Posterized: 21st Century Spielberg
Friday, October 16, 2015 at 2:13PM 
Spielberg & his current muse, Tom HanksDepending on whether you count 1971's Duel as Spielberg's debut (it's a TV film but most cinephiles seem to count it where they don't count television features as the debuts of other auteurs) Bridge of Spies, opening today, is Steven Spielberg's 25th or 26th full length feature film. His superstar-making run as an auteur (1975's Jaws through 1985's The Color Purple) is so often discussed and mythologized that for this week's edition of Posterized, let's just look at his output in this new century.
Bridge of Spies, the new cold-war thriller starring Tom Hanks, headlining his 4th Spielberg picture, appears to be divvying people up into two camps from early reviews. Doubters say it's too slow and lacks thrills. Devotees praise it's glorious classical filmmaking. Will there be a Happy Medium crowd that meets in the middle and says, 'a little dull sure but worth it for the glorious classical filmmaking'? We all have time to decide now that the movie's open.
How many of Spielberg's eleven most recent films have you seen?
All the posters and what's next for Spielberg after the jump...
A.I. (2001), MINORITY REPORT (2002), CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (2002)
THE TERMINAL (2004), WAR OF THE WORLDS (2004), MUNICH (2005)
INDIANA JONES 4 (2008), ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (2011), WAR HORSE (2011)
LINCOLN (2012), BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015
What do you make of these 12 pictures besides the floating heads or lonely figures of male protagonists? (Thankfully two of his next three pictures are about women.) How would you rank them?
The great director is 68 years old now but he's still operating at roughly the same pace as always. His next two pictures are the Roald Dahl adaptation THE BFG (it stands for Big Friendly Giant) due in July 2016 which has already filmed and Ready Player One (a sci-fi adventure) which is currently scheduled for Christmas 2017 but who knows, you know? He's also got several undated projects in the work. The most exciting of which, from a change of pace perspective is surely It's What I Do, a war journalist biopic starring Jennifer Lawrence. He's also announced a fifth Indiana Jones but don't hold your breath. They threatened delivering the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a million years before it actually happened and then once it arrived did we really want it, box office gross aside.
With Eastwood and Allen still going strong in their 80s and 2015's story being all about resurgent 70somethings (Hi George Miller & Ridley Scott) we can probably expect a lot more from Spielberg, who is strangely the last man standing from his initial peer group (Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas's huge influence on cinema is something, but they aren't exactly vital filmmakers anymore). What do you hope to see from him in the future?
Reader Comments (36)
One of the two last men standing. Scorsese is ALSO in that peer group, after all.
Duel was released theatrically outside the US.
I hope his biopic with Jennifer Lawrence is recast.
1. A.I.
2. Miniority Report
.
.
.
.
.
everything else is meh.
I know most hated the A.I. ending, but I kind of loved it, it was beautiful. And I still want a teddy of my own :-(
I'm sort of shocked that he has not found a project that he can work with Michelle Pfeiffer on. They are like best friends, always going on vacation together. Some great director needs to build a great project around her, and soon.
I've only seen four of them. I'm not a big fan of Spielberg, though. I find his output to be not particularly emotionally engaging. For me, going to one of his movies is like eating more fibre...it's the right thing to do, albeit not particularly exciting.
Nine so far. I haven't seen "Tintin" and will see "Bridge of Spies."
Favorites from 2001 to present (not counting Bridge of Spies, which I haven't seen):
1) Munich
2) Lincoln
3) Catch Me If You Can
4) Minority Report
5) A.I Artificial Intelligence
6) War of the World
7) Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull
8) Adventures of Tin Tin
9) War Horse
10) The Terminal
The 2001 to 2005 films are such a fascinating outlier - dark, pessimistic, thematically complex - in Spielberg's career. The films from Crystal Skull on are totally consistent with his filmography, but AI to Munich, those are some dark, fucked up movies.
And though I've listed it third here, Catch Me If You Can is one of my very favorite Spielberg films. I think it's one of his most personal, self revealing films.
I've seen every single one of them. I think Munich is the best one among the eleven movies listed above. it's a courageous movie, one of his best (a top 10) and also the best film from 2005, in my opinion. He is such a great filmmaker that even the worst film on this list (The Terminal) doesn't seem that bad. I would rank like this:
1 Munich;
2 Lincoln;
3 A.I. (which I think is one of the most underrated movies ever);
4 Minority Report and Catch-me If You Can (TIE);
5 The Adventures of Tintin;
6 War of the Worlds;
7 War Horse;
8 Indiana Jones 4;
9 The Terminal.
Correction: I haven't seen Bridge of Spies yet.
I'm not much of a Spielberg fan, but Lincoln, for me, is the best film of the last decade from any source, one of my very favorites of all time.
