The Directors Who Have Openly Said They Dislike Steven Spielberg

The legendary status of Steven Spielberg is rarely questioned, given his three Academy Awards and his position as the top-earning director in cinematic history. Alongside figures like George Lucas, he fundamentally altered the Hollywood landscape and spearheaded the rise of digital effects.

While he is often viewed as a beloved pioneer whose work has motivated countless other filmmakers, not every icon of the industry has been won over by his populist appeal. In fact, Spielberg’s career has drawn sharp criticism from a group of highly respected European and surrealist directors.

Jean-Luc Godard, a central figure of the French New Wave, was notably dismissive of Schindler’s List, arguing that Spielberg lacked the necessary depth for such a subject. “He’s not very intelligent,” Godard famously remarked to Film Comment, ultimately labeling the Oscar-winning project as a “phony result.”

Godard went even further by rejecting the idea that Spielberg possessed true genius, suggesting he was far less efficient than a director like William Wyler. Fellow French filmmaker Jacques Rivette shared this disdain, going as far as to call Spielberg an “as***le” and claiming “he can’t direct his way out of a paper bag.”

These harsh assessments highlighted a deep divide between Spielberg’s mainstream success and the high-art sensibilities of his peers. Perhaps the most extreme reaction came from Alejandro Jodorowsky, the visionary behind El Topo.

The director was blunt about his feelings, stating simply, “I hate Spielberg.” He took his animosity several steps further by suggesting that he would not hesitate to take the director’s life if given the chance.

“If I can kill Spielberg, I will kill Spielberg,” he once declared, marking a level of hostility that made other criticisms seem mild. As of March, the 79-year-old director is showing no interest in slowing down, with his next major sci-fi event, Disclosure Day, set for a global theatrical release on June 12.

The film represents a return to his extraterrestrial roots and features a massive ensemble cast including Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, and Colman Domingo. Early teasers for the project suggest a tense, grounded narrative centered on the global social and political fallout of humanity discovering it is not alone in the universe.

The production reunites the filmmaker with writer David Koepp, the scribe behind Jurassic Park, and is being positioned as the primary blockbuster of the summer season. Beyond the big screen, Spielberg is also making waves on television as an executive producer for the Apple TV+ series Cape Fear.

This 10-episode psychological thriller, which also counts Martin Scorsese as an executive producer, stars Javier Bardem as the vengeful Max Cady and is scheduled to premiere on June 5.

Even with a career that has spanned over five decades, Spielberg continues to be a lightning rod for both massive fan adoration and high-level artistic debate. His ability to consistently produce large-scale event cinema while exploring deeply human themes remains his greatest strength.

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