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The first trailer for Spielberg’s next film, Disclosure Day, has the Internet buzzing, as it already looks like an all-timer with a unique story and standout performances. However, it’s going to be hard for it to reach the mountaintop because of all of the competition standing in its way. Here are Spielberg’s seven best sci-fi movies, ranked.
7) Ready Player One
Adapting a book that many people considered unadaptable is what Spielberg lives for. With Ready Player One, he brings Ernest Cline’s virtual world to life with ease while providing social commentary about how willing the rich are to take from the poor. The movie also serves as a love letter to cinema as a whole, featuring cameos from the DeLorean, King Kong, and the Iron Giant, among others. It’s a bit of a toss-up between Ready Player One and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for the last spot on this list, but the former wins out because of its great action and heart.
6) War of the Worlds
With War of the Worlds, Spielberg tackled a story that had been on the big screen before. Rather than cover familiar territory, he decided to switch things up, and that worked in the movie’s favor. War of the Worlds is a film about family, with Ray Ferrier doing everything he can to keep his family safe, including discouraging his son from joining the fight against the aliens. By surviving an alien invasion, the Ferriers grow closer than ever before and become part of a much brighter future. There’s nothing more human than that.
5) Minority Report
Tom Cruise and sci-fi are a match made in heaven. Spielberg decided to capitalize on that combination by casting Cruise in his adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1956 novella “The Minority Report.” All the action involves the precogs, people who see glimpses of the future and can therefore identify potential criminals. Minority Report is as relevant today as when it came out because it touches on the power the government holds over its citizens and the dangers technology can pose.
4) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The 1980s produced enough great movies to float a battleship. However, it’s hard to top E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a film that explains that friendship trumps all, even in the face of insurmountable odds. Beyond an absolutely stellar story, E.T. also gets credit for its incredible visuals for its time. The titular alien really feels alive as he travels with Elliot and Co., showing them how magical the galaxy really is. E.T. is Spielberg at his best, so he must reach another gear with the final three entries on this list.
