Rank the Spielbergs

24

Comments

  • SuperheroSithSuperheroSith SE London
    Posts: 578
    3/10
    33. A.I: Artificial Intelligence
    32. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

    5/10

    31. Something Evil
    30. 1941

    6/10

    29. Firelight
    28. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
    27. Always
    26. Slipstream
    25. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
    24. War Of The Worlds
    23. Amblin'
    22. The Twilight Zone: The Movie

    7/10

    21. Hook
    20. The Sugarland Express

    8/10

    19. Amistad
    18. War Horse
    17. The Terminal
    16. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

    9/10

    15. Lincoln
    14. Munich
    13. Minority Report
    12. Duel
    11. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
    10. The Colour Purple
    9. Empire of the Sun
    8. E.T: The Extra Terrestrial
    7. Catch Me If You Can
    6. Jurassic Park

    10/10

    5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
    4. Saving Private Ryan
    3. Schindler's List
    2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
    1. Jaws
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,804
    13. Minority Report
    I *SO* wanted to like that one, but the ending destroyed it for me...
    :-<
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    @chrisisall, so did I. Everyone always talks about how amazing it is, but I really don't recall liking it.
  • Posts: 12,837
    1) Raiders
    2) Jaws
    3) Saving Private Ryan

    Then the rest which I can't really remember well enough to compare or rank them. For the record though, from what I've seen, I don't think Speilberg has ever made a bad film. War Of The Worlds bored me a bit and Indiana Jones 4 was a bit of a let down but I didn't think either were bad.
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 832
    Temple of doom is underrated. It's not as great as raiders is for several reasons (a little too dark, jones portrayed as a superhero, etc.) but tbh I like the darkness of the film. It was unnecessary in raiders b/c the villains were pre-established as autocratic and to be feared, which was not the case in temple of doom, so things like child slavery, human sacrifice, etc. were necessary to cause us to really fear/hate the villains. Also Mola Ram is the best villain in the series. I actually prefer temple of doom over the last crusade (slightly) because I feel as though Spielberg wanted to ensure that the last crusade did not have the problems that temple of doom did, and it ended up a bit too light hearted.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited March 2014 Posts: 17,804
    Ottofuse8 wrote:
    Temple of doom is underrated.
    We happen to have just finished watching it moments ago, and I have to say, seriously, ALL the Jones films are pretty stupid in their own ways.
    Don't get me wrong, I love 'em all (yes, even Crystal Skull you psuedo-serious poseur clowns) but to single out one as better than another is silly, except maybe to compare Raiders to Doctor No, both firsts, and both fairly serious in tone.
  • Posts: 645
    Jurassic Park should be closer to one, ET as well, perhaps even Jaws.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
    2. Jurassic Park
    3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
    4. Hook
    5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
    6. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    7. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
    8. Saving Private Ryan
    9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
    10. Jaws
    11. War of the Worlds
    12. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    SaintMark wrote:
    DarthDimi wrote:
    Call me sentimental but, being a child of the 80s, ET is my favourite Spielberg. I may not necessarily be the best Spielberg ever, but it's the one for which I have the warmest sympathies. Truth be told, ET always puts tears in my eyes.

    I do second that sentiment, but I consider it one of Spielbergs better movies and certainly very influential in the scifi genre.

    Can't say it's my favourite, but I regard it as seminal and it does bring a tear to my eye. I spent a lot of childhood summers riding around on my bike, wishing I was Elliot.
  • Posts: 2,402
    I'm not about to re-do my whole list but I just saw Always for the first time in who knows how long and it belongs much higher. Schindler's List deserves #1 for me as well.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,023
    To be honest, I am cheating with Slipstream, which I only saw about a third of before giving up on it.

    Spielberg didn't direct Slipstream @StirredNotShaken. It was directed by Steven Lisberger

  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,023
    There are quite a few Spielberg films I criminally haven't seen. But i'll rank the ones I have....

    The Excellent

    1. Jaws
    2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
    3. Schindler's List
    4. E.T
    5. Close Encounters
    6. Duel
    7. Jurassic Park
    8. Saving Private Ryan

    The good

    9.War Horse
    10. Last Crusade
    11. Temple Of Doom

    The ok

    12. Minority Report (the ending killed it)
    13. 1941
    14. Bridge Of Spies
    15. Munich
    16. The Lost World

    The Bad

    17. AI
    18. Hook
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    edited August 2016 Posts: 4,043
    1. Jaws
    2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
    3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    4. Duel
    5. Munich

    I don't mind the 2 Indy sequels but pale compared to the original, the first 3 are some of my favourite films of all time and Duel is cracking. Munich was the most recent film of the beard I really rated.

    After that I can take or leave anything else, I much prefer his prime blockbuster output, the top 3 over Oscar bait.

    JP and it's sequel are fine but I get quite vexed when I see poles putting Jurassic Park near Jaws & ROTLA, they aren't even in the same state let alone ball park.

    On the strength of those top 3 he's one of my favourite directors but I find myself getting less and less enthused after that.

