The Definitive Spielberg Ranking: (20–11)
Time to take a look at some Spielberg’s misunderstood films, a few of his entertaining rides, and his overlooked classics.
For over the past 40 years, Steven Spielberg has mesmerized and inspired multiple generations with his movies. He has taken on multiple genres and has created multiple masterpieces and classics throughout his career. But Spielberg’s filmography also has some misfires, a few overlooked films, and a couple of underrated classics.
In Part One we looked at some of Spielberg’s less popular films. Some of which were massive misfires, while others were misunderstood experiments for Spielberg. Now it is time to look into ten more films from Spielberg’s filmography, some of which are barely missed the top ten.
Again, this list is not just based on my own opinion, but it is based on a compiled list of 13 other online sources including IMDb, LA Times, Buzzfeed, Rotten Tomatoes, and a number of others. The average rating next to each film stands for the average placement of the films when combining all of the lists together. So, let’s continue with Part Two of our Spielberg Rankings.
20. War of the Worlds (Avg. Rating — 18.29)
Over his career, Spielberg has directed numerous films dealing with aliens. In some of his films the interactions are good interactions. War of the Worlds does not fit that category. Loosely based on one of the most popular sci-fi creations of all time, Spielberg takes H.G. Wells’ novel and updates it for a modern audience in the post-9/11 world.
War of the Worlds tells the story of an alien invasion and how it turns the world upside down for Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a recently divorced man and father of two. Once the invasion begins, Ferrier’s personal mission is to keep his daughter and son safe from the danger that is upon them. His plan is to take the kids from Brooklyn to Boston to be with their mother in hopes that it will be safer there.
To me, the most interesting part of Spielberg’s adaptation is not the movie itself, but the purpose of it (or the purpose we put into it). Some critics dub this film the second chapter in Spielberg’s 9/11 trilogy. Matt Goldberg of Collider said in his Spielberg Rankings that The Terminal represents the pre-9/11 world, War of the Worlds represents 9/11 itself, and Munich represents the post-9/11 world. With that lens, Spielberg’s adaptation (and the other two films) might have more impact for some.
The smartest decision that Spielberg made for the film was to focus on a single character instead of telling some sprawling epic of the invasion. Due to that, you feel more connected to the characters throughout. There are some good sequences, specifically earlier in the film. But, I have to be honest, I haven’t seen this movie in almost ten years and that’s because I strongly (and I mean strongly) disliked the latter half of the movie. I think if it weren’t for the latter half, especially the ending, more lists would be ranking this film higher than where it currently is. I know I would.
19. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Avg. Rating — 17.29)
Temple of Doom is an entertaining and dark entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, but it doesn’t really push the franchise or the character in a new direction. The biggest thing to come out of Temple of Doom is that the MPAA created a PG-13 rating due to the level of violence present in the movie.
The second installment of the Indiana Jones series actually serves as a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Temple of Doom tells the story of Indiana Jones searching for a mystical stone and a group of missing children from a village in India. While on his search, Jones becomes entangled with a cult that practices black magic and uses the missing children as slaves.
The Temple of Doom has some great sequences like the climatic bridge scene and the opening musical number, but the big problem with the film is that it lacks the storytelling elements that made Raiders a standout picture (which could be attributed to not having the original writer, Lawrence Kasdan, on board). The film demeans the character of Indiana Jones because he is relearning some of the same lessons he learned in Raiders in Temple of Doom. Since Temple of Doom is a prequel to Raiders, it makes Indiana look like a character that doesn’t truly learn from his mistakes or experiences. Temple of Doom is a major step down from Raiders for some, while to others it is another entertaining installment in a beloved series.
18. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (Avg. Rating — 16.5)
This is one of those many Spielberg films that some people either really love or really hate. A.I. Artificial Intelligence, based on a 1960s short story, spent decades in development hell with Stanley Kubrick attached to direct the film. But after numerous starts and stops, Kubrick tried to hand the film off to Spielberg because he felt it was a better fit for him. Spielberg convinced Kubrick to keep working on the film, but once Kubrick passed away in 1999, Spielberg came onboard to fast track Kubrick’s vision. Spielberg’s final film would end up being one of his most debated films of his career.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence tells the story of David (Haley Joel Osment), a child android that has the ability to love and experience emotions. David is sent to a married couple that is in the middle of grieving after their young son has been placed in a suspended animation as doctors try to find a cure for a rare disease he suffers from. Once the son wakes up after being cured, he becomes jealous of David and the love his parents have for him. Eventually, David is abandoned in the late 22nd century world, which he has to travel through on his own.
This is essentially Spielberg’s futuristic live-action version of Pinocchio. It is a young robotic boy who wants to be a real boy. You even have The Blue Fairy (voiced by Meryl Streep). The film was praised for its world building and visual effects (something Spielberg would go even further with in Minority Report a year later). The film received mixed reviews by critics and audiences alike. Numerous people wondered what the film would have been like if Kubrick would have taken the project. Some believed that the bleak images of the world were Kubrick’s and the sentimental moments were added by Spielberg, which they argued weaken the film. Spielberg would later say that it was actually the opposite and that he added the bleak images to contrast with Kubrick’s sentimental moments. Either way, it has since become one of Spielberg’s most misunderstood films of his entire career.