Nate B.: In case you're not aware, ties that aren't at the bottom of a list are actually supposed to jump down two, not one. So a tie for fourth place should jump to six.
A.I. is a great film, possibly the best one that Spielberg has directed since his heyday in the 70s and 80s. Minority Report is a slick science fiction thriller that has a little too much of Spielberg's self-indulgences in it. Catch Me If You Can is a perfectly acceptable (and fun) heist movie that has some great performances in it. The Terminal is a slight misfire of a romantic comedy that feels far older than it actually is. War of the Worlds is a visual spectacle that has none of the strong narrative you'd expect from Spielberg. Munich is a technically proficient but morally somber film with little payoff. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is an abomination to humanity. The Adventures of Tintin is well-made, but sucks a lot of life out of the source material. War Horse is sentimental Spielberg schlock designed to win awards. Lincoln is more of the same, but buoyed by a stronger narrative and a tour de force performance. Bridge of Spies is a serviceable but forgettable cold war drama.
I just keep getting less interested in his work through time. I'm not impressed by the more serious stuff (always too safe and by the book) and the popcorn movies are sloppy at best.
Quality entertainment:
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (2002)
MINORITY REPORT (2002),
Popcorn movies that quite doesn't work:
ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (2011)
A.I. (2001)
WAR OF THE WORLDS (2004)
Unimpressive dramas
MUNICH (2005)
LINCOLN (2012)
WAR HORSE (2011)
Atrocious:
THE TERMINAL (2004)
INDIANA JONES 4 (2008)
My rankings:
1. A.I.
2. Bridge of Spies
3. Lincoln
4. Munich
5. Minority Report
6. Catch Me If You Can
7. The Adventures of Tintin
8. War of the Worlds
9. War Horse
10. The Terminal
11. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Lincoln is one of the best films of the century, let alone Spielberg's best of the century.
Wow, I've only seen 3? Whu? Shame on me, I guess. A.I, War of the Worlds and Lincoln. Although I have absolutely no desire to see War Horse (even though I loved the stage version in London), I can't believe I still haven't seen Minority Report, Catch Me..., or Munich.
War... and Lincoln were both entertaining in their respective ways, but Spielberg's half of A.I. literally put me to sleep.
I guess I'll maybe try to see Bridge? But, per your other post, Nat, there's so many movies coming out at the same time that it might fall through the cracks.
Still hoping for a Streep/ Spielberg collaboration but, as you can see from the male dominated posters, I doubt he will do a movie with a sixty year old woman in the lead.....
I REALLY wanted that Robopocalypse movie. Any other news about upcoming films is disappointing.
In retrospect, that 1-2 punch of AI and Minority Report is very impressive cinema.
Love:
Munich
War of the Worlds
A.I.
Very good:
Catch me if you can
War Horse
Minority Report
Lincoln
Meh
The Terminal
HATE
Tintin
Haven't seen
Indiana Jones
War Horse is like, so terrible. And bland. A great watch if you need help falling asleep.
MUNICH
LINCOLN
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
MINORITY REPORT
TIN TIN (underrated)
A.I. (trying to be Kubrick)
WAR OF THE WORLDS
THE TERMINAL
WAR HORSE (trying to be John Ford)
INDIANA JONES AND THE BRIDGE TOO FAR
Lincoln and esp Sally Field in it,he is great with actresses and has directed quite a few ladies to nominations
Whoopi Goldberg
Sally Field
Melina Dillon
Oprah Winfrey
Margaret Avery
Seen all but Bridge of Spies (I'll have to wait until it hits theaters in Mexico). Spielberg has made some of my all-time favorite films (E.T., Schindler's List...), so his is a filmography I follow closely, even if I don't respond to everything he does.
Out of the 10 I've seen out of this, I would certainly rank Lincoln at the top spot for its rousing theatricality in service of a fascinating portrait of politics that de-mystifies one of the most beloved presidents of all time (making him still into a wholly sympathetic lead character). There are some misfires within the film (that's true in nearly all of his films, particularly his really long ones), but as a whole it's Spielberg's finest achievements this decade. My ranking would probably go:
1. Lincoln
2. Catch Me If You Can (a lot of fun and incredibly human, one of Leo's finest hours)
3. Minority Report (one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time)
4. Munich (Spielberg dealing in moral ambiguity)
5. A.I. (the mix of Spielberg and Kubrick, while not always seamless, is fascinating)
6. War of the Worlds (not great character work, but the atmosphere is terrific)
7. The Adventures of Tintin (works great as action spectacle)
8. The Terminal (a sweet film, quite re-watchable)
9. War Horse (lovely scenery, but it feels devoid of character)
10. Indiana Jones 4 (I think a lot of the criticism is harsh actually, but it's still the one that impressed me the least of these 10)
So, I'm looking forward to Bridge of Spies and I'm wondering what the Coen's input to it will sound like...
