Every Steven Spielberg Sci-Fi Movie, Ranked According to IMDb
Steven Spielberg has explored the far edges of imagination like few filmmakers ever have. From benevolent visitors to bioengineered beasts, his science-fiction work blends awe, terror, and wonder with unmatched technical craft. Limiting this list to films he directed that feature clear sci-fi elements (yes, that includes a certain fedora-wearing archaeologist’s extraterrestrial detour), here’s how his genre outings stack up by IMDb score.
The Ranking
9. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) — IMDb: 6.2
Indy trades ancient mysticism for otherworldly mysteries in a Cold War yarn that fuses pulp adventure with sci-fi lore. Telepathy, artifacts of alien origin, and a Peru-set race against Soviet agents push the franchise into new territory. While divisive in tone, its final-act reveal cements it as Spielberg’s most overtly sci-fi Indy chapter.
8. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) — IMDb: 6.6
Four years after the original, the sequel widens the dino-scope to a breeding island and a corporate plan to commodify creatures that should’ve stayed extinct. The human drama is leaner, the spectacle bigger, and the message crystal clear: nature doesn’t care about your business plan. A thunderous San Diego set piece remains a crowd-pleaser.
7. War of the Worlds (2005) — IMDb: 6.6
Spielberg reimagines H. G. Wells through a ground-level survival lens, following a fractured family as towering tripods pulverize modern suburbia. Panic, ash, and disorienting sound design create a relentless sense of dread. Less a battlefield epic than a sprint through apocalypse, it’s an intimate disaster film with extraterrestrial terror as the catalyst.
6. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) — IMDb: 7.2
Part fairy tale, part techno-fable, this odyssey follows David, a childlike android programmed to love, on his search for belonging in a world that fears him. The film’s chilly futurism is softened by raw emotion and moral ambiguity, probing what it means to be “real” with haunting tenderness. Decades later, its questions feel startlingly current.
5. Ready Player One (2018) — IMDb: 7.4
In a 2045 where reality crumbles and the OASIS VR platform reigns, a high-stakes Easter egg hunt becomes a battle for digital freedom. Spielberg fuses breathless set pieces with a treasure trove of pop-culture nods, crafting a cautionary thrill ride about escapism, ownership, and identity. For gamers and VR enthusiasts, it’s catnip with a conscience.
4. Minority Report (2002) — IMDb: 7.6
PreCrime prevents murders before they happen—until its top cop is accused of one he hasn’t committed yet. This sleek neo-noir interrogates free will, predictive surveillance, and the price of “perfect” safety. Clinical futurism, tactile tech, and a propulsive man-on-the-run narrative make it one of the sharpest sci-fi thrillers of the century.
3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) — IMDb: 7.6
Wonder, not warfare, drives Spielberg’s formative alien encounter story. Ordinary people are drawn—obsessively, mysteriously—toward a cosmic rendezvous that reframes the unknown as a source of hope. Its luminous finale, sound-as-language motif, and gentle humanism established a template for optimistic sci-fi that still glows.
2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) — IMDb: 7.9
A lonely boy, a stranded visitor, and a friendship that makes the stars feel close. Equal parts magical and intimate, this is sci-fi seen through the eyes of childhood—curiosity, mischief, and the ache of letting go. John Williams’ soaring score and the iconic moonlit bicycle flight etched themselves into cinematic memory forever.
1. Jurassic Park (1993) — IMDb: 8.2
Welcome to the theme park that redefined summer spectacle and visual effects. Genetic resurrection collides with hubris as fences fail, systems crash, and nature reclaims control. Practical wizardry and groundbreaking CGI sell the impossible with tactile realism, while a perfect ensemble and a rapturous score turn terror into awe. It’s not just a high watermark for Spielberg’s sci-fi—it’s a landmark for cinema itself.
Final Thoughts
Across these nine films, Spielberg toggles between cautionary tales and wide-eyed optimism, always pairing technical innovation with emotional clarity. Whether charting the moral minefields of predictive tech, the ethics of creation, or the profound possibility of meeting the unknown, his science fiction reminds us that big ideas land hardest when told through human hearts.
