16. War of the Worlds (2005)
It is of my opinion that Spielberg has three films among his ouvre that are criminally underrated and have a lot more value and worth than is commonly assigned to them. And one of them is his brilliant adaptation of this classic H.G. Wells tale. Overshadowed by Tom Cruise's couch-jumping antics which occurred while promoting the film and maliciously maligned for its ending (which, to be fair, is indeed a bit of a stretch and a cop-out), the fact of the matter is that the first 3/4 of this film features some of the most thrilling, terrifying, relentless filmmaking Spielberg has ever directed. Gone are the docile aliens of Close Encounters and E.T. - in this dark, post-9/11 world, Spielberg's aliens are out to get us, and we are utterly defenseless. The feeling of total despair hanging over the film and its characters is masterfully crafted and sustained, and Spielberg does a great job at creating an unlikable, reluctant protagonist who is taking all of this much harder than a more competent "hero"-type would. It features some incredible CGI and brilliant set pieces, and is overall just a very entertaining, thrilling film.