The Top Ten Films Directed by Steven Spielberg
By Ari Dassa
Steven Spielberg, arguably the most celebrated filmmaker of all-time, has won 126 awards during his illustrious career. That includes 4 Academy Award Oscars with Two for Best Director. On the verge of winning another Academy Award for his work on the excellent movie Lincoln, many film fans are listing their favorite Steven Spielberg movies of all-time. Not one to turn down a chance to examine the works of one of my all-time favorite directors, I’ve decided to add to the conversation and share my list of the Top 10 films directed by Steven Spielberg.
Honorable Mentions:
Lincoln (2012)
Official Synopsis
As the Civil War rages, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln attempts to pass a landmark constitutional amendment that will forever outlaw slavery across the nation. Facing fierce opposition within a fractured Congress, he must navigate an intricate web of political maneuvering and personal sacrifice to unite the country and secure the future of generations to come.
Ari's Thoughts
Incredible movie. Not much more to say here about this film, except to say go see it when one gets the chance.
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984)
Official Synopsis
A year before the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark, legendary archaeologist Indiana Jones finds himself stranded in India alongside a terrified nightclub singer and a feisty young companion named Short Round. Tasked by a desperate remote village to retrieve a stolen mystical gem, Indy must penetrate a deep underground fortress controlled by a sinister, child-enslaving Thuggee cult.
Ari's Thoughts
This one, over time has just eventually won me over completely.
Munich (2005)
Official Synopsis
Based on real events, the film reveals the intense story of a secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and assassinate the 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre of 11 Israeli athletes—and the severe personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team.
Ari's Thoughts
Munich is a masterwork… until the ridiculous sex scene, which is inter-cut with the killings. That scene is so tonally unbalanced and the wailing middle-eastern woman on the soundtrack and slo-mo sweat is so overdone, that it completely ruins the final 10 minutes of the film and the horror of the massacre.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Official Synopsis
Following the Normandy landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. Facing brutal combat realities, the squad embarks on a perilous journey through war-torn territory to bring him home.
Ari's Thoughts
Saving Private Ryan has some astonishing set-pieces, but I’m not really too crazy about the film.
#10. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Official Synopsis
Ari's Thoughts
“A.I.” is an ambitious effort that doesn’t always work, but it’s fascinating to watch Spielberg work with Kubrick’s treatment and take himself into darker and more challenging places thematically.
#9. Minority Report (2002)
Official Synopsis
#8. Jurassic Park (1993)
Official Synopsis
A pragmatic paleontologist visiting an almost complete theme park is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.
#7. Empire of the Sun (1987)
Official Synopsis
Jamie Graham (Christian Bale), a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade during World War II, separating him from his parents. Forced into a hostile internment camp, he must rely on his wits and the guidance of an American expatriate sailor named Basie (John Malkovich) to maintain his dignity and survive.
#6. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Official Synopsis
From three-time Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg, Catch Me If You Can follows Frank W. Abagnale, Jr. as he successfully passes himself off as a pilot, a lawyer and a doctor – all before his 21st birthday!
Ari's Thoughts
The most underrated film on this list. The film features what I believe is Leonardo DiCaprio’s best performance in his career so far. It’s a beautifully made film which shows Spielberg’s gift for entertaining and moving an audience at the same time. Give this one another chance. It rewards the viewer on subsequent viewing.
#5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Official Synopsis
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he’s a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy’s old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), evidently has a “history” with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, with a script co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman, among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing 22 million dollars (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of the Lost Ark reaped 200 million dollars during its first run. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a short-lived TV-series “prequel.”
#4. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Official Synopsis
Director Steven Spielberg’s heartwarming masterpiece is one of the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with unparalleled magic and imagination, E.T. follows the moving story of a lost little alien who befriends 10-year-old, Elliot. Experience all the mystery and fun of their unforgettable adventure in the beloved movie that captivated audiences around the world.
#3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Official Synopsis
In the night skies near his Muncie Indiana home power repairman Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) experiences something out of this world. His close encounter sets into action an amazing chain of events that leads to contact with benevolent aliens and their Mothership. Spectacular special effects John Williams’ outstanding score and winning performances from Dreyfuss Teri Garr Melinda Dillon and legendary director Francois Truffaut in the role of Lacombe make CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND movie magic of the best kind.
#2. Schindler's List (1993)
Official Synopsis
Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, it also won every major Best Picture award and an exceptional number of additional honors. Among them were seven British Academy Awards; the Best Picture Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, the National Board of Review, the Producers Guild, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago, Boston and Dallas Film Critics; a Christopher Award; and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe Awards. Steven Spielberg was further honored with the Directors Guild of America Award.
The film presents the indelible true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, womanizer, and war profiteer who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. It is the triumph of one man who made a difference, and the drama of those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film, which also won Academy Awards for Screenplay, Cinematography, Music, Editing and Art Direction, stars an acclaimed cast headed by Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle and Embeth Davidtz.
#1. Jaws (1975)
Official Synopsis
Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, Jaws set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, Jaws remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.
Ari's Thoughts
Was there any doubt? “Jaws” is quite simply one of the best films of the ’70s.
Epilogue: Hook (1991)
Official Synopsis
Peter Banning is a successful, workaholic corporate lawyer who has lost touch with his family and forgotten his magical past. When the vengeful Captain Hook kidnaps his children and spirits them away to Neverland, Peter must reclaim his youthful spirit, remember how to fly, and transform back into Peter Pan to save them.
Ari's Thoughts
Hook is hilarious. I’ll give it that.
