Steven Spielberg-approved projects to varying levels of success (some of the early projects fell flat until he made certain creative and commercial breakthroughs). And since that initial boom, he has continued to challenge himself (and audiences), utilizing new storytelling forms and technologies, always in the pursuit of the most exciting, emotionally resonant result. In honor of his entire body of work, we have ranked his entire filmography.

18. ‘Welcome to Marwen’ (2018)

Zemeckis’ latest film is, objectively, also his worst. Based on a sensational documentary about an artist (played by Steve Carell in this film) who, following a brutal beating, creates a fictional World War II-era in his backyard. Bafflingly, “Welcome to Marwen” turns a third act twist in the documentary that Mark Hogancamp (Carell) was targeted because he had a fetish for women’s clothing, into something that is revealed in the opening scene. Zemeckis, working at the top of his game as a craftsman, conjures Mark’s imaginary world, populated with doll equivalents of the women in his life, using cutting edge motion capture technology. But tonally “Welcome to Marwen” is all over the map, toggling uneasily between tragic drama and WTF-worthy fantasy (spoiler alert: there’s a witch). The only consistency is that both sides of the movie feel horribly inauthentic. Also, there’s a bizarre series of “Back to the Future” references that come off as just sad.

17. ‘Flight’ (2012)

After spending years in the wilds of performance capture animation, Zemeckis returned to live action with this overwrought drama, but it failed to connect on a visceral or emotional level. Flight” could have been great; it’s not.

16. ‘The Walk’ (2015)

Part of what makes “Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s cringe-worthy performance as whimsical French aerialist Philippe Petit to the maudlin romance that serves as the movie’s “heart,” falls hopelessly flat. Sigh.

15. ‘Back to the Future Part III’ (1990)

Easily the weakest entry in the “Back to the Future” franchise, “Crispin Glover and from its own misplaced earnestness. Whereas the sequel had a prankster’s mischievousness about it, upending not only the rules of time travel but also the traditions of a Hollywood sequel, the third film is more or less a straightforward western with some nifty modern wraparounds. (His 1950s “western” costume is the best. The little atomic symbols are terrific.) But even an anachronistic appearance by ZZ Top doesn’t do much to elevate this well-intentioned bore.

14. ‘A Christmas Carol’ (2009)

Teaming with Yellow Submarine” and a giant robot movie), but because “A Christmas Carol” is actually something of an achievement, a nifty, whirligig fable anchored by Carrey playing a whole squadron of characters. It’s absolutely gorgeous, too, and so fun to watch Zemeckis load up the original story with his characteristic set pieces.

13. ‘Beowulf’ (2007)

The finest film in the slate of motion capture provocations, “Roger Avary deepens themes and creates plenty of space for Zemeckis to really cut loose. Originally, an NC-17-rated version was going to play in IMAX theaters while the PG-13 version would run in regular houses. That never happened and while the film remains full of implied grit, it’s still a hell of a ride.

12. ‘Cast Away’ (2000)

Even when you might not care for the movie, it’s hard not to appreciate the audacity of some of these things. “Tom Hanks could spend six months away from production, losing wait and growing out his beard and hair (in the interim, Zemeckis directed another movie) to simulate the effects of being stranded on a deserted island. And honestly, looking back on the film, the production is much more interesting than the actual movie, which features another A+ Tom Hanks performance, a couple of nifty sequences (the plane crash is, of course, a Zemeckis masterclass) and … not a lot else. Oddly forgettable (except for “Wilson,” obviously), this one has its charms but fails to stack up when compared to the rest of the filmmaker’s oeuvre.

11. ‘Back to the Future Part II’ (1989)

In a weird way, “Avengers: Endgame”), a testament to its continued power (another point of reference is the fact that Biff seems to have become president in our real world). While slightly diminished by the lack of Glover’s involvement, its other biggest sticking point is the decision to make Marty some kind of hair-trigger hot head. It’s the dumbest part of an otherwise ambitious and adventurous follow-up.