    No denying his craft and Schindlers & Ryan are films to be tremendously proud of, I just prefer 1975 - 1981 much more.
  • Posts: 12,474
    Completely personal, non-objective ranking (still have to see BFG):

    29. 1941
    28. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
    27. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
    26. Amistad
    25. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
    24. War of the Worlds
    23. The Terminal
    22. Always
    21. The Color Purple
    20. The Sugarland Express
    19. War Horse
    18. Empire of the Sun
    17. Munich
    16. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    15. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    14. Saving Private Ryan
    13. Bridge of Spies
    12. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
    11. Minority Report
    10. Duel
    9. Lincoln
    8. Schindler's List
    7. Catch Me If You Can
    6. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
    5. Jurassic Park
    4. Jaws
    3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
    2. Hook
    1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

    My favorite director ever. I own the movies #20 through #1 in my collection.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    1. Raiders Of The Lost Ark

    2. Jurassic Park

    3. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom

    4. Jurassic Park II

    5. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

    6. JAWS

    7. Duel

    8. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

    9. E.T.

    10. Minority Report
  • KaijuDirectorOO7KaijuDirectorOO7 Once Upon a Time Somewhere...
    Posts: 189
    1. Jaws
    2. Schindler's List
    3. Last Crusade
    4. Temple of Doom and Raiders (tie)
    6. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
    7. Jurassic Park
    8. Saving Private Ryan
    9. Hook
    10. Crystal Skull (YES, I actually liked it.)
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    1. Munich
    2. Saving Private Ryan
    3. Last Crusade
    4. Schindler's List
    5. Jurassic Park
    6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
    7. Bridge of Spies
    8. Jaws
    9. War of the Worlds
    10. The Terminal
    11. Empire of the Sun
    12. Minority Report
    13. Catch me if you Can
    14. Lincoln
    15. Temple of Doom
    16. The Lost World
    17. Tintin
    18. War Horse
    19. Crystal Skull

    I've seen 'E.T.' and 'Close Encounters' as a child but don't remember them enough to rank them.
  • NSGWNSGW London
    Posts: 299
    Lots of love for Munich, have to admit its one of the few Spielberg films I haven't seen, looks like its overdue..
  • Of those I've seen...

    1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    2. Jaws
    3. Duel
    4. War of the Worlds
    5. Saving Private Ryan
    6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
    7. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    8. Jurassic Park
    9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
    10. The Color Purple

    The top five are among my very favorite films of all time.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    Nice to see some love for War of the Worlds. One of Spielberg's most thrilling experiences.
  • edited January 2017 Posts: 6,432
    Spielberg directed films I own and rate as good...

    Duel
    Jaws
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    E.T.
    Poltergeist
    Indy Trilogy
    Jurassic Park
    Munich
    Amistad
    War of the World's
    Minority Report
    A.I.
    "Columbo" Murder by the Book
    Saving Private Ryan
    Tin Tin Secret of the Unicorn

  • Posts: 6,432
    I have yet to see Schindlers List, Lincoln or Bridge of Spies.

    I own Catch me if you can, forgot about that nice homage to Bond in one scene.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Watched Bridge of Spies and BFG recently, pretty meh films.

    Spielberg had is greatest time as I said between 1975 - 1981.

    All his output he's done wanting to be seen more like a Scorcese or a Kubrick has delivered some quality but even something as weighty and important as Schindlers List still can't help but be Hollywood when there is no reason but to make it more palatable to the masses*.

    Yes I must agree with @Birdleson, the first 20 minutes of Ryan are extraordinary after that it never really recovers, give me Thin Red Line all the time.

    *The bit with the train taking a detour to Aushvitz and then the women in the shower, he tries to convey suspenseful scene that the women might be gassed then the showers come on and all is fine they get to go to their intended destination.

    This kind of scene has no right in a film about the Holocaust and it cheapens the film in my view, it's not a Hitchcock film FFS.

    The guys a legend but hasn't made much in decades that justifies his status now and people just shoot their load over Spielberg film because it's exactly that, they don't even have to be that good to get the acclaim.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,218
    1. Jaws
    2. Raiders
    3. Munich
    4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    5. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
    6. The Last Crusade
    7. Jurassic Park
    8. Saving Private Ryan
    9. Schindler's List
    10. Empire of the Sun
    11. Catch Me If You Can
    12. Minority Report
    13. AI: Artificial Intelligence
    14. War Horse
    15. The Lost World
    16. Temple of Doom
    17. The Terminal
    18. Amistad
    19. 1941
    20. War of the Worlds
    21. Lincoln
    22. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

    Actually a pretty hard list to put together, surprisingly.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    1 Schindler s List
    2 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    3 Raiders of the Lost Ark
    4 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
    5 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
    6 Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    7 Duel
    8 The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn
    9 The Color Purple
    10 Minority Report
    11 Hook
    12 War of the Worlds
    13 Amistad
    14 A.I.- Artificial Intelligence
    15 Empire of the Sun
    16 Jaws
    17 Jurassic Park
    18 Lost World-Jurassic Parl
    19 Catch Me If You Can
    20 ET
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,023
    Shardlake wrote: »
    Watched Bridge of Spies and BFG recently, pretty meh films.

    Spielberg had is greatest time as I said between 1975 - 1981.