17. The Post (Avg. Rating — 16.2)
The Post received a lot of buzz during the latter part of last year, and many people believed it to be a frontrunner in the Oscar race. Hanks, Streep, and Spielberg is a murderers’ row of talent, so you should expect nothing less. The film ended up being an incredibly relevant film for the time we live in, but I am not entirely sure how this one will hold up over time.
Spielberg’s film tells the true story of Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) and Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) fighting to publish the Pentagon Papers through their newspaper, The Washington Post. Graham, the owner and publisher of the newspaper, is met with constant opposition from numerous sources to not publish the confidential documents about America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
The Post is a fine film, but it is definitely middle of the road for Spielberg. Streep gives an outstanding performance as usual, but Hanks gives a solid and underrated performance that went overlooked this past awards season. There are good sequences in the film like there are in every Spielberg film and he nails the period look. But, I have to take points away from this film because the opening Vietnam War scene starts with a Creedence Clearwater Revival song (once Forrest Gump does it you can’t do it). The film is only a few months old, so it will be interesting to see if it fairs better in later years. But, at the moment, it is bordering on the latter part of the middle.
16. Empire of the Sun (Avg. Rating — 15.14)
Besides maybe Sugarland Express, Empire of the Sun is probably Spielberg’s most overlooked film that deserves to be talked about. It was not a box office success during it’s initial release, but it did go on to receive six Oscar nominations (it won zero however). The film is technically amazing and it has a phenomenal performance by an incredibly young Christian Bale in only his second acting role.
Empire of the Sun tells the story of Jamie Graham (Christian Bale), a young British boy from the upperclass that is separated from his parents as they are living China in the midst of the Japanese invasion that tears through the country at the beginning of World War II. The film goes on to follow Jamie as he makes his way through the war torn country alone.
The film was originally to be directed by the legendary director David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge Over the River Kwai) and Spielberg was only going to produce. Once Lean left the project, Spielberg stepped into the director’s chair, and in a way, made a film that feels like a tribute to the films of David Lean. Empire of the Sun is a story about the loss of innocence, which is a running theme of many of Spielberg’s films. However, it is probably his most extreme film when it comes to that topic. Jamie isn’t losing his friends or having to witness his parents’ divorce. He is having to find a way to survive a war on his own at such a young age. He has to grow up, and grow up fast. This ends up making Jamie’s arc the greatest character arc of any child character from a Spielberg film. Luckily he had a 13-year-old Christian Bale in the role, so he was able to pull off a great performance. The film isn’t perfect, which is why numerous critics rank it toward the bottom of Spielberg’s filmography But, it is also beloved by a majority of the audience (it placed in the top 10 on four of the different lists).
15. The Color Purple (Avg. Rating — 15.07)
Before The Color Purple was released, Spielberg was known for blockbusters and popcorn entertainment. “Serious drama” was not something that was part of Spielberg’s résumé. Based on the popular novel by Alice Walker, Spielberg’s eighth feature as a director would go on to receive 11 Oscar nominations (the film however won none come Oscar night).
The film follows Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a black woman living in the rural South right after the turn of the century. Over a numerous decades, she suffers numerous hardships and heartaches within her life. She is married to an abusive man, Albert (Danny Glover), that she addresses only as “Mister” throughout the film. Through the journey of the film, we are able to see Celie grow as a person while facing numerous problems that black women suffered through at that time.
The Color Purple was released a year after Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and it ended up becoming one of the most important career choices of Spielberg’s career. Even though it has been criticized over the years for some of the problems and stereotypes within the film, The Color Purple made the critics and audiences alike see Spielberg as not just a popcorn director. The film has a number of solid performances, including two great acting debuts from Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg. When looking back at a few of the scenes, it feels like The Color Purple might have some of the most raw acting seen in a Spielberg film (and I mean that in a good way).
To majority of the regular audience, The Color Purple is an emotionally impactful film, while to some critics it as an outdated stereotypical film. This difference between the audience and critics makes it one of the most mixed films of Spielberg’s career, and the reason why it places around the middle of this list.
14. Munich (Avg. Rating — 14.86)
This ranking surprised me a little bit because over the years numerous people have told me that Munich is Spielberg’s last masterpiece. The film was even covered extensively in HBO’s recent documentary, Spielberg. But when adding all of the lists and numbers together, Munich comes in around the middle of the Spielberg pack.
Munich starts off at the 1972 Munich Olympic games, where Black September, a Palestinian terrorist group, kills several members of the Israeli Olympic team. In retaliation for the terrorist attack, the Israeli government hires Avner Kaufman (Eric Bana) to lead a team to assassinate 11 Palestinian officials who are believed to have been involved with the Munich killings.
