Before helming franchises such as Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, and Star Wars, J.J. Abrams began his career in television. He’s behind some of the best TV shows ever created, including Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest, Westworld, 11.22.63, Castle Rock, and 2025’s Duster, and is also the co-founder of the production company Bad Robot.
J.J. Abrams is one of the best sci-fi storytellers to ever grace Hollywood, and he has made some of the most successful blockbuster movies in history. Whether it be films from early on in his career as a writer, original sci-fi stories, or Star Trek and Star Wars, here are his all-time greatest works.
IMDb Rating
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Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Joonas Suotamo, Laura Dern, Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Kelly Marie Tran, Greg Grunberg. Shirley Henderson, Billy Dee Williams, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher
2019
51%
6.4
Disney+
Despite havingan expensive movie budgetand J.J. Abrams being back to direct, the final sequel trilogy installment couldn’t find the same magic as Episode 7. However, it’s still a much better movie than its predecessor, even though there were still many issues with how The Rise of Skywalker handled its storylines and the reintroduction of Emperor Palpatine.
Episode 9 continues the Rebellion’s fight against the First Order, with Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren, and Lando Calrissian banding together to put an end to their evil plansin more memorable moments. The visuals and sound design are as spectacular as ever, and the ending is an excellent way to honor the legacy of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher’s characters.
Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Elijah Wood, Isabel Glasser, George Wendt, Joe Morton, Nicolas Surovy, David Marshall Grant, Robert Hy Gorman, Millie Slavin, Michael A. Goorjian, Veronica Lauren, Art LaFleur, Eric Pierpoint, Amanda Foreman, and Walton Goggins
1992
54%
VOD
The third screenplay J.J. Abrams wrote was a film called Forever Young, which also showed his early sci-fi roots. Forever Young stars Mel Gibson as army test pilot Daniel McCormick, who agrees to be cryogenically frozen as part of a new government experiment due to the heartbreak of seeing his girlfriend fall into a coma after a tragic accident.
However, instead of Daniel being frozen for one year as he requested, he wakes up 53 years later in 1992. He’s finally unfrozen by a young boy named Nat Cooper, played by Elijah Wood in one of his earliest roles, and soon befriends Nat and his mom Claire. However, Daniel’s age is getting the better of him in the present.
Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski, Steve Zahn, Jessica Bowman, Jim Beaver, Stuart Stone, Basil Wallace, and Brian Leckner
2001
74%
6.6
Plex
A more surprising screenplay J.J. Abrams wrote was Joy Ride, an R-rated road trip thriller about a group of friends who mess with the wrong truck driver and face the consequences. It stars the late Fast & Furious alum Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, and actress Leelee Sobieski, with all three falling victim to the maniacal trucker Rusty Nail.
Paul Walker and Steve Zahn play brothers Lewis and Fuller, on the road to collect Lewis' crush, Venna, before they start pranking a truck driver via CB radio, posing as a woman who wants to meet him at a motel. Rusty Nail will stalk the trio until he can carry out his revenge, weaving a Hitchcockian and Wes Craven-like tale of suspense.
Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Will Patton, William Fichtner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Peter Stormare, Ken Hudson Campbell, Keith David, Jason Isaacs, Jessica Steen, Chris Ellis, Grayson McCouch, and Marshall R. Teague
1998
43%
6.7
Fubo TV, Hulu with Live TV
What do you get when you combine the forces of Michael Bay, Jerry Bruckheimer, and J.J. Abrams? One of the most entertaining sci-fi disaster movie blockbusters ever made. Armageddon is about a giant asteroid heading toward Earth, with NASA and the US government enlisting the help of offshore oil drill workers to go to space and destroy it.
The visual effects and sound were nominated for Oscars and still easily hold up today. The entire intro, with the debris hitting the Earth and causing massive amounts of destruction, feels like it has more explosions than any of the Transformers films. And when you meetBruce Willisand Ben Affleck’s characters on the rig, their interactions are pure fun.
Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Maggie Q, Keri Russell, Billy Crudup, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Laurence Fishburne, Eddie Marsan, Bahar Soomekh, Greg Grunberg, Carla Gallo, Bellamy Young, Jeff Chase, Aaron Paul, and Jane Daly
2006
71%
6.9
Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Pluto TV
While between Alias and Lost, J.J. Abrams managed to direct the third installment of the Mission: Impossible series, which was an immense improvement over John Woo’s turn. Future directors Brad Bird and Christopher McQuarrie indeed continued to one-up the series with more daring set pieces, but M:I 3 was not without its iconic moments.
