Throughout his career, Steven Spielberg has shaped and influenced cinema for generations with equal parts whimsical, enchanting, and visceral work. Whether it’s stories about children having to grow up too quickly, the horrors of war, or giants with gas, his films are constantly engaging at worst and transcendent at best.
There’s a reason he’s still the undisputed King of Hollywood and, to many, one of the greatest directors in history: He has a dazzling ability to reimagine reality with film. It’s a talent that extends beyond his directorial output to include the films of his collaborators, such as John Williams, Robert Wise, and Christopher Nolan.
Among his more iconic works, Jaws is a classic example of the director’s ability to capture the heart of a subject and, in doing so, transform it into an unforgettable experience for audiences. Its swashbuckling, cliff-hanging conclusion was a defining moment for the filmmaker, and it’s a testament to the power of storytelling that Jaws can be appreciated by both adults and children alike.
Another excellent example of the filmmaker’s knack for reimagining reality is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a tale of aliens and one boy’s enduring friendship that reflects on the director’s parents’ divorce. This is also the director’s first feature that explores the theme of UFOs, and it’s an excellent place to start for anyone new to his work.
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Spielberg has always been bold with his storytelling as a director. It’s no secret that he sometimes steps outside his comfort zone to tell more fantastical stories. While this doesn’t always result in something remarkable, it allows him to get creative with the material.
In an alternate timeline in which Joseph McCarthy is president of the United States, all sorts of things are worse than in the previous era of the 1950s. Hate and paranoia are at the forefront of American life, as is a lack of free speech. But, of course, that’s all a big part of what makes the novel Beat the Devils so compelling, and Weiss has set up an intriguing mystery for Baker to solve in Sunset Empire.
It’s a mystery that has a lot of parallels to what’s happening in the current political climate. For Weiss, it’s personal: his grandfather, Elias, escaped the Nazis as a teenager and spent much of his life in an underground prison camp in Czechoslovakia.
Weiss based the main character, Morris Baker, on himself and his family, though Baker’s story isn’t an allegory; instead, it’s a homage to a past he felt longed for.
Interestingly, the book also spawned the idea for a fifth Indiana Jones movie to see a reunited team of Lucas and Spielberg. That idea stalled in the years since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released but has now been revived by producer Kathleen Kennedy and screenwriter David Koepp.
There are many reasons to be excited about this new venture, and I hope it will bring some much-needed excitement to the world of fantasy. It’s just the first of many projects that have been brought to fruition by the filmmaker.
