Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg are two of the biggest names in Hollywood, and it was only a matter of time before they collaborated. Cruise became one of the biggest movie stars of all time with roles in Top Gun and the Mission: Impossible films, as well as earning acclaim for performances in the likes of Jerry Maguire and Magnolia.

Though he has had a longer career, Spielberg has likewise risen to the top of the directing world, beginning when he created the summer blockbuster with Jaws 50 years ago. From there, Spielberg has made one classic movie after another, from the beloved Indiana Jones franchise to the Best Picture winner Schindler’s List.

Spielberg has also proven himself a master of sci-fi movies, which offered the perfect genre for him and Cruise to join their collective powers. However, despite seeming like an obvious director and actor team, Cruise and Spielberg have only worked together twice, and it wasn’t until the 21st century that they first collaborated.

Minority Report Is A Must-Watch For Fans Of Cruise, Spielberg & Sci-Fi

Minority Report Is Now Available On Tubi

Minority Report was the first movie Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg made together, and this collaboration was worth the wait. Based on sci-fi author Philip K. Dick’s novella, Minority Report has a brilliant sci-fi premise of a future in which murders are predicted before they happen. As of July 1, fans can stream Minority Report on Tubi for free.

Cruise stars as John Anderton, the top cop in the Precrime department, who finds himself being accused of a crime he has yet to commit. The movie takes this thrilling setup to tell a story about a hero on the run and trying to prove his innocence in a vivid sci-fi setting.

The movie is the perfect project for the two Hollywood тιтans. Spielberg builds a fully realized and exciting world that allows him to deliver incredible set pieces and maintain a fast-paced blockbuster adventure. Cruise delivers his typical committed performance, bringing intensity and determination to the hero, grounding the story.

The concept of the predicted crimes, foretold by a trio of “precogs,” is one of the great concepts in any sci-fi movie. It introduces a fascinating idea that would change society as we know it while also offering the dark reality behind the concept by asking the question, “what if they are wrong?”

Minority Report Was Better Than Cruise & Spielberg’s Next Sci-Fi Movie

War Of The Worlds Was A Flawed Sci-Fi Blockbuster

It was a long wait before fans could see Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg working together for the first time, but the success of Minority Report meant that we didn’t have to wait long for the second collaboration. Just three years after Minority Report, Spielberg directed Cruise in the blockbuster sci-fi remake War of the Worlds.

An update on the classic H.G. Wells sci-fi novel, War of the Worlds stars Cruise as a divorced man taking care of his somewhat estranged children when the world is torn apart by the arrival of destructive alien invaders. It seemed like the perfect large-scale sci-fi project to keep Cruise and Spielberg’s creative relationship going.

Unfortunately, after the brilliance of Minority Report, War of the Worlds was a slight disappointment. Both artists certainly show their talents in the project, as Spielberg once again delivers thrilling set pieces and Cruise elevates the story with his strong performance. However, there are a number of flaws that are harder to overlook.

War of the Worlds‘ ending is seen as a particular issue for the movie, as it takes away from the stakes of the story we had just watched, while also leaving us on an anticlimactic note. While certainly not a bad movie by any means, the promise of Minority Report may have set a high bar that War of the Worlds was unable to reach.

Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg haven’t made a movie since War of the Worlds, though both have returned to sci-fi with some success. Though there is particular excitement for Spielberg’s upcoming sci-fi return, it would be great to see him working again with Cruise before too long.