Steven Spielberg's Ten Best-Directed Films
We take a look at Spielberg's best critical and commercial successes.
Steven Spielberg is a living legend, and here's why: The man gave birth to the modern blockbuster (with his seminal Jaws), co-founded two studios (DreamWorks SKG and Amblin Entertainment), earned Oscar-nominations twelve times, and gave the world E.T. It's no wonder he was Dawson Leery's favorite director of all time.
With a nod to his impressive producing efforts in film (like The Goonies, Back to the Future, Flags of Our Fathers, Transformers, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) and television (Tiny Toons Adventures, seaQuest DSV, Band of Brothers), we take a look at the ten best-reviewed films directed by Steven Spielberg, arguably the most influential filmmaker alive today.
Read on for our Tomatometer countdown of Steven Spielberg's ten best-reviewed films of all time (outside the Indiana Jones series). Check in with our Indiana Jonesin' series for retrospectives on Harrison Ford and George Lucas.
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10. The Color Purple Tomatometer: 84% In 1985, after striking earlier success with thrillers (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and family-oriented adventures (Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial), Spielberg made his first foray into the field of drama. The result -- an adaptation of Alice Walker's novel about poor African-American women in the South -- garnered eleven Academy Award nominations, including nods for lead Whoopi Goldberg, first-time actress Oprah Winfrey, and Margaret Avery. Notoriously, however, the pic came away with no wins; snubbed, perhaps, along with its not-nominated director? Video |
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9. Jurassic Park Tomatometer: 86% Spielberg's trademark sense of wonder came thrillingly to life in the box office blockbuster Jurassic Park. He called the best in the business to work on the project: writer Michael Crichton to adapt his own novel, John Williams to provide a signature sweeping score, and Phil Tippett and Stan Winston to create some of the most memorable visuals of modern cinema. Jurassic Park became the highest-grossing film of its time, earning more than $914 million worldwide and spawning two sequels. More importantly, it taught us that playing God can be dangerous -- because Velociraptors can open doors. Video |
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8. The Sugarland Express Tomatometer: 92% Spielberg's first theatrically released feature rode the popular genre of on-the-lam pics of the 1970s, but it bears the marks of his later cinematic signatures just the same. Cleverly-plotted visuals and a particularly humanizing turn by Goldie Hawn help distance this "based on a true story" crime drama from less successful road flicks. The film, in which a young couple holds a cop hostage while leading a low-speed caravan of police cars to retrieve their child (the titular "Sugarland Express"), was also scored by future Spielberg collaborator John Williams. Video |





Nick Sansone
If your gonna make a top ten list you should probably have 10 items in it. Just a hint.
May 16 - 07:51 PM
Maxx Bero
yeah where's number 3?
May 16 - 10:01 PM
Michael Pierce
Hey tard, you gotta click "next page" to see the rest. Just a hint.
May 17 - 12:57 AM
Andrew Highland
If your gonna read a top ten list you should probably check for a page 2. Just a hint.
May 17 - 01:18 AM
Kev Gary
Try clicking "Next Page", dummy.
May 17 - 06:40 AM
Mustan Dawood
hey tempest,
perhaps you should have clicked the "next page" link to view the rest of the top 10 list.
May 17 - 08:03 AM
Jeremiah Leathart
You must understand how to navigate a web page my friend
May 17 - 10:45 AM
Sean Grant
check out page two. just a hint.
May 17 - 10:50 AM
Eric Cormier
Yeah um stupid much? how about you flip through the pages to get the rest of the movies!!!!
Steven Speilberg is one of the best directors of all time, hands down
May 17 - 11:23 AM
Antonio Hernandez
Wow your dumb tempest3991! Click on Next Page. Just a hint.
May 17 - 11:35 AM
Mr Shock
Um, there are ten...
May 17 - 11:48 AM
Emma Heil
There is 10 genius! Did you happen to see the three pages?
May 17 - 11:53 AM
Tim Higginbotham
Uh, there are 10 items. Learn to how to browse a website
May 17 - 12:03 PM
Justin Herlick
There are check again
May 17 - 12:55 PM
Graham Archer
Hey it's that guy who doesn't know how to click "next"...
May 17 - 12:57 PM
Jordan Nope
tempest3991 - Here's a thought, use the next button. Everyone thinks this guy was smart enough to notice the two number fours, but judging by his blind sarcasm, I think he didn't know that these posts were on multiple pages. "Just a hint." What a jerk, going through life calling out people's mistake when he's too dumb to realize that they didn't make one.
Applause to RT for making this awesome list! Thought separating it onto 3 pages for more ad revenue IS pretty weak.
May 17 - 02:02 PM
chris henderson
Heres a hint maybe you should learn how to count
May 17 - 02:23 PM
Joel Hasbun
There are ten items...you should scroll down and check to see if there is more than one page. Just a hint.
May 17 - 02:26 PM
Dave B
...I count ten. ?
May 17 - 02:45 PM
Trevor Larsen
you might want to go click on the link that says "page|1 2 3 4" before critizing an article, just a hint.
May 17 - 05:38 PM
Bruce Campbell
You're not funny.
May 17 - 05:46 PM
robin thompson
Bruce Campbell-
They may not get it, but I have been laughing my *** off. Thanks for trying.
May 17 - 06:47 PM
adam why?
Click on Next Page, you dunce.
May 17 - 07:53 PM
daniel briscoe
If your gonna make a top ten list you should probably have 10 items in it. Just a hint.
This and similar comments imply a lack of reading comprehension that is stunning. good work.
May 17 - 09:20 PM
Omar El
Idiot! Try going to page 2 and 3 for 6-1. Dip****!
May 17 - 10:29 PM
Andrew Costello
There are 10.
