Will Smith's sci-fi movies, ranked

Will Smith may have started his acting career as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but he became a bonafide movie star when he began starring in sci-fi blockbusters like Independence Day and the Men in Black franchise. He's the rare actor who can command the screen doing absolutely anything, whether he's flying military missions against alien spaceships, midwifing an adorable alien squid, or just chatting with his beloved German shepherd. But which of his sci-fi movies were truly worthy of his talent?

Here is EW's list of Will Smith's sci-fi movies over the decades, ranked from worst to best.

01 of 12

12. After Earth (2013)

After Earth (2013)Jaden Smith, left, and WIll SmithFrank Masi/Columbia/Sony — Frank Masi/Columbia/Sony

Smith has never been less convincing than when he played the father of his real-life son. In After Earth, Will and Jaden Smith are future space colonists who crash-land on an uninhabited Earth and fight fear-sensing monsters.

Nothing works about this movie, from co-writer/director M. Night Shyamalan's inert, cliché-riddled script to the cheap-looking CGI to poor Jaden's indecipherable "futuristic" accent. Worst of all, Will's immense star power is nowhere to be found, as he spends the movie listlessly barking platitudes like "fear is a choice," making for an all-around misfire.

Where to stream After Earth: Netflix

02 of 12

11. Wild Wild West (1999)

WILD WILD WEST, Will Smith, Salma Hayek, Kevin Kline, 1999, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Col — Everett Collection

Wild Wild West should have been fun. A kitchen sink steampunk Western comedy where Smith and Kevin Kline play Secret Service agents who foil a plot to assassinate Ulysses S. Grant (also Kevin Kline) sounds just chaotic enough to be awesome.

Unfortunately, despite all the ambition, it's just not that funny. The cast is game, but the jokes land like bricks, especially when they involve race, Salma Hayek's bosom, or Kline in drag. All you can think while watching is, "He turned down The Matrix's Neo for this?"

Where to watch Wild Wild West: Tubi

03 of 12

10. Bright (2017)

BRIGHT - PRODUCTION STILLS - 019SEASONAllPHOTO CREDITMatt Kennedy/Netflix — Matt Kennedy/Netflix

According to Netflix, Bright is one of its most-streamed films of all time, but at the risk of sounding like another "disconnected" critic, I can't begin to understand why. The premise is overwhelmingly silly: Present-day orcs are now oppressed minorities and Smith is a prejudiced human cop who teams up with an orc (Joel Edgerton) to protect an elf's magic wand.

It's an on-the-nose allegory about racism that manages to be pretty racially insensitive — the words "Fairy Lives Don't Matter" are uttered at one point. Fans might argue that it's just a fun action movie, but thanks to a bloated runtime and subpar special effects, it's not fun. It's not even campy. It's just bad Lord of the Rings fanfic.

Where to watch Bright: Netflix

04 of 12

9. Gemini Man (2019)

Gemini Man is practically overflowing with talent — directed by Ang Lee, co-written by Game of Thrones' David Benioff, and starring not one but two Smiths. So what went wrong? The script, for one thing — Smith's assassin-with-a-heart-of-gold speaks exclusively in stale cliches like, "I'm having trouble looking in the mirror lately." Then, when he's faced with the younger clone of himself (a mirror, get it?), the doppelgänger's face is rendered in uncannily smooth, pouty CGI that looks less like the teenage Fresh Prince and more like adult Smith using a TikTok filter.

Gemini Man took more than 20 years to get off the ground, reportedly because CGI technology wasn't advanced enough for the high-concept premise. In retrospect, it should have stayed grounded.

Where to rent Gemini Man: Amazon Prime Video

05 of 12

8. Suicide Squad (2016)

SUICIDE SQUAD (2016) (L-r) JAY HERNANDEZ as El Diablo, JAI COURTNEY as Captain Boomerang, ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE as Killer Croc, MARGOT ROBBIE as Harley Quinn, WILL SMITH as Deadshot, JOEL KINNAMAN as Rick Flagg and KAREN FUKUHARA as Kitana — Clay Enos/Warner Bros.

Perhaps the best thing about David Ayer's 2016 version of Suicide Squad is its trailer. The irreverent, stylish footage leaked from Comic-Con, brilliantly set to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," promised a Dirty Dozen-esque antihero team-up that would break the DCEU's streak of dour disappointments.

Instead, the finished studio version (which Ayer hopes to redeem with his director's cut) is a whole new kind of terrible — a choppy Frankenstein of a movie that feels like a bunch of trailers strung together before collapsing into ugly CGI. Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn emerge intact through sheer charisma — Jared Leto's Hot Topic Joker, however, isn't so lucky. It's not the worst movie on this list, but definitely the biggest disappointment.

Where to watch Suicide Squad: Max

06 of 12

7. Men in Black II (2002)

Men in Black II (2002)Will Smith — Melinda Sue Gordon/Columbia Pictures

Like so many sequels, Men in Black II increased the special effects budget and missed the heart entirely. This time around, Smith's Agent J takes on the experienced teacher role while Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K tries to recover his neuralyzed memories so they can fight a shapeshifting alien (Lara Flynn Boyle) who's taken the form of a lingerie model (yes, really).

