Steven Spielberg is by far the most profitable filmmaker in the history of the medium. Some people even credit him as the pioneer of ‘Blockbuster Films’, which is usually shed in a positive light, but sometimes people see that as a negative turn in cinema history. Needless to say, Spielberg is a pretty major character in the evolution of films.
I’m not as big of a fan as most people I know, but I do like (and even love) some of his more special and emotionally gratifying films, but at the end of the day I do agree with the assertion that his work tends to lack the true depth that the source material requires (specifically his post 90’s stuff).
Spielberg definitely deserves a spot on my 2nd or 3rd string Mount Rushmore of film, but he’s made a ton of stinkers and over the past 2 decades kind of rode on the coat-tails of his hits from the 70-90s. Here is a complete list of each of his (Directed) films that I’ve seen or that I have enough memory of seeing to give it an honest look. Sry, it’s only 25…..
25- 1941
I mean, there isn’t a lot positive that can be said about this film. To this day, Spielberg recognizes this as a failure and a major lesson in his career. He talks about it with tons of shame and regrets and for good reason. Aside from bringing together some of the most iconic and charismatic comedy actors of the time, all 1941 is, are a ton of explosions and a really painful narrative.
SniderScore- 28
24- War of the Worlds
Pretty bad adaptation of an already overrated book. Riddled with awkward dialogue, mediocre acting, and average CGI effects, this outing gets lost in a filmography so solid as his.
SniderScore- 32
23- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
This never should have been made. Touching on 80’s nostalgia and the charisma of Harrison Ford barely keep this afloat. Shia LaBeouf has some major acting chops, but none of his talents are on display here.
Indiana Jones and the KCS has some decent action sequences and therefore I can’t put it dead last, but it is pretty BAD.
SniderScore- 38
22- AI: Artificial Intelligence
Although it does contain moments of cuteness, it doesn’t hold up well and many others have done the same thing but better.
SniderScore- 41
21- Ready Player One
It’s kind of impressive how boring a movie something this fundamentally entertaining turned out to be. A major misfire, mostly because of the flat writing. The one redeemable is the fact that it looks AMAZING.
SniderScore- 43
20- Lincoln
There isn’t anything inherently bad about this 2012 historic biopic, I just don’t think we really needed and it runs way too long.
DDL shows the world why he’s the greatest actor of All-Time with his historic portrayal of Abe Lincoln, but Lincoln doesn’t showcase any of what makes Spielberg such a special artist.
SniderScore- 64
19- Bridge of Spies
BOS has a great ensemble and a bunch of great performances, but it isn’t as fresh as I think SS believed it to be when he made it. Again, more of a misfire on the selection of material by SS with this one. When you make a film that doesn’t immediately offer the masses anything in the way of cultural relevance or emotional appeal, you need to make it special or tell the story in a specific enough way to garner interest, and Speilberg took more of a color by number approach.
SniderScore- 66.5
18- Jurassic Park: The Lost World
Dinosaurs are super great and the CGI effects hold up relatively well all things considered. TLW doesn’t conjure up nearly the as much emotional resonance as its predecessor nor does it have as much charm.
SniderScore- 69
17- BFG
I think BFG gets a little too much harsh judgment considering its a film made for CHILDREN. Steven Spielberg captures the spirit of the Roald Dahl children’s book perfectly and what we got was a light-hearted, breezy, charmingly acted and visually stunning film (albeit a bit forgettable afterwards though).
SniderScore- 70
16- The Hook
As much as the kid in me loved this adaptation of Peter Pan, hindsight is 20/20. The Hook is a little too unsure of its vibe and long.
SniderScore- 71.5
15- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Really adorable way to address his own daddy issues by Spielberg, but the story is pretty lackluster, and when compared to its predecessors this iteration of Indian Jones is by far the weakest.
SniderScore- 74
14/13- The Post/The Adventures of Tin Tin
When I was compiling scores for these Rankings, I just couldn’t decide which film I thought was better. I certainly enjoyed watching Tin Tin more but The Post was consistently good in all the ways of production and so I guess they tie. The Post just seemed kind of unnecessary and was a bit too fluffy and Tin Tin is a tad forgettable and I just couldn’t see myself justifying its place any higher.
SniderScore(s)- 79
12- Amistad
I’m not gonna lie, it had been so long since I’ve seen this and I didn’t really want to sit through a 3-hour movie that I know is really good so I just watched a few clips to bring it back. I love the score and I love the performances and mostly it’s just a great emotional story that knows what it is tonally.
