After 30 head to head contests and 32 films vying for the top prize of Steven Spielberg's greatest film, we are down to the final pairing. It's the matchup you have been waiting for.
Both are among the greatest films ever made. But I choose Jaws because it scares me for physical, emotional, and spiritual reasons—because I'm the Ahab in the audience watching three Ahabs hunting their White Whale, er, Great White Shark.
I am always amazed at the economy of it as well. Their time on the open water is claustrophobic as Spielberg presents it. And the humor in the film is note perfect.
This is a tough one. Raiders is a great film, but it's primarily the nostalgia that drives my love for it. Jaws is top-notch film making and the better story. Jaws.
Brutally difficult. Jaws is probably the greater film by a nose because of its place alongside Star Wars in changing Hollywood (for better and worse) to be centred around blockbusters, but I think I prefer Raiders of the Lost Ark on a personal level. Both are masterpieces, no question.
"It’s a story of relatable courage, not imagined and mythic deeds. None of us could ever be Indiana Jones except in our imaginations."
I don't disagree, but for me, part of any "big" (as in size/scope) movie is that it's equal parts escapist and aspirational. Raiders delivers. "Duel" worked because it's claustrophobic. Raiders works for the polar opposite reason. You want to escape from the former. You want to escape /to/ the latter.
Both are among the greatest films ever made. But I choose Jaws because it scares me for physical, emotional, and spiritual reasons—because I'm the Ahab in the audience watching three Ahabs hunting their White Whale, er, Great White Shark.
I am always amazed at the economy of it as well. Their time on the open water is claustrophobic as Spielberg presents it. And the humor in the film is note perfect.
Endlessly rewatchable.
This is a tough one. Raiders is a great film, but it's primarily the nostalgia that drives my love for it. Jaws is top-notch film making and the better story. Jaws.
I ultimately went with 'Jaws' but these two are both in my list of top ten American films of all time.
Brutally difficult. Jaws is probably the greater film by a nose because of its place alongside Star Wars in changing Hollywood (for better and worse) to be centred around blockbusters, but I think I prefer Raiders of the Lost Ark on a personal level. Both are masterpieces, no question.
Better and worse, indeed. That said, our lives are so much richer for the films it gave us. Damn. And so many from one dude!
"It’s a story of relatable courage, not imagined and mythic deeds. None of us could ever be Indiana Jones except in our imaginations."
I don't disagree, but for me, part of any "big" (as in size/scope) movie is that it's equal parts escapist and aspirational. Raiders delivers. "Duel" worked because it's claustrophobic. Raiders works for the polar opposite reason. You want to escape from the former. You want to escape /to/ the latter.
This is a great rationale, Kevin. I went with Jaws in the end, but you almost had me switching my vote.