re: 3 movies to capture the thrill of cinema?

Since you said Spouse, kid, or friend I think some choices could be different depending on who the viewer is.

I think Raiders is a perfect choice regardless of the viewer. Jurassic Park falls in this category also.

If I wanted to introduce my wife to comedy I’m probably picking something with heart also like Planes Trains and Automobiles or The Burbs.

For my friend or Son I would probably go with something like Airplane.

Horror/Thriller I’m going with Hitchcock’s Psycho.

For pure visuals Interstellar is a must.

Other movies that I know are pretty much universally loved by men and women are Tombstone, Shawshank, and Die Hard.

I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy as does my son and friend but my wife could give two shits about it. It’s kind of frustrating because she likes several other things in the fantasy genre.