Right?
When the Special Edition films came out, I remember snapping up the CDs and getting lost in those compositions. Yeah, I’m sorry that the SE set didn’t have Yub Nub, but the new Celebration Song was still its own brand of special.
The prequel trilogy, the sequel trilogy, all that stuff was a bit of fantastic.
John Williams also scored the tv series Lost in Space.
AND a pretty badass theme for NBC Sunday Night Football, too!
I feel like the Imperial March from Star Wars is what I always think of when I think of John Williams. The music just conveys the menace of the Empire so convincingly, with those low notes heralding the arrival of some bad guy (usually Vader) ready to do something bad to the heroes. Aside from the Jaws theme, I can’t think of another piece of music that just automatically conveys the concept of “evil” to the viewer nearly as well.
The Rite of Spring. Oh no wait, that’s Stravinsky.
John Williams forgot that on occasion too, just sayin’…
The guy is a legend, I expect everything he has done to be included in this thread (even Heartbeeps) . Here is the ranked list that came to my mind (probably forgetting a few that should probably be higher):
I saw the thread title and those opening bars from Jaws were the first thing in my head. But seeing his other scores listed here and running them through my head, it’s E.T. that has a special emotional impact the others don’t (for me personally that is).
Williams scored Daddy-O. Maybe not his grandest work but, hey, he was just getting started.
Meanwhile, my vote is for his scores for the Indiana Jones franchise. Action! International travel! Romance! Ruins filled with traps! Chilled monkey brains!
During the Covid shutdown I did a complete Hitchcock watch and JW’s score for “Family Plot” was really nice. It also has hints to a bunch of his future scores. The movie was pretty good too! Certainly under-appreciated
Binary Sunset for me! the feels!
Imperial March is our doorbell ring at our house! 
guess he’s not looking to end his career on a high note
My inner 17 year old wants to scream “STAR WARS” at the top of her Theater Geek lungs, but (There’s always a ‘but’, isn’t there?), the one that brings me to tears, every freaking time, is his score from Always.
Some would say that ‘A Guy Named Joe’ didn’t need a remake, and they would, probably, be right.
But (there’s that word, again), it’s silly, tender, romantic, and filled with a stellar cast, and it is made spectacular by Mr. Williams’ music.
I adore that movie. So glad you dig it as well!
Tremendously underrated Spielberg movie. I’ll defend that jazz any day of the week.