One of the all-time masters of sci-fi and blockbuster filmmaking at large returns this week, as Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day opens under a fair amount of mystery for a project this large, with Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colman Domingo starring in a nostalgia-heavy adventure picture about a mysterious organization’s cover-up of human contact with extra-terrestrials. Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp penned the script from an original story by Spielberg himself. Early critical response has been generally positive, though it remains to be seen if the picture can recapture anything like the box-office magic of Spielberg in his heyday.
Post-pandemic Spielberg has been an interesting time to say the least; in fact, it’s already starting to feel like a distinct era. West Side Story and The Fabelmans saw no shortage of critical acclaim, with many observers calling both a return to top form. Both films are also remembered as rather infamous commercial failures. The following ranks all three Steven Spielberg movies of this decade so far from worst to best.
3
‘Disclosure Day’ (2026)
In this very modern, often dark and depressing world that we live in, and perhaps especially in a cinema landscape where no-budget indie horrors Backrooms and Obsession are eating Star Wars’ lunch at the box office, there’s something that feels remarkably quaint, perhaps even dated about this earnest throwback. Disclosure Day captures much of the spirit of Spielberg sci-fi classics, but it lacks the bite, innovation and staying power that made films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind or even Minority Report touchstones that never really leave the conversation.
Disclosure Day is a showcase for a sensational, showy central performance from Emily Blunt. Playing a local news anchor who obtains psychic abilities and other enhancements, she’s undeniably captivating. Apart from her, though, none of the characters here are nearly on the level as those in Spielberg’s upper echelon.
The film is low on action, though the two chase set pieces that are there are pretty excellent. Januz Kaminski shot all three movies on this list, and this is the only one where the camerawork draws unnecessary attention to itself at times. Disclosure Day is handsomely crafted, and in many ways refreshing, particularly in its optimism, but it’s not the home-run instant classic some Spielberg diehards might be hoping for.
2
‘West Side Story’ (2021)
Here’s a film that nobody asked for, which ended up defying all expectations. It’s high praise indeed to say Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story is about equally good as Robert Wise’s classic 1961 Hollywood landmark. Both pictures have limited, critical flaws, but are mostly just exhilarating. As in the original film, the lead characters are simply not as interesting as Anita (Oscar-winning Ariana DeBose) or Bruno (David Alvarez). The musical numbers are breathtaking, though, from showstopping centerpiece “America” to the ever-rousing “Tonight (Quintet),” perhaps the most electrifying Broadway musical number ever composed. The best part of this 2021 remake, though, is a total reimagining of “Cool,” which is morphed into a heartbreaking ballet of doomed bromance.
Here’s a film that nobody asked for, which ended up defying all expectations.
There’s a baffling change in the third act, with the pivotal ballad “Somewhere,” typically sung by the young lovers, instead reassigned to a newly made-up character. It’s a choice to have such an important and emotional, climactic track sung by someone with the lung power of a 90-year-old, even if that person is Rita Moreno. It’s just an odd change that frankly stops the movie in its tracks a little bit and mutes its romantic power. Still, this is undeniably one of the best musicals of the 21st century, and a Spielberg triumph.
1
‘The Fabelmans’ (2022)
Even with a master director at the helm, a prestigious loose biopic like The Fabelmans was at risk of coming off as a vanity project, a therapy session, or a mixture of the two. It’s god-tier Spielberg, thanks largely to a script co-written with Tony Kushner, which affectingly creates a sprawling drama relatable to pretty much anyone who’s ever had a family life, full of victories and heartbreaks of various magnitudes.
Michelle Williams justifiably dominated awards conversation around the film, for a performance that could have easily been delivered as shrilly neurotic, but newcomer Gabriel LaBelle was just as good here, playing “Sammy” Fabelman with razor precision while never feeling like an imitation. Above all, The Fabelmans is a love story, about a love between a man and the movies. It belongs on any list of the best movies about making movies, along with the likes of 8 1/2, Singin’ in the Rain and Ed Wood.
It’s only been a few years, but it feels like time will be really kind to The Fabelmans. The final scene, starring David Lynch as a foul-mouthed and oddly helpful John Ford, was a hilarious highlight in 2022. It’s gained a new layer of emotional resonance since the master of surrealism and Americana passed in 2024.
