Steven Spielberg Ranked
If you’re a movie lover like me and grew up in the late eighties/nineties chances are there is no better filmmaker around than Steven Spielberg. The box office titan himself, the creator of the summer blockbuster. His work paved the way for all the blockbuster epics we gorge on these days. He is without a doubt my favorite filmmaker and has created more seminal pieces of work in his career than anyone could have ever imagined. For five decades now he has been putting out some of the best films ever put to film. From action adventure to stomach churning war to gritty political thrillers there isn’t a genre the maestro hasn’t conquered so in today’s adventure we’re gonna dive deep into Spielberg’s filmography and see just where his films stack up for me as a filmmaker.
Before we begin, note that his films Duel, 1941, Always, The Color Purple & War Horse do not make this list as I have yet to watch these films so they are ineligible for my rankings. This is also one of the hardest rankings I’ve ever had to put together because the man rarely makes a misstep and with the exception of maybe three movies, every single one of his movies is top notch. Hell you could tell me any of the top fifteen I’m gonna lay out is your favorite and I would back you up, that’s how good his films are. With that in mind, I tended to rank them based on my enjoyment of them and not necessarily which one is the defacto best. Remember these are my feelings and opinions, what I think is perfect you may think is dogshit and vice versa. The beauty of film baby.
Now onto the rankings.
26. THE BFG
Rounding out the bottom of the barrel is a film I’d imagine hits the bottom for most Spielberg lovers. The film definitely has his trademark style and whimsical nature of his more lighthearted films but the CGI is just so over done and the performance of Mark Rylance as the giant just torpedoes the movie for me. It may be too saccharine for its own good. The story is also nonsense with fart jokes and childish humor that just feels too low brow for a filmmaker of his caliber. This is one of the very few Spielberg films that I can assuredly say I’ll never watch again. I didn’t even bother to buy it just for the collection. That’s when you know a movie has done me dirty.
25. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is a film I’ve only watched once way back in the day so it may need a re-watch but I can’t imagine it scoring any higher on this list regardless. It’s a bit too long and its lofty themes threaten to derail the movie multiple times. It’s not a bad movie by any means it’s just not a particularly exciting movie. Very darkly shot with a meandering story, this movie just misses the mark for me and it’s understandable considering it’s a movie who’s origins lie with Stanley Kubrick. A filmmaker very hit or miss for me. The film is still worth a watch though since its sci-fi premise does lead to a few interesting questions about artificial intelligence.
24. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
A film not nearly as bad as South Park creators would have you think but still not great. Spielberg and Lucas seem to go against every instinct that made the originals so great by adding unnecessary CGI, paper thin villains and shoving in an alien artifact way too over the top, even for a series as over the top of Indy. Hell it even created a whole new term for jumping the shark in nuking the fridge. But there are some good bits in this film that make it worth watching. Harrison Ford shows that no matter what age he is he can still kick ass with the best of them and the opening scene in the warehouse proves that ten fold. The punching sound effects remain as epic as ever especially during a showdown between Indy and a Russian heavy while a load of fire ants surround them. It’s just a shame that Lucas bullied his aliens into a film that could have been so much had it remained using spiritual mystical artifacts instead of aliens. I just don’t know how to feel about an Indy world where literal aliens exist. Just so unnecessary.
23. Ready Player One
A nostalgic fanboys wet dream. I like this movie. It’s fun, well paced and never outstays its welcome. Of course, I enjoyed the book better but this did just about as good a job as could be done adapting it. Ben Mendelsohn is the clear winner in this film as the villain of the piece. That dudes voice is just made for villainous roles. My biggest problem with this film, and its one that can’t be avoided, is its overload of CGI. I am a staunch supporter of practical effects at all times but this is the type of movie that needs cutting edge CGI to make the Oasis work so it’s just a small nitpick for me in an otherwise enjoyable sci-fi adventure film from the king of sci-fi adventure films.
22. Lincoln
The first of Spielbergs many historical dramas to make the list, the one has the distinction of being the least re-watchable out of any of them; at least for me. It’s a well made film with an outstanding performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, but the film is dripping with literally no tension or sense of urgency as, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know exactly where this film is heading. They try to build all this tension about him passing the 13th amendment and if it’ll happen or not, which we all know it does so they really make you feel the 150 minute run time. It’s a film that is spectacularly done but just not one you’ll find yourself revisiting time and time again so out goes the yearly viewings on Presidents Day.
