History of Stephen Spielberg
by bigplatts | created - 29 May 2011 | updated - 29 May 2011 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Duel (1971 TV Movie)
PG | 90 min | Action, Thriller
A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell
Votes: 78,023
Spielberg's directional debut was this made for tv suspense thriller about a man hunted by a man in a tanker truck in he middle of nowhere.
2. The Sugarland Express (1974)
PG | 110 min | Crime, Drama
A woman attempts to reunite her family by helping her husband escape prison and together kidnapping their son. But things don't go as planned when they are forced to take a police hostage on the road.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, Michael Sacks, William Atherton
Votes: 19,016 | Gross: $7.50M
His first movie to make it to the theaters. The sugarland express is a drama about a couple trying to evade the law. Although not as good as his later work, its still a decently entertaining true story.
3. Jaws (1975)
PG | 124 min | Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary
Votes: 656,934 | Gross: $260.00M
The movie that made him popular: jaws' story of a killer shark on the loose became the highest grossing movie of all time on release and invented the summer blockbuster.
4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon
Votes: 216,084 | Gross: $132.09M
Spielberg's creative sci-fi classic: close encounters is often thought of as one of the most influential sci-fi films of all time. Its about the story of a man who has an encounter with a UFO and the governments involvement.
5. 1941 (1979)
PG | 118 min | Action, Comedy, War
Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Treat Williams, Nancy Allen
Votes: 36,147 | Gross: $31.76M
1941 was a huge failure for Spielberg, as it was a comedy about world war 2 although the film is usually considered spielberg's worst.
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure
In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies
Votes: 1,034,069 | Gross: $248.16M
The first part in the blockbuster Indiana Jones series, raiders is filled with classic moments, excellent action sequences and a great lead performance from Harrison Ford. It tells the tale of an adventure hunting treasure in the desert.
7. E.T. (1982)
PG | 115 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace
Votes: 436,080 | Gross: $435.11M
ET once again broke records and became the highest grossing movie ever at the time, but it was also a great family movie and a classic movie experience about a boy who befriends an alien thats trying to make its way home.
8. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure
In 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri
Votes: 533,866 | Gross: $179.87M
The dark act of the Indiana Jones series, and my personal favorite. This installment saw indy and friends accidentally flown off to another country where they must try to save the people of the nearby village. Another great adventure filled with tons of action and comedy.
9. The Color Purple (1985)
PG-13 | 154 min | Drama
A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery
Votes: 96,922 | Gross: $98.47M
Spielberg's first attempt at serious filmmaking, the color purple is about the struggles of African-Americans during the early 1900s. Although its not his best film, its still a well made, and at times touching drama.
10. Empire of the Sun (1987)
PG | 153 min | Drama, War
A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers
Votes: 133,938 | Gross: $22.24M
Empire stars a young Christian Bale as a boy caught up in the chaos of world war 2. Its by far Spielberg's most underrated film, and features a brilliant performance from its young lead star.
11. Always (1989)
PG | 122 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
The spirit of a recently deceased expert pilot mentors a newer pilot while watching him fall in love with the girlfriend that he left behind.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, Brad Johnson, John Goodman
Votes: 32,717 | Gross: $43.86M
This is my least favorite Spielberg film overall. Its a remake of a 40s film about a dead pilot, who's is placed into another pilot. The film is pretty boring, but luckily that same year Spielberg also directed...
12. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure
In 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott
Votes: 808,619 | Gross: $197.17M
Another great title in the Indiana Jones series, this one follows indy teaming up with his dad (played by Sean Connery) in a fight against the nazis. It's not my favourite installment but its still alot of fun and both Ford and Connery give great performances.
13. Hook (1991)
PG | 142 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When Captain James Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins
Votes: 272,461 | Gross: $119.65M
Hook acts as a sequel to the original Peter Pan adventures, and stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Gwyneth Paltrow in one of her earliest roles. Although I don't think this is that good of a movie now, I used to love it when I was a kid. Its a great childrens movie.
14. Jurassic Park (1993)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough
Votes: 1,062,524 | Gross: $402.45M
Spielberg went back to his blockbuster routes with JP. The movie once again took the crown as the highest grossing movie of all time. The movie itself follows the story of a theme parks with real dinosaurs, but things predictably go horribly wrong. The a good movie but lacks alot of depth.
