Before I started doing this blog post, I had no idea how many popular movies were done by Steven Spielberg. No wonder he’s so famous. We picked out all his “clean” movies and then came up with these rankings so you can see which the best ones are.
Here’s our summary video of this post:
#20 – Twister
Grade: C+
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This movie scared me as a child and made me worried this would happen to me and my family. So I would not recommend for younger children. This film is so real and captures things that happen during a twister so well. It is interesting to watch them try to improve the technology so that people can be better informed.
Summary – A house rips apart piece by piece. A bellowing cow spins through the air. Tractors fall like rain. A 15,000-pound gasoline tanker becomes and airborne bomb. A mile-wide, 300 miles-per-hour force of total destruction is coming at you: Twister is hitting home. In this adventure swirling with cliffhanging excitement and awesome special effects, Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton play scientists pursuing the most destructive weatherfront to sweap through mid-America’s Tornado Alley in 50 years. By launching electronic sensors into the funnel, the storm chasers hope to obtain enough data to create and improved warning system. But to do so, they must intercept the twisters’ deadly path. The chase is on!
#19 – Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Grade: C+
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – I have seen this movie many times as a child and thought it was great. I found it to be funny and entertaining for the kids to try to get their parents attention when they are so small. I also like the message that came with it that children and parents both should appreciate each other cause you never know when something life changing will occur.
Summary – Rick Moranis stars as a preoccupied inventor who just can’t seem to get his electro-magnetic shrinking machine to work. Then, when he accidentally shrinks his kids down to one-quarter-inch tall and tosses them out in the trash, the real adventure begins! Now the kids face incredible dangers as they try to make their way home through the jungle of their own backyard! Hurricane sprinklers! Dive-bombing bees! A runaway lawn mower and much, much more!
#18 – Back to the Future Part ll
Grade: B-
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This is a continuation of the original Back to the Future. They bring in the future and try to fix things to get them back to where they were. Not as good as the first but still pretty great!
Summary – Picking up precisely where they left off, Marty and Doc (Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd) launch themselves to the year 2015 to fine-tune the future and inadvertently disrupt the space time continuum. Now, their only chance to fix the present is by going back to 1955 all over again before it is too late.
#17 – An American Tail
Grade: B-
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This is a cute story and the animation is fairly good. I did get bored at parts of this film.
Summary – Journeying by ship from Russia to turn-of-the-century America, Fievel is lost at sea during a ferocious storm. Washing ashore in New York Harbor, Fievel braves the perils and wonders of a strange new world in a thrilling quest to find his family.
#16 – Back to the Future Part lll
Grade: B
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This conclusion to the trilogy is no less exciting than the others and really captures the intensity it did in the beginning. If you liked the first two films you will like this one.
Summary – Stranded in 1955 after a freak accident, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) discovers he must travel back to 1885 to rescue Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) before he becomes smitten with school teacher Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen). Now, it’s up to Marty to keep Doc out of trouble, get the DeLorean running and put the past, present and future on track so they can all get back to where – and when – they belong.
#15 – War Horse
Grade: B
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – Watching the trailer, my initial thought was the movie was about a bond between a young boy and a horse during a time of war. But it was actually more of a war movie with horses in it. I think this movie is too intense for younger children, but older children and adults will like it. Overall I enjoyed this movie, but it was not favorite.
Summary – Based on the Tony award-winning Broadway play, and set against the sweeping canvas of World War I, this deeply heartfelt story begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and his young trainer Albert. When they’re forced apart by war, we follow Joey’s extraordinary journey as he changes and inspires the lives of everyone he meets.
#14 – The Adventures Of Tintin
Grade: B
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – I haven’t read the books so I didn’t have something to compare the movie to, that being said, I enjoyed it and don’t have criticisms of details not matching up. The animation was done well but I didn’t think the 3D was necessary. Overall, I thought the movie was entertaining and well done.
Summary – From Academy Award® winning filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson comes the epic adventures of Tintin. Racing to uncover the secrets of a sunken ship that may hold a vast fortune, but also an ancient curse, Tintin and his loyal dog Snowy embark on an action-packed journey around the world that critics are calling “fun for the whole family.” ABC-TV (Chicago)
#13 – The Land Before Time
Grade: B
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This is a cute children’s story about dinosaurs and what they must do to survive. It is fun and exciting to watch Littlefoot conquer his territory.
Summary – In a long-ago age of rumbling volcanoes and perilous earthquakes, a young bracheosaurus named Littlefoot suddenly finds himself on his own. Setting out to find the lush feeding grounds of the legendary Great Valley, he meets up with four other young dinosaurs who agree to join his quest. On their daring trek across a landscape filled with excitement and danger, the brave little band encounters hungry predators and daunting challenges as they discover new lessons in life and the importance of teamwork.
#12 – The Goonies
Grade: B
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This is an intriguing film and a great adventure to follow through the path of the lost pirate ship.
Summary – The Goonies plunges a band of small heroes into a swashbuckling, surprise-around-every-corner quest beyond their wildest dreams! Following a mysterious treasure map into a spectacular underground realm of twisting passages, outrageous booby-traps and a long-lost pirate ship full of golden doubloons, the kids race to stay one step ahead of a family of bumbling bad guys… and a mild-mannered monster with a face only a mother could love.