21. Hook
From here on out, it’s nothing but the sweet stuff as I love the hell out of every film going forward and there’s no better place to start than a film I grew up with. The story of what would happen if Peter Pan grew up. Robin Williams shines as the now grown up Peter Pan who must return to Neverland and find his roots when Captain Hook kidnaps his children. The film is dripping with beautiful visuals and amazing sets. Dustin Hoffman steals the show as the suicidal maniac Captain Hook. It’s a film that is much derided by many people except for those of us who grew up with it and that’s fine with me. Everyone’s tastes are different and even as an adult who can see some of the glaring structural and written problems with the film, I still love it and return to it every now again to get that sweet taste of Neverland.
20. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Another VHS I wore out as a child. I honestly love all the Jurassic Park films, with the exception of Fallen Kingdom. This film obviously is nowhere near the level of the first film but it has some awesome set pieces of its own. The caravan scene where the T-Rex’s push their vehicle over the cliff is dripping with tension and so perfectly shot. I also am one of the few who enjoys the epilogue back on the mainland with the T-Rex unleashing hell on the town surrounding the harbor. It’s goofy and fun and hits all the right marks for me. That little taste is what haves me hoping beyond hope that the next Jurassic Park film is gonna be loaded with scenes of rampaging destruction like this. Also the use of practical effects in these films is fucking mind blowing. That T-Rex looks downright terrifying as an animatronic. The movie does has some silly parts like the cartoony bit where Ian’s gymnast daughter takes on a couple of velociraptors but those are small nitpicks in an otherwise enjoyable dino-fueled adventure.
19. The Terminal
A criminally underrated romantic drama, The Terminal sees Tom Hanks playing a man without a country who is forced to live inside an airport terminal until his visa status can be rectified by his country. It’s a small scale film from Spielberg but it contains all his trademark styles making this an enjoyable film that just flies by. It’s a comfort movie through and through and one that doesn’t get talked about enough when talking about his body of work. Tom Hanks is dependable as always and the supporting cast shines with the likes of Stanley Tucci, Diego Luna and Zoe Saldana helping round out the cast. It’s a sweet look at a man making the best of a bad situation and it’s one a enjoy returning to whenever I need a good pick me up.
18. The Post
The kind of film Spielberg can do in his sleep at this point in his career. A film about the journalists who attempted to publish the Pentagon papers detailing their failed dealings in the Vietnam War. It’s a film that was destined to garner nominations with Hanks and Streep leading the charge with Spielberg behind the camera and John Williams on the sound. This movie also didn’t suffer the same issue as Lincoln as even though you knew the outcome, the means weren’t so cut and dry, and they were able to ring out some solid scenes of tension as they do all they can to release these reports during this turbulent era in American history.
17. The Adventures Of Tintin
A stunning achievement in motion capture mixed with animation makes for one of the most gorgeous looking films to date. This film is pure fun mixing in all your favorite detective tropes to see Tintin trying to discover the treasure of the Unicorn, a lost ship. I saw this film by myself in theaters in Florida after a night in the theme parks and expected to doze off I was so tired but found myself completely enthralled by this film. The performances are great with Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig leading the charge. And honestly, with a script by Edgar Wright, I am not surprised I ended up loving this film as he is one of the best screenwriters working today. It still pains me to this day that we never got a sequel to this fantastic film.
16. Bridge of Spies
Spielberg hits nothing but net in this pulse-pounding cold war thriller where Tom Hanks plays a lawyer hired to negotiate the exchange of a Soviet Spy for one of their soldiers. It’s another in a long list of well made films by Speilberg who could turn anything he touches to gold. I love films like this that takes a topic I don’t know much about and inspires me to learn more about its history and events and Bridge of Spies does just that as I dove deep into cold war politics and spy exchanges like these that happened throughout the cold war. Gripping stuff and a must watch for any war and/or thriller fan.
15. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
We’re here. From this point on, any one of these Spielberg films could be regarded as his absolute best, it’s all just a matter of what you like most out of your Spielberg films. He takes on directing and writing in this amazing sci-fi film about a small time man whose life changes inexplicably after a run in with a UFO. It’s so beautifully shot with some amazing camera angles and gorgeous visuals that really sell the alien encounter. This is one of my favorite science fiction films and one that must be seen if you are a sci-fi lover yourself. Some of the effects are of course dated as this film was released in 1977 but it’s a piece of film history that should be studied for decades to come on how to make a science fiction film.
14. War of the Worlds
From close encounters to a full on invasion, War of the Worlds sees Spielberg ditching his nice alien ways for a violent, full scale attack as aliens seek to eradicate and terraform our planet for their gain. It’s a film that used post 9/11 imagery to horrific effect really selling the dread and terror that was unfolding. Tom Cruise plays a lowlife father who has his kids for a weekend when the aliens attack and must do all he can to get them back to their mother. The first two thirds of this movie is a straight roller coaster ride and the opening attack especially is so balls to the walls insane, it more than makes the movie worth watching. Even if the ending is somewhat anticlimactic compared to what came before it.
13. Amistad
I saw this film in high school in a film class and it completely blew me away. Another film much like Bridge of Spies that made me want to learn more about its subject matter. The film is a tough at times to watch drama about a slave ship that fought back against their captors to take control of the ship before being captured again and put on trial for their actions. It’s a gripping drama with an amazing performance from Djimon Hounsou and features one of the best speeches ever put to film spoken by the only man who can give it the gravitas it deserves, Sir Anthony Hopkins. This is a must watch film that forces you to confront the horrors of what our ancestors did to Africans.
12. Empire of the Sun
A film I saw in that same high school film class about the same time as I saw Batman Begins so it was jarring to be watching young christian bale and buff christian bale at the same time. Such range. Empire of the Sun was Spielbergs first attempt as a serious WWII drama and it is masterful following Christian Bale as a young British socialite living in Shanghai that ends up a prisoner of war in an internment camp. It is semi-autobiographical and mesmerizing to watch. The film flew by when we watched it in school and it bothered me so much that we had to cut it up into three viewing that after the first day I went home and bought it so I could watch it in one sitting. Christian Bale shows why he was destined for stardom displaying a range not many child actors are capable of. This is a beautiful and heart wrenching film that I can’t recommend enough.
11. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Just missing out on the top ten is the ugly stepchild of the Indy trilogy. This is a dark film full of pagan rituals, sacrifices, child slavery and a shaman rips a dudes heart out of his fucking chest. It’s also unabashedly Indy with all his trademark mannerisms and witty one liners with epic set pieces that rival its predecessor and successor. The opening fight scene in Club Obi Wan is a masterclass alone in building tension and fight scenes. I know this film gets a lot of flack for its racist stereotypes but I feel it’s unwarranted as the film makes a point to set up this cult and their wicked ways, never decreeing it to be the whole of India or anything like that. Hell when Indy first meets the village, he is super respectful and makes sure to follow all their customs and rituals as to not offend them. But I digress. This film will always hold a special place in my heart as it has all the fun of Raiders with a dark underbelly to it.
10. Munich
Kicking off the top 10 is a film I saw in theaters in Orlando after a day in the parks and my god was I not ready for this movie. I knew nothing other than it was made by Spielberg and it almost made it that much more entertaining going in blind and soaking every bit of the plot up. Released the same year as War of the Worlds, Spielberg really hit us with a twofer that proved he was still the best in the game even after 40 years. Munich tells the story of the Israeli government’s secret retaliation against the Palestine Liberation Organization after the munich massacre at the 1972 olympics. It is an unflinching and insanely tense film that never takes its foot off the gas and hits you with a revenge tale that questions just how far one can push themselves in their quest for what they feel is justice. Erica Bana and Geoffrey Rush are amazing in it and it wasn’t until he became Bond that I realized there’s a young Daniel Craig in this film as well and the king beyond the wall Ciaran Hinds. It’s a film that should be watched by all as a masterclass in historical drama.
9. Schindler’s List
Quite possibly the most gut wrenching WWII film ever made, rivaled by only Spielberg himself. Schindler’s List is the story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saves more than a thousand Jewish refugees from the holocaust by employing them in his factory. It is haunting. It is beautifully made with only the care a man of Spielbergs talent can handle. I watched this in that film class in high school we talked about earlier and this movie absolutely floored me. I didn’t know there could be movies this deep, this unflinching, this well made. I did the same thing I did with Empire of the Sun here and immediately bought the film so I could watch it the whole way through.