You make "Bridge of Spies" sound like it's divisive. Currently it has a 93% on RottenTomatoes with only nine negative reviews out of 129. It's hugely acclaimed, with some calling it Spielberg's best since the 1990s.
Anyway, I haven't seen it yet, but I think Spielberg's 21st century output has been characteristically strong. I haven't disliked any of them, although I haven't seen "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." And "War Horse" and "The Adventures of Tintin" are amazingly underrated.
Lincoln is his masterpiece. The rest, meh.
Seen 'em all except Tintin, War Horse and Bridge of Spies (soon). In order of preference:
1. Minority Report
2. Lincoln
3. Munich
4. A.I.
5. Catch Me If You Can
6. War of the Worlds
7. The Terminal
8. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I've seen them all except BRIDGE OF SPIES, but even though I liked several of them - Lincoln, Catch Me If You Can, Tintin, AI - I can't all that excited any this era.
I was surprised to notice I've seen them all except Indiana Jones (which is to my benefit apparently, since it was universally panned). I will be seeing Bridge of Spies even though the subject matter does nothing for me because I have a soft spot for Tom Hanks.
And I'm not usually contrarian, but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed The Terminal...again, Tom Hanks.
His first three are 100% his best and will still have a loyal base of lovers decades from now. Lincoln and Munich are the very boring but IMPORTANT films that will last despite their quality. All the others have already been forgotten (except for technical aspects such as War of the Worlds damn impressive imagery).
Lincoln
Munich
Catch Me if You Can
Tintin
War of the Worlds
AI
Minority Report
Haven't seen Bridge of Spies, but the less said about the terminal, crystal skull & war horse the better. Despite those three turkeys, that's seven good to great movies in a 15 year period. He might have more WTF lapses than some of the other greats, but Spielberg remains one of my all time desert island directors, with possibly the single most re-watchable filmography of anyone alive or dead.
I haven't been particularly interested in his later stuff. I've only seen two (!) on this list--Minority Report and A.I. I didn't particularly care for either and remember thinking that parts of AI were actively bad. I didn't realize I hadn't seen any of his films since 2002!
My favorite of his will probably always be E.T. There's such a sense of wonder, magic, and imagination in that film, and its portrait of suburban boyhood is so well-drawn.
I DO need to see Lincoln, though--mostly out of curiosity in the Daniel Day Lewis performance.
Other than Bridge Of Spies, which I hope to see this weekend, I've seen everyone of them. Hell, the only one I didn't see in theaters was The Terminal (which I don't regret at all). Loved A.I and really enjoyed Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, War Of The Worlds and Lincoln. Didn't initially like Munich when I saw it in theaters but definitely became a fan after seeing it on HBO a few times. I actually find the first Indiana Jones overrated, so I wasn't crushed by Indy 4 and thought it was just okay. War Horse, Tintin and The Terminal did nothing for me.
Overall, Spielberg's 21st Century work thus far is what made me realize he was one of my favorite filmmakers. However, all the films of his that I really liked these past two decades had third act problems. A.I, Minority Report, Lincoln and Catch Me If You Can squandered great endings for more obvious - or at least prolonged - ones; Munich just went on too long and War Of The World's ending was a major cop out (I don't care if that's how the book ended, everything about that film was pushing it to a much darker ending).
I've seen 7. My fav is AI. Munich is close second and Minory Report third. I also liked War Horse. I knew I was being forced to cry like a baby, but I was totally fine with that.
I'm not a fan of Lincoln. It's bizarre because I love Tony Kushner.
Catch Me If You Can and Lincoln are certainly my favorites.
A.I, Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report should rank among Spielberg's best!
As a fan, I've seen nine (skipped The Terminal), and am planning to see Bridge of Spies soon.
Of the other nine, I am surprisingly "meh" on all of them except for "A.I." (though that's a big shining exception - I think it's one of the best films of his career, controversial ending included!), "Munich," and "Minority Report" (deeply flawed, but realizes its amazingly prescient vision of the future so perfectly it still sticks with me a decade later).
Thought "Lincoln" was stodgy and overrated; "War Horse" emotional cheese balls; "War of the Worlds" had its moments but didn't work overall; "Catch Me if You Can" and "Crystal Skull" (which I do think gets a little unfairly maligned) just ok; and "Adventures of Tintin" forgettable except for the still-vaguely-creepy motion capture animation.
1. Minority Report
2. War of the Worlds (I've seen it again for the first time since I'm a dad & I can't believe how dark it is.)
3. A.I.
4. Catch Me If You Can
5. The Adventures of Tintin
6. Munich
7. Lincoln (I wanted to learn more about US politics)
8. The Terminal (sweet but forgettable)
9. Indiana Jones 4 (and there will be Indy 5? Come on. It's time for new heroes.)
Not seen: War Horse. Bridge of Spies is released in France in December.