There will never be a unanimous candidate for “best movie ever made” as it is incredibly subjective. Almost everyone will have a difference of opinion. Movies like The Godfather and Citizen Kane are often thrown in the mix for the influence they had on the industry going forward. However, director Quentin Tarantino, who has directed several influential movies, says the best movie ever made is one made by Steven Spielberg.
Quentin Tarantino has proven to be a massive movie fan
Most directors have a love for movies and filmmaking, but Tarantino has proven to be a major cinephile. He has a love for film that stretches across various genres. He has made crime dramas like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Westerns including Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, and action movies such as Kill Bill.
His love for movies is shown off most in his last movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which is a love letter to Hollywood during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It features many references to early stars like Bruce Lee and Sharon Tate while also showcasing detailed looks at what filming looked like at the time. Quentin Tarantino has an intense knowledge and love for film, so for him to declare a movie the best one ever made is notable.
Quentin Tarantino calls ‘Jaws’ the best movie ever made
In an interview on Cinemablend’s podcast, Reelblend, Quentin Tarantino discussed all things cinema and later declared Steven Spielberg’s Jaws to be the best movie ever made. While he says it is the best movie, he says it may not be the greatest film, which is an important distinction for him.
“I think Jaws is the greatest movie ever made. Maybe not the greatest film. But it’s the greatest movie ever made. And then there are other movies that can get in its rarefied air. But as far as a movie, there’s no making it better than Jaws. There’s no ‘better’ than Jaws. It is the best movie ever made. And it shows how badly timed most movies made before Jaws were.”
Regarding the distinction between a “movie” and a “film,” it appears as though Tarantino considers a “movie” to be more of a spectacle experience while a “film” is more of the independent, artsy kind of product. So, for Tarantino, Jaws is a spectacle that goes above and beyond any other movie of its kind.
“What I meant by that, to one degree or another, is that Spielberg and a lot of his cohorts grew up seeing those kinds of movies in the theater. Henry Levin’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, he’s gonna run to go and see that. Richard Fleischer’s Fantastic Voyage. He’s going to run and go see it. Gordon Douglas’s Them! He’s going to run and go see. Now… most of them weren’t directed that well. They were assignments given to journeyman directors who did their best with them. That was how we were used to seeing comic book — that kind of movie experience. As opposed to a Spielberg, who was like, No, this is exactly the kind of movie he likes. This is exactly the kind of movies he was put on earth to make. And he’s going to make it, within an inch of his life, as effective as it possibly can be. And, you know, Michael Anderson, isn’t putting that kind of work in Logan’s Run.”
‘Jaws’ is a very influential blockbuster movie
Quentin Tarantino is entitled to his opinion, but there is a legitimate argument that Jaws is one of the best movies ever made. It’s the first movie that kicked off the blockbuster movie trend that is still seen today. It’s also one of the few horror movies to be nominated for Best Picture. Additionally, it’s still a beloved movie almost 50 years later with many utilizing the iconic quotes and memorable score from John Williams.
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