F1: The Movieis set for release on June 27, and early previews suggest a return tohigh-stakes, high-speed spectaclefor directorJoseph Kosinski. With this in mind, now is as good a time as any to take a look back at the filmmaker’s work so far. It’s a filmography full of blockbusters that feel like elegies, action movies that linger like ghost stories.
With a background in architecture and a taste for digital sheen, Kosinski’s films often look like glass cathedrals and feel like mood pieces smuggled inside genre machines.Compared to most other “big spectacle” directors,he’s less about plot twists than emotional resonance, less about noise than atmosphere.This list will rank all of Joseph Kosinski’s moviesbased on their execution, memorability, impact, and overall execution.
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett, Mark Paguio
“Beautiful people get away with too much.“Spiderheadfollows inmates in a futuristic prison where experimental drugs alter their moods, desires, and ethics. It has all the ingredients for a standout sci-fi chamber piece: a psychological premise, stylish direction,Chris Hemsworthplaying against type, and source material from prize-winning authorGeorge Saunders. But something aboutthe mixture never quite gels; the story drifts instead of deepening.
Kosinski gives the sterile facility a clean, clinical unease, and the performances have flashes of wit and pathos, but the tone wobbles between satire and sincerity. While the movie has its moments (glitches of tension, bursts of humanity), they don’t accumulate into anything lasting. This isn’t to saySpiderheadis a bad film; it’sa sleek experiment that just never reaches full potency. This result was surprising, given how much energyTop Gun: Maverickhad, released just a month before. For a movie about chemically induced emotion,Spiderheadends up feeling oddly hollow.
Spiderhead
4’Tron: Legacy' (2010)
Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner
“I kept dreaming of a world I thought I’d never see. And then one day… I got in.“Tron: Legacyis all vibe, and the vibe is immaculate. Kosinski’s feature debut reboots Disney’s cult 1982 film into a digital fever dream of neon highways, glowing discs, and Daft Punk’s thunderous score. At the center of all the spectacle is Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of the original film’s protagonist (Jeff Bridges), as he gets pulled into the Grid and uncovers a techno-dystopian coup led byhis father’s digital doppelgänger.
Plot-wise, it’s clunky. Dialogue-wise, it’s… serviceable. But aesthetically, it’s jaw-dropping.Kosinski’s architectural precisionand visual imaginationturn cyberspace into a cathedral of light and shadow. Every frame looks like it was sculpted from lasers, and the soundtrack is killer (it peaked at number 6 on the Billboard charts).Tron: Legacydidn’t spark the franchise revival Disney hoped for, but it understandably became a cult favorite with ardent supporters to this day.
TRON: Legacy
3’Oblivion' (2013)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman
“If we have souls, they’re made of the love we share.“Oblivionisa post-apocalyptic puzzle box; part cerebral sci-fi, part melancholy love story, partTom Cruiseaction vehicle. Set in a future where Earth is abandoned and monitored by drone technicians, Jack Harper (Cruise) must dig through layers of buried truth, lost memory, and multiple versions of himself.
Oblivionis technicallyambitious, visually exquisite, and emotionally bruised. Sure, the script could have used some polishing, and some ideas are derivative, butthe big set pieces are all handled well. The imagery also delivers: Kosinski mines desolate beauty out of ruined landscapes and hovering glass towers. The score by M83 likewise pulses with sorrow and wonder. The plot is twisty, sometimes unnecessarily so, but at its core is something tender: a man trying to understand who he is, and what he’s willing to die for.Not every idea lands, but the mood lingers.
2’Only the Brave' (2017)
Starring: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly
“It’s not about being heroes. It’s about being there when it matters.“Only the Braveis Kosinski’s most grounded. For this reason, it’s also his most emotionally devastating. Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, it focuses on a tight-knit group of wildland firefighters in Arizona, culminating in one of the most tragic days in firefighting history. It’s a rare disaster movie thatfocuses on brotherhood, responsibility, and humility, rather than chaos.
In this one, Kosinski trades in his usual gloss for earth tones and steel, doing a good job of capturing both the grandeur of nature and its indifference. The visuals are a perfect complement to the acting, and the performances, especially fromJosh Brolin,Miles Teller, andJennifer Connelly, are rich with lived-in grace. There’s a quiet respect here for sacrifice, family, and the ordinary nobility of men who run toward the flame. Overall, whileOnly the Bravemight be the director’s least flashy movie,it packs an undeniable emotional punch.
Only the Brave
1’Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm
“It’s not the plane, it’s the pilot.“Top Gun: Maverickpulls off a tricky balance between fan service, spectacle, and emotional payoff. Cruise returns as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, now older, guiltier, and somehow faster. He’s called back to train a new generation of pilots, including the son (Miles Teller) of his late best friend, for a near-suicidal mission. On paper, it’s a nostalgia sequel no one needed. On screen, it’sa marvel of craftsmanship, velocity, and emotion.
Here, Kosinski melds breathtaking aerial sequences with character drama that’s surprisingly rich and tender. He gives the spectacle room to breathe, and the sentiment room to sting, turning what could have been a soulless cash-grab into a movie about legacy, limits, and finding the courage to fly one more time. A legacy IP becomes something intimate and soaring, proving that blockbuster filmmaking can still feel personal.Top Gun: Maverickis not justa sequel that vastly improves over its predecessoror Kosinski’s best film;it’s one of the best studio blockbusters of the last decade.
