (Amy Adams) is a linguistic and language expert assigned to communicate with aliens that have landed on Earth.
Taking inspiration from Close Encounters (contact with aliens and attempts to uncover extra-terrestrial mysteries), 2016's Arrival is a cerebral and mind-bending science-fiction odyssey. Helmed by Denis Villeneuve, Arrival is a slow-burn but cleverly-written movie that shares a similar concept to Steven Spielberg's science-fiction film about contact with UFOs and extra-terrestrial intelligence.
'1917' (2019)
Set during the First World War, two soldiers are tasked with a near-impossible mission: deliver an urgent message to another battalion amidst the chaos of war. Facing numerous near-death hurdles and obstacles, Will (George Mackay) and Tom (Dean-Charles Chapman) face a race against time to deliver the message.
Stunningly shot by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, 1917 is an absorbing achievement that journeys the lives of two soldiers through one long tracking shot. The visceral and immersive nature of 1917, which Sam Mendes superbly directs, plays parallel with Spielberg's war epic Saving Private Ryan. The two movies mirror each other's themes of the horrifying, terrifying, and brutal nature of war and violence.
'Super 8' (2011)
During the summer, a group of teenagers witnesses a train crash while shooting a low-budget film. After this strange and disturbing crash, they set out to uncover a shocking mystery linked to unexplained events and signs of extra-terrestrial life.
2011's Super 8, which is an incredibly underrated science-fiction film from the early 2010s, is an entertaining nostalgia-fuelled trip back to the childhood classics of the 1980s. Directed by J.J. Abrams, who would jump into Star Wars a few years later, the Spielbergian blockbuster boasts a great cast filled with terrific performances (such as Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler) and an emotional score from Michael Giacchino. Like E.T., Super 8 is packed with a big heart, images of kids riding around suburban neighborhoods on bikes, and a moving scene between a boy and an alien.
'Stranger Things' (2016-)
Set in Hawkins, Indiana, during the 1980s, a group of teenagers witness supernatural events and government cover-ups that unlock an extraordinary mystery.
Packed with an incredible cast of popular teen stars (Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown) and veteran actors (Winona Ryder and David Harbour), Stranger Things has become a worldwide phenomenon since it first premiered in 2016. Ran by The Duffer Brothers, the hit Netflix sci-fi TV show has been heavily inspired by Steven Spielberg, his visual style, and his early seminal movies. Infused with Spielbergian magic, Stranger Things has injected scenes and lines of dialogue straight from the filmmaker's earlier work like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial.
'The Goldbergs' (2013-)
In '80s suburban Philadelphia, Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone) recalls and records the crazy antics of his highly dysfunctional family.
Featuring hilarious episodes and heartwarming charm, The Goldbergs has been on the air for nearly 10 years. Inspired by the cinematic works of Steven Spielberg, the ABC hit sitcom would reference the director's many classic films of the decade, including an entire episode that is dedicated to Spielberg's Indiana Jones movies with shots paying homage to films in the franchise like Raiders of the Lost Ark. A a matter of fact, The Goldbergs would even have an episode dedicated to Adam's love of Steven Spielberg titled "Adam Spielberg" (the fifteenth episode of season five); which was about Adam trying to shoot and direct his own Indiana Jones fan-made film.