- 2 days ago
Get cozy with the comforting trademarks that make a Spielberg movie feel like home. From lived-in family spaces and misty backyard woods to the iconic kids on bikes, these tropes wrap us in nostalgia and childhood wonder. Discover how beams of ethereal light, shadowy authority figures, and unforgettable John Williams lullabies create that warm Spielberg magic!
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00:00These are toys. These are little men.
00:03This is Greedo.
00:05And then this is Hammerhead.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:10And today we're counting down our picks for the most comforting tropes that scream Spielberg movie.
00:15How come I know so much?
00:17What the hell is going on around here?
00:19Who are you people?
00:22Number 10. The lived-in family home.
00:25I'm ready to play now, you guys!
00:27We're in the middle, Elliot. Can't you join any universe in the middle?
00:30Let's kick things off right in the living room.
00:33If there's one small detail that Spielberg does better than anyone,
00:36it's making a house feel like an actual home.
00:39Forget the immaculate and sterile living rooms you typically see in movies and TV,
00:43Spielberg's domestic spaces are comfortably chaotic.
00:46All we're trying to say is maybe you just probably imagined it.
00:50I couldn't have imagined it!
00:51Maybe it was a pervert or a deformed kid or something.
00:53A deformed kid.
00:56Maybe an elf or a leprechaun.
00:58It was nothing like that, penis breath!
01:00Elliot!
01:02Sit down!
01:03We're talking kitchen counters buried under cereal boxes,
01:06dining room tables hijacked by clothes and mail,
01:09and living rooms that look like a toy store exploded.
01:11And the family dinners? Pure, beautiful madness.
01:15Everyone is talking over each other,
01:17a sibling is probably being loud and overstimulating everyone,
01:20and there's almost always a hot meal involved.
01:22This messy warmth instantly invites audiences in,
01:25making us feel like we've just crashed on a childhood friend's couch for a weekend sleepover.
01:29Roy, what is all this stuff on my table?
01:33I thought I told you this was for my stuff, this table.
01:36I mean, you can have that table.
01:38I don't want this stuff on my breakfast table.
01:40This can cause tetanus.
01:42What is this?
01:43Number 9, Mist and Fog.
01:55Whenever characters in a Spielberg flick need to head into the backyard,
01:58they're probably going straight into some cool misty woods.
02:01But it's not scary, it's spellbinding.
02:04Spielberg often drapes his scenes in a surreal light,
02:07with massive flashlights often crisscrossing through some ethereal fog.
02:11Ben Gardner's boat.
02:12That's Ben Gardner's boat.
02:14No?
02:14It's all banged up. Sure I know him, he's a fisherman.
02:19What happened?
02:26Look Morten, I've gotta go down there and check their hoe.
02:29It's the ultimate aesthetic for a midnight adventure,
02:31and it's been heavily copied and referenced throughout the years.
02:34Whether they're searching for a stranded extraterrestrial or a massive shark,
02:38the glowing haze turns the dark and scary unknown into a fun playground.
02:42It perfectly captures that summer evening vibe when you're up and about
02:45just a little past your bedtime.
02:47What exactly did you see?
02:53It's scary.
02:55Number 8. Beams of Ethereal Light
03:11Speaking of illumination, nobody paints with light quite like Steven Spielberg.
03:15work. Working alongside legendary cinematographers like Alan Davio, the director frequently
03:20treats light as if it were its own character. You know the exact shot we're talking about.
03:24Bright, hazy rays spilling through a bedroom window, leaking out from the cracks of a door,
03:29or descending from a massive alien mothership.
03:38Instead of blinding the audience, these luminous shafts are always exceptionally warm and inviting.
03:43Except close encounters. That was creepy. They bathe the mysteries of the universe in a comforting,
03:48almost divine glow. It's a visual hug that wraps right around the screen,
03:53assuring us that whatever is out there, at least they took the time to make themselves look pretty.
04:07Number 7, The Child's Eye Camera Angle
04:20To truly capture the wonder of youth, you have to literally get down on their level.
04:24And Spielberg knows this trick better than anyone. By strategically dropping the camera down to the
04:29physical height of his young protagonists, he instantly transports us back to our own playground days.
04:40Often, the faces of clueless or threatening adults are completely cut out of the frame,
04:44leaving us entirely immersed in a kid-sized universe.
04:47E.T. in particular is great for this, as about 75% of the movie was filmed at a child's
04:52eye level.
04:52By shooting from the waist down, the surrounding world automatically feels larger, vastly more mysterious,
04:58and deeply insulated. It perfectly replicates the cozy bubble of childhood, where grown-ups are just
05:03background noise, to the real adventure.
05:11Number 6, Suburban America
05:13Whatever you're doing is against the law!
05:15He's putting it back, Mrs. Harris!
05:17I'll pay you for this.
05:18Take it. Now take it.
05:20I'm perfectly fine.
05:21You won't often find Spielberg's magic unfolding in the gritty streets of a bustling city. Instead,
05:26the real wonders of the universe always seem to crash land right in the heart of Anytown USA. Whether
05:32it's a quiet California subdivision, a sleepy Indiana neighborhood, or even a tiny Atlantic Island,
05:37the setting is immediately recognizable.
05:39Take this stuff back to the office and get to work on those signs.
05:42All right.
