The Fabelmans2022

99/100 My personal theory is that Spielberg kind of makes every movie nowadays like it's going to be the last one he ever makes, hence why his most recent film is semi-autobiographical and the next is an alien movie just like the first film he ever made. However, I personally can't think of a better finale for him than this. I suppose I should start with the obvious. John Williams' score is magnificent here. He's been a constant presence throughout, and he's improved so many of these movies with his timeless scores, and it's no different here. The performances are also excellent here. Gabriel LaBelle is the obvious highlight as our protagonist, Sammy, but I also liked the acting on the rest of the family. The actors work hard to make even minor characters memorable in their own right. I especially liked Paul Dano and Michelle Williams as the parents, as they complement Sammy very well. The story is also very good here. I love the statements it has to make on how hard an artist's life is. Usually, this would be a self-indulgent excuse for bad writing, but Spielberg and Tony Kushner use it for good writing instead. I also liked the mature way matters such as antisemetism and divorce are handled. In the end, though, the thing I really loved the most was the way Spielberg directed it. He brings you back to the 1950s and 1960s he spent his youth and adds in his sentimentalism as well as references to classic film culture in order to make it great. The sincerity with which he handles all this is ultimately what makes the film so good. My favourite scene of the movie was ultimately the final scene, where Sam meets John Ford. I found the quote about the horizon interesting, and believe it could have multiple meanings, whether that the way to make art good is to make it unconventional (as most would think to put the horizon at the center) or whether it doesn't matter how bad art is as long as it's not "middling" or boring. The final shot is also good as a follow-up to this, starting with the horizon at the middle only to slowly lower it to the bottom to represent the evolution of Sam, which I thought was a nice touch. It also shows Sam's new, more optimistic outlook quite well. Overall, I've praised this film a lot, but it deserves it. It's a love letter to cinema and to the fact that Spielberg became what he is today, and it's all done so good. It's not his best movie, but even then, it's definitely a masterpiece.