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Ranking Stanley Kubrick Films

Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite classic directors as his versatility truly is to be admired. He made films ranging from noirs to comedies to war pictures to science fiction and thriller. He excelled at most of those genres, and of his thirteen features, most are very strong or downright amazing. Most have not only great repeat value, but they somehow get better and richer upon each subsequent viewing which is the most valuable aspect to Kubrick’s filmmaking. Without further ado, here are all of his thirteen films ranked according to my liking.

13. Dr. Strangelove

Here we go. The most controversial placing right from the start. Yes, I really do not care for Dr. Strangelove and I would call this movie his only mediocre outing among his entire filmography. I know that it is frequently ranked among his very best movies, but to me it’s overrated, boring and quite unappealing. Technically speaking, it’s excellent. And Peter Sellers is fantastic in many of his roles here. However, I have never found this subject matter all that interesting, and here it was portrayed in an annoyingly comedic, forced manner which to me wasn’t funny at all.

12. Fear and Desire

Fear and Desire is Kubrick’s directorial debut and it’s quite messy. While I overall give it a passing grade, the movie surely is amateurish to a fault. I did like the cinematography here as it was very promising and some shots are very memorable as well as artistic. But the movie is incredibly ambitious in terms of themes and plot which turned out to be its downfall as it never explores any of its themes properly. And the same goes for the bland characters who are not that well-acted by this unknown acting crew.

11. Killer’s Kiss

Killer’s Kiss is pretty much like Fear and Desire in terms of its strengths and weaknesses. However, while the above movie was too ambitious, this one was overly simplistic in its plot to the point that its very brief runtime did not help as it was still very dull to watch. The characters are bland as well. I liked the second act with the interesting flashbacks, but the rest of the movie had too much action for my liking. The film has a strong noir atmosphere to it, but his next noir movie would turn out to be much better.

10. Barry Lyndon

The cinematography is splendid, the sets are phenomenal, the costumes are exquisite and the score is magnificent in what is one of the best-looking period pictures of all time. Yes, Barry Lyndon is gorgeous in its painting-like aesthetic, but unfortunately the storytelling was quite weak. Not only is the protagonist insufferable and quite unlikable, but the film consists of a series of tragic events with no purpose to them whatsoever. It’s thus an overrated movie that may get better for me upon subsequent viewings, but for now I do not buy it.

9. The Killing

The Killing is a pretty solid early Kubrick picture with excellent cinematography, very good performances, solid characters and such a superb, memorable airport end scene, but the entire movie is admittedly a disappointing effort with not that authentic plot and not enough noir thrills to take it to the next level. It is a big improvement upon his previous noir picture and this was the start of Kubrick’s next-level, serious and competent features, but still he had much greater films ahead of him.

8. Eyes Wide Shut

Again, like Barry Lyndon, Eyes Wide Shut also needs a second viewing for me as I have seen it just one time for now. And that’s a problem as well as strength for Kubrick movies as they are timeless in that regard, but feel like homework regardless. This one is very much a style over substance, but what style this is. The symbolism is amazing, the colors are phenomenally utilized into storytelling and the film has a meticulous eye for details, amazing cinematography and a great score and atmosphere.

7. Spartacus

Spartacus never has anything unique about it that would differentiate it from other epics of the time and it is uneven at times, but it is mostly such a good and very entertaining film filled with great visuals, some excellent performances, solid dialogue and many great scenes. It isn’t great, but it is pretty good and such an entertaining, always engaging flick which is admirable given its long running time. But yes, of all the movies this director has made, this one feels very unlike his usual style. He did prove that he can make a strong epic, though, and that’s to be respected.

6. A Clockwork Orange

This one is questionable in its intentions and messages, but overall it’s so intriguing and so well executed that I really ended up liking it, especially upon second viewing when it got so much better for me. I respect its cinematography and score once again, but Kubrick’s direction is fantastic as well. The central acting performance is terrific, and there are many sequences here and especially imagery that are instantly memorable and iconic. It’s a very cinematic movie as is most of this great director’s output.

5. Lolita

Lolita is undoubtedly the most underrated Kubrick film ever. It features stellar performances from Sue Lyon and Peter Sellers, but it is James Mason who is simply fantastic in a very difficult role as he portrayed madness, obsession and paranoia all so well. The picture is a fascinating chamber drama that is very involving to watch despite being so long owing to superb characterization and truly terrific, sophisticated dialogue. The movie implies more than it shows and I loved that approach. It really needs to be appreciated much more.

4. Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket actually wasn’t as great upon another viewing, but still I find it great owing to its once again amazing technicalities and a simply superb first segment. That part features absolutely iconic humor and performance from Lee Ermey with many instantly quotable lines of dialogue that really cracked me up. This is thus the best comedy that he made in a way, but it also succeeds in the war genre as that second segment is harrowing and so well executed, though obviously problematic in its lack of a message.

3. Paths of Glory

Which is why this is his ultimate anti-war picture. Yes, Paths of Glory is so incredibly emotional and human that it’s a textbook example of how to properly handle war pictures by including a must be included anti-war sentiment. That final sequence is so incredible, so touching and perfectly executed in every way. The movie may not be subtle, but it is so well shot, acted and directed while it features such great dialogue through many wonderful speeches and it’s emotional in the best way possible. Usually, his movies are cold so this one was a nice diversion.

2. The Shining

Thanks to a brilliant, creepy atmosphere to it, absolutely masterful cinematography, a lot of truly iconic imagery and greatly executed action sequences, The Shining is not only the second best Kubrick movie, but one of the best horror films of all time. This is also a textbook example of how to properly adapt a famous novel. This film and the book are so different, vastly different in some areas, but the core remains the same and thus they complement each other perfectly. I particularly adored its amazing ending which was a strong choice that paid off significantly. It’s a great mood movie for sure.

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey

With the best special effects ever created, one of the best villains ever, splendid production design, stunning cinematography, beautiful score and absolutely fantastic direction from Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey truly is a timeless masterpiece and undoubtedly a work of art. It encompasses all of the essential science fiction themes and that is why it is the quintessential genre film. Ambitious in scope and plot, epic in feel and filled with many scenes that are overwhelming in their majesty, 2001 is a marvel to behold and it is indisputably one of the best films of all time. It’s thus an obvious number one for this list, and I would honestly find very questionable if anybody would not agree with this particular placement.