Steven Spielberg's Worst Sci-fi Movie, According To Letterboxd

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If one were to make a Mount Rushmore of movie directors, it's a foregone conclusion that Steven Spielberg would make the cut. He's a name that even the most casual fans of cinema recognize, and with good reason. From "Jaws" to "West Side Story" and everything in between, he's been doing it at a very high level for decades now. More than anything else, though, audiences generally love it when Spielberg dabbles with science fiction.

To that end, all of Spielberg's biggest box office hits have one thing in common: they are all sci-fi movies. Naturally, the first things that come to mind when people think of Spielberg and sci-fi are all-time classics like "Jurassic Park" and "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial." Heck, if one were to make a list of the best sci-fi movies of all time, there's a more than decent chance both of those make it into the top 10. But not everything can be a home run.

So, what about Spielberg's attempts at sci-fi that have been slightly less beloved? What do his fans have to say about it? If user reviews on Letterboxd are any indication, two very different movies from very different periods in the filmmaker's career are tied as Spielberg's worst sci-fi movie. Both are likely to inspire a great deal of spirited conversation.

With an average rating of 3.1 each, 1997's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and his most recent effort, the alien thriller "Disclosure Day," both sit at the bottom of the list. For what it's worth, "Jurassic Park," widely regarded as the best "Jurassic" movie, is at the top of the list with an average 4.1 rating, followed closely by "E.T." with 3.8.

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When it comes to "The Lost World," the sequel was always facing an uphill battle. 1993's "Jurassic Park" was a box office hit that changed movies forever. It remains one of the most roundly beloved blockbusters ever made. All of the sequels have had to live in its shadow, but Spielberg only returned to direct one of them.

The sequel picks up four years after the disaster at Jurassic Park, as John Hammond sends a team to the so-called Site B, where dinosaurs have secretly roamed free for several years. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) reluctantly heads to the island to rescue his girlfriend, Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore). Two groups wind up in a race against time with competing interests regarding the dinosaurs, ultimately leading to a T. rex being unleashed on the streets of San Diego.

Even Steven Spielberg has acknowledged what went wrong with "The Lost World." It's not as good as its predecessor. For what it's worth, it holds a 57% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 52% audience score. It's far from universally beloved, but it's also a movie that people of a certain age (myself included) have a fondness for. There's a lot to love in it.

From the T. rexes attacking the RV by the cliff to the "don't go into the long grass" scene with the raptors, there's plenty of Spielberg touches in there, but it also can't hold a candle to some of the director's other entries in the genre. That much is fair to say even for those who enjoy this movie quite a bit.

Universal Pictures

When it comes to "Disclosure Day," things are a little more complicated. This is Steven Spielberg's long-awaited return to a movie with aliens, and while it certainly has its fans, it's proved fairly divisive overall. Then again, it's also pretty new, and it's a little unclear how time will ultimately judge it. Let's not forget that what critics said about "The Shining" in 1980 wasn't very nice, in many cases. That's now a stone-cold classic. There are numerous examples in cinema history of opinions changing regarding certain films.

Spielberg's latest centers on a cybersecurity expert who becomes a whistleblower after uncovering secrets about aliens, putting him on the run from a corporation. At the same time, a meteorologist experiencing strange phenomena joins forces with him to prove there's life beyond Earth. It boasts a star-studded cast led by Josh O'Connor ("Wake Up Dead Man") and Emily Blunt ("Oppenheimer").

Rotten Tomatoes tells a slightly different story with this one, as it carries an 80% critical approval rating and a 70% audience score. Not nearly as bad as "The Lost World," for whatever that may be worth. /Film's Chris Evangelista called Spielberg's emotional sci-fi chase movie "incredibly thrilling" in his review of "Disclosure Day."

At the end of the day, if either of these represents the "worst" of anything for any director who has been working for more than 50 years at a very high level, that says a lot. Spielberg's worst could be any other director's pretty damn good.

"Disclosure Day" is in theaters now.