    All his output he's done wanting to be seen more like a Scorcese or a Kubrick has delivered some quality but even something as weighty and important as Schindlers List still can't help but be Hollywood when there is no reason but to make it more palatable to the masses*.

    Yes I must agree with @Birdleson, the first 20 minutes of Ryan are extraordinary after that it never really recovers, give me Thin Red Line all the time.

    *The bit with the train taking a detour to Aushvitz and then the women in the shower, he tries to convey suspenseful scene that the women might be gassed then the showers come on and all is fine they get to go to their intended destination.

    This kind of scene has no right in a film about the Holocaust and it cheapens the film in my view, it's not a Hitchcock film FFS.

    The guys a legend but hasn't made much in decades that justifies his status now and people just shoot their load over Spielberg film because it's exactly that, they don't even have to be that good to get the acclaim.

    I saw Bridge Of Spies recently, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why Spielberg was interested in making a film of this rather dull subject matter.

    Hanks is as usual very watchable but the whole thing has a 'so what?' feel to it.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited April 2017 Posts: 45,489
    Updated:

    1 Schindler s List
    2 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    3 Raiders of the Lost Ark
    4 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
    5 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
    6 Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    7 Duel
    8 The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn
    9 The Color Purple
    10 War Horse
    11 Minority Report
    12 Hook
    13 War of the Worlds
    14 Amistad
    15 A.I.- Artificial Intelligence
    16 Empire of the Sun
    17 Jaws
    18 The Terminal
    19 Jurassic Park
    20 Lost World-Jurassic Park
    21 Catch Me If You Can
    22 ET
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Shardlake wrote: »
    Watched Bridge of Spies and BFG recently, pretty meh films.

    Spielberg had is greatest time as I said between 1975 - 1981.

    All his output he's done wanting to be seen more like a Scorcese or a Kubrick has delivered some quality but even something as weighty and important as Schindlers List still can't help but be Hollywood when there is no reason but to make it more palatable to the masses*.

    Yes I must agree with @Birdleson, the first 20 minutes of Ryan are extraordinary after that it never really recovers, give me Thin Red Line all the time.

    *The bit with the train taking a detour to Aushvitz and then the women in the shower, he tries to convey suspenseful scene that the women might be gassed then the showers come on and all is fine they get to go to their intended destination.

    This kind of scene has no right in a film about the Holocaust and it cheapens the film in my view, it's not a Hitchcock film FFS.

    The guys a legend but hasn't made much in decades that justifies his status now and people just shoot their load over Spielberg film because it's exactly that, they don't even have to be that good to get the acclaim.

    I saw Bridge Of Spies recently, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why Spielberg was interested in making a film of this rather dull subject matter.

    Hanks is as usual very watchable but the whole thing has a 'so what?' feel to it.


    Such an underwhelming experience, yes Hanks is solid and Rylance but Oscar worthy, I rate Rylance considerably and was expecting something revelatory after witnessing his extraordinary turn as Thomas Cromwell in BBC's superb adaptation of Wolf Hall.

    BFG is just a kids film, looked good technically but I found nothing as an adult to engage, again Rylance good, I really hope Nolan gets him to deliver in Dunkirk.

    He seems to have become Steve's De Niro.

    The likes of Fincher, Nolan & now Denis Villeneuve are leaving the old guard like Spielberg and Ridley Scott looking rather underwhelming these day.

    Like Scott I wonder if Spielberg is really that good anymore, in blockbuster film making in his prime he was unparalleled but the later tent pole fair like War of The Worlds or Minority Report are hardly going to endure like 1975 - 1981 period.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Shardlake wrote: »

    Like Scott I wonder if Spielberg is really that good anymore, in blockbuster film making in his prime he was unparalleled but the later tent pole fair like War of The Worlds or Minority Report are hardly going to endure like 1975 - 1981 period.

    With this in consideration. I wonder if EON would consider him to helm a Bond film. I don't think he's past his prime, and is still a great storyteller. Little bit hit and miss. But then if you look at Spielberg's resume, it's all a bit hit and miss to be honest.
    Maybe it would be a good time for Mr. Spielberg to tackle the series that he always wanted too.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Benny wrote: »
    Shardlake wrote: »

    Like Scott I wonder if Spielberg is really that good anymore, in blockbuster film making in his prime he was unparalleled but the later tent pole fair like War of The Worlds or Minority Report are hardly going to endure like 1975 - 1981 period.

    With this in consideration. I wonder if EON would consider him to helm a Bond film. I don't think he's past his prime, and is still a great storyteller. Little bit hit and miss. But then if you look at Spielberg's resume, it's all a bit hit and miss to be honest.
    Maybe it would be a good time for Mr. Spielberg to tackle the series that he always wanted too.
    He would definitely be an excellent choice. Despite having possibly lost a step, he is still a master of building suspense and telling a good story as you say, and both are essential ingredients for a decent Bond film. He has sufficient depth and variety in his resume that he could easily take the franchise in any number of directions and deliver any style they want. Most notably, I think he could easily bring back some of the classic joi de vivre which has been missing of late while still crafting a financial and critical success.
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