Top Movie Countdown ranks every Steven Spielberg movie:
Part 1 (#32 – #27)
Part 2 (#26 – #21)
Part 3 (#20 – #16)
Part 4 (#14 – #6)
Wow, that’s a lot of Spielberg movies! So many classic, entertaining films that we’ve all seen over and over and that film buffs will be talking about until the end of time. Now it’s all come down to this – the top 5 Steven Spieberg movies as ranked by Top Movie Countdown. Let’s do it!
#5: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Score:
8.5
The horror movie of the Indiana Jones franchise!
The tone of this one is much darker than audiences were expecting and it turned off some viewers (and critics). I would argue that Raiders of the Lost Ark has plenty of gruesome aspects in it, from melting faces to bad guys getting chopped up in propeller blades. When people get eaten by alligators and their hearts ripped out by demon possessed priests, maybe it’s not so much of a departure after all.
Over time this film has gotten more love and I definitely still enjoy it with every repeat viewing – maybe even more than The Last Crusade. There are some bad special effects in this one though, and it is definitely not as good as Raiders in terms of quality and impact.
#4: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Score:
8.5
At one point E.T. was the biggest movie in the known universe. In my opinion, this film hasn’t aged as well, or maintained the same social impact, as Jaws, Raiders or Star Wars (to compare it to another box office smash of the time) but it’s still a great, heartfelt movie about a stranded alien and the boy who befriends him.
Classic film, awesome soundtrack and one of Spielberg’s best.
#3: Jurassic Park (1993)
Score:
9
Jurassic Park is one of those rare movies that I can watch anytime and never get tired of it. Dinosaurs brought back to life and doing what they do best – eat puny humans!
I’ll never forget seeing this classic film in the theatre – it was sold out and the manager came out to give us a speech before the screening. I mean, this movie was a big deal when it came out. The theatre had the audio cranked way up – my chair was vibrating with every stomp and chomp. Jurassic Park is awesome entertainment from start to finish.
#2: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Score:
9.5
Wow, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Not just in Speilberg’s filmography but when it comes to movies in general, Indiana Jones is one of the greatest characters ever created, and Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the best adventure films ever made.
Harrison Ford was the perfect casting decision, even though George Lucas was reluctant to cast him again after he played Han Solo in Star Wars. Each action sequence is iconic and thrilling, and even God gets to have the final say and takes out the bad guys.
#1: Jaws (1975)
Score:
10
Jaws came out in the 70’s and I still can’t get my 17 year old daughter to watch it. Just the thought of what is in this movie is enough to scare teenage children.
In terms of cinema history, Jaws marks the start of the summer blockbuster, the beginning of one of the greatest film careers of all time, and is a movie that gets better and better the more you watch it.
There are the quotes that everyone knows, there is the Jaws theme – two musical notes that tell you know everything you need to know and put instant terror and dread into your soul.
Interesting side notes: this was the first major motion picture filmed on the ocean and it became the highest grossing movie of all time, out performing The Godfather, until Star Wars came along.
There you have it – our countdown of the best Steve Spielberg movies. This list will be updated over time as needed (West Side Story and The Fablemans will be coming soon).