The film is easily one of Spielberg’s darkest films, which is why many people have gravitated to it over they years. But, when looking at the fourteen lists that were averaged for this definitive ranking, Munich was the film that received the most mixed reception. One writer listed it as the 29th best film out of the filmography, while another listed it as the 5th best film of Spielberg’s career. It also only places in the top ten on two of the fourteen lists. This is a film that I believe is incredibly impactful in it’s first viewing, but I am not sure how time has, or will continue to, affect the film. The film asks important and relevant questions about terrorism and government, which is the main reason why it is considered to be the final chapter in Spielberg’s 9/11 trilogy.
The film has a talented cast and Spielberg tackles the true story with a lot of bite, which is something he has rarely done over his career. However, the film plays rather long and it has a couple of questionable moments within the film that haven’t held up well, which is why I think it didn’t place higher on this list. It also hasn’t helped that there has been controversy regarding the accuracy of the film over the years. Even with all of that, Munich is still one of Spielberg’s most important film that deserves to be seen.
13. Bridge of Spies (Avg. Rating — 14.64)
One of the unique parts about Bridge of Spies is that it feels like two separate movies that are tied together by one cohesive story. One part To Kill a Mockingbird and one part Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, Bridge of Spies is an incredibly crafted film that falls right in line with the latter filmography of Spielberg. The film also signifies the first collaboration between Spielberg and actor Mark Rylance. The duo have since worked on two more films together, including their most recent film, Ready Player One.
Bridge of Spies is based on the true story of insurance lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks), who gets thrown into the politics of the Cold War when an alleged Russian spy, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), is arrested. Donovan, who is unexperienced with this type of criminal case, is hired to defend Abel’s case all the way up to the Supreme Court. After Donovan gains some notoriety from the trial, he is chosen to negotiate a trade between the Soviet Union and the United States for a U.S. pilot that was caught behind enemy lines in Russia.
In a rare departure for their careers, the Coen Brothers served as two of the screenwriters for the film. Pairing Coen dialogue with the directing style of Spielberg is an interesting cinematic mix. Their contribution to the film is very strong in numerous scenes where Tom Hanks delivers sharp barbs to his opposing scene partner. Even though Spielberg is known for spectacle in his films, Bridge of Spies shows that Spielberg is one of the best directors at making a two-person dialogue scene as interesting as an action piece from someone else’s movie. If you watch some of the scenes between Hanks and Rylance, you will see just how incredibly well he can make a scene more interesting than if another director handled it. The film did incredibly well in its initial release with critics, but not as well with audiences. It will be interesting to see if this movie can move up the list over time.
12. Duel (Avg. Rating — 12.82)
In Part One of the Spielberg rankings, I talked about how Sugarland Express was one of Spielberg’s rawest films. Well, Duel is his rawest. Duel is close to being Spielberg’s purest film when it comes to the art of filmmaking. Spielberg chooses to use very little dialogue in the film, and instead chooses to tell a heart-pounding visual story with an hour long car chase.
Even though Duel premiered on the small screen as an ABC Movie of the Week back in 1971, it is considered to be Spielberg’s directorial feature debut (he made a few long-form television episodes before). Duel is an adaptation of a short story by Richard Matheson that originally appeared in Playboy Magazine (yeah, you read that right). Duel is about David Mann (Dennis Weaver), a man who is terrorized by an unseen driver in a monstrous tanker truck on a California highway.
The original cut of Duel is a little over 70 minutes and it is an exciting thrill ride. Spielberg’s visual style is present throughout the film and it is something you would never see released on network television today. Dennis Weaver gives a great performance as the terrified driver who is being chased by this supernatural-like being that is a tanker truck. While promoting Ready Player One, Edgar Wright was able to interview Spielberg for Empire magazine and Wright chose to exclusively focus on Duel and the making of the film. It’s an enjoyable read that you should definitely check out. The film has continued to grow a strong following over time, which is why this “little” was able to rank fairly high on this list.
11. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Avg. Rating — 10.86)
Over the years, very rarely does the third film in a series live up to the expectations that have been set for it by audiences. The Last Crusade is one of the few third films that actually met them. It is a film that works incredibly well and that is mainly due to the onscreen chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
Spielberg’s third installment in the Indiana Jones series tells the story of Indiana searching for his father (Sean Connery), who has been captured by the Nazis in hopes that he can lead them to the Holy Grail. Once Indiana rescues his father, the rest of the adventure focuses on them trying to reach the Holy Grail before the Nazis.
The Last Crusade was a return to form for Spielberg because it was his first “fun blockbuster” he had made in over five years after he made films like The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, and the underwhelming Always. This was something audiences were excited to see. It is also an important film for Spielberg’s career because it solidified the fact that he could go back and forth from serious dramas to blockbusters without missing much of a beat. This is has something he has continued to do throughout his entire career. Due to its talented cast, a fun story, and well-crafted action set pieces, The Last Crusade ends up being one of Spielberg’s most fun rides of his career and just barely placing out of the top ten (it made my top ten).
Check out Part 1 in case you missed it and stayed tuned for Part 3 of the Spielberg Rankings coming soon!