May 18 - 12:29 AM
Tom Hale
If you're going to make a sarcastic comment, at least make sure you're right(There's more than one page involved for this list, genius - learn how to count). Just a hint.
May 18 - 12:50 AM
j h
If you're gonna make a sarcastic comment, you should probably look at all 3 pages. Just a hint.
May 18 - 02:16 AM
j h
If you're gonna make a sarcastic comment, you should probably look at all 3 pages. Just a hint.
May 18 - 02:17 AM
j h
by the way, i read all the posts. i was just being dumb and adding to the pile!
May 18 - 02:21 AM
Kev Gary
Try clicking "Next Page", dummy.
May 18 - 08:35 AM
Jim Brown
Wow. What an incredibly stupid comment. The worst part of it is that you think you're being clever.
May 18 - 03:57 PM
Geoff Alleger
if youre gonna post comments you should learn to work the Internet .... Try the NEXT PAGE next time flyboy.
May 18 - 06:26 PM
Joseph Villarin
If you're gonna be sarcastic, you should probably check to make sure you didn't overlook the next *two pages* of the article. Just a hint.
May 18 - 10:44 PM
Ryan Adams
If you are gonna complain about a top 10 list not having 10 items the you may wanna click the "Next Page" link to get to the rest first. Just a hint.
May 19 - 07:18 AM
Paris Crayton
Or maybe you should press the page number at the bottom and read the rest.
May 19 - 10:06 AM
Paris Crayton
Or maybe you should press the page number at the bottom and read the rest.
May 19 - 10:06 AM
Alejandro Zielinsky
Next time when you are checking a top ten list and you see just a few of them, yo shuold check for a NEXT PAGE button. Just a hint.....
May 19 - 10:55 AM
Wesley Barker
If you're gonna have a brain, you should try and use more than 10 percent of it, just a hint. There are 3 pages...
May 19 - 06:03 PM
Peter Olthoff
ummm....maybe if you took the time to look at all three pages you would see that there are ten...just a hint...
May 19 - 07:33 PM
Tron Funkin-Blow
there's a next page link, einstein.
May 19 - 09:10 PM
Brandon Fox
i counted 10
May 19 - 10:05 PM
cuong nguyen
If you're going to take the time to comment, then take the time to go to the next pages to see the 10 items. Just a hint.
May 20 - 12:16 PM
Eli Newberg
...Dude, there's 10. You just have to go through all the pages...
May 20 - 01:57 PM
Eli Newberg
...Dude, there's 10. You just have to go through all the pages...
May 20 - 01:57 PM
Ethan Harvey
3 on the first page, 4 on the second, and 3 on the last, Maybe you should learn how to count!
May 20 - 04:27 PM
Jamison Kay
-> to tempest3991:
click "page 1" or "2" or "3"...etc??
May 20 - 08:33 PM
Edward Hutchinson
I think tempest3991 has got the point, what is that... Like the thirtieth post on it so far? He's probably been shaking his head in embarrassment since.
May 21 - 01:09 AM
Aretelio Merthorion
What several people are doing is clicking where it says "Next Page."
May 21 - 09:52 AM
Tim Martens
or you could learn how to go to the next page... just a hint
May 21 - 03:22 PM
Joel McDonald
Um... turn the page, dip*****.
May 21 - 04:32 PM
robin thompson
...aaaannd that brings us to an even 50. Le sigh.
May 21 - 08:47 PM
Ben Wu
Hint: try clicking "Next Page."
May 22 - 06:45 AM
Freddy Huntsman
306548
tempest3991 writes:
on May 16 2008 07:51 PM
If your gonna make a top ten list you should probably have 10 items in it. Just a hint.
There are pages 1 2 3, meaning different movies on each page. Try looking around a bit, r-tard. "Just a hint."
May 22 - 06:52 AM
Dan Goldman
If you're going to make a wiseass comment, you should first learn what the "next page" button means. Just a hint.
May 22 - 12:14 PM
Walter Foddis
Umm...this only page 1? (Click on Next Page and learn to navigate web pages)
May 22 - 05:55 PM
Andrew Brown
AND, tempest3991, if you're going to READ a top ten list, you should probably learn to use the "next page" button. Dumbass.
May 22 - 07:06 PM
Michael Severance
Hey Tempest3991 there is 10 items u should check that there are more than one page just a hint
May 23 - 12:07 AM
macha beez
wanna say something smart tempest3991, next time check the links first...
May 23 - 07:30 AM
Jesus Montoya
Um, dhu!! dude!
May 23 - 10:41 AM
Jesus Montoya
Um, dhu!! dude!
May 23 - 10:43 AM
Jesus Montoya
Um, dhu!! dude!
May 23 - 10:52 AM
Chris McManaway
There is ten in the list... Did you notice the little numbers down the bottom that indicate there are multiple pages in this entry? A little hint; try clicking on those numbers to see more entries.
May 25 - 01:22 AM
JON RANDALL
if you are going to say something "smart", you should try clicking on the other pages to SEE all 10 movies on the list. just a hint.
May 27 - 02:44 AM
Joshua Dinsmore
Don't listen to these people tempest3991, even though they are right. The fact of the matter is that you made a mistake, but there's nothing you can do about it. Forgive and forget, ladies and gentleman.
Dec 29 - 01:55 AM
Joshua Dinsmore
If Spielberg isn't the best film director that ever lived (which is quite possible), then he sure is one of the best. I like most of his films and have seen all of them. Im just glad that he's still making them, and I hope he never stops (or at least continues until he can't do his job). Great list overall.
Dec 29 - 02:00 AM
Jeremy Leung
lol tempest, so temped
Jan 8 - 04:10 AM