Steven Spielberg: Ranked

Jaws turns fifty, and still its director keeps churning out classics.

(Two months of writing, re-watching, rambling to myself. This is a long piece, but it means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy. Please share and subscribe if possible!)

How does one even begin to pick their favourite Steven Spielberg film? Here’s a filmmaker who, for the past fifty-odd years, has churned out classic hit after classic hit, shaping cinema as we know it today in too many ways to count. Take Jaws, now fifty years old — where would we be without it? Apply the same question to E.T, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and you see the trouble. As far as legacies go, there’s few directors bigger, more important, more downright iconic than Spielberg.

That being said, there’s a sense he’s never really got the due he deserves. Many of even his greatest feats have, over the years, been dismissed for being treacly and sentimental; his biggest detractors see him as more a mainstream hitmaker than a bold, cinematic artist. All of which is nuts, of course. Few directors have worn their heart on their sleeves as successfully as Spielberg; fewer still have pushed themselves so creatively, nor been so personal with their visions. Imaginative sci-fi epics, action flicks, historical dramas, musicals — you name it, he’s done it.

His films haven’t always worked, but even his failings have their silver linings, especially since the vast majority have composer John Williams delivering iconic score after iconic score. So, with that in mind — and to commemorate the 50th(!) anniversary of the great Jaws — here’s every Steven Spielberg film ranked from worst to best.

34. 1941 (1979)

“Everywhere, pure pandemonium. Pandemonium!”

Spielberg’s odd, star-studded, deeply silly wartime comedy is a strange beast that only occasionally works as the director intended. In his own words, Spielberg wanted to inject audiences with some adrenaline, and so for the first (and last) time, he went into the realm of the slapstick comedy, to tell the story of a chaotic Los Angeles following the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Benefitting from movie icons such as Toshiro Mifune, John Belushi, John Candy and Christopher Lee, sure, but the sticky subject matter never allows 1941 to deliver any big laughs. It struggles under the weight of its intentions — blending comedy with history, tragedy with laughter — even if Spielberg proves capable as ever of crafting some staggering set pieces. Maybe an intimate little drama would have been better?

33. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

“We should’ve stayed in the damn car.”

This oddly-titled sequel to the beloved Jurassic Park, the first motion picture in history to earn over one billion at the box office, was in many ways inevitable. Unfortunately, it also proved ill-advised. Lacking the awe and wonder that made its predecessor such a diamond, The Lost World follows Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm as he races to save his adventurous girlfriend (Julianne Moore) from an island of dinosaurs. Some scenes have real tension, like when Malcolm and his friends find themselves trapped teetering over a cliff in their RV, but otherwise Spielberg doesn’t land anything particularly divine. A cynical re-tread of better things, with a maudlin message and inconsistent characters, this is one sequel that should have been left on the cutting room floor (along with most of the sequels still to come).

32. Ready Player One (2018)

“She wanted to go dancing, so we watched a movie.”

Aside from a brilliant homage to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Ready Player One is one of Spielberg’s more forgettable blockbusters, despite the endless supply of pop culture references he makes. Based on the novel by Ernest Cline, the sci-fi thriller has all the trappings you’d expect from a late-2010s dystopic allegory — sinister AI, an evil corporation, a young protagonist destined for greatness — but little of the brilliance. It’s fine, as far as zippy action flicks go, but emotionally stilted and populated by a wealth of nothing characters. It’s fine, really, as a Saturday Night Movie, and Spielberg crafts its adventure with effortless zeal, but you’ll be hard pressed to recall much of it after the credits roll.

31. Always (1989)

“I know now, the love we hold back is the only pain that follows us.”

Steven Spielberg’s most unashamedly romantic film, Always is a lovely little treat, if also a slight one. A remake of the 1943 drama A Man Named Joe, the film follows a deceased pilot (Spielberg regular Richard Dreyfuss) as he mentors an up-and-coming aviator (Brad Johnson) who just so happens to have fallen for the dead guy’s wife (Holly Hunter). It’s treacly and sweet, features a typically warm performance from Hunter, and finds Spielberg crafting some stellar flight sequences. Does he strain his muscles? No. Does the film become silly at times? Most definitely. But Always still delights, sentimental flaws and all. It also features the great Audrey Hepburn’s final performance, and she’s as wonderful as ever.

