As a real contender for the тιтle of greatest director of all time, it’s no surprise that there are plenty of movies that have mimicked the style and appeal of Steven Spielberg without actually being directed by him. As a true icon of American cinema, Spielberg’s unique blend of awe-inspiring visuals, stunning set pieces, and emotionally resonant characters in genre-bending adventures has come to be known as Spielbergian in nature. With this signature aesthetic comes plenty of copycats, and there are a lot of films that have Spielberg sensibilities about them, even when he wasn’t the man behind the camera.

Some of the most Spielbergian movies were actually produced by Spielberg himself, as his production company, Amblin Entertainment, was involved in the creation of some of the most successful films of all time. There have also been many more releases that Spielberg had no direct involvement in, yet writers, directors, and actors were still significantly influenced by his movies. As a filmmaker whose creative DNA has been intrinsically linked with Hollywood blockbusters, it seems lots of filmmakers have heeded the old adage that if you’re going to steal, then steal from the best.

10

Time Bandits (1981)

Directed by Terry Gilliam

While Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits had a much darker and more anarchic tone than a typical Steven Spielberg movie, it also possessed a fantastical wonder that echoes the director’s more child-friendly work, such as Hook. Through a blend of fantasy and history, with a child protagonist at its center, aspects of Time Bandits evoke both Elliott’s journey in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the adventures of Indiana Jones.

However, while Spielberg usually balances any darkness in his stories with an aura of positivity running throughout, there’s a cynicism to Time Bandits that gave a more British sensibility and could have only come from the minds of its Monty Python screenwriters, Gilliam and Michael Palin. As an enjoyable time-traveling adventure that boasted impressive special effects for its time, Time Bandits felt like a British answer to the nostalgic and fantastical works of Spielberg.

9

Hugo (2011)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

There are a select few American directors who could convincingly claim the тιтle of greatest living filmmaker, but two major candidates are Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. While these two auteurs’ outputs were normally incredibly distinct from one another, in 2011, Scorsese stepped outside his comfort zone to make the child-friendly, Spielbergian adventure film Hugo. As a love letter to cinema itself, Hugo centered around the story of a young boy in 1930s Paris who finds himself at the center of a mystery involving his late father and the filmmaker Georges Méliès.

Through elaborate camera movements, sweeping sH๏τs, and awe-inspiring visuals, Hugo tapped into the same jaw-dropping sense of wonder as some of Spielberg’s most iconic films. As a celebration of the magic hidden underneath the surface of everyday life, Hugo also addressed consistent Spielberg themes of broken families and surrogate bonds. While there’s plenty of Scorsese’s signature style on display, Hugo was the closest the Goodfellas director ever got to making a Spielberg-style movie.

8

Attack The Block (2011)

Directed by Joe Cornish

The British writer and director Joe Cornish was clearly heavily influenced by the works of Steven Spielberg when making his directorial debut, Attack the Block. As the co-writer of Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin from the same year, Cornish clearly absorbed some of Spielberg’s storytelling rhythms as he told his own child-centric sci-fi adventure. Telling the story of a teenage street gang who have to defend themselves from predatory alien invaders on a council estate in South London on Guy Fawkes Night, Attack the Block blended the alien invasion premise of War of the Worlds with the youthful heroism of E.T.

While Attack the Block didn’t achieve the same kind of box office success as Spielberg’s best works, it remains a criminally underseen British adventure that deserves far more attention. Featuring an early performance from the future Star Wars star John Boyega and the Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker, there were plenty of notable names and future famous faces on display.

7

Apollo 13 (1995)

Directed by Ron Howard

There is a sense of grandeur paired with emotional resonance that makes Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 feel very Spielbergian. As an account of the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission, this story of astronauts dealing with an onboard explosion, oxygen supply issues, and electrical power problems was both thrilling and terrifying. As a tale of American heroism, Apollo 13 was also bolstered by consistent Spielberg themes like family, fear, hope, and perseverance.

While Spielberg was no stranger to sci-fi, the optimism at the heart of Apollo 13 was what echoed his work the most, as it showcased real people in an unimaginably hopeless situation pushing back against the odds and never giving up hope that they could solve the problem. As the recipient of nine Academy Award nominations, not only did Apollo 13 make for a spectacular viewing experience, but it was also praised for its historical accuracy.

6

The Mummy (1999)

Directed by Stephen Sommers

There’s a pulpy adventure spirit to Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy that feels like it could have come straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. As a character-driven adventure that paired the supernatural with faraway exotic locations, it’s likely Sommers took major influence from Spielberg films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Temple of Doom to tell this stylish remake of the classic Universal Monsters movie.

