Ranking the Films of Steven Spielberg

So a few days ago, my good buddy Ethan L. e-mailed me Vulture’s ranking of all 28 films directed by Steven Spielberg.  The list was created, of course, in honor of the release of his new film Lincoln (which I have not yet seen, but desperately hope to get to soon!).

Vulture’s list is fun to read, but it’s total lunacy.

They were 100% correct in identifying Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as Mr. Spielberg’s worst film.  And I was pleased to see some love shown to Empire of the Sun, a woefully underrated flick.

But the second-worst Spielberg film should without question have been AI: Artificial Intelligence. That film is dreadful, FAR worse than those other films listed down at the bottom.

The Adventures of Tintin is an amazing film and the Vulture authors are foolish for listing it as one of Spielberg’s worst films.

I have never heard of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade being compared with Star Trek IV, but OK, I’ll go with that!  I do like both films.  Last Crusade is better than Temple of Doom, though, in my opinion.

They think A.I.: Artificial Intelligence is better than Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade??? MADNESS!!!

Minority Report and War of the Worlds — two films that should be at the BOTTOM of the list — are ranked higher than two Indy films???  Higher than Jurassic Park??? Higher than Close Encounters of the Third Kind (one of Mr. Spielberg’s absolute best films, definitely in his top five)?????  ABSOLUTE MADNESS!!!

OK, without taking too much time to over-think this, here’s my list, best to worst:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (click here for my review)

2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

3. Jaws (click here for my review)

4. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

5. Saving Private Ryan

6. Schindler’s List

7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (click here for my review)

8. Jurassic Park (click here for my review)

9. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (click here for my review)

10. Munich (click here for my review)

11. Empire of the Sun (click here for my review)

12. The Adventures of Tintin (click here for my review)

13. Amistad (click here for my review)

14. Catch Me If You Can (click here for my review)

15. The Color Purple (click here for my review)

16. War Horse (click here for my review)

17. The Terminal (click here for my review)

18. War of the Worlds (click here for my review)

19. Minority Report (click here for my review)

20. The Lost World (click here for my review)

21. AI: Artificial Intelligence (click here for my review)

22. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (click here for my review)

I left a few films off of my list, because it’s been so long since I have seen them that I found them too hard to rate: Duel, Always, Hook, The Sugarland Express, 1941.