Home HOT NEWS HOLLYWOOD NEWS Steven Spielberg Movies Ranked Worst to Best, Including “Jurassic Park,” “Fabelmans,” “E.T.”

Steven Spielberg Movies Ranked Worst to Best, Including “Jurassic Park,” “Fabelmans,” “E.T.”

26 November 2022

Over a profession that spans nicely over half a century, three-time Oscar winner Steven Spielberg has held the general public creativeness within the palm of his hand, because of an astonishing filmmaking prowess that unites a singular creativeness with a deep understanding of humanity and on a regular basis life.

Spielberg’s newest theatrical release is the semi-autobiographical bildungsroman The Fabelmans alongside Tony Kushner, who wrote the screenplays for Munich and West Side Story. Now in theaters nationwide, The Fabelmans stars Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Seth Rogen.

To have fun the release of certainly one of 2022’s buzziest awards-season standouts, we have rounded up and ranked each Steven Spielberg movie from worst to greatest.

All Steven Spielberg Movies Ranked

“Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull”

Paramount Pictures

34. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Harrison Ford‘s rogue adventurer is arguably essentially the most beloved hero in movie historical past, however Indiana Jones’ shut encounter with inter-dimensional aliens in a belated sequel is simply notorious. Despite comparatively blended evaluations from critics and a popularity that is solely furthered soured over time, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a large box-office success, the second highest-earning film of 2008 behind solely The Dark Knight.

Dante Basco and Robin Williams in “Hook”

Murray Close/Getty Images

33. Hook (1991)

Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman star in a revisionist Peter Pan, the place Peter is now a grown workaholic. Hook is an uncomfortable mix of grownup cynicism and a kiddie tone that by no means finds the easy surprise that is in so many Spielberg photos—and the muddy manufacturing values stand out in opposition to a filmography that is largely visually breathtaking. Fortunately, Spielberg’s profession got here roaring again to new heights shortly after this.

Despite mixed-to-negative evaluations, Hook was a success, with a $300 million gross in opposition to a $ 70 million funds. It was additionally nominated for 5 Oscars in largely technical classes.

32. Always (1989)

Released the identical yr as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to frosty evaluations and tepid field workplace, comedy fantasy Always stars Holly Hunter, Richard Dreyfuss and Audrey Hepburn (in her ultimate movie) is an odd romantic fantasy story of aviation and the afterlife. It’s a lovingly made however unconvincing swing at telling an old style, high-concept story—which may have labored higher within the Forties—with extra trendy results.

31. 1941 (1979)

John Belushi stars—and has restricted display time in—a madcap ensemble motion comedy that strives to be Dr. Strangelove, however finally is much too messy to go away an imprint. Following the unimaginable successes of Jaws and Close Encounters, 1941 was usually thought to be Spielberg’s first vital flop (although it turned a small revenue on the field workplace). Still, some have warmed as much as it within the a long time since. In trendy instances, it is one thing of a sleeper cult movie.

30. The Terminal (2004)

Frequent collaborator Tom Hanks stars alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones in a dramedy (loosely primarily based on a real story) a few European vacationer trapped at JFK Airport when struggle breaks out in his nation. The Terminal is not unlikable, but it surely’s schmaltzy, crammed past the brim with product placement, and featherweight.

29. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Motion-capture particular results which might be usually eye-popping and infrequently Uncanny-Valley-creepy are on the heart of a swashbuckling, big-budget adaptation of Herge’s guide. The Adventures of Tintin was launched in 3D about three years after Avatar and was a technical standout in an period the place many felt gimmicky, however the story is much less exceptional than the telling. Andy Serkis as soon as once more proves he is the all-time grasp of this sort of factor, and one of many best thespians round.

“The Lost World: Jurassic Park”

Universal Pictures

28. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

In a characteristically genuine and blunt interview with The New York Times in 2016, Spielberg himself admitted The Lost World: Jurassic Park was a disappointment.

Jurassic Park creator Michael Crichton really killed off Dr. Ian Malcolm within the unique novel, however Jeff Goldblum‘s quirky embodiment proved so common with audiences that the author ret-conned him again into the second guide so he may very well be within the subsequent film. Unfortunately, on-screen Malcolm was uncomfortably reinvented as a number one man, firming down the persona that made him such a success within the first place. Likewise, this film usually may actually use extra spark, to not point out extra cohesiveness. It’s largely a wan movie, albeit with sturdy set items.