With a fantastic ensemble cast and great performances from Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, The Mummy was entertaining from start to finish and embodied the same kind of crowd-pleasing successes Spielberg was known for. There’s a campy sense of fun to The Mummy that has made it stand the test of time and endure as a cult favorite among movie lovers. As the start of a franchise complete with sequels, spin-offs, and even an animated series, The Mummy feels like a spiritual cousin to Indiana Jones.

5

The Iron Giant (1999)

Directed by Brad Bird

As the story of a young boy who forms an intense connection with a being from another world, there are a lot of similarities between Brad Bird’s The Iron Giant and Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. With a sweeping sense of awe and a deeply emotional, resonant story, the Cold War setting and moral complexity of The Iron Giant also evoked memories of Spielberg’s work. It seems Spielberg might even agree, as, in 2016, he tackled very similar topics with his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The BFG.

The Iron Giant has been remembered as one of the most beloved animated releases of the 1990s, although it was not a financial success at the time. Taking in just $31.7 million against its $50 million budget, the film was a flop at the box office, and its failure stalled Bird’s career, only returning five years later with the undisputed hit The Incredibles. The failure of The Iron Giant feels perplexing in retrospect, as it had all the hallmarks of a Spielberg-level kids’ classic and was an unfortunate victim of poor marketing at the time.

4

Poltergeist (1982)

Directed by Tobe Hooper

While Poltergeist was directed by The Texas Chain Saw Mᴀssacre filmmaker Tobe Hooper, there’s a reason the film feels so Spielbergian. This was because Poltergeist was produced and co-written by Steven Spielberg and was based on an original story idea from the Jaws director. In fact, Spielberg himself would have directed the movie if he hadn’t already had his hands full making E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Hooper was brought in due to his recent success in the horror genre.

As a spooky ghost story that acted as the starting point for its own franchise, Spielberg was heavily involved in the production of Poltergeist and was even on set throughout much of its filming. Telling the story of a suburban family whose daughter is abducted by malevolent ghosts, Poltergeist delivered on scares and has been remembered as one of the best horror movies of the 1980s.

3

Super 8 (2011)

Directed by J.J. Abrams

J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 boasts an unmistakable similarity to the works of Steven Spielberg, so it makes sense that he came on board as a producer for this sci-fi thriller. Following the story of a group of teenagers in 1979 who witness a train derailment while filming with their Super 8 cameras, there is a nostalgic sense of wonder to this fascinating tale that evokes the same kind of Spielbergian sensibilities later tapped into by series like Stranger Things.

While Super 8 feels akin to Spielberg’s more family-friendly work, there was also a darkness and eerie atmosphere underpinning this story that made it like a mature update on classic tropes. As a tribute to an era of filmmaking that has pᴀssed, the success of Super 8 proved that there is still an appeтιтe for these types of stories and that audiences will turn out for grand adventures like these. Although some criticized Super 8 as being a bit too similar to Spielberg, when viewed as a heartfelt homage, it just works.

2

Back To The Future (1985)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

When it comes to iconic family-friendly works of the 1980s, there’s only one series that stands up against Steven Spielberg classics like Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and that’s Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future. With Spielberg onboard as an executive producer through his company Amblin Entertainment, it makes sense that Back to the Future has a lot in common with Spielberg’s work, as he acted as a kind of mentor toward Zemeckis in the early part of his career.

As a blend of high-stakes sci-fi adventure with thoroughly likable characters, the time-traveling teen Marty McFly and the eccentric inventor genius Doc Brown stand as some of the most compelling original characters of the 1980s. While Back to the Future is now remembered as a timeless classic, it wouldn’t have even been made without Spielberg’s involvement, as he stepped in to support the film after Disney rejected it (via Box Office Mojo), believing that the scenes involving Marty fighting off his future mother’s advances to be too risqué for their brand.

1

The Goonies (1985)

Directed by Richard Donner

The Goonies is a movie that many people mistakenly believe was directed by Steven Spielberg, which makes sense because it was based on a story by him, and he did produce it. However, The Goonies was actually directed by Superman’s Richard Donner with a screenplay by the future Home Alone and Harry Potter filmmaker Chris Columbus. With a mulтιтude of talented people involved in this project, it’s no surprise that The Goonies has endured as a timeless cult classic.

Telling the story of a group of imaginative kids who embark on a grand adventure after finding a treasure map, the wondrous aesthetic of The Goonies was one of the few films that feels like it actually out-Spielberged Steven Spielberg himself. With an incredible cast of talented child actors, including a young Josh Brolin and Ke Huy Quan, it was impossible not to be swept away by the excitement of these kids’ attempts to unearth the long-lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy.

Source: Box Office Mojo