30. The Terminal (2004)

“I am going home.”

Tom Hanks carries The Terminal through all its turbulence. As an Eastern European man whose flight home is delayed when a civil war breaks out in his (fictional) country, the beloved everyman is as empathetic, warm, and moving as he’s ever been. Trapped, Hanks’s heartbroken Viktor starts to touch the lives of everyone at the airport he now calls home, even falling in love. Make no mistake, this is a sappy little film, occasionally too sentimental and logically forced, but it’s simple, really: Sometimes you need a film to give you a hug, and in that mission Spielberg passes with flying colours.

29. The Temple of Doom (1984)

“Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.”

The weakest of the classic Indiana Jones trilogy (and by some margin), Temple of Doom still has some rollicking highs. Following Harrison Ford’s beloved Indy a few years before his debut in Raiders of the Lost Ark, it finds our intrepid hero racing to save an Indian village from the clutches of an evil cult. A globe-trotting adventure that blends action, mystery and gentle comedy, the film is marred by its racist portrayal of its setting and characters, but it still makes for a solid little ride. Spielberg has gone on record to say there isn’t an ounce of himself in the film, which is fair and evident, but even when he’s not firing on all cylinders, Temple of Doom remains living proof he knows how to craft a good picture, flawed as this one may be.

28. The BFG (2016)

“I hear your lonely heart, in all the secret whisperings of the world.”

On paper, at least, it seems odd Spielberg hasn’t tackled Roald Dahl more often. Both are men with huge imaginations, whose very best visions have been designed to both delight and terrify young audiences. It does make sense, mind you, that the director would go to The BFG of all Dahl’s works to adapt. A wonderful tale of unlikely friendship set in a world as vivid as the relationship between the titular giant (a touching Mark Rylance) and little Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), The BFG is a colourful adventure film with heart to spare, even when its premise becomes a bit stretched in its final act. This is Spielberg Lite through-and-through — charming, sweet, moving — and though very middle-of-the-road by his own standards, the director shines with a powerful wonder.

27. Hook (1991)

“To live would be an awfully big adventure.”

Hook is long. Too long. The first act is a slog; the pace is a mess. And yet, once it gets moving, it’s a real gem begging for a reappraisal. Following a now-grown Peter Pan (the ever-delightful Robin Williams) as he races back to Neverland to save his children from Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman, in one of his best roles. Seriously), Spielberg’s Peter Pan sequel is a true testament to the power of adventure and nurturing our inner child, frequently belly-laugh funny and action-packed. Yes, it’s long; yes, it lingers. But once the credits roll on Hook, it will take a long while to wipe the smile from your face, and wish for adventure.

26. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

“You’re about to walk into a whole mess of danger.”

One of many family adventure films Spielberg produced in the 2010s, The Adventures of Tintin finds the director at his adventurous best, this time aided by stunning motion-capture animation and a rollicking score. Starring Jamie Bell as the young hero and Andy Serkis as his surly best friend Captain Haddock, the film moves with the feel of a pop album ramping up the tempo with each song, never pausing for breath. It’s not thematically deep or anything, but it doesn’t need to be: The treasure hunt at its centre is enough to make it work, even if it can’t match the highs of Spielberg’s best creations.

25. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

“How much of human life is lost in waiting?”

Apologies, readers: I’m a Kingdom of the Crystal Skull supporter. Feel free to unsubscribe now and never take me seriously again. Oh, there are flaws — CGI monkeys swinging through the forest, Cate Blanchett’s horrifically bland villain, the real silliness of Indy surviving a nuclear blast by hiding in a fridge, and there’s definitely more spectacle than story — but I’m still in the camp that says this thing is far better than its detractors claim. Placing his most famous character in the Cold War was inevitable, and Spielberg once again puts together one hell of a show. Action-packed, fun, it ticks all the boxes, and finds a riotous Harrison Ford having a blast. And be honest: Is Indy facing aliens any more crazy than him retrieving the Holy Grail from a centuries-old knight in a cave? I mean — really is it?

24. Bridge of Spies (2015)

“Everyone will hate me, but at least I’ll lose.”

