Steven Spielberg: the thrill is gone...

[Gorn Captain]

I don't know about you guys, but it's been ages since I've looked forward to the next Spielberg movie.

I can't tell you how much I miss the old Spielberg. He has become very PC and routine and sugarsweet. I miss the passion he had. The drive of Duel. The ruthless nature of the shark attacks. The emotions in CE3K, when Barry says "goodbye" to the aliens in his frail "little man" voice. Indy being chased by the stone ball (still the very best part of the whole series).
The closest I got to a "vintage Spielberg" feeling was in Super 8. And he didn't even direct it...

Will we ever get that thrill back?

[Mikey]

I think the last Spielberg movie I went to the theatre to see was Schindler's List.

[Hedji]

I agree 100%. Where's the guy who brought us Amazing Stories? His childlike sense of wonder seems gone. He's happy making more "serious" fare, but I think he'll be best remembered as the Director who showed Fantastic things happening to everyday people.

[Bruce Banner]

Totally love Jaws, Raiders and Temple of Doom. CE3K is still great. Liked ET a lot as a kid. The first Jurassic Park still remains a favourite.
But nothing he's really done in the past couple of decades has been as compelling as those great works for me.

[Sideshow Spock]

Spielberg's no different than most great musicians who create their best work when they're young and inspired. Driven. Then success comes, and age.. and great wealth.. and the inspiration/creativity tends to drop off. It's the natural order of things..

[jwyblejr]

I think he's hung out with George Lucas for too long. Might be rubbing off on him.

[samurainoir]

[YoungOnce]

Spielberg's no different than most great musicians who create their best work when they're young and inspired. Driven. Then success comes, and age.. and great wealth.. and the inspiration/creativity tends to drop off. It's the natural order of things..

All of this... its really hard to think of any creative force that maintains the same level of excellence throughout their entire life.

[Iron Mego]

Of Spielberg's more recent movies, I've enjoyed Minority Report and War of the Worlds. They're nowhere near the quality of his seventies and early eighties output, but I can re-watch them on a pretty regular basis. Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List were very well-made movies, but hard to watch again and again. Stuff like War Horse and Lincoln hold no appeal for me, so I haven't seen them. It'll be interesting to see how Ready Player One is, but I have to agree that his best days are behind him.

[Gorn Captain]

Lincoln was a real snooze fest. My wife is a history buff, and even she sighed at the end of that one. Spielberg is so intent on taking himself seriously these days, it seems as if all he wants is to bag an Oscar before he dies. He's practically begging for one.

[Hedji]

I couldn't get through Lincoln either.

I just don't think he's HUNGRY any more, except as you say, for the gold statue maybe. One thing is, he announces many upcoming projects, and then bails on them. It's as if he doesn't really know what he wants to really do.

[Gorn Captain]

I remember Lucas saying he was glad to end his work on SW, so he could go on to "smaller, more intimate movies".
And then doing none of that. Spielberg seems to do just that.
In that respect, I really admire Miller (from Fury Road). He's just as old and seasoned as Spielberg, but still hungry, judging from Mad Max.

Maybe it's time for Spielberg to just retire. Like the rest of us.

[jwyblejr]

I think the real problem is he did something he said he would never do,he "grew up".

[Hedji]

Which he tried to resist, quite miserably, in Hook.

[YoungOnce]

I don't know about you guys, but it's been ages since I've looked forward to the next Spielberg movie.

I can't tell you how much I miss the old Spielberg. He has become very PC and routine and sugarsweet. I miss the passion he had. The drive of Duel. The ruthless nature of the shark attacks. The emotions in CE3K, when Barry says "goodbye" to the aliens in his frail "little man" voice. Indy being chased by the stone ball (still the very best part of the whole series).
The closest I got to a "vintage Spielberg" feeling was in Super 8. And he didn't even direct it...

Will we ever get that thrill back?

Yes! I thought Super 8 had a definite 70's Spielberg vibe to it, especially everything before the action ramps up. And then after it gets to CGI land, it kinda turns into the modern day same-ol' same-ol'.....