“The BFG”

Disney

27. The BFG (2016)

Oscar winner Mark Rylance is ideal as Roald Dahl‘s massive pleasant large, and the motion-capture results of The BFG are significantly higher than in Tintin a half-decade prior, however The BFG omits a few of Dahl’s deliciously morbid darkish humor. Additionally, the movie is a bit uneven and overlong at almost a full two hours. Despite usually constructive marks from critics, The BFG is among the largest box-office disappointments of Spielberg’s profession, grossing lower than $200 million in opposition to a $ 140 million funds (not together with advertising).

26. The Sugarland Express (1974)

The acclaim and recognition of TV film Duel led to a theatrical function debut with the 1974 crime drama The Sugarland Express starring Goldie Hawn. The movie is a few husband and spouse trying to outrun the legislation with a hostage cop (and is loosely primarily based on an actual incident). The Sugarland Express does not have something just like the throughline or revolutionary spirit of Bonnie and Clyde, but it surely’s well-performed and well-handled in all of its technical features.

“Ready Player One”

Warner Bros. Pictures

25. Ready Player One (2018)

Based on the novel of the identical identify by Ernest Cline (who co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn), Ready Player One depicts a dystopian Earth in 2045, ravaged by local weather change, overpopulation and corruption. To escape their grim desolation, individuals frequent the digital actuality world of OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation), the place they will have interaction in quite a few actions for work, education and leisure.

The first half or so is considerate to the purpose of masterful, which makes it all of the extra disappointing when it provides technique to extra routine extra within the third act. On the intense aspect, Tye Sheridan displays the chops of each a number one man and a Spielbergian everyman.

“Amistad”

HBO Films/DreamWorks

24. Amistad (1997)

Much as he did with Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List 4 years prior, Spielberg launched a mega blockbuster and an unflinching historic drama in the identical yr, 1997. Based on the advanced authorized aftermath of an 1839 slave revolt, Amistad does not have the emotional heft of Schindler’s List or The Color Purple, but it surely’s a distinguished, well-acted historic drama. Amistad was nominated for 4 Oscars, together with Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Hopkins) and Best Cinematography (frequent collaborator Janusz Kamińsky).

23. Bridge of Spies (2015)

In Cold War-set Bridge of Spies, Hanks performs real-life lawyer James B. Donovan, tasked with a prisoner change after defending a convicted KGB spy. Divided into two distinct halves, Bridge of Spies is mild on its ft, a bit creaky at instances, and largely satisfying—only a notch beneath top-tier Spielberg. Everyone in Bridge of Spies is upstaged by Mark Rylance, who gained Best Supporting Actor on the Oscars over favored Sylvester Stallone (Creed). It was the most important upset of the evening.

Christian Bale in “Empire of the Sun”

Murray Close/Getty Images

22. Empire of the Sun (1987)

A younger Christian Bale provides a head-turning efficiency as a privileged schoolboy-turned-prisoner of struggle in a David Lean-inspired drama primarily based on J.G. Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel of the identical identify.

Empire of the Sun was touted as Spielberg’s first film for grown-ups, no matter a sentiment like that’s speculated to imply. This is an efficient, good-looking tear-jerking drama that lacks among the nuance and persona that makes even higher Spielberg historic dramas stand aside.

21. War of the Worlds (2005)

Spielberg delivers some actually scary, sustained set items in a modern-day replace of the H.G. Wells‘ War of the Worlds that showcases the director in full command of his formidable powers, not less than till the ultimate act does not rating an ideal dismount. This is the filmmaker’s most up-to-date collaboration with star Tom Cruise.

Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in “The Post”

twentieth Century Fox

20. The Post (2017)

Spielberg discovered Liz Hannah’s script for this dramatic thriller about Katharine Graham, Ben Bradlee and the 1971 publication of the Pentagon Papers so well timed and important that he shut down improvement on a stalled interval piece, and fast-tracked The Post for a vacation 2017 release. The Post, a mannequin of stripped-down, streamlined storytelling, turned a must-see film of its second. It’s straightforward to miss the film’s imperfections as a result of high-spirited The Post is usually only a thrilling showcase for Meryl Streep‘s greatest efficiency in not less than a decade, perhaps since Adaptation.

18. War Horse (2011)

Based on the stage play of the identical identify and co-produced by longtime collaborator Kathleen Kennedy, War Horse tells the story of a boy (Jeremy Irvine) separated from an Irish Sport Horse amidst the Great War. War Horse is shameless in pushing the viewers’s buttons, however damned if the extreme struggle scenes and touching throughline do not depart a mark. War Horse was nominated for six Oscars, together with Best Picture.

19. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

This in all probability ought to have been the final campaign, in any case. The preliminary trilogy concluded on a buoyant excessive observe, a lighter movie than Temple of Doom although greater than red-blooded sufficient to really feel like bona fide Indy. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is an altogether great journey movie, although the spotlight is undeniably the introduction of Sean Connery, recent off an Oscar win for The Untouchables, as Henry Jones, Sr. The stars’ chemistry is stable gold.

Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me If You Can”

DreamWorks

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17. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

An unqualified win throughout the respective filmographies of Hanks, Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio, Catch Me If You Can is the fashionable, humorous and touching sort-of biopic primarily based on the (largely refuted and disproven) autobiography of con man Frank Abagnale Jr., and the FBI agent who tracks him. It’s a recreation of cat and mouse at first, then it will get higher when it turns into extra of a father-son story. Wisely timed for a vacation season 2002 release, Catch Me If You Can appealed to a large, multigenerational viewers like comparatively few movies can.

16. Duel (1971)

Spielberg’s first function movie, the street thriller Duel starred Dennis Weaver as a enterprise commuter terrorized by an unseen truck driver. It initially aired on TV, then acquired a theatrical release because of vital reward. It all holds up fantastically as a streamlined train in stress.

15. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Kali-Ma! Long sidelined because the bizarre stepchild of the Indy movies, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom now stands tall as a Spielberg flex; it is unapologetically pulpy, hilarious, gross, and terrifying—and it is so, so violent. Thanks particularly to a notable set piece or two that may make most horror movies blush, Temple of Doom (together with Spielberg-produced Gremlins) impressed the PG-13 score, first seen in 1984’s Red Dawn.

“Lincoln”

DreamWorks Pictures

14. Lincoln (2012)

Daniel Day-Lewis gained a document third Best Actor Academy Award for a tour de power because the sixteenth POTUS in Spielberg’s extensively acclaimed historic drama from the bestselling 2005 guide Team of Rivals. This is a biopic executed uncommonly proper: a well-paced snapshot of Lincoln’s defining hour. Lincoln was nominated for a complete of 12 Oscars together with Best Picture and Best Director.

“Munich”

Universal Pictures

13. Munich (2005)

Controversial—incendiary, even—and a masterpiece within the artwork of suspense, Spielberg’s thriller depicts the aftermath of the 1972 Munich bloodbath on the 1972 Summer Olympics. Starring Eric Bana and a pre-Bond Daniel Craig, written by Angels in America‘s Tony Kushner and Forrest Gump‘s Eric Roth—primarily based on the 1984 guide Vengeance by George Jonas.

“The Fabelmans”

Universal Pictures

12. The Fabelmans (2022)

Spielberg’s profession now spans over 50 years, and with the dazzling and shifting The Fabelmans, he is nonetheless working on the high of his recreation. Smashing as leisure however simply as spectacular in its grounded depiction of family life, The Fabelmans is among the perfect movies of 2022. The performances are uniformly magnificent, with Michelle Williams delivering a profession spotlight that is already garnered appreciable awards-season hype.

Deeply private in its emotions, but in addition thunderously cinematic, The Fabelmans may pair with Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo for a double invoice from heaven.

11. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

The brainchild of Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick—devoted to the latter’s reminiscence—A.I. wasn’t greenlit till CGI was superior sufficient to inform a futuristic spin on Pinocchio, primarily based on Brian Aldiss’ quick story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long.” A.I. acquired a mixed-to-positive reception upon release; lately it has been re-assessed as a totally fashioned masterwork. It’s a singularly unhappy movie that maybe caught followers of Spielberg’s extra crowd-pleasing fare off guard.

Related: The Best Directors of All Time

Top 10 Steven Spielberg Movies

“Jurassic Park”

Murray Close/Getty Images

10. Jurassic Park (1993)

Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel in regards to the disasters that befall a wildlife park of cloned dinosaurs was so tantalizing as a supply for a movie that an industry-wide bidding struggle ensued earlier than it even hit cabinets. Eventually, the rights went to Spielberg and Universal. The particular results have been shopped to the best creators within the enterprise: Industrial Light and Magic for CGI and Stan Winston for animatronics. Jurassic Park had a record-setting $65 million advertising marketing campaign, together with tie-ins with over 100 corporations; that every one paid off when it turned [unadjusted for inflation] the highest-grossing movie ever.