Written by the Coen Brothers, Bridge of Spies is a remarkably measured character study wrapped inside a Cold War courtroom drama. This is Spielberg doing his best rendition of John le Carré, following a beleaguered lawyer (Tom Hanks) negotiating the release of an Air Force pilot (Austin Stowell) in exchange for a convicted KGB spy (Mark Rylance). Morally tangled and tense with suspicion, Bridge of Spies offers this real-life story heaps of chances to surprise and move, especially where the performance of Rylance is concerned. It’s not flashy, and there are moments when it feels a touch stop-and-start, jolty in its execution, but this little caper is still a dangerous game of thrills that will keep you hooked from first twist to last.

23. Amistad (1997)

“Give us, us free! Give us, us free! Give us, us free!”

Even after all these years, Amistad remains one of Spielberg’s most heartrending movies. Famously, its stars Anthony Hopkins and Djimon Hounsou (in a revelatory debut) broke down in tears once filming concluded on their most pivotal scene. It’s cluttered by its intentions, at once part-courtroom drama, part-biography, part-action. But even with so many balls in the air, Amistad — the true story of Mende tribesmen who gained control of the American vessel holding them captive off the coast of Cuba in 1839 — packs a major emotional wallop, thanks in large part to Spielberg’s sensitivity regarding difficult issues, and its packed cast, which also features the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Morgan Freeman giving it their all to a story about people so often left in silence, who deserved to have their say.

22. The Sugarland Express (1974)

“We’re in real trouble.”

Duel in 1971 proved Spielberg was a talented filmmaker capable of creating great tension and brilliant set pieces. Two years later, and The Sugarland Express proved his debut was no fluke. It follows a predictable pattern made popular by Bonnie & Clyde barely a decade earlier, concerned with two lost souls (Goldie Hawn and William Atherton) as they race across the states, hostage in hand and cops in tow, to reunite with their child before he’s placed in foster care. As a counterculture movie with a message of rebellion, Spielberg’s sophomore outing is nothing new, but as a thriller with stirring car chases and explosive action, it remains an extra large treat for the senses. Characters may be thin — though Atherton is haunting as a convict trying to do something good with whatever time he has left — but Spielberg’s craft is, even this early, something to behold. What a ride.

21. The Color Purple (1985)

“All my life I had to fight.”

Widely regarded by many critics at the time as Spielberg’s first turn at “serious” filmmaking (whatever that means), The Color Purple offered the director perfect opportunity to create something new. A bold adaptation of Alice Walker’s seminal novel of the same name, the film deviates from its source material by awarding the story of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) a touch more comfort and light than expected, but it still holds nothing back when depicting the abuse she suffers at the hands of her father (Danny Glover). There are moments when the drama is drowned out by convoluted storytelling, its fantastical elements, and its reworking of Walker’s book, but it still delivers as an emotional portrayal of resilience in the face of overwhelming pain and injustice.

20. War of the Worlds (2005)

“Lightning never strikes in the same place twice.”

An adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic alien invasion novel of the same name, War of the Worlds is vintage Spielberg: The world is overrun by an extra-terrestrial threat, and in the ensuing chaos a flawed but loving family man (Tom Cruise, adding a level of affecting everyman vulnerability to his action hero persona) works to save his children from harm. This a big spectacle movie, the likes of which Spielberg has thrived with his entire career, but it’s also quite gritty and dark, a far cry from his more sentimental family efforts. It stops and starts as Cruise races along, and its anticlimactic ending is a dud, but as far as alien action flicks go, you can do far worse than this menacing, big screen shot of adrenaline.

19. Duel (1971)

“I’d like to report a truck driver who’s endangering my life.”

Steven Spielberg’s directorial debut, made when he was just twenty-four and based on the short story by Richard Matheson, Duel is a small treat without flaw. The story is simple: A travelling salesman (Dennis Weaver) is driving through California when he’s inexplicably set upon by a semi-truck. And that’s it. For less than ninety minutes, Weaver tries to evade being run off the road, and Spielberg, relishing the opportunity to direct, crafts a host of explosive action sequences. A cult gem that may not be as moving as Saving Private Ryan or large-scale as Jurassic Park, Duel is nonetheless a perfect vehicle. From here, Spielberg would make mountains, and was already a master of his craft.

18. The Post (2016)

“I always wanted to be part of a small rebellion.”

