The best Will Smith movies – we have them here!
Who’s he? The Fresh Prince of Hollywood! Now 53-years old, Smith won his place as one of his generation’s most successful black actors. He made movies in four different decades, and some of them are absolute classics.
Born in Philadelphia in the ’60s, Will Smith made his name as a hip-hop artist in the ’80s. Using the stage name The Fresh Prince, he was part of the highly successful rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.
But hip-hop music wasn’t enough for Will Smith’s ambitions – he had to prove himself as an actor, too. At the beginning of the ’90s, he signed to play in the sitcom series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It was Smith’s real breakthrough in the acting business, paving the way for him to movie roles as well.
In this article, we will look at Will Smith’s best movies so far. He hadn’t won an Oscar so far, but who knows – maybe one day he will?
Enemy of the State (1998)
Enemy of the State is a breathtaking thriller produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. Here we see Will Smith as Robert “Bobby” Dean – a lawyer who gets his hands on a very dangerous record that proves a conspiracy for killing a congressman. Bobby is now facing the challenge of his life as the NSA are after him. He doesn’t have any other choice but to fight for his life and clear his name.
Men in Black (1997)
When Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black hit the movie theaters in 1997, it quickly became a sensation. Here we see Will Smith as an agent from the super-secret organization MIB established after the first contact with the aliens. Smith’s Agent J works closely with his partner and mentor Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) while both of them have to deal with alien species who live secretly on Earth. Men in Black is a great popcorn movie, although we can’t say it’s much more than that.
Bad Boys (1995)
Bad Boys has to be one of the best action comedies ever made. It still is – we don’t care what others say. The chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is insane, and it’s the core of the movie itself. It’s an action movie, so you will see these two shooting a lot of people, but it’s also hilarious and makes you laugh a lot. The sequels are pretty good as well, especially Bad Boys 2 from 2003.
Ali (2001)
It’s an incredible honor to fill the shoes of one of the greatest athletes in the history of Mankind. When Smith was offered the role of Muhammad Ali itself, it’d be madness for him to say “no”. He got as fit as possible to play the Great One in Michael Mann’s biopic, but the mental challenge was indeed much more significant. Muhammad Ali is a colossal figure in American history, especially for black people, so Smith had his hands full in this one.
I, Robot (2004)
When you’re so successful already, why not try something new for a change? In I, Robot Will Smith played the leading role in this sci-fi spectacle based on Isaac Asimov’s short-story collection. The movie takes us to 2035 when robots are a normal part of our lives. They operate under three strict rules in order to keep humans’ lives safe. But what happens if they start to… kill? Will Smith’s Det. Del Spooner is the man who is eager to find the truth.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Directed by the Italian Gabriele Muccino, The Pursuit of Happyness is probably Will Smith’s best movie so far. It was also the second time he got nominated for an Academy Award after Ali. It’s based on the life of Chris Gardner – now a successful businessman and a motivational speaker who had to live as a homeless salesman in the 80’s. Gardner’s story is so inspirational because he never lost his ambition to succeed despite the challenging circumstances – a lesson he wants to teach his young son, too.
I Am Legend (2007)
Based on Richard Matheson’s sci-fi horror novel of the same name, I Am Legend is not an easy movie to watch. It tells the story of Dr. Robert Neville, who is now the last living man in New York in a post-apocalyptic world. Accompanied by his loyal German Shepperd, Dr. Neville tries his best to find a cure for the virus that wiped out humanity. But it’s not a safe world to live in – terrifying creatures and mutants are hiding in the dark. It’s arguably one of the scariest Will Smith movies ever made.
Seven Pounds (2008)
Just like The Pursuit of Happyness, Gabriele Muccino’s Seven Pounds is another excellent movie that displays Will Smith’s talents as a drama actor. In Seven Pounds, Will Smith takes the role of Ben Thomas – a man who seeks redemption and intends to change seven people’s lives forever. Watch this movie if you have never done so far – it’s truly remarkable. We wish Muccino and Smith made more movies together – obviously, they did really well!
Concussion (2015)
Peter Landesman’s Concussion is another Will Smith movie based on a real story. Here we see him playing the role of Bennet Omalu – a Nigerian forensic pathologist who is the first to discover the effects of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in American football players. Omalu is trying hard to warn the football world about his findings, but it’s not easy to face such a sports empire when you are just one man.
King Richard (2021)
Produced by Will Smith himself, King Richard is one of his best movies in the last decade. Another flick based on a real person, Smith tells the story of Richard Williams – the father and coach of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Nobody believed that two black girls from Compton could conquer the tennis world when Richard Williams started training his daughters. But they did. This role won Will Smith a Golden Globe in the Best Actor category. Let’s see if he can win his third Academy Award nomination as well.
We believe these are the best movies we ever saw from Will Smith until today. Do you agree with our list?