It is such a milestone picture. The film deservedly took home Best Picture and Spielberg took Best Director for his work. It amazes me that this and Jurassic Park came out in the same year. Two movies that couldn’t be more different but just commanded by such a god damn professional that they both equally shine as the best in their respective genres. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes put in amazing performances, especially Fiennes as a vile SS officer. It is historical fiction that only Spielberg can make and we are all the better for having it in our lives. The only reason this movie isn’t higher on this list is due to re-watchability. It’s a tough movie to want to watch without even taking into account its three hour run time, but that takes nothing away from this perfect film. It’s just the next 8 are quite possibly the most re-watchable movies in his filmography.
8. Jurassic Park
A few months before Spielberg stunned the world with his gripping WWII tale, he dropped this quintessential piece of nineties culture, Jurassic Park. A movie that pushed the boundaries of what we could do in film with a mixture of animatronics and CGI that blends so seamlessly you’d think you were watching the real thing. If only the World series could capture that magic. This movie is such the ultimate adventure with edge of your seat pulse pounding set pieces. The film also takes a beautiful slow build that really holds out on that tension of witnessing these dinosaurs. It’s grandiose, epic in scale and such a fun movie I can watch again and again. I do still think the book is better, though the book takes on a much more violent, R rated tone. I think the change in tone suits this movie perfectly though as a more violent tone would not have let this movie become the cultural phenomenon that it was. No, the PG-13 rating suits this movie perfectly and blends a much more action adventure tone to it then a violent, reap what you sow playing GOD tone. Everyone brings their A game to this film and Spielberg knows exactly where to point the camera at all times.
This is easily the best of the Jurassic Park films and the rest of the films in the series have been trying to recapture its magic ever since and none, save maybe Jurassic World, have come close.
7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The one where Hitler signs Indy’s book. This movie is an absolute blast from start to finish. Using a much more light hearted tone than Temple, Last Crusade manages to be another action filled adventure like Raiders but maintain its own identity. And that’s with the addition of Sean Connery as Indy’s father. Their father son relationship as it evolves over the two hours is the heart and soul of this movie and what helps make it so memorable. Their screen chemistry is through the roof and you can tell they had a blast making this. The set pieces are also phenomenal with an escape from a castle one of the highlights as well as the desert tank fight. It was a fitting conclusion to the Indiana Jones adventures too where Indy, having reunited and rekindled his relationship with his father sets out into the desert to whatever adventures await him. It’s the perfect ride off into the sunset ending for this film franchise. They just had to go and ruin it. I also love how looney tunes cartoonish they manage to make the Nazi’s in this film as Indy even quips upon seeing them again, “Nazis. I hate these guys.” Just belittling them to caricatures in a single phrase, it’s so god damn good.
6. Minority Report
One of my favorite science fiction films ever made. Tom Cruise plays an officer with a unit that uses pre-cogs to determine murders before they happen and must go on the run to clear his name when one of those pre-cogs sees Cruise kill someone. It’s a mind bending, insanely creative, thought provoking film that I can watch over and over. The futuristic world building is excellent with some awesome use of the world to build insanely cool set pieces, like Cruise’s escape from the precinct or when he has to get a new pair of eyes to remain undetected to the cities cameras. They use so much of the world building to build tension and use as plot devices. It’s just so perfectly written.
5. Catch Me If You Can
To date this is still my favorite Leo performance. He just perfectly captures Frank’s innocence and child like outlook in the beginning and then to watch him lose that twinkle in his eyes through the film is heartbreaking though it doesn’t manage to drive the film down one bit. This film is so fun. It’s one that’s just effortlessly enjoyable. It has some great quotable dialogue with Christopher Walkens speech in the beginning being a favorite of mine to quote over and over again (In his voice of course). The film is a light hearted, dramatic romp about a young kid who’d do anything to get his idyllic family life back. Tom Hanks is incredible as always laying down another in a long line of great performances. His dry sense of humor and no funny business attitude mesh so well with Leo’s Frank that it becomes such a joy to watch them develop a kind of kinship as the film goes on. This is a film I can always have on in the background and can watch over again right after finishing.