A powerful portrayal of journalism at its finest, The Post finds Spielberg at his most intimate and stripped-down. The story of the Washington Post’s publication of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, it features a packed cast led by Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, and Tracy Letts, all of whom offer performances of great depth and urgency. Timely, to an almost horrible degree, The Post is a fine piece of movie craftsmanship, elegant in its storytelling and full of real, honest tension. Spielberg untangles a difficult web of politics, and the results, whilst relatively by-the-numbers on paper, are divine.

17. The Last Crusade (1989)

“Nazis. I hate these guys.”

The third instalment in the timeless Indiana Jones franchise might just be the most complete movie. Balancing the adventurous globe-trotting of Raiders with the darkness and moral pondering of Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade follows Indy and his estranged father (Sean Connery) as they race to find the Holy Grail before the Nazis. Consistently belly-laugh funny and full of staggering action sequences — such as the tank brawl, where Indy takes on an army, and scene in which Connery accidentally shoots down his own plane — Spielberg’s would-be final Indiana Jones instalment finds the director at his most playful and assured. He’s having fun, and so are we. Can you really ask for more?

16. Munich (2005)

“We are supposed to be righteous. That's a beautiful thing. And we're losing it. If I lose that, that's everything. That's my soul.”

Based on the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of three Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games, Munich is a bracingly psychological political thriller that follows a Mossad agent (Eric Bana) who is sent to kill those responsible for the initial bloodshed. Morally tangled by the events at play, Spielberg’s thriller runs without breath for almost three hours of political interplay, espionage, and one man’s attempt to keep his soul intact in the midst of war. Featuring some of the director’s finest filmmaking and wrenching twists of fate, Munich is a tough sit, but an enrapturing one full of stunning work.

15. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1981)

“He says the sun came out last. He says it sang to him.”

Of the many bona fide classics Spielberg has directed over the years, Close Encounters of the Third Kind has probably aged the worst visually, but the wonder remains unchanged. Sure, it looks like it was made in the early 80s, but the ideas and images still stun, as does the film’s story of two civilians (Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon) whose eyes are opened to the existence of aliens. It’s a dream-like vision, full of Spielberg’s awing at the possibilities of the universe and what it means to be human, and the emotional climax remains one of his most rewarding treats. Rich with a childlike wonder, Close Encounters might seem derivative by today’s standards, but this is where it all started; every alien flick made since has lived in the shadow of Spielberg’s creation.

14. War Horse (2011)

“Some days are best forgotten; today ain’t one of them.”

The single most underrated film in Spielberg’s back catalogue, War Horse is an emotional heartbreaker following the life of a horse called Joey, raised by a young farmer (newcomer Jeremy Irvine) with whom he’s thrown into the murky trenches of the First World War. Proudly old-fashioned and full of heart, War Horse is a war movie less about war than it is the relationship between two outsiders brought together by loss and a fighting spirit. It’s a story of unconditional love and men finding hope in darkness that seems impenetrable, and to that end it features some of the most sensational and moving scenes Spielberg has ever crafted for the screen.

13. Minority Report (2002)

“Everybody runs.”

A simple thriller, at least on paper: In a world where crime has been eradicated by the police’s ability to see the future, a high-flying cop (Tom Cruise) takes off to uncover why he will soon be driven to murder. At its base, Minority Report is a brilliant action flick, full of explosive chases and tense confrontations, but beyond that the film is also one of the most thematically rich sci-fi films of recent years, cleverly tacking the moral issues of human nature, free will, and political corruption with surprising results. At times sombre, at others dark, this Philip K. Dick adaptation never goes where expected, never stops to take a breather, and always lands the emotional punches when it needs to. Under a lesser director, we’d have forgotten all about it by now, but for Spielberg, making this was textbook.

12. Empire of the Sun (1987)

“I can bring everyone back. Everyone.”

Starring an impossibly young Christian Bale as a boy in Shanghai who becomes a prisoner of war in World War Two, Empire of the Sun was a precursor to the war films Spielberg would tackle in years to come — and still one of his very best. Originally, the film was to be directed by the great David Lean, but when he turned it down Spielberg swooped in to save the day, joyful at the chance to pay homage to one of his moviemaking heroes. The results are ambitious; massive sets, deadly action, a difficult subject matter that the director injects with a comforting air of humanity. Empire of the Sun offers a booming spectacle that never dulls the story’s emotional impact, which even after all these years feels more pulverising than ever. That Bale delivers such a powerhouse performance should come as no surprise.

