Very few directors in the history of cinema boast a filmography as impressive as Steven Spielberg's from the 1970s to the 1990s. While his 20th-century work is nearly impeccable, his 21st-century films haven't always reached the same heights.
However, for every underwhelming movie that failed to meet high expectations, there's a gem that's on par with Spielberg's 20th-century films. Here are all 14 of the films Spielberg directed after 2000 ranked, according to the average of critics' scores from review aggregators Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.
The Terminal - Average Score: 58
After directing a series of big-budget spectacles, Spielberg decided to take a less-is-more approach in 2004 with The Terminal. The plot is based on the true story of an Eastern-European tourist played by Tom Hanks who's stuck at JFK International Airport because a war broke out in his country. The Terminal barely gets a fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes with 61% and has a score of 55 on Metacritic. Andrew Sarris of Observer wrote, "The concept was there; the production abilities were there. It's the execution that falls apart."
Ready Player One - Average Score: 68
Spielberg's most recent film, Ready Player One (until the release of West Side Story in 2021), was one of the more anticipated movies of 2018. An adaptation of the novel by Ernest Cline, the film takes place in a dystopian future where a young man named Wade Watts goes through an incredible adventure in a virtual-reality program called OASIS, which features multiple pop-culture icons. Despite not being as critically adored as many of Spielberg's other films, critics gave Ready Player One solid reviews, with The Guardian's Simran Hans saying, "hardly Spielberg's most creative work -- but... it does speak to the joyful, unapologetic classicism of his film-making style."
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence - Average Score: 69.5
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence's legacy is more about what could have been than the final product. Stanley Kubrick owned the film rights t0 the short story that inspired A.I., but CGI wasn't advanced enough to make film, so he eventually passed the rights on to Spielberg. The film received generally good reviews, but critics like Peter Rainer of New York Magazine pointed out, "Temperamentally, Spielberg and Kubrick are such polar opposites that A.I. has the moment-to-moment effect of being completely at odds with itself."
The BFG - Average Score: 70
The first live-action adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's novel sadly underwhelmed at the box office, grossing only $55 million domestically. Only 57% of audience reviewers approved of The BFG on Rotten Tomatoes, but it fared better with critics, earning a 74% Tomatometer and a rating of 66 on Metacritic. Reviewers appreciated the stunning visuals and Mark Rylance's performance as the giant, but the Chicago Reader's Dmitry Samarov sums up critics' evaluations best by writing, "no amount of money or technical trickery can make up for a story lacking any dramatic tension or a sympathetic protagonist."
The Adventures of Tintin - Average Score: 71
The first 3D-animated film of Spielberg's career is based on the famous 1930s comic adventures of Tintin and was made in collaboration with producer Peter Jackson with a screenplay written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. Critics liked it, but not as much as one would expect with all of that talent behind the project. David Edelstein of New York Magazine wrote, "There are so many variables moving fast that it's a wonder Spielberg didn't have someone onboard from Princeton's department of Higher Math to help keep track. But his crack team here is enough."
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Average Score: 71.5
It's surprising to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the middle instead of the bottom of this list because most Spielberg and Indiana Jones fans would consider this his worst movie of the 21st century. Critics, however, were much nicer to the fourth -- and first in nearly two decades -- Indiana Jones film; it received a 78% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 65 on Metacritic. Audiences were less forgiving of ridiculous moments like Indy surviving a nuclear blast by hiding in a refrigerator. On Rotten Tomatoes, only 54% approved of the film out of 1.3 million reviews.
War Horse - Average Score: 73.5
Very few filmmakers are as good at making war movies as Spielberg, and in 2011 he made War Horse, his first film about World War I. While the plot -- about a beloved horse surviving the grueling battles of the Great War -- is simple, the gorgeous cinematography and production design were impressive enough to earn six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. James Bramble of Little White Lies called it "Heavy-handed melodrama with flashes of brilliance."
War of the Worlds - Average Score: 74
Spielberg's 2005 reimagining of War of the Worlds was only the second feature-film adaptation of the H.G. Wells' novel made famous by Orson Welles' 1938 radio drama. Unlike its futuristic predecessors, this Tom Cruise-led film has shades of post-9/11 fear and paranoia. Critics liked it enough for it to earn a ranking in the 70s on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, but audiences disagreed, with only 42% of 32 million reviews rating the film positively.
Munich - Average Score: 76
Perhaps Spielberg's most underrated film after 2000, Munich dramatizes the Israeli government's retaliation for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and their coach during the infamous 1972 Olympics in Munich. Both critics and fans loved this intense thriller, which earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Seattle Times reviewer Moira MacDonald made an interesting point, observing, "It's a smart, mesmerizing and often angry film from a truly confident filmmaker, but it remains, maddeningly, just beyond our grasp."
Minority Report - Average Score: 85
Tom Cruise's first collaboration with Spielberg was Minority Report, where he played the lead detective in a world where police capture criminals before they commit a crime. Samantha Morton gives a terrific performance as Agatha, the "precog" who receives visions of the future. Critics praised Spielberg's vision of Phillip K. Dick's story, with Roger Ebert calling it "such a virtuoso high-wire act, daring so much, achieving it with such grace and skill."
The Post - Average Score: 85.5
Both Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep have consistently been two of the top movie actors for decades, so it's surprising that it wasn't until 2017's The Post that they finally worked together. Streep plays the publisher of the Washington Post and Hanks is its lead editor who is working to expose a massive cover-up by the U.S. government. The timing of The Post's release along with the names behind the project made it an instant critical darling, earning an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 83 on Metacritic.
Bridge of Spies - Average Score: 85.5
Tom Hanks has proven to be Spielberg's most reliable lead actor over the past two decades, and in Bridge of Spies, he plays a lawyer who negotiates the release of a U.S. pilot who shot down a U-2 spy plane. Critics gave the Cold War thriller high praise, and the film went on to earn six Oscar nominations, with Mark Rylance's performance as a Russian spy winning a Best Supporting Actor Award.
Catch Me if You Can - Average Score: 85.5
If there's one post-2000 Spielberg movie that his fans would rank among his best in general, it's Catch Me if You Can. The film is a stylish depiction of real-life con artist Frank Abagnale Jr., played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his unlikely father-son relationship with the FBI agent trying to catch him, played by Tom Hanks. Both critics and audiences universally adore Catch Me; it has a Tomatometer of 96% and an audience score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a Metacritic score of 75.
Lincoln - Average Score: 87.5
A Steven Spielberg historical drama about America's greatest president as played by Daniel Day-Lewis; when hearing that description of Lincoln, critics were probably eager to give the movie high praise before even seeing it. While some may argue it's not his most enjoyable film, it's easy to see why Lincoln is the most critically praised, with an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 86 of Metacritc. Nigel Andrews of the Financial Times wrote, "By stepping into history without fear, favor or any overfamiliar biopic folly, Lincoln, handsome, often thrilling, and movingly human, goes into history as a major movie achievement."