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Top Ten Steven Spielberg Films

Steven Spielberg is one of the most renowned Hollywood directors with a decades-spanning career and a multitude of films under his belt. Most of his movies have the same problems – bloated runtime and emotional manipulation. But most have amazing cinematic qualities and memorable stories. He has made for the most part either big blockbuster SF/fantasy or period pieces throughout his career. These are his best films according to my personal enjoyment of them. I intended to represent both of the aforementioned types on my list, though it would be clear which one I prefer.

10. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

First and foremost, I am not a fan of the Indiana Jones franchise. I find it to be one wildly overrated film series that is valued for adventure when in fact it is all pure action. The Last Crusade is the only of the four movies that I genuinely liked, and this is why it landed on my top ten list. Yes, it is still too action-oriented with a bad female character and some silly scenes, but the adventurous elements are more present this time around, in particular in the great third act. Ford and Connery were a terrific duo here.

9. Ready Player One

Ready Player One is different from the novel, but still ended up being a successful cinematic adaptation thanks to amazing special effects and world building, strong performances across the board and an emphasis on characterization, emotion and storytelling instead of relying purely on nostalgia and pop-culture references. The tone is too cheesy and childish as Spielberg basically made an 80s family flick, but overall the film is pretty good, consistently endearing, entertaining and with a good message at the end.

8. Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan is the weaker of the two famous WWII movies by Spielberg. It is technically obviously very accomplished, but the third act is sappy. The film is overall quite good, but it remains highly problematic in its emphasis on the importance of saving one man instead of focusing on a more global humanistic message. The kinetic thrills and brutal elements are the highlights here, but the message simply did not sit well with me. It’s a very overrated movie that is lauded for that great first act first and foremost.

7. Schindler’s List

Technically speaking, Schindler’s List is remarkable cinema, especially in its strikingly gorgeous, artistic black-and-white cinematography. It’s also very well acted, quite memorable in some scenes and fantastic in its documentarian approach. However, it’s way too long in its runtime and not that well paced. Also, I’ve never been emotionally involved here, which is highly problematic for a Holocaust movie. This is why I personally find it very good, but far from amazing.

6. Munich

Munich is by far the best period piece that Spielberg has ever done. This movie is inferior in characterization and thriller elements that should have been stronger. The runtime is also ridiculously long. Still, the unbiased treatment of the fraught Israeli-Palestinian relations was truly commendable and unexpectedly grounded. I have great admiration for Spielberg after seeing this fair treatment of this difficult subject matter. The dialogue is particularly strong and at times genuinely thought-provoking.

5. Duel

Duel is a movie about a man who gets chased by a truck for unknown reasons. This was independent action thriller filmmaking at its finest as it signaled great things to come from Spielberg, being one of his earliest and most accomplished films. Some of the second half scenes lose momentum and get repetitive, but the fact that he executed this simple premise so effectively needs to be appreciated. The score, the cinematography and particularly the driving scenes are uniformly technically brilliant and thrilling to behold.

4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is an epic SF blockbuster from the late seventies that has mostly stood the test of time and is still enjoyable to this day and age. The first half is a bit too slow and the runtime is obviously typically prolonged, but the movie succeeds due to a different, refreshing depiction of aliens being benign instead of dangerous. That was groundbreaking for its time. The effects were similarly revolutionary as was that powerful, truly unforgettable finale.

3. Jurassic Park

The third act was definitely too action-oriented, but Jurassic Park still remains Spielberg’s best straightforward blockbuster as the entertainment and adventure and sense of magic have never been replicated afterward by the director. The movie is about evolution and meddling with nature, so it has its themes and not just the action. The John Williams score is one of his most beautiful and unforgettable while the world building is outstanding as are the VFX. It’s by far the only genuinely great entry in this uneven franchise.

 2. A.I. Artificial Intelligence

A lot has been said about Kubrick’s involvement on A.I. However, most of those arguments are false, and at the end of the day I am sick and tired of hearing them. It doesn’t matter who made it. What matters is that it is a phenomenal SF flick that deserves more praise for doing so many things extremely right such as the effects, the strikingly artistic imagery and emotional involvement. It’s a rare Spielberg movie that is genuinely moving without being manipulative. A.I. is epic, poignant and engrossing throughout and I will always champion it regardless of what others think or say.

 1. Minority Report

And the best movie that Spielberg has ever made is in my opinion this 2002 science fiction film based on a story by the great Phillip K. Dick. Minority Report is not only a terrific noir due to a fantastic atmosphere, confident filmmaking and great thrillers, but it’s one hell of a hard SF movie that has only become better with time. This is the type of near future hard science fiction storyline that is prescient, believable and thought-provoking with its central theme of free will versus determinism being extremely well explored. It is a shame that most people do not put it anywhere near the top of the list of Spielberg’s best, but here it gets the deserved first place.

Honorable Mentions:

War Horse – I do find War Horse just as sentimental and manipulative as others did and the runtime is once again bloated, but this is still a highly enjoyable, very emotional movie that benefits from strikingly old-fashioned filmmaking at its core. It’s also important for showcasing the plight of horses during WWI.

Lincoln – Lincoln is a movie that is best enjoyed by history buffs. The authentic performances and dialogue make for one really striking period piece, but even if some scenes are quite moving and inspirational, most of the movie felt too stagey, too long and overly limited in scope unfortunately.

The Adventures of Tintin – The animation is terrific, but also too modern. The characters are great, but the plot is non-existent. The action is well executed, but overly abundant. This is a charming Tintin adaptation, but unfortunately overly frenetic and chaotic, thus proving very disappointing to me personally.