Robert Zemeckis has been known for making some of the most visually groundbreaking films like Forrest Gump, the best-seen-in IMAX film The Polar Express, and the dark comedy Death Becomes Her. In the late 1960s, the director applied to the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts but was rejected due to his average grades, but pleaded with the school that he would work extra hard and do anything for the opportunity to go to the college. He was eventually accepted.
Updated November 9th, 2022: If you're a fan of the revered director Robert Zemeckis, you'll be happy to know this article has been updated with additional content and films.
Zemeckis began his career with the films I Wanna Hold Your Hand from and Used Cars, both of which attained cult status over time but were financial flops at the box office. The director bounced back with the 1984 film Romancing the Stone with the help of actor Michael Douglas. Zemeckis later made classic films like the Back to the Future franchise over 35 years ago, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Death Becomes Her. His latest film was the remake to 1940’s Pinocchio, which features his typical technological advancements but also, interestingly enough, competed with Guillermo Del Toro's adaptation that was released the same year. With that being said, it’s only fair to look back at his best films.
13 The Walk
In the anxiety-inducing biographical drama The Walk, Robert Zemeckis brilliantly chronicles the true story of high-wire artist Philippe Petit's dangerous tightrope walk between the roofs of the Twin Towers in 1974. The pulse-pounding 3D picture was specifically shot to make audiences feel as though they were high above the clouds, a feat that was achieved through the use of green screen, digital painting and the re-creation of the top two stories of the World Trade Center. When discussing his hopes for the film with The Hollywood Reporter, Zemeckis stated that the goal "was to evoke the feeling of vertigo. We worked really hard to put the audience up on those towers and on the wire.”
12 Romancing the Stone
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Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner serve up undeniable chemistry in the thrilling romantic comedy Romancing the Stone, which follows a popular but lonely novelist as she teams up with a rugged bird hunter to rescue her kidnapped sister in Colombia. The unlikely duo are tasked with hunting down a sacred emerald treasure known as El Corazón in order to secure her release, resulting in hilarious chaos and exciting misadventures. The Zemeckis classic went on to become a sleeper hit despite an initial lackluster response by studio executives, but the success of the picture gave the celebrated filmmaker the necessary exposure to direct his next beloved staple, Back to the Future.
11 Flight
Flight was Zemeckis’ first living, breathing live-action film since Cast Away. While it may sag in some areas, Washington’s lead performance is something that cannot be missed, and Zemeckis’ ability to provide “grounded” storytelling and intense visuals is something that very few people can bring to the silver screen. The film follows an airline pilot named Whip Whitaker who is a frequent alcoholic/drug addict and responsible for a plane accident. Zemeckis is able to zero-in on Whitaker’s guilt and understands the psychology of a conscience that is stricken with wrongdoing.
10 Welcome To Marwen
This story followed Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell) after he was viciously attacked by a group of bigots outside a bar and, as a way to cope with the trauma, uses a series of dolls and action figures to ease his pain and fantasizes about acting as a hero to a small village. In his fictionalized remake of Jeff Melmberg's documentary Marwencol, Zemeckis lays out a beautiful fairy tale of soldiers, healing, and friendship by implementing his performance-capture technology to bring this tragic but inspiring tale to life.
Like Flight, Zemeckis tunnels in on a man overwhelmed with a trauma so powerful that it pains him to face his fears. Welcome to Marwen was, however, mired by critics when it was released in 2018, but like many things, it doesn't mean the critics were all right. This creatively-woven tapestry of plastic gives viewers a tall helping of a true story and the power of moving forward after a tragedy.
9 Back to the Future Part III
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When people think of great Westerns, they probably won’t say Back to the Future Part III, but the film does have enough wild gags and expositional detail to hold ardent fans’ interest. The audience finds Mary and Doc back in the old west in 1885, where they take on Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen. The waters get muckier when Doc falls in love with Clara Clayton. Maybe it’s not the greatest Western of all time, but this film will certainly have audiences hooping and hollering and yearning for Back to the Future Part IV.