11. AI Artificial Intelligence (2001)

“He went to the place, where dreams are born.”

After years languishing in development hell, Stanley Kubrick decided to give AI Artificial Intelligence to Spielberg, confident the younger man could do it justice. Kubrick had been developing the film for decades with little luck; we can only imagine what it would have looked like had he completed it. But perhaps not. The truth is, Spielberg’s vision is stunning enough as it is, a beautiful sci-fi drama about a robotic boy (Haley Joel Osment) programmed with the ability to feel love, whose very existence is thrown into turmoil over the course of a thousand years. It’s so Spielberg it’s hard to imagine it belonging to anyone else; themes of love enduring and the march of progress have rarely been explored so well, and with such an impressive mix of dystopian bleakness and hopeful wonder. Kubrick, I’m sure, would have been proud.

10. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

“How’d you do it, Frank?”

Aside from his adventures with Indiana Jones, Catch Me If You Can may just be Steven Spielberg’s most entertainingly rewatchable movie. The incredible true life story of Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio), a con man who forged perfect cheques and masqueraded in plain sight as a doctor and a pilot, the film is a riveting cat-and-mouse thriller, which also stars Tom Hanks as the fiery FBI agent on his tail. Stylish, amusing, and fast-paced, but also tragic in exploration of Frank’s disillusionment and loneliness, it’s a near-perfect thriller of endless twists, countless great performances, and a warmness that envelopes you even when things start to take a turn for the worst for everyone involved.

9. Lincoln (2012)

“I'm here to alert you boys that the great day of reckoning is nigh upon us.”

Charting a course through the final four months of Abraham Lincoln’s life, Lincoln contains multitudes. At once an encompassing look at the President’s attempts to end the Civil War and pass the Thirteenth Amendment through Congress, it’s also the moving study of a man who has gained an almost mythical status in the decades since his assassination. A man who was a loving husband with a witty mind and demons to conquer, Lincoln is brought to life by Daniel Day-Lewis in a towering performance for the ages; like Spielberg’s direction, which tackles battle scenes, domestic drama, and courtroom feuding, Day-Lewis’ Lincoln is dignified, complex, measured, and full of humanity. Many filmmakers would have been overwhelmed by the challenge, but not Spielberg. He’s right at home.

8. The Fabelmans (2022)

“You do what your heart says you have to, ‘cause you don’t owe anyone your life.”

Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama is one of the finest explorations of the joy of cinema ever made. Following a young filmmaker (Gabrielle LaBelle) who uses his camera to understand the world and make sense of his parents (Michelle Williams and Paul Dano), The Fabelmans offers pure delight at every turn. Whimsical, fantastical, deeply touching, and raw with the honesty of its creator, who’s clearly working from a place of real vulnerability, the drama is everything you’d want from Spielberg and more. He could have made a straightforward film about film itself; instead, he offered up something altogether unique, a brilliant, bold tale of creativity, family, and wonder that speaks beautifully to the power of the movies, like a poet pouring his heart out to the one he loves.

7. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

“I just know that every man I kill, the farther away from home I feel.”

Too many scenes to count, burned into the subconscious. The visceral opening of the D-Day Landings; Tom Hanks’s mysterious platoon leader telling his soldiers who he was before war changed him; the little girl whose parents try desperately to save her from the battlefield; the doctor crying for his mother whilst his friends watch, helpless to save him from his injuries. Saving Private Ryan is one of the great war movies, full of horror, blood and heartbreak, but also covered with hope and comradery. Featuring some of his most spectacular set pieces, most notably that opening scene on the beaches of Normandy, this is Spielberg’s great ode to the men and women who fought in the war and gave their lives for their loved ones back home, and the friends beside them. It’s a horrifying watch, but a vital one, and without Spielberg’s craftsmanship, it may have already been forgotten.

6. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

“There is nothing to fear here.”

