Ranking the Films of Steven Spielberg

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Recently, Vulture ranked all 28 of Steven Spielberg's films. As bloggers Will Leitch and Tim Grierson wrote: "Spielberg doesn't always receive his due, dismissed in some quarters as merely a 'commercial' moviemaker who lacks the soul of a true artist." 

The article did get me thinking, though: How would I rank Spielberg's films? So much of his filmography helped peak my interest in the cinema when I was a child. I still regard Jurassic Park as the best experience I've ever had in a theatre. I can still remember feeling my heart in my throat. Combine Jurassic Park with my  love for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Hook and E.T. and Spielberg was easily the most influential film figure in my younger years. In my eyes, no made better movies. For those seeking both pure adrenaline and loveable characters, Spielberg is where you'd look.

Granted, Spielberg has had his fair share of cinematic misfires, but there's no denying his ability to inspire new generations of filmmakers with his stylistic flair and ability to effortlessly take on any genre or subject.

While I haven't seen everything in his oeuvre, here is how I'd rank the Spielberg films that I have seen:

20) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
19) The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
18) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
17) A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
16) The Terminal (2004)
15) The Color Purple (1985)
14) Saving Private Ryan (1998)
13) Empire of the Sun (1987)
12) War of the Worlds (2005)
11) Catch Me If You Can (2002)
10) Hook (1991)
9) Lincoln (2012)
8) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
7) Schindler's List (1993)
6) Minority Report (2002)
4) E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
3) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
2) Jurassic Park (1993)
1) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Perfection. Pure, unadulterated entertainment where we get to see Spielberg at his finest.

Movie Rant: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

It's hard to believe Raiders of the Lost Ark is celebrating its 30 year anniversary this year. Nevermind the fact that I was still three years away from even being born -- the film is so classic and so timeless that it feels like it very easily could have been made today. With limited use of special effects, it's an action-adventure with a dash of the supernatural.

My parents first showed me this film when I was about six or seven years old. It was pretty much love at first sight -- I even watched the Young Indiana Jones television series just to get my daily Indy fix. I basically wanted to be Indiana Jones (I still do).

At an early age it instilled in me both a love for film and a passion for history (which I wound up majoring in while in university). I continue to watch this film annually with my younger sister -- I can't even venture a guess as to how many millions of times we've watched Raiders over and over again through the years. And each and every time I'm amazed how well it has stood the test of time.

Most film fans have lists and lists of artsy movies they credit as their "all time favourite film." I usually say mine is The Godfather when I'm asked, but if I'm being completely honest, it's probably actually Raiders of the Lost Ark -- or the third film in the original trilogy, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

A few years back I had the opportunity to see Raiders at a screening at a really, really old theatre near Hamilton. It was such a treat to see it on the big screen. You know how people can quote movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show word for word? Well, I can do that with Raiders.

A video has been circulating the Twitterverse of a recent Q&A session Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg held in Los Angeles to celebrate the anniversary. Unfortunately, the videos can't be embedded, but you can listen to some of the audio from the YouTube video below.

I wish I could have been there!

Question: What is your favourite scene from all four of the Indiana Jones films?

30 Day Movie Meme: Day 15

Day 15: FAVOURITE FILM CHARACTER


I love Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Marlon Brando in The Godfather, Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp or Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind.


I also love a lot of characters from recent films that aren't necessarily deemed classics: Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation or Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds.

But, in the end, it all comes back to Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.

There's no way to make this sound cool, so I'm just going to put it out there: I'm an Indy fangirl. Tried and true. What can I say, I'm a sucker for history-loving archaeologists who wear fedoras, carry a whip and can balance his brain with brawn.

Harrison Ford may not be the world's greatest actor. Like Kevin Costner or Bill Paxton, he's one of those regular joe's you love simply for being reliable and likeable.

But, Harrison Ford was born to play Indiana Jones.

At the age of six my parents showed me Raiders of the Lost Ark. The experience pretty much solidified my love of film (yes, at that young an age). It pretty much captured everything a person could want in a film: action, excitement, romance, comedy and a strong script. Unlike your typical, generic action film, Raiders of the Lost Ark (and, later, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) went above and beyond what one might expect in a film of the action genre. I wanted to be Indiana Jones and I actually credit the films with inspiring my love for history.

Under the guidance of director Steven Spielberg, Ford made Indy a brave, loyal and charming protagonist: one of those good guys who is impossible to dislike. Ford's chemistry with co-stars Karen Allen, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliot and John Rhys-Davies makes it all the better.

The trilogy and 2008 sequel was a throwback to the western serials of the 1930s: those weekly adventures that would end on a cliffhanger. Raiders and Crusade are both perfect homages to those films (Temple of Doom and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls to a much lesser extent).

Indiana Jones is everything you could want in an action figure. They just don't make those heroes like they used too.