10. ‘Forrest Gump’ (1994)

By the time that “Heavenly Creatures” were released, both signaling the arrival of major talents) but technically proficient and still very moving. This is Zemeckis at his most earnest and big-hearted, two qualities that Hanks’ performance very much embodies, and it’s pretty hard to hate on that.

9. ‘Death Becomes Her’ (1992)

What began as a contentious production, with confusion over tone, a lengthy screening process and untested visual effects, has wound up a cult classic, celebrated particularly in the LGBTQ community and released as a new, special-features-laden Blu-ray from Shout Factory. A dark comedy is a tough sell to mainstream audiences, especially one this dark (the original trailer utilized music from Zemeckis’ “Tales from the Crypt” HBO series), so it’s understandable that “Bruce Willis) knows exactly what movie they’re in, “Death Becomes Her” is an oddball delight.

8. ‘What Lies Beneath’ (2000)

Weirdly underrated, “Michelle Pfieffer’s place as one of our most beloved leading ladies. Oh and the technological stuff (lots of computer-augmented camera moves and the like) is neat too.

7. ‘’ (1997)

It took a while for Zemeckis to settle on his follow-up to the box office-smashing, Oscar-sweeping “Forrest Gump” and when he did, it was a doozy: a long-in-the-works adaptation of scientist Jodie Foster. On what planet?

6. ‘Allied’ (2016)

Right before “Steven Knight’s script is terrific.) It’s a brilliant film, full of nuanced performances and edge-of-your-seat thrills. Eventually people will rediscover it and say, “Where has this been?”

5. ‘Romancing the Stone’ (1984)

The legacy of “Michael Douglas, as a shady smuggler, are a dynamic duo, and their bickering, flirtatious banter felt both classically old school Hollywood as well as hopelessly modern. This movie has real gusto, and Zemeckis treats the comedy just as seriously as the action sequences, staging each moment with his typical meticulous attention to detail and the way that, whether it’s a set piece or a punchline, the moments can build and grow in complexity. More importantly, “Romancing the Stone” would end Zemeckis’ cold-streak and set up him for an unprecedented run of critical and commercial darlings.

4. ‘Used Cars’ (1980)

One of Zemeckis’ earliest projects and also one of his best, “Bob Gale). But over the years it has garnered the appreciation it rightfully deserves. (Earlier this year a Blu-ray was released by Shout Factory.) No matter the price, “Used Cars” is worth picking up.

3. ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ (1978)

Zemeckis and Gale’s very first film remains a charming time capsule, cheery and manic in equal measure. “Nancy Allen) travel from New Jersey to New York City to try and get a glimpse of the Beatles as they perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Of course, anything that can go wrong does go wrong, and the amount of mishaps and misadventures start to pile up. For his very first feature, under the mentorship of executive producer Steven Spielberg, Zemeckis shows a remarkable amount of confidence and talent, as he goes about layering in the humor and interpersonal drama alongside the big, calamitous set pieces that would go on to become part of his directorial signature. Despite strong word-of-mouth the movie never found its audience, although it was recently inducted into the Criterion Collection, cementing it as the classic we already knew that it was.

2. ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (1988)

“Richard Williams (at the time Disney animation was in such bad shape they only contributed minimally). It's still mind-blowing.

1. ‘Back to the Future’ (1985)

After a string of critical and commercial disappointments, despite the mentorship of Steven Spielberg, Zemeckis made “Romancing the Stone,” a genuine smash but one that was his first “for hire” gig. Undeterred by his early failures, Zemeckis returned to an original concept, once again backed by Spielberg, with “Alan Silvestri’s twinkly score. For an entire generation of film fanatics, even the opening moments of the film, with the ticking of a thousand clocks, is enough for nostalgic transportation back to 1985. It’s a testament to the film’s power and singular spirit that it is still being referenced, recited and ripped off all these years later (sometimes by Zemeckis himself – see: “Welcome to Marwen”).