4. Jaws
The movie that started the blockbuster craze. A movie so terrifyingly good it still to this day scares people from going into the ocean. And it is a said thought that I think this practical effect shark evokes more terror in this scene than anything you’d see in Deep Blue Sea, or Shark Night or The Shallows, that have all been released with loads of CGI. Gimme Bruce the shark any day.
Jaws tells the story of a police captain in over his head when a massive great white shark starts terrorizing a beach during the height of its summer season. It’s better than any shark movie has a right to be. It’s thrilling, it’s fun, it’s violent. It’s a true achievement filmmaking, especially for the absolute hell they went through trying to make this movie. Shooting on water is already hard as shit but add in a mechanical shark that barely ever wanted to work, it’s a wonder this film turned out any good at all. Though the the shark not working ever helped the movie in the long run as the slow dread of build up to seeing the shark in its glory for the first time is such a good pay off. It may just be the best pay off in cinema history, along with one of the most quoted films lines of any sailor that’s ever walked since.
The movie has two really violent scenes in it too which really sell the terror of the shark. One, when the kitner boy gets killed and two, when quint bites the bullet. The perfect use of blood in those two scenes are truly shocking and brutal and convey more terror to me than most horror movies where the red stuff runs wild. If you are reading this and haven’t seen this movie, stop immediately and rectify this.
3. Saving Private Ryan
Perhaps the only film that can match Schindler’s List in intensity, but for completely different reasons. Each movie showcases it’s own form of terror that was unleashed upon the world in WWII. The film follows Tom Hanks squad as they search for a paratrooper, Private Ryan, the last remaining son of four, the other three having died in combat. It is the most unflinching depiction of war with the first half hour featuring the horrific onslaught at Omaha Beach. No matter how many times I see that scene I am left with my jaw on the floor. To think of the horrors those men had to suffer that day is unfathomable. This movie is the defacto war is hell movie as we watch the squad go through hell and lose most of its members in search of one man with a ticket out of this hell hole.
It’s so god damn sad but so incredibly good. Tom Hanks puts up my favorite performance of his playing a school teacher leading a group of boys through hell. His dialogue is so perfect for his character and his, “Earn this” at the end of the film elicits tears every time, without fail. It’s THE war movie and it is still so wickedly unfair that this movie didn’t win Best Picture but lost to Shakespeare In Love all because of Harvey Weinsteins campaigning and to see where he is now makes this upset that much more disgusting.
This is another movie much like Jaws that if you haven’t seen it, stop reading and go watch it immediately.
2. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
The king of the Indy films. The first time was the charm with this adventure series that captures all the charm and adventure of the early serials Spielberg and Lucas grew up on. It is such a fun time, there isn’t a second that isn’t chocked full of adventure. From the amazing opening scene introducing us to our hero all the way to the face melting finale, this film is one of a kind and there have been countless films since that have tried to emulate it to ill effect. Harrison Ford is the defacto action hero and has just the right amount of swagger to make Indy work. His never stop attitude despite suffering huge amounts of damage just endears him to us and makes him one of the most must see action heroes of all time.
- E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial
In my opinion the best Spielberg film ever made. It perfectly encapsulates all of Spielbergs trademark charm. It is one of the most influential science fiction films of all time and a movie that makes me cry without fail every time I watch it. ET is the most adorable alien and the bond he forms with Elliot is the foundation of the film. The way he shoots the scenes is also amazing with many of the shots of Elliot hanging in the backyard trying to find ET are so visually attractive they just suck you into this film. I also love that we never see any of the adult faces, save for the mother, until the third act when the dangerous government employees show up to try and experiment on ET. The finale is also one of the most creative of all time with the bike chase. There isn’t a moment of this film that isn’t dripping with something visually splendid. I love this movie and have been obsessed with it since I saw it as a child. It’s a movie I watch at least a few times a year. It’s the ultimate comfort food for me and the best summation of what Spielberg can accomplish.
And that’s my list. It’s amazing just how many influential movies this man has made throughout his career and that he still manages to do today, fifty years into his career. There is no other director quite like him. He is one of a kind and without a doubt my favorite filmmaker of all time. So find a film you haven’t seen, kick back with a tub of popcorn and enjoy the best blockbuster filmmaker of all time, and until next time.
Adventure On!