Ranking Steven Spielberg’s Movies from the Last Twenty-Five Years |

Ranking Steven Spielberg’s Movies from the Last Twenty-Five Years

I recently watched Disclosure Day and wanted to show you how I believe it ranks next to his other films of the 21st Century.

Here we go, in ascending order. Following the list, look for a few thoughts by yours truly, because hey — that’s what I do.

TSJ’s Ranking

15. A.I. Artificial Intelligence

14. West Side Story

13. Lincoln

12. The Post

11. War Horse

10. The Fabelmans

9. Disclosure Day

8. The Terminal

7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

6. Bridge of Spies

5. Ready Player One

4. Minority Report

3. War of the Worlds

2. Catch Me If You Can

1. Munich

My preferred genres are Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror, Mystery, and Suspense, so it’s no surprise why I placed West Side Story where I did. Munich, a true-life suspense thriller about an Israel hit squad targeting the architects of the 1972 Olympic terror attack, was tense and effectively showed the effects of the response on both the members of the team as well as the impact on their enemies. It brilliantly showed the shades of grey in the story, and for me, that movie is Spielberg’s best in the last twenty-five years.

Catch Me If You Can, although not in my preferred genres, features tour de force performances by both Hanks and DiCaprio. The latter, in fact, was born to play that role. What a film. It’s funny, interesting, suspenseful, and the fact that the events truly happened is utterly fascinating.

The next three in my list are all in my wheelhouse: War of the Worlds is pure alien invasion excitement; Minority Report is futuristic with suspenseful adventure and action, and Ready Player One capitalized on my nostalgia for the 1980s, when I was a teen.

Bridge of Spies is another Tom Hanks acting masterclass — and an interesting story from the Cold War — and Crystal Skull is another nostalgic film that, although it missed the mark, was a fun adventure with some familiar faces.

The Terminal is a fun film, a great story, and Tom Hanks elevates every film he’s in.

Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, John Carpenter, James Cameron, and Ridley Scott are directors who helped define my generation and inspired countless other creative forces. It’s why I write about them frequently here at Life After Gateway.

The above list is strictly my opinion, of course. Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments below. (Comments are moderated.)

Please note, I have not seen the following Spielberg films that he directed this century, so I was not able to add them to my ranking: The BFG, The Adventures of Tintin.

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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 13 July 2026

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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007