05:43Beaches closed. No swimming. By order of the Amity PD. And let Polly to the printing.
05:48The winding asphalt, identical driveways, gently glowing street lamps, and perfectly manicured
05:53lawns create an undeniable sense of belonging. This backdrop is so remarkably comforting because it
05:59invokes a profound sense of nostalgia. It feels like the neighborhood that many of us grew up in.
06:04Spielberg had a strong penchant for grounding the extraordinary in the mundane, and to this day
06:09it remains a classic trope of the Spielberg movie.
06:12You look great!
06:21Number 5, Shadowy Authority Figures
06:38We don't know if Spielberg has a problem with authority or what, but his characters
06:42sure do. In many of his works, the government, or at least some kind of higher power, is often
06:47corrupt working in the shadows, or at the very least, not to be trusted. They drive around
06:52in weird spy vans, wear creepy suits that make them look alien, organize mass cover-ups, or
06:58have ulterior motives.
06:59What I need is something so scary it'll clear 300 square miles of every living Christian soul.
07:07This theme even continues in his more adult works, with movies like The Post and Bridge
07:11of Spies engaging in discussions about secrecy and deception. Heck, Jurassic Park is pretty much a
07:16giant metaphor for not trusting authority figures, especially when it comes to money, and your life.
07:21Gee, the lack of humility before nature that's being displayed here staggers me.
07:28Well, thank you, Dr. Malcolm, but I think things are a little bit different than you and I
07:31have feared.
07:32Yeah, I know. They're a lot worse.
07:33Number four, the triumphant John Williams lullaby.
07:55Okay, we know John Williams is technically a composer and not really a movie trope, but his musical DNA
08:01is way too crucial to ignore. While the maestro is famous for his booming marches, his collaborations
08:07with Spielberg are frequently anchored by something much softer. We're talking about those sweeping,
08:12emotional lullabies that pluck right at your heartstrings.
08:29The delicate use of gentle woodwinds, soaring strings, and twinkling piano keys act as a massive auditory blanket
08:36to get draped over the audience. From the gentle motif of E.T. to the haunting five-note communication
08:41in Close Encounters, this music tells our brains you are safe and something absolutely wondrous is happening.
08:47It's coziness distilled into auditory form.
09:04Number three, the cute friendship.
09:06His name is Teddy. Teddy, this is David.
09:12Hello, Teddy. Hello, David.
09:14Is there anything more yarn for in childhood than a best friend?
09:18Spielberg taps directly into that fantasy with absolute precision.
09:22There is an undeniable charm to watching a lonely protagonist find a companion,
09:26even if that companion is not from this world.
09:29Which they often aren't.
09:30Do you talk?
09:33You know talk?
09:36Me?
09:37Human?
09:39Boy?
09:41Alien?
09:44Alien?
09:45Alien?
09:46Whether they're sharing a trail of Reese's Pieces with a wrinkly alien or sitting in the palm of a giant,
09:51the dynamic is endlessly heartwarming. It captures that ultimate sleepover energy, an exclusive, private bomb
09:57that only you and your best friend understand. It makes the scary experience of growing up feel a whole lot
10:03less lonely
10:04when you've got a trusty sidekick.
10:06The other giants? Are they nice? Like you're nice?
10:10No, or sorry to say the boys would eat you up in one dollop.
10:14Number two, the Spielberg face.
10:16Alan, this species of Variforman's been extinct since the Cretaceous period. I mean this thing isn't hot, this thing.
10:22What?
10:23What?
10:39Why show the audience something cool right away when you can build that anticipation?
10:43The visual of this Spielberg face is a masterclass in filmmaking. The camera slowly pushes in on a character's face
10:50as their eyes widen and their jaw drops. Sometimes it's in fear, sometimes it's in awe.
11:05It doesn't really matter because it works either way. The Spielberg face has been endlessly copied throughout the years,
11:12especially in cheaper films, when it's way easier to just show an actor than a monster.
11:17Like the use of suburban settings, the Spielberg face often grounds the action in the mundane,
11:22allowing us to focus not on the creatures and how they work but on the characters and their reactions to
11:27the extraordinary.
11:44The Spielberg face
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12:12Number 1. Kids on Bikes
12:15Brandon, don't you come home without your brother or I'll commit Harry Krishna!
12:20That's Harry Carey, Ma.
12:21That's exactly what I said!
12:24What? My new tires!
12:26Big part! My new tires!
12:28Son of a-
12:28Could our number one spot really be anything else?
12:31Nothing screams classic Spielberg quite like a pack of kids pedaling furiously on their beat-up bikes.
12:37In these suburban fairytales, a bicycle isn't just a toy.
12:41It's the primary mode of transportation.
12:43A thrilling tool for escape, and the ultimate symbol of independence from the boring adult world.
13:01Funny enough, this iconic image is so powerful that it feels like a constant trope.
13:05Even though it's really only used in E.T. and the Goonies if you count that.
13:10Either way, those sweeping shots of Elliot and his buddies racing through the neighborhood in a desperate bid for freedom
13:15are practically ingrained in our cinematic DNA.
13:18And when those bikes inevitably take to the sky, it's pure movie magic.
13:23The absolute pinnacle of childhood adventure.
13:39What Spielberg trope makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
13:43Let us know in the comments below.
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