SniderScore- 80
11- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Before you start in on me, don’t. As much fun as Raiders is, it was meant to serve as pure, mindless entertainment and that feat was achieved for sure, but that is the extent of my enjoyment of it. All of the non-action sequences just feel flat and uninspired.
SniderScore- 82
10- Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom
Slightly better script and I was more worried for Indiana Jones character (which was the main issue with Raiders… we never feared he could die or be seriously hurt), which caused me to feel more invested and on the edge of my seat.
SniderScore- 83
9- Minority Report
This film is a perfect example of what an effective action/sci-fi is supposed to feel. Minority Report is intense and interesting and fully effective within its genre, not confused about what it’s meant to be or over/underdone (ultimately 2 of the biggest Spielberg flaws). Tom Cruise is really good in this piece too, and during a time when making him appear talented in a movie was almost unheard of.
SniderScore- 85
8- The Color Purple
The first strict drama of Spielberg’s career and an overall stunning achievement. SS adapted a book that NOBODY thought should be adapted, and specifically by a WHITE, MALE. I mean, how could someone like Spielberg relate and articulate an experience, so foreign to his own, and yet, it is beautiful.
The things he chose to leave out and include wound up doing wonders for the story he was trying to tell and this was a gorgeous looking film through and through. TCP was the worlds first witnessing that Spielberg can direct ACTORS/ACTING.
SniderScore- 87.5
7- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977 and this film still looks AMAZING. I mean come on. A very simple and stripped back form of story-telling and yet, something very true to the vibe.
Close Encounters doesn’t look like anyone’s 4th movie, and yet it is. 1977 and this flick still feels so special when you see it.
SniderScore- 89
6- Catch Me If You Can
CMIYC is one of the most watchable Spielberg films. The acting is bar-none. The script is fabulous as well as the adaption itself. CMIYC is captivating and touching and special and a truly versatile showcase of direction and versatile is not a word I associate with Spielberg.
SniderScore- 90.5
5- E.T.
One of the only instances in Speilberg’s career where the sappiness matched the subject matter completely. E.T. features some of the best actings from children of all time, which is a major credit to SS’s communication and understanding as a visionary.
E.T. also features a knock-out score and fabulous prosthetics and spfx, not just in reference to its time, but EVER. I will never NOT adore this film.
SniderScore- 91.5
4- Jaws
Never before or since has a film elicited more fear than Jaws did in 75, and that hasn’t really changed. Jaws is the ultimate thriller and SS proved his chops as a director early on with this one. If you watch Jaws closely, you can see just how little you actually see the Shark.
In just his 3rd feature attempt, Spielberg started an institution, and for good reason. Jaws holds up over 40 years later.
SniderScore- 92
3- Saving Private Ryan
SPR is easily in the Top 3 War Films of All Time list. The first 15 minutes of this film should be taught in every film school in the country. Steven Spielberg showed the world that he can express grit, and fear, and violence in a way that nobody had ever done before-combining the terrible sadness of the entire narrative with beautiful imagery and conjuring powerful, honest performances in the process.
SniderScore- 95
2- Jurassic Park
The creation of CGI as we know it. An action-packed but truly entertaining piece of cinema. I can’t really think of anything bad about it.
SniderScore- 97
1- Schindlers List
By far the most important film of SS’s illustrious career, and also the most emotionally honest and heart-wrenching. Schindlers list as loaded with amazing performances, masterful handling of a difficult script, and some of the most gorgeous shots to ever grace this earth. The camera panning the little girl in red as she walks along this horror-stricken town surrounded by terror with the inevitability of her death looming and waiting and lurking as a way of symbolizing the slow build up and danger of the Nazi party to the point that extermination was imminent is one of the biggest feats in all of cinema,.
The use of shadows and light to represent Oscar Schindler’s understanding of his own feelings and fears is a subtly perfect piece of direction that makes a major difference in how everyone understands the iconic role.
Confronting his own faith and experience as a Jewish-American and honoring and educating millions of people in the process cannot be weighed in only cinematic terms and for his work on this 93 historical odyssey, casual viewers and fanatics of cinema alike are truly indebted to Steven Speilberg.
SniderScore- 99
Ranging from a measly 28 to one of the greatest films of all time, Spielberg really has made some polarizing films over the past 5 decades. Although he’s likely to pass on in the next 10-15 years, his legacy will live on forever, and if we’re lucky, the next crop of iconic filmmakers to fill in will have learned a few things from Spielberg’s better works.
Nobody needs to see anything in his bottom 10 though, they won’t miss too much.
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