Best Joseph Kosinski Movies, Ranked

During a time of superhero movie dominance, Top Gun: Maverick outgrossed The Batman at the box office. The long-awaited legacy sequel was a smash-hit success for Paramount, reminding audiences of the reason why they fell in love with movies. Director Joseph Kosinski has only made a small handful of films, but all of them have been made with great love and enthusiasm. That love and enthusiasm has been something the audience has consistently been able to feel in his movies.

Kosinski made his feature film debut in 2010 when he directed Tron: Legacy for Disney. The film proved Kosinski was a director who properly understood and honored the original material. More significantly, it also showed he was a filmmaker capable of bringing excellent new ideas to the table. With the release of Top Gun: Maverick, we've decided to look back on the past films that Kosinski has directed over the years. Here are all five of Joseph Kosinski's feature films (so far), ranked.

5 Spiderhead

Netflix's Spiderhead was based on a dystopian short story titled "Escape from Spiderhead" from George Saunders. "Spiderhead" was the name of a prison where the head of a pharmaceutical company, Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth), conducted experiments using emotion-altering drugs. The test subjects were inmates at Spiderhead who wanted to cut time off their prison sentence. Jeff (Miles Teller) and Izzy (Jurnee Smollett) were two inmates at Spiderhead, whose behavior attracted the attention of the villainous Steve. The film had an intriguing concept though the execution was met with a mixed response. Spiderhead was not for everyone, but for many, it managed to succeed in being an entertaining flick.

4 Oblivion

Joseph Kosinski Movie Oblivion with Tom Cruise now on Netflix — Universal Pictures

Before Kosinski directed Oblivion, he made a graphic novel of the same name that was never published. Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 2077, war with an alien species prompted humans to flee the planet for another home. The concept interested Tom Cruise, who signed on to play technician Jack Harper. Harper was one of few people who remained on Earth, tasked with repairing the planet's combat drones. However, he later learned that he was not who he thought he was, and there was more to his mission than he knew. Visually, Oblivion looked spectacular, which only added to the efficacy of its many sci-fi action set pieces. In spite of the fact that Oblivion took place in a solitary world, it felt grand in scope and scale and also had high stakes.

3 Tron: Legacy

Nearly three decades after the original Tron, Disney released the fantastic Tron: Legacy, a sequel to the beloved 80s classic. This was Kosinski's first feature film, and marked a phenomenal beginning in his filmography. For many years, and still today, audiences often complained about the overuse of computer-generated imagery in blockbuster films. They did not, however, complain about its use in Tron: Legacy, which was set in a virtual reality known as "the Grid." Never before had a film so effectively used simple lines of glowing light. The visual design in Tron: Legacy created an immersive atmosphere that was a true sight to behold. It was coupled with Daft Punk's incredible score, which featured a beautiful blend between orchestral music and synths. The characters were very likable but slightly underdeveloped, though the world Kosinski developed made viewers forget the film's shortcomings.

2 Only the Brave

Miles Teller in Only the Brave — Columbia Pictures

The Yarnell Hill Fire was a real-life event that occurred in June 2013, considered to be the sixth-deadliest American firefighter disaster in history. 19 of 20 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives to the fire. Four years later, Only the Brave was released and dedicated to their memory. The biographical drama film featured an impressive ensemble cast, including the likes of Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges. Actors Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly were also part of the cast, working with Kosinski even before Top Gun: Maverick. Great performances portrayed the bravery of the Hotshots, real-life heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice. It was devastating, but the film never had the intention of glossing over a terrible tragedy. While Only the Brave received positive reviews, it unfortunately failed at the box office. Nonetheless, Only the Brave was a bittersweet tribute that has always deserved more attention.

1 Top Gun: Maverick

The first Top Gun was remembered for its remarkable aerial photography, beach volleyball scenes, and fantastic soundtrack. All of those things were also part of Top Gun: Maverick, which carried forth the spirit of the original while still carving out its own identity. Maverick was still Maverick, but he was older and more experienced, and needed to train a new generation of pilots. Top Gun: Maverick focused its narrative on Maverick preparing the pilots for an incredibly dangerous mission. This gave the film a strong focus and displayed the team's camaraderie. It also explored the complicated relationship between Maverick and Rooster, the son of Maverick's deceased best friend.

Kosinski avoided putting his actors behind a green screen. Instead, he got them to act inside the cockpit of a real F/A-18 with pilots to fly them. Practical effects went a long way, allowing a sense of simultaneous realism and escapism that took people's breaths away. Great character development, sensational action sequences, and a cast that oozed charisma made Top Gun: Maverick one of the best action blockbusters in years.