15. Schindler's List (1993)
R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 1,444,541 | Gross: $96.90M
Spielberg finally proved he could make a serious films with schidler's list. It tells the true life story of Oskar Schindler who saved the lives of hundreds of Jews during World War 2. Its my personal favorite Spielberg movie and is usually ranked among the greatest movies of all time.
16. Amistad (1997)
R | 155 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman
Votes: 82,529 | Gross: $44.18M
It tells the true story of a mutiny abroad a slave carrying ship during the 1800s. Although the movie isn't that great it does feature some strong performances from a big cast that includes Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins.
17. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
PG-13 | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there, while an InGen team approaches with another agenda.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Vince Vaughn
Votes: 442,587 | Gross: $229.09M
Spielberg's highly inferior sequel to his brilliant blockbuster original. The lost world follows Jeff Goldblum's character from the original, with some of the story set in normal city streets as the dinosaurs are taken to civilization. A mostly enjoyable and shallow sequel.
18. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
R | 169 min | Drama, War
Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
Votes: 1,490,975 | Gross: $216.54M
Another WWII hit, this time following the story of a marine (Tom Hanks) who is sent to find and bring back soldier James Ryan (Matt Damon). Its a very enjoyable and action packed take on World war 2, and a very different experience from Spielberg's earlier Schidler's List.
19. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
PG-13 | 146 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards
Votes: 322,278 | Gross: $78.62M
This unfinished project from Stanley Kubrick that Spielberg completed is a sci-fi story about a boy who is a robot, who is abandoned by his mother. The story is decently put together and Haley Joel Osment gives a great lead performance but overall the film feels a bit light, as it doesn't really go far into the themes it ponders.
20. Minority Report (2002)
PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
John works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow
Votes: 582,713 | Gross: $132.07M
A sci-fi story about a detective (Tom Cruise) who is hunted by the police for a crime he's yet to commit. Some sections are a little boring but the films as a whole is a very enjoyable, and hugely creative look at the future. With a great supporting role from Colin Farrell.
21. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
PG-13 | 141 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Barely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen
Votes: 1,089,554 | Gross: $164.62M
Catch me if you can stars Leonardo DiCaprio as real life con-man Frank Abagnale Jr and Tom Hanks as the cop chasing him. Its a excellent film with a very light hearted tone. Its another one of my personal favorites and a great true story.
22. The Terminal (2004)
PG-13 | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chi McBride, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 493,652 | Gross: $77.87M
Tells the story of Tom Hanks, who gets stuck in an airport terminal. But apart from a great leading performance form Hanks, the films doesn't really go anywhere and is one of Spielbergs weaker outing.
23. Munich (2005)
R | 164 min | Action, Drama, History
After the Black September capture and massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, five men are chosen to eliminate the people responsible for that fateful day.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Marie-Josée Croze, Ciarán Hinds
Votes: 237,777 | Gross: $47.40M
Munich follows the story of the killings at the 1972 Olympics and the governments reactions to it. The film mainly feels like Spielberg's bit off more than he can chew, but some bits are very interesting and Eric Bana does well in the lead role.
24. War of the Worlds (2005)
PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto
Votes: 473,801 | Gross: $234.28M
A remake of the 1953 film, WOTW is about an alien invasion and follows Tom Cruise as he tries to keep his family alive. It has all the great special effects and imaginative sci-fi feel of Spielberg's earlier work but also has a more realistic, darker side to it aswell. One of Spielberg's best blockbuster films, its very enjoyable and also has a great performance from young star Dakota Fanning.
25. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure
Indiana Jones becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen
Votes: 490,279 | Gross: $317.10M
Although this is usually criticized as the weakest part of the series, this fourth indy adventure is a actually enjoyable in alot of ways. I will admit it does drag on in alot of places but its still a good movie, killed only by the massive hype there was for the movie before release.
26. War Horse (2011)
PG-13 | 146 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young farm boy enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. His hopeful journey takes him out of England and onto the front lines as the war rages on.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch
Votes: 165,262 | Gross: $79.88M
UPCOMING: The movie will be a kids film, about the story of a horse which is taken into World War 2, and the its owner who goes into battle to try and find it.
27. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
PG | 107 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg
Votes: 242,645 | Gross: $77.59M
UPCOMING: An animated adventure based on the old kids TV show. Confirmed cast members include Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Daniel Craig
28. Lincoln (2012)
PG-13 | 150 min | Biography, Drama, History
As the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Votes: 272,077 | Gross: $182.21M
UPCOMING: it will be a biopic of Abraham Lincoln, although not much is know about this, its been confirmed Daniel Day-Lewis will play the title role.
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