#11 – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Grade: B
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – Once again Indiana Jones is a classic and is a very good series. That is why it made it on our list multiple times!
Summary – Indy (Harrison Ford), his sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), and nightclub singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) go from high-flying action above the Himalayas to a nail-biting runaway mine car chase and finally a spine-tingling escape from a fortress-like mine in India.
#10 – Jurassic Park
Grade: B+
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This movie is epic. The dinosaurs are so realistic and carry true character. You feel for the people in the film. I recommend this movie to everyone but don’t think it is good for young children. It is so realistic it can be frightening!
Summary – Jurassic Park takes you to a remote island where an amazing theme park with living dinosaurs is about to turn deadly, as five people must battle to survive among the prehistoric predators.
#9 – Gremlins
Grade: B+
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – I think this movie is a little bit out there and has a very unique story. It was clever to create this. However, this is actually a surprisingly great seller on our website.
Summary – A man buys a Mogwai as a Christmas present for his son. The young boy is told to keep the pet away from water, out of the light and never to feed it after midnight. Inadvertently, the creature is dampened and almost instantly, produces half a dozen furry replicas of itself –which continue to multiply and turn the small town upside-down.
#8 – Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Grade: B+
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – I personally do not like Roger Rabbit very much because it is not my type of cartoon. When I was younger this was very popular and all of my friends would watch Roger Rabbit.
Summary – It’s 1947 Hollywood and Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) a down-on-his-luck detective, is hired to find proof that Marvin Acme, gag factory mogul and owner of Toontown, is playing hanky-panky with femme fatale Jessica Rabbit, wife of Maroon Cartoon superstar, Roger Rabbit. When Acme is found murdered, all fingers point to Roger, and the sinister, power-hungry Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) is on a mission to bring Roger to justice. Roger begs the Toon-hating Valiant to find the real evildoer and the plot thickens as Eddie uncovers scandal after scandal and realizes the very existence of Toontown is at stake!
#7 – Catch Me If You Can
Grade: A-
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This movie is also based off a true story, which I think is great. It is full of action and adventure. How can you go wrong when you have Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in the same movie? The acting is great and is a brilliant combination. They capture the audience effortlessly!
Summary – An FBI agent (Hanks) tracks down and catches a young con artist (DiCaprio) who successfully impersonated an airline pilot, doctor, assistant attorney general and history professor, cashing more than $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in 26 countries.
#6 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Grade: A-
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – I enjoy all of the Indiana Jones but this was not my favorite. It was way different to me and farther out there but it was still full of action and adventure. Good movie overall!
Summary – Indy’s Nazi enemies are back and have kidnapped his father, Professor Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery), to get help in their search for the Holy Grail. Following a trail from America to Venice to the deserts of the Middle East, it’s up to Indy (Harrison Ford) to save his father, save the Grail and save the day in this non-stop, action-packed adventure the whole family will treasure.
#5 – E.T.
Grade: A-
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This is so good! It is so precious to see this little boy help the lost alien who most people would not help. It is fun to see the relationship that they gain through the process of getting ET home.
Summary – The story of a lost alien, befriended by a young boy who helps him return to his planet.
#4 – Jaws
Grade: A-
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This a classic Spielberg film. It is such a unique story and draws you into the plot making you wonder what is going to come next.
Summary – The peaceful community of Amity island is being terrorized. There is something in the sea that is attacking swimmers. They can no longer enjoy the sea and the sun as they used to, and the spreading fear is affecting the numbers of tourists that are normally attracted to this island. After many attempts the great white shark won’t go away and sheriff Brody, with friends Hooper and Quint decide to go after the shark and kill it.
#3 – The Color Purple
Grade: A
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – This is a touching film that was very well done. Whoopi Goldberg did an excellent job as usual!
Summary – The unforgettable characters of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize novel populate this lyrical cinematic adaptation. At the center is Celie (movie-debuting Whoopi Goldberg), whose search for fulfillment in a world closed to her becomes a triumph of cruelty overcome by love, of pain eclipsed by joy.
#2 – Back to the Future
Grade: A
Mommy Bear’s Opinion - This is one of my family’s all time favorite movies. We would watch it over and over when I was growing up.
Summary – When teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is blasted to 1955 in the DeLorean time machine created by the eccentric Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), he finds himself mixed up in a time-shattering chain reaction that could vaporize his future – and leave him trapped in the past.
#1 – Raiders of the Lost Ark
Grade: A
Mommy Bear’s Opinion – How can you go wrong with Indiana Jones? This segment like all of the others is full of intense action and cliffhangers. This movie will definitely keep you on your toes.
Summary – Indy (Harrison Ford) and his feisty ex-flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) dodge booby-traps, fight Nazis and stare down snakes in their incredible worldwide quest for the mystical Ark of the Covenant. Experience one exciting cliffhanger after another when you discover adventure with the one and only Indiana Jones.
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I love all of the Indiana Jones movies. Thanks for this wonderful review and list!