Especially recently, actor Will Smith has been very busy, putting out all sorts of new content. Since his rise to fame, Smith has come to play all sorts of roles, ranging from very serious to highly comedic and so on.
Though not all of his recent films have been box office hits, Smith has still delivered some very powerful performances to help boost the film. Looking back at some of the actor’s more recent achievements, here is our list of the 10 best Will Smith movies of the last decade according to IMDb.
Gemini Man (2019) 5.7
As the worst of the best, Gemini Man actually sees Will Smith playing two versions of the same character. With a narrative revolving around the younger version trying to kill the older version, Gemini Man initially appeared to have a very intriguing plot. Unfortunately, the end result seemed to be a jumbled sci fi story that couldn’t quite get off the ground.
Of course, Will Smith does a great job playing both characters, but the CGI was arguably the best part of the movie. Despite the underwhelming box office numbers, Gemini Man is still worth a watch, though it is certainly far from will Smith’s greatest film.
Suicide Squad (2016) 6.0
While many people were hoping to see Suicide Squad succeed, it was still met with some relatively poor reviews. Though audiences were far more receptive to the film than critics, there were still many flaws about it. However, the film still proved to be a financial success, doing well enough for it to get an indirect sequel of sorts that is set to release in 2021.
Though Smith won’t be returning for the sequel, he was one of the highlights of the first film. His role as Deadshot played well within the universe and his chemistry with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was incredibly strong. While their two performances weren’t enough to earn the film some higher reviews, it still lands as one of Smith’s best films of the decade.
Winter’s Tale (2014) 6.2
Winter’s Tale is actually a romantic drama centered around demons and the supernatural. Though Will Smith does play a rather important role in this film, it is much more of a minor one. As Lucifer, Smith helps drive the narrative forward in the middle, while also providing additional info towards the end.
Despite not being the star of the film, Smith still does a decent job with what he has. While the overall film is relatively mediocre, Smith’s performance still shines in the film. While the rest of the cast still does a decent job, the overall narrative struggles to be something truly special.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) 6.4
Even though he plays an incredibly minor role in the film, Will Smith’s part in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is enough to land the film on this list. As a sequel to the popular cult film, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), the cast of Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, and David Koechner return yet again to resume their usual antics.
While the film is just as fun and ridiculous as the first, the sequel just doesn’t quite hold up in the same manner. Though it is hard to praise Will Smith’s role in the film due to its incredibly short nature, the film was still more successful than others that have featured Smith within the past decade.
Bright (2017) 6.4
As a Netflix original, Smith got a chance to show off a bit more diverse range of acting. With a unique fantasy world at the helm of the story, the overall film certainly had a lot of unique elements, but still wasn’t the biggest hit with audiences.
Granted, it did well enough to earn a sequel, in which Smith is currently slated to return for, but the plot itself is very generic. While the fantasy elements definitely help to set the film apart from other “buddy cop” films, Bright is a nice, simple and fun watch that many can enjoy, but is still missing something that has kept it from realizing its full potential.
Focus (2015) 6.6
As mentioned previously, Suicide Squad saw Will Smith and Margot Robbie have great on-screen chemistry together. However, a year before the release of that film, the two actually starred in Focus together. While Focus isn’t the best film ever made, there are still a lot of strong elements about it that make it fun to watch and very charming.
Especially after the film’s release, the chemistry between Smith and Robbie gave people a lot to look forward to with Suicide Squad. Overall, Focus delivers some clever elements into the story and the cast really helps to carry the film, though it isn’t exactly one of Will Smith’s best roles.
Collateral Beauty (2016) 6.8
Collateral Beauty stars Smith as Howard Inlet, a man suffering from depression following the death of his daughter. Focusing on his recovery, Collateral Beauty follows Smith’s character as he comes to interact with other big names such as Edward Norton, Keira Knightly, Helen Mirren, and Kate Winslet.
With an incredibly powerful story centered on Howard’s painful recovery, it is easy to see why the film earned Smith some high praise. Alongside a cast as big as this one, Collateral Beauty was missing only some minor elements that could have made it a truly great film.
Men in Black 3 (2012) 6.8
Though it is no longer the latest installment in the franchise, Men in Black 3 is the latest in the series to feature Will Smith as Agent J. With co star Tommy Lee Jones returning as well, Men in Black 3 offered a great conclusion to the original 2 installments. With the addition of a time travel element, Smith actually got to star alongside Josh Brolin as well, who played a younger Tommy Lee Jones in the film.
In doing so, Smith displayed a lot of the same energy that he’d had since the first film and actually delivered one of the more emotional performances in the entire series. Though the third one may not be the best overall, it is still one of Smith’s best from the decade.
Concussion (2015) 7.1
Losing the number one spot based on number of votes alone, Concussion stars Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu. Based on a true story, Concussion follows Dr. Omalu as he draws attention to the health risks of concussions in the world of professional football. In doing so, however, Dr. Omalu experiences many dark corners of the world of professional football, leading him to making some very important decisions.
While the film may not be Smith’s best role ever, he still received high praise for his performance. Despite the mixed reception towards the film in general, it is easy to see why it can be considered one of the actor’s best.
Aladdin (2019) 7.1
Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin was met with mixed reviews from critics, though audiences were generally a bit more positive towards it. Regardless, one thing that everyone could agree on was the fantastic performance that Will Smith delivered as Genie.
The actor felt very comfortable in the role and did enough differently to make it his own, all without drifting too close to the fantastic work done by Robin Williams in the original animated feature. Furthermore, the actor put his own fun twist on some of the classic songs from the original, helping to solidify his place in the iconic role.
