Steven Spielberg is considered one of the most commercially successful directors of all time. His films have grossed over $10 billion worldwide and include some of the highest-grossing films ever such as E.T., Jaws, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more. However, despite his enormous success, Spielberg has drawn criticism from some cinema fans and critics over the years.
Critiques of Spielberg’s Style and Vision
Some analysts and film buffs argue that Spielberg’s films follow predictable formulas and lack a distinct directorial vision or artistry compared to other renowned auteurs.
Perceptions of Heavy-Handed Sentimentality
Spielberg’s detractors often accuse his films of being excessively sentimental or emotionally manipulative. For example, the endings of films like Saving Private Ryan and Artificial Intelligence have been critiqued as overly sentimental. This emotionality is seen by some as a flaw preventing Spielberg’s elevation to the pantheon of “great directors.”
Focus on Mass Appeal and Populism
Frequently Spielberg’s choice of subject matter and style are viewed as being focused on popularity and commercial success over creative risk-taking or pursuing unique artistic visions. The argument is that Spielberg panders to mainstream family audiences rather than tackling challenging themes. This seeming preference for populism rather than bold artistic statements is seen as a lack of directorial gravitas by his critics.
Use of Convenient Plot Devices
Some characterize frequent plot devices in Spielberg films – whether deity-like aliens swooping in to save the day or child protagonists displaying uncanny abilities – as manipulative gimmicks substitute for quality storytelling. These critics feel his reliance on such devices shows a lack of directorial nuance and sophistication.
Perceived Lack of Character Depth and Growth
Another common criticism of Spielberg’s filmography is an over-reliance on one-dimensional lead characters and simplified emotional arcs rather than truly dynamic character development.
Good vs Evil Stereotyping
Spielberg protagonists often embody classically heroic but formulaic “good guy” traits (humility, self-sacrifice, courage, etc.) while the antagonists play straightforward “bad guys” lacking complexity according to frequent critiques. This stereotyping is seen as cliched rather than dramatically nuanced by his detractors.
Focus on Plot Over Character Motivations
Some argue that Spielberg often pays more attention to spectacle, setting up external conflicts, and navigating plots rather than delving deeply into what truly motivates characters’ choices. For his critics, this results in protagonists that feel more like archetypes moving through story beats rather than psychologically rounded individuals.
Lack of Moral Ambiguity
Relatedly, a common critique is that Spielberg characters display a moral and emotional clarity – good guys with purely noble intentions battling obvious evil forces – that lacks the moral ambiguity, contradictions and internal divisions considered hallmarks of maturity in art by his detractors. His heroes are seen as too untarnished.
Attacked By Some as Sappy, Safely Mainstream and Artistically Toothless
For many intellectual film buffs and cinema students, Spielberg’s perceived emotional manipulation, formulaic style, and creative safeness make his films seem broadly appealing but artistically toothless – “easy watching” mass entertainment lacking profundity. The volume of his success is seen as coming at the expense of directorial risk-taking and adult dramatic nuance by these critics. They attack Spielberg films as emotionally sappy crowd-pleasers targeted toward adolescents rather than adult sensibilities.
The Counterpoint – Critical Reappraisal and Artistic Growth
However, Spielberg has also drawn critical reappraisal, especially of his later films. He has shown wider range and artistry in recent works tackling historical drama, political conflict, tragedy and existential questions around morality with more character complexity.
Maturation Into More Challenging Themes
Spielberg is credited by supporters with expanding his ambitions over decades as a director, evolving from the exciting popcorn thrillers of early blockbusters to more sober minded historical dramas such as Schindler’s List, Munich, Lincoln or Bridge of Spies focused on moral conflicts and challenges rather than easily resolved heroics.
Increased Character Study and Development
While early works focused primarily on big spectacles and emotional arcs, later films demonstrate deeper character study, ambiguity and sophisticated themes on the limits or contradictions of morality according to his champions. For instance, Munich has been critically reevaluated as a high point of complex, emotionally textured drama within his catalogue.
Quality Standing the Test of Time
While sometimes decried as superficial crowd-pleasers, many Spielberg works such as Jaws, E.T. and Jurassic Park display detailed craftmanship that have allowed them to stand the test of time as culturally definitive touchstones indicating true quality according to supporters. Far from superficial thrill-rides, they display conceptual vision paired with masterful technique in the eyes of his advocates.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Steven Spielberg’s enormous commercial success seems to engender simultaneous admiration and envy, making him controversial as an artist. The mainstream popularity of his films leads some critics to diminish Spielberg as a technically skilled “hitmaker” trafficking in emotional manipulation and crowd-pleasing fare devoid of dramatic maturity.
However, reappraisal of later works and critical distance on earlier popular films has led to greater nuance and appreciation for Spielberg’s storytelling gifts. While not an uncompromising auteur, the longevity of his output and emotional resonance across generations argues for Spielberg’s cultural impact as a master entertainer merging technical mastery with human sentiment.
Deeper analysis suggests neither the superficial crowd-pleaser depicted by dismissive critics nor flawless masterpiece maker claimed by ardent fans. Instead, both views hold partial truths reflecting the unusual quality and unmatched commercial success of Spielberg’s work across now five decades of filmmaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Spielberg considered commercially successful?
Spielberg is considered commercially successful because many of his films rank among the highest-grossing films of all time. Films like Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan, etc have made billions of dollars at the worldwide box office. Adjusted for inflation, Spielberg has directed top 10 highest-grossing films of all time. This astounding financial success has made his production company Amblin and later DreamWorks commercially thriving enterprises.
What are examples of Spielberg films criticized as overly sentimental?
Examples of Spielberg’s films often characterized as excessively sentimental include the endings of E.T. (Elliott reuniting with E.T.), Saving Private Ryan (elderly Ryan saluting his fallen comrade’s grave) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (David granted one final day of happiness with his mother) which some critics have argued descend into emotionally manipulative schmaltz.
How have some film analysts characterized his protagonists and antagonists?
Protagonists in Spielberg films are often criticized as one-dimensionally heroic archetypes – humble, self-sacrificing, courageous to a fault – who often triumph over similarly one-dimensional “bad guys” representing simple evil and greed in a too simplistic moral universe lacking real ambiguity. For instance, the heroic Indiana Jones against greedy Nazis seeking biblical artifacts and power.
What films signaled more serious-minded direction and maturation in Spielberg’s later career?
Spielberg is credited with tackling more sober-minded dramatic fare including morally complex historical films like Schindler’s List detailing the Holocaust or Munich dramatizing Israeli agents seeking to avenge Munich Olympic killings.
As well as Lincoln focused central political figure over later-career films like Bridge of Spies examining U2 spy intrigue. These works treat morally ambiguous characters and complex emotional situations rather than simplistic heroics.
Why does Spielberg remain a polarizing figure for some cinema fans?
Ironically, the mainstream popularity and financial success of Spielberg films can engender dismissal in high-minded cinema fans thirsting for unconventional artistry.
For critics seeking radical visionaries willing to buck mainstream conventions, Spielberg’s brand of crowd-pleasing studio entertainment – no matter the technical mastery or emotional potency – remains aesthetically conservative and artistically compromised. Hence the unusual polarity around his work resting precisely in its uncommon mass appeal.