Will Smith is a Hollywood legend
Will Smith is one of Hollywood’s most iconic and accomplished actors. His films have generated many millions of dollars at the box office, and he himself won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his starring role in King Richard. Smith is also known for controversies, like when he walked on stage at the same Oscars he won that trophy at and slapped Chris Rock in the face. The 55-year-old’s newest film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, releases this Friday, June 7. In the Sony Pictures action movie, the fourth in the series, Smith re-teams with Martin Lawrence for another buddy cop adventure.
With his new film hitting theaters imminently, we’re looking back at Smith’s movie legacy and how his films have fared with critics. Specifically, we’re ranking Smith’s many movies over the years by their scores on GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Review scores are naturally subjective, so if your favorite Will Smith movie doesn’t rank very highly, well, that’s just fine because you’re allowed to enjoy whatever you like. One of my favorite Will Smith movies is, for example, 2000’s The Legend of Bagger Vance. It’s a relatively obscure sports drama that also stars Matt Damon and Charlize Theron, and I loved it, despite the general consensus among reviewers being that it’s simply not very good. We all have different tastes.
Maybe you’ve seen some of these Will Smith movies. Maybe you’ve seen them all. In any case, click through this gallery to see how Smith’s films have stacked up with critics over the years.
Note that this is a list of Smith’s movie roles, not any TV shows he’s starred in. And we’re only including the movies that Will Smith had a starring role in, which is why films where he makes a cameo appearance, like Anchorman 2, are not included. We also did not include films he was a producer on. Again, this is a ranking of Will Smith movies–movies that star Will Smith.
Collateral Beauty | Metacritic score: 23
Oscar-winning director David Frankel made this 2016 film about a man, played by Will Smith, suffering from depression after his daughter’s death. The movie featured a long list of famous names in supporting roles like Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Pena, Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris, and Keira Knightley, but it was a box office bomb and the lowest-rated film, critically, of his entire career.
Bright | Metacritic score: 29
A movie made for Netflix, Bright stars Will Smith as Daryl Ward, a human police officer who works with an Orc police officer played by Joel Edgerton. Really. The movie was directed by End of Watch’s David Ayer and is not fondly remembered.
After Earth | Metacritic score: 33
2013’s After Earth, from director M. Night Shyamalan, is one of Will Smith’s lowest-rated films in his career. Smith and his son Jaden star in the film about two astronauts from the future who crash-land back on Earth after the population left for greener pastures.
Seven Pounds | Metacritic score: 33
The 2008 drama Seven Pounds stars Will Smith as a man who accidentally kills seven people, including his fiancee, after he was texting and driving. So he makes it his life’s purpose to try to save the lives of seven people to atone for his mistake.
Gemini Man | Metacritic score: 38
Ang Lee’s Gemini Man, released in 2019, has a fascinating concept. Will Smith plays an aging hitman whose latest contract is… himself, or rather a clone of his younger self. Things get weird, and the film uses advanced de-aging technology to make Smith look young again.
Bad Boys II | Metacritic score: 38
2003’s Bad Boys II saw Will Smith and Martin Lawrence get back together again to solve more crimes in their own way. Michael Bay directed this movie, which has many explosions. No matter how bombastic it is, it didn’t resonate with critics upon release, possibly because of its length and story structure–the movie includes a fourth act that takes the titular boys all the way to Cuba for a mission that seems way above their pay grade.
Wild Wild West | Metacritic score: 40
The year was 1999 and what a year it was for Will Smith. He starred as James West in Barry Sonnenfield’s Wild West West as a special agent tasked with saving President Grant. This wacky movie also starred Kevin Kline as Smith’s partner, with a cast that also featured Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek. Oh, and who could forget the epic music video?
Suicide Squad | Metacritic score: 40
Prior to working with David Ayer on Bright, Will Smith starred in Ayer’s much-maligned Suicide Squad film. He played Deadshot as part of an ensemble cast that also included Jared Leto as Joker, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Margot Robbie as Harley, and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag. Smith did not return to play Deadshot again in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
Bad Boys | Metacritic score: 41
1995’s Bad Boys was one of Smith’s first major movie roles, and it was a huge success at the box office, even if it doesn’t land near the top of his most highly regarded films critically. The series became a hit and spawned multiple sequels, the latest of which is in theaters June 7.
The Legend of Bagger Vance | Metacritic score 47
One of Will Smith’s lesser-known films, 2000’s The Legend of Bagger Vance has Smith playing a mystical caddie trying to help a down-on-his-luck golfer, Matt Damon, rekindle his game. Charlize Theron also stars in the film, which is directed by Robert Redford.
Shark Tale | Metacritic score: 48
One of Will Smith’s most popular animated films, Shark Tale features Smith voicing the little fish Oscar who is trying to take down a big mafia shark voiced by Robert De Niro. What a concept. The movie also featured the voices of Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, and Renee Zellweger.
Hancock | Metacritic score: 48
In 2008, Will Smith starred in this R-rated action movie in which he plays an alcoholic jerk of a superhero. The script was written by Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan and Peter Berg directed. Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman starred alongside Smith in what was one of the actor’s less-adored films with critics.
Men in Black II | Metacritic score: 49
If some is good, then more is better. Following the huge success of Men in Black, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones got back together to fight aliens yet again in Men in Black II.