Similar toDavid Fincherand Alien 3, Abrams' feature debut was also part three of an iconic franchise. The opening remains one of the best of the series, and it was the late, forever great Philip Seymour Hoffman’s villain, Owen Davian, that elevated this film. Couple that with the bridge assault and great new side characters, and M:I 3 is another terrific installment.
Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldaña, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Leonard Nimoy, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Noel Clarke, Nazneen Contractor, Amanda Foreman, Aisha Hinds, Jay Scully, and Jonathan Dixon
2013
84%
7.7
Paramount+
Star Trek Into Darkness was a solid sequel to what is arguablyone of the best Star Trek filmsever made. Into Darkness sees the Enterprise crew now facing the threat of one of the most iconic villains of the franchise – Benedict Cumberbatch’s intimidating and chilling Khan (a role previously held by Ricardo Montalbán).
The stunning planetary environments and the sound design and visual effects of the phaser battles and ship combat get even bolder, equally measuring up to anything seen in the future Guardians of the Galaxy films. The stakes are even higher this time around, the tone is much darker, and it’s an epic sci-fi adventure that will have you at the edge of your seat.
Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, AJ Michalka, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Ron Eldard, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich, Britt Flatmo, and Richard T. Jones
2011
81%
7
Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV
Super 8 is special because it feels like a perfect blend ofSpielberg’s sci-fi movieswith J.J. Abrams’s Cloverfield, and that’s because it was made as a partnership between the two legendary filmmakers. Abrams serves as the writer and director, while Spielberg serves as the movie’s co-producer, but the story bears all the hallmarks of a classic Spielberg sci-fi tale.
In this coming-of-age story set in 1979 Ohio, Joe Lamb and his young friends are amateur filmmakers shooting a zombie movie with a Super 8 camera. During filming, however, a major train derailment occurs, and it comes with extraterrestrial consequences. Among the friends is also a girl named Alice Dainard, causing tension and drama between her and Joe’s dad.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr., Bradley Cooper, Douglas M. Griffin, Suzanne Cryer, Sumalee Montano, and Frank Mottek
2016
91%
7.2
Amazon Prime Video, MGM+
Although also not directed by J.J. Abrams, he is the creator and producer of the Cloverfield series. The first Cloverfield in 2008 took advantage of the found footage genre of horror to makea Kaiju and sci-fi monstersurvival tale set in New York City, which became a popular hit. Abrams also had a hand in the monster designs.
Even better was 10 Cloverfield Lane. Were it not for the title, you wouldn’t have even guessed it’s the same universe. It’s a psychological thriller about a woman being held captive in the bunker of a paranoid man’s home, told that the environment outside isn’t suitable anymore. But is this really the truth, or is something more nefarious happening?
Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, Gwendoline Christie, Lupita Nyong’o, Max von Sydow, Simon Pegg, Ken Leung, Greg Grunberg, Tim Rose, and Iko Uwais
2015
93%
7.8
Disney+, Starz
Post-Star Trek, J.J. Abrams was entrusted with Disney’s new sequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, beginning with The Force Awakens. Episode 7 showed that Star Wars was back on the right track. It introduced new characters while bringing back Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa, and Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, and had the Empire now re-emerge as the First Order.
The First Order’s leader is Supreme Leader Snoke (voiced by Andy Serkis), and Solo and Leia’s son, Kylo Ren, becomes somewhat like the new Darth Vader. You also have Finn, a Stormtrooper who defects to join the Rebellion, and his chrome-plated nemesis, Captain Phasma. The world-building and story were a brilliant and exciting jumping-off point… until the sequels.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldaña, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Ben Cross, Winona Ryder, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Morrison, Rachel Nichols, Faran Tahir, Clifton Collins Jr., and Tony Elias
2009
94%
7.9
As Lost neared its end, J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek with a fresh new cast of some of the best actors to fill the iconic roles. This film introduced Star Trek’s lore to a whole new generation and gave way to so many memorable performances, particularlyChris Pine’s Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto’s Spock, Simon Pegg’s Scotty, and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov.
Even if you previously didn’t consider yourself a true Trekkie or cared very little about Star Trek, Abrams' version would certainly win you over. You follow the crew ofthe Enterpriseas they face the threat of Nero, a Romulan from the future who threatens their world by creating black holes, played by an unrecognizable Eric Bana in Oscar-winning makeup.