The chemistry between the wisecracking Smith and straight-man Jones was the best part of Men in Black, and while reversing their dynamic is a promising idea, it's just not as much fun in the follow-up. It doesn't help that both Smith and Jones seem disconnected from their roles — there's a distinct sense of "we've done this all before." Plus, this "horny-dog sequel" completely wastes Rosario Dawson, which is a crime unto itself.

Where to watch Men in Black II: Amazon Prime Video

07 of 12

6. I, Robot (2004)

Bridget Moynahan, Sonny the Robot, and Will Smith in 'I, Robot'. Everett Collection

I, Robot starts with an intriguing premise: In a future where personal robots are becoming ubiquitous, a prominent roboticist apparently dies by suicide and leaves an ominous message for robot-hating cop Detective Spooner, played by Smith at the height of his action-hero powers. However, don't go in expecting a faithful Isaac Asimov adaptation; other than an homage to the author's Three Laws of Robotics, it bears little resemblance to the book of the same name.

But overall, the Alex Proyas-directed I, Robot is an above-average sci-fi thriller that engages with some interesting ideas about consciousness — at least until the last act, when it devolves into killer-robot silliness.

Where to watch I, Robot: MGM+

08 of 12

5. Men in Black 3 (2012)

MEN IN BLACK III, from left: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, 2012. ph: Wilson Webb/©Columbia Pictures/c — Everett Collection

Men in Black 3 was a decade in the making, and it shows. Unlike the hastily-made first sequel, which ended up a perfunctory rehash, MIB 3 injects the franchise with new energy by adding Josh Brolin and time-travel hijinks into the mix. When Agent J wakes up one morning to find that Agent K has been dead for 20 years, he travels back in time to save his life and prevent an alien takeover, learning more about his taciturn partner in the process.

While it's not as imaginative or fresh as the original — what could be? — and Jones' presence is missed for the majority of the movie, it's a worthy ending to the franchise. (We'll just pretend Men in Black: International never happened.)

Where to watch Men in Black 3: Amazon Prime Video

09 of 12

4. Hancock (2008)

Perhaps the most polarizing movie on this list, Hancock follows a misanthropic superhuman living with an alcohol problem (Smith) who leaves a trail of chaos and destruction in his wake, until he saves the life of a mild-mannered PR specialist (Jason Bateman) who tries to rehab the title character's image.

Helmed by Friday Night Lights director/frequent Mark Wahlberg collaborator Peter Berg and written by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, Hancock strikes a tricky tonal balance between pitch-black comedy and character study that doesn't always fully gel, but is always distinctly itself.

Where to watch Hancock: Pluto TV

10 of 12

3. Independence Day (1996)

INDEPENDENCE DAY, Will Smith, 1996, TM and Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights rese — Everett Collection

Independence Day is two-and-a-half hours of sheer spectacle. Gigantic, city-sized spaceships hover above major metropolises all over the world, and humanity is forced to come together to defeat the alien invaders — but not before we get a few iconic shots of New York, L.A., and even the White House itself getting destroyed in spectacular fashion. This was the role that catapulted Smith to movie stardom, and with good reason — he's ridiculously charismatic as hotshot pilot Captain Hiller, trading fun, light barbs with Jeff Goldblum's David Levinson and dead aliens alike.

Other than Smith's performance, the film's saving grace is that, unlike the disastrous 2016 sequel, it doesn't take itself too seriously — the writing is breezy and knowing, aiming for pure popcorn fun and nothing more. Is Bill Pullman's climactic speech about the Fourth of July becoming a global holiday jingoistic and kind of cringe? Sure, but it's also iconic American cheese, like Independence Day itself.

Where to watch Independence Day: Starz

11 of 12

2. I Am Legend (2007)

You might remember the Francis Lawrence-directed I Am Legend as New York's answer to 2002's 28 Days Later: Smith flees fast-moving hordes of rabid humanoids amid eerie shots of an abandoned Washington Square Park. What you might not remember is that it's also a devastating meditation on loneliness.

Joined by his faithful dog, Smith is the only human on screen for the first half of the movie, and his performance is nothing short of mesmerizing, whether he's hunting deer in the city streets or setting up mannequins in a video store to simulate human contact. Though the zombie CGI doesn't particularly hold up, and fans of the Richard Matheson novel that it's based on have complained about the ending, I Am Legend deserves to be remembered for Smith's performance alone.

Where to rent I Am Legend: Amazon Prime Video

12 of 12

1. Men in Black (1997)

MEN IN BLACK, Will Smith, 1997 — Everett Collection

A stone-cold classic. Barry Sonnenfeld's Men in Black set the standard for sci-fi comedies thanks to its wacky, imaginative premise: Aliens walk among us while spies in suits erase our memories of their existence.

The buddy chemistry between Smith and Jones is pitch-perfect, from the first moment Jones says, "This is the last suit you'll ever wear." Plus, it's just so freaking charming. Worm aliens drink coffee in the break room, a tiny alien hides an entire galaxy on a cat's collar, and Agent K quips that the World's Fair was obviously a cover-up for an alien landing because "Why else would we hold it in Queens?" The sequels had their moments, but the original is pure magic.

Where to watch Men in Black: Amazon Prime Video

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