Critics on the time–and lots of at present–usually favored Jurassic Park, however couldn’t assist however examine it unfavorably to Spielberg’s Jaws, a masterpiece of slow-burn stress with fully-realized, compelling and flawed central characters. That holds some water, however Jurassic Park basically is Jaws in comparison with most blockbusters of its period.

“Minority Report”

twentieth Century Fox

9. Minority Report (2002)

Top-tier Spielberg. Tom Cruise is at his most riveting, screen-commanding as a cop of the long run preventing to clear his identify in an electrifying adaptation of Philip Ok. Dick’s guide in regards to the ethics of preventing crime earlier than it occurs. Minority Report is a Hitchcockian “wrong man” yarn, a Philip Ok. Dick fable, with Spielberg’s stamp and energetic contact throughout it. This is what we so hardly ever get however all the time hope for once we go to the films.

Oprah Winfrey in “The Color Purple”

Warner Brothers/Getty Images

8. The Color Purple (1985)

Based on Black feminist Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the identical identify, The Color Purple introduced Spielberg’s profession into a brand new dimension. Following wildfire effects-heavy style successes Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T., this was a grounded, mature Southern drama of cruelty, hope and perseverance. The Color Purple performed a pivotal position in advancing the careers of its solid, together with Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey—and most notably Whoopi Goldberg, in her movie debut.

Ariana DeBose as Anita in “West Side Story” (2021)

twentieth Century Studios

7. West Side Story (2021)

Spielberg’s hotly anticipated musical remake generated appreciable awards-season hype regardless of disappointing returns on the (pandemic-era) field workplace. West Side Story was finally the film shock of 2021; a first-time musical filmmaker bettered the unique. This is an all-timer, among the best musicals in movement image historical past. West Side Story is exhilarating, with star-making, buzzy performances from Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose (the latter gained an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress).

DreamWorks

6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

You can divide the historical past of struggle movies into two eras: earlier than and after Saving Private Ryan. The most influential war movie since Lewis Milestone‘s All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), which director Spielberg cites as a key inspiration, Saving Private Ryan is one of the great directorial accomplishments in cinema. The battle scenes are as remarkable for their awe-inspiring technical wizardry and authenticity (Spielberg famously didn’t storyboard the D-Day touchdown scene, as he needed real spontaneity) as they’re for being stomach-turning and at instances virtually insufferable to look at. After the release of the unflinching, masterfully immersive Saving Private Ryan, so many earlier World War II movies simply appear quaint and phony by comparability. This movie is uniquely highly effective for veterans and their family members.

“Close Encounters of the Third Kind”

Columbia Pictures

5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

This bold spellbinder is a masterpiece that each defines and transcends the sci-fi style. Close Encounters stars Richard Dreyfuss as an electrician manically trying to find solutions round UFO sightings; the movie is gripping and enchanting in equal measure. The work of mighty creativeness, Close Encounters of the Third Kind was nominated for eight Academy Awards, together with Spielberg’s first nomination for Best Director. Vilmos Zsigmond gained an Oscar for the movie’s luminous, dazzling widescreen cinematography.

“Raiders of the Lost Ark”

Paramount Pictures

4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a tribute to swashbuckling early cinema that turned the measuring stick for all journey movies. Created by George Lucas as an homage to Nineteen Thirties serials and directed by Steven Spielberg, these motion pictures have a manner of bringing out the child in anybody who watches them. The black sheep of this collection, Temple of Doom, deserves extra consideration and reward than it will get. It’s arguably much more preposterously entertaining than Raiders, and it is so terrifying that it impressed the MPAA to create the PG-13 score. It holds up as a rollercoaster blast.

“E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial”

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis by way of Getty Images

3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

No checklist of the best family movies ever made is full with out this science fiction heartstring-tugger. E.T. captured the hearts and imaginations of hundreds of thousands, dethroning 1977’s Star Wars to change into the highest-grossing film on the time. Like so a lot of Spielberg’s best movies, a lot of E.T.‘s greatness comes from the sweeping orchestral score by John Williams. Here is a blockbuster for the ages that always hits us directly in the feels.

“Jaws”

Universal/Fotos International/Getty Images

2. Jaws (1975)

Spielberg’s film of Peter Benchley‘s New England-set killer shark book overcame a rocky production to become the inaugural summer blockbuster, the first film ever to gross $100 million in North America. A deliberately paced marvel of character-rich suspense, Jaws won three Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture, though Spielberg wasn’t nominated for Best Director.

Jaws is yet one more horror collection that went downhill in a rush. 1978’s Jaws 2 is a mediocre rehash; Jaws 3D and Jaws: The Revenge are astonishingly unhealthy.