Made in America | Metacritic score: 49
1993’s Made in America doesn’t feature Will Smith on its poster or heavily in the trailer, but Smith is in it alongside stars Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson. Smith plays Tea Cake Walters, a smaller part in the film, but still a notable role for the actor.
Emancipation | Metacritic score: 53
2022’s Emancipation from director Antoine Fuqua starred Will Smith as Peter, a slave who escapes his captors and embarks on a dangerous journey to freedom. The movie is based in part on the “scourged back” image that was widely circulated during the Abolition movement.
Aladdin | Metacritic score: 53
Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin starred Will Smith as Genie. He had very big shoes to fill, as Robin Wlliams voiced the character iconically in the original film. The live-action movie might not have resonated all that strongly with critics, but it banked more than $1 billion at the box office.
Spies in Disguise | Metacritic score: 54
The 2019 animated movie Spies in Disguise features Will Smith playing Lance Sterling, a spy who gets turned into a pigeon. Tom Holland, Rashida Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, and Karen Gillan also lent their voices to this wacky animated film from the creators of the Ice Age series.
Concussion | Metacritic score: 55
One of Will Smith’s more serious films, 2015’s Concussion tells the story of Bennet Omalu, a scientist who claims the NFL is trying to suppress research about traumatic brain injuries. Smith earned a Golden Globe nomination for his starring role in the film.
Focus | Metacritic score: 56
Before Will Smith and Margot Robbie starred in Suicide Squad together, the appeared in the crime drama Focus together. Smith plays a con man who takes Robbie’s character under his tutelage and then a lot of stuff happens.
Men in Black III | Metacritic score: 58
One of the most highly rated Men in Black films, Men in Black 3 stars Will Smith reprising his role again as Agent J. The conceit in this film is that J has to go back in time to prevent his partner, played by Tommy Lee Jones, from being killed.
Hitch | Metacritic score: 58
2005’s Hitch has Will Smith playing a man, Hitch, who helps other men succeed with women. Everything changes when he meets a woman, played by Eva Mendes, who blah blah blah. The film is filled with comedic sequences, including a memorable scene where an allergic reaction causes Hitch’s face to balloon.
Bad Boys for Life | Metacritic score: 59
The Bad Boys series kept trucking along with 2020’s Bad Boys for Life, which brought back Will Smith and Martin Lawrence yet again for a buddy cop team-up. The movie is the highest-rated of the Bad Boys series, and was released in January 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Independence Day | Metacritic score: 59
When you think of Will Smith, you probably think of 1996’s Independence Day, which was one of the first bonafide Hollywood blockbuster films. Smith plays a pilot who helps the US government kill a bunch of invading aliens on the Fourth of July. This movie won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. A sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, came out in 2016 without Smith in it but did not resonate as strongly as the first.
I, Robot | Metacritic score: 59
Artificial intelligence and killer robots are all the rage today. But back in 2004, I, Robot really scared us with its predictions about the future and how robots might rise up and wipe us out. Smith plays the main character who believes these futuristic robots are not really all that good for society. But no one believes him right away. Eventually, his fears are confirmed and he embarks on a mission to wipe out the killer robots.
Where the Day Takes You | Metacritic score: 64
Will Smith does not lead 1992’s Where the Day Takes You, but it’s notable because it marks his film debut after breaking out with the TV series Fresh Prince. The film tells the story of teenage runaways in Los Angeles.
The Pursuit of Happyness | Metacritic score: 64
The heartbreaking and powerful movie The Pursuit of Happyness stars Will Smith as a homeless salesman who tries to make a life for himself. Smith’s son, Jaden Smith, makes his theatrical debut as the salesman’s son. Smith earned an Oscar nomination for the film.
Ali | Metacritic score: 65
Will Smith played the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 film, which was directed by Michael Mann. Though it did not earn much at the box office, it was a critical success. Smith and co-star Jon Voight earned Academy Award nominations for the film.
I Am Legend | Metacritic score: 65
2007’s I Am Legend from director Francis Lawrence stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, the only person left alive in New York City after a virus wiped everyone out. Of course, there are scary monsters that come out at night, and Smith must battle these beasts while trying to find a cure.
Enemy of the State | Metacritic score: 67
Tony Scott’s 1998 thriller Enemy of the State stars Will Smith as Robert Clayton Dean, a labor lawyer, who gets mixed up in a case where the NSA is conspiring to kill a congressman.
Six Degrees of Separation | Metacritic score: 72
1993’s Six Degrees of Separation stars Will Smith as Paul, a con man. The movie is based on the real-life story of David Hampton, who successfully convinced many people he was the son of the actor Sidney Poitier.
Men In Black | Metacritic score: 72
Perhaps Will Smith’s most recognizable movie role was that of 1997’s Men in Black, in which he played a man recruited to a secret government organization to fight alien invaders. The movie also starred Tommy Lee Jones and spawned multiple sequels and many memes.
King Richard | Metacritic score: 76
Will Smith’s most highly regarded movie from a critical perspective is King Richard. Smith plays Richard Williams, the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. Smith earned an Academy Award for his performance, winning a lengthy standing ovation not long after he rushed the stage and slapped Chris Rock.
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