Steven Spielberg’s 3 Most Underrated Movies, Ranked

The film industry is full of celebrated directors who have made history over the years, and Steven Spielberg is easily one of the most iconic. But his career also comes with a curious side effect: when a name is tied to massive productions like Jurassic Park, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan, anything that doesn’t turn into a cultural phenomenon can end up feeling smaller by comparison. As a result, some of his movies have been overlooked or dismissed as minor detours, even when they feature genuinely interesting creative choices (and risks Spielberg rarely takes in his biggest hits). These may not be the projects that dominated pop culture, but they say a lot about the filmmaker beyond his reputation as Hollywood’s ultimate blockbuster director.

And what’s interesting is that these lesser-known films are often the ones that stray furthest from what audiences expect from a “Spielberg movie.” They’re stranger, more restrained, or simply less interested in pleasing everyone — but that’s exactly why they work. Below, we’re ranking the 3 most underrated Steven Spielberg movies of all time.

3) The Sugarland Express

It’s easy to see why The Sugarland Express is often overlooked (and why so few people even know it exists) when talking about the director’s filmography. It came out before he became Spielberg in the full commercial and cultural sense of the name. Still, writing the film off as nothing more than a rough draft of what came later is unfair. Even here, you can already see a filmmaker who’s completely comfortable with movement, chase sequences, and building tension, even on a limited budget. The issue is that, among his three most underrated movies, this is the one still searching for its tone: it jumps between drama, social commentary, and an occasionally awkward sense of humor, which keeps it from feeling fully consistent from start to finish.

The story follows Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Clovis (William Atherton), a couple on the run who kidnap a police officer and drive across Texas in a desperate attempt to get their son back from the system, as the chase turns into a full-blown media spectacle. And that’s where the film really shines: the way the public starts rooting for the criminals and treating the situation like entertainment says a lot about the relationship between crime, media, and public fascination. Even as the weakest entry on this ranking, The Sugarland Express is underrated because it shows a more curious, rough-edged Spielberg — one who’s less interested in pleasing everyone, and who rarely had the freedom to explore that side once he became one of Hollywood’s biggest names.

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2) A.I. Artificial Intelligence

A.I. Artificial Intelligence continues to divide opinions, and that’s exactly why it’s on this list. A lot of people never quite knew how to react to it because it’s not a “cool” sci-fi film, nor is it a comfortable emotional drama. It’s a strange, melancholic movie, and at times, deliberately unsettling. Spielberg isn’t here to spoon-feed answers, and that turned off a lot of audiences at the time. But looking back, it’s clear that this resistance says more about people’s expectations than any actual flaws in the movie, which is exactly why it’s so underrated.

The story follows David (Haley Joel Osment), a childlike robot programmed to love, who is abandoned by his human family and spends the film trying to prove he deserves that love. Yes, it’s a premise that could easily turn into something manipulative, but A.I. Artificial Intelligence goes in the opposite direction: it exposes human selfishness and treats love as something that’s often cruel and one-sided. The production has also aged better than many expected, especially with its exploration of AI and emotional projection. It’s far from perfect, but its ambition, weirdness, and thematic boldness put it ahead of many safer choices in Spielberg’s career.

1) Empire of the Sun

The classic movie everyone respects but no one talks about — and that’s strange, considering how strong it really is. Empire of the Sun suffered because it’s not a blockbuster like Spielberg’s most famous and popular works, and it’s also not a traditional war drama, which naturally caused it to slip through the cracks of his filmography. Here, he trades the obvious sentimentality for a more observational approach, letting the emotional impact come from the situations themselves rather than speeches or forced scenes. By far, it’s one of the director’s most restrained and mature works, and for anyone who truly appreciates his style, it’s almost mandatory viewing.

The film follows Jim (Christian Bale), a young British boy separated from his parents during the Japanese occupation in World War II, forced to survive on his own in a world that becomes senseless. The story’s real strength lies in showing the war through the lens of someone too young to understand it but old enough to feel its full effects. Bale is exceptional, carrying the story with a standout performance, while Spielberg focuses on crafting a character arc that never feels artificial. In the end, Empire of the Sun is the most underrated film in the filmmaker’s career, largely because it doesn’t fit the image most people have of him (but maybe that’s exactly why it’s one of his best).

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