8 Back to the Future Part II
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Speaking of Back to the Future movies, Back to the Future Part II turned out to be more suspenseful and more fun than people realize. Doc and Marty team up once again to travel to 2015 then 1985 and then 1955. It might get complicated for some viewers that aren’t seasoned fans, but it still makes some sense. Future Biff Tannen steals the Doc’s time machine and recreates a future where he kills Marty’s father and marries Lorraine, Marty’s mother. This literal blast from the past is a sci-fi suspense thriller that stretches Zemeckis’ directing chops into darker territory for the first time and adds a fine installment to the BTTF series.
7 Cast Away
Before the hit tv show Lost, there was Cast Away. Fans find Chuck Noland (an amazing Tom Hanks), a workaholic executive, in a terrible plane crash and stranded on a remote island using his wits, survival skills, and a volleyball named Wilson to help him through the “turbulent” time. Zemeckis uses the minimalist art of less-is-more to have audiences captivated by Hanks’ performance, and it keeps the people hooked for nearly two-and-a-half hours about a man trying to get back to civilization.
6 Beowulf
This was a film that brought Zemeckis into dark, bloody violent territory. The film is based upon the epic poem where a warrior named Beowulf comes to rescue a hall plagued by a villainous monster named Grendel. The film was visually arresting, frightening, and had all the makings of a true epic. Zemeckis steps into a film that is beyond the childlike glee of The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. He uses the performance-capture technology to not only enhance the film but to also add a dimension of creativity whereby the camera may move whenever it wants to get a feeling of unease in the air.
Related: Is Beowulf Our Favorite 3D Film of All Time
5 A Christmas Carol
Of course, many Charles Dickens fans will say that the Alastair Sim version of Scrooge reigns the greatest of all A Christmas Carol adaptations, while the film is great, Zemeckis’ 2009 take on the source material comes in close behind. Everyone knows the story by now. An old man named Ebenezer Scrooge despises the Christmas season and his dead partner and three ghosts visit him to change his ways. Zemeckis incorporates more of his lavish motion-capture technology to bring a dark and inventive Dickens adaptation, Disney's A Christmas Carol, to the screen with exceptional performances from Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman.
4 The Polar Express
The Polar Express was the film that really sparked Zemeckis’ keen obsession with motion-capture. The film finds a young boy who has his doubts about the existence of Santa Claus, but when called to hop aboard a train to the North Pole, he accepts. The director may have gotten flack for its uncanny valley feel, but it has stood the test of time and proved to be a Christmas classic. The film’s reception has also softened with time and has been a treat for a fan base that has kept the child in all of us alive. Zemeckis never forgets that and uses his talents to create a world of imagination and awe.
Related: Best Christmas Movies of the 2000s
3 Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
What do you get when you have Robert Zemeckis, an alcoholic detective, and a wacky, annoying rabbit? You get the hybrid cult classic from 1988, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The story opens up on real-life Eddie Valiant (played by Bob Hoskins), who is still haunted by the murder of his brother when the animated Roger Rabbit asks for Valiant’s help after the rabbit is framed for a murder that he did not commit. Zemeckis was previously directing strictly live action movies, and used his ingenuity and directing chops to bring this brilliant quasi-animated romp to life; the experience must have been delightful, as Zemeckis went on to pursue animation in a variety of ways. Plus, who could forget about that frightening cartoon version of Judge Doom.
2 Back to the Future
Back to the Future was the film that put Zemeckis on the map. Cleverly written and expertly acted, this film follows Marty McFly as he travels back to 1955 when his parents first met and inadvertently almost gets himself erased from history in the process. The veteran director has probably made the coolest time travel movie in existence. Not only did Zemeckis make the 1950s look cool by making the wise decision to cast Michael J. Fox, the director, also questioned if one could change their own past. In the case of Marty McFly, he did, and it was stellar.
1 Forrest Gump
Of course, the movie that finally earned Zemeckis his Oscar was Forrest Gump, in which a simple-minded man who is lucky for being in the right place at the right time, and has been shown to be a kind-hearted and loyal person as he vies for the love and affection of his school sweetheart Jenny. What makes this film great is that it’s more simple than Back to the Future and more down to Earth and more realistic than the majority of his more fantastical films. Zemeckis’ keen eye for history, the innovative technology (which seamlessly blends Forrest into famous moments of the past), the casting of Tom Hanks, and passionate storytelling are what truly makes this film stand out from the rest.