As the stands, Raiders of the Lost Ark is Spielberg’s most purely entertaining blockbuster, a film so filled with quippy one-liners, electric performances, and iconic action sequences that it’s honestly difficult to recall them all. Following a scrappy-as-hell Indy as he races to stop the Nazis from acquiring the Ark of the Covenant, the debut of cinema’s most famous archaeologist remains an absolute riot. Anchored by Harrison Ford’s lithe and charming performance and John Williams’ classic score, Raiders of the Lost Ark is nothing short of a revelation, full of snakes, romance, mystery and undeniable comedy gold. Truth is, we should live in a world where we got twenty of these things.

5. West Side Story (2021)

“All my life, it's like I'm always just about to fall off the edge of the world's tallest building. I stopped falling the second I saw you.”

With his first foray into the musical, Spielberg made it look like he’d been making them for years. An adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s seminal play, and the first since 1961’s took home that year’s Best Picture statue at the Oscars, West Side Story is a film of endless exuberance and filmmaking joy; this is a film made a director at the height of his powers, relishing every second. Shot with a series of awe-inspiring one-shots, the film boasts an impressive feel for setting alongside its rollicking cast — which includes a heartbreaking Rachel Zegler as the lonely Maria, and a show stopping Ariana DeBose as the hopeful Anita — both of which work together seamlessly to create a world that every bit as lived-in as our own. Heartbreaking to the nth degree, sure, but also truly wonderful and warm. A love story for the ages, in a film for the ages.

4. E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

“Be good.”

One of Steven Spielberg’s great strengths has always been in directing child actors, even when they’ve been given difficult material. He worked wonders with Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun, allowed Haley Joel Osment to shine in AI, and with E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, he did it again with Henry Thomas, who plays a young boy who finds and befriends a cute little alien and promises to send him home amongst the stars. It soars as an adventure movie, inspires as a drama about family and friendship, and even works in some darker moments as a monster movie, full of terror as ET is pursued by the government. With gorgeous imagery — the bike flying through the sky being one of the Spielberg’s crowning achievements, even after all this time — and a tearjerking farewell, E.T is a glorious ode to childhood that speaks to us all. And always will.

3. Jurassic Park (1993)

“Hold onto your butts.”

Some films, including many on this list, have a scene or two you can imagine cutting without any detriment to the rest of the film. This isn’t true of Jurassic Park, however, a film in which every scene, every moment, every gesture matters; there isn’t an ounce of fat here to cut away. A perfectly crafted movie about one man (Richard Attenborough) and his desire to build an amusement park around the many dinosaurs he’s recreated, Jurassic Park is part-thriller, part-morality play, part-family adventure movie, following a group of scientists (Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern) as they come face-to-face with the price of creationism and the hubris of genius. Full of tense action, breezy humour and danger, it was the first film to gross over one billion at the global box office, and it’s easy to see why. Thirty years later, and this is the blockbuster all blockbusters wish they were.

2. Jaws (1975)

“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

Based on the terrifying novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws is the film that sent Spielberg’s star into the stratosphere. A quietly menacing horror about a small beach resort thrown into terror and turmoil by a murderous great white shark, the director’s big break is, like the best of his creations, a film of layers. At once a bracing thriller about three men (Roy Schneider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw) who race to kill the shark before it strikes again and a tantalising character study of those same men as they come to terms with their fears, Jaws works because the shark is secondary. Rarely seen, it lurks under the water, waiting to strike, whilst the people on land prepare to face it. The results are to die for, more suspenseful than most horror movies released today, and certainly more human. Fifty years on, it hasn’t aged a day.

1. Schindler’s List (1993)

“I could have got more out. I could have gotten more.”

It’s not his most rewatchable, and it’s certainly not his most enjoyable, but as it stands Schindler’s List (which he directed alongside Jurassic Park, as one does) remains the greatest film of Steven Spielberg’s career. Not just because it’s an important, big issues drama, though that is surely part of it, but because of how much craft and invention he crams into its epic three-hour runtime. Poetic in its imagery and gripping in its horror, the real-life drama follows the exploits of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a wealthy industrialist who used his resources to save thousands of Jewish refugees during the Second World War. Neeson is wrenching as a man on a terrible mission, but even he is dwarfed at times by the enormity and success of Spielberg’s filmmaking. Thrilling, tender, humanist, and hopeful in the face of fascism and war, Schindler’s List is not a film anyone will return to, but it is the film to seek out if you’re interested in seeing Steven Spielberg deliver his magnum opus.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading so far! Be good to each other, and I’ll see you soon!