5 Best Will Smith Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked

Will Smith's career has been all over the place. Smith has done all kinds of movies, including dramas like "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Collateral Beauty" or heist features like "Focus." If there's a mainstream movie genre that makes a lot of money, there's a good chance Smith's headlined a movie in it. This guy was known as one of the most reliable movie stars in the history of the film business for a reason. That largely comes down to his shrewd opting for accessible, crowdpleasers. This was evident even in his earliest works, which brought the star of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" into the world of sci-fi blockbusters.

Sci-fi hasn't been foolproof for Smith (just ask how his "After Earth" experiences went), but it's certainly provided him some of his biggest and most lasting box office smashes. The five best Will Smith sci-fi movies of all time (ranked from "least best" to greatest based on this author's subjective opinions) epitomize why this actor has proven so reliable in this particular genre. Even with Smith shifting between so many different cinematic realms, the world of sci-fi keeps beckoning him and ensuring further gems hit theater screens.

Will Smith's best sci-fi exploits also help one appreciate the finer nuances of why this man is such a beloved star, beyond giving the world catchy tunes like the "Men in Black" theme song.

There's quality material in "Men in Black 3," but boy do you have to be patient for it to arrive. This threequel that brought back Will Smith as Agent J starts off on a rough patch as big jokes (like Emma Thompson's Agent O speaking in an alien language at a funeral) absolutely bomb. For a moment, it seems like "Men in Black 3" will become one of those  sad, low ends to a trilogy. Thankfully, the moment the proper plot (about Agent J going back in time to the 1960s to save Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K) begins, "Men in Black 3" finds its footing. The gags start clicking together, particularly one where J explains how he knew the names of the younger versions of O and K before they introduced themselves.

Best of all, shifting the action to the '60s ensures that Josh Brolin's hysterical Tommy Lee Jones pastiche as a young Agent K takes up a lot of screentime. His performance is deeply amusing and shows some real skill on Brolin's part. Having the endearing Michael Stuhlbarg around as an alien with the gift of seeing the future is also a welcome treat. The finale even conjures up some surprising poignancy that would only be possible with this time travel plot.

It's arduous to get to that finale, but "Men in Black 3" does work more often than it doesn't. 

Much like "Men in Black 3," "I, Robot" is a messy feature that works in spite of its ramshackle qualities. This Alex Proyas directorial effort follows Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) in a vision of 2035 where robots are everywhere in society. The robot-hating Spooner is called upon to explore a case involving the death of a robotics pioneer and the robot, Sonny (Alan Tudyk), that may have killed him. Proyas occasionally tries imbuing noir-inspired elements into this production, but by and large, "I, Robot" opts for big explosion-laden car chase scenes or houses blowing up. Not exactly the kind of material that defined "Double Indemnity."

The aesthetic dissonance there is one of several problems, which also include weird storytelling choices, excessive product placement, and an over-emphasis on CG automatons during the finale. Still, "I, Robot" proves weirdly watchable despite its flaws. The same issues that keep it from becoming a classic also ensure there's always a new suspense or fight sequence around the corner to keep one from being bored. Smith makes for a solid anchor too, while Tudyk steals the show in his pre-K-2SO role as a digital robot that audiences can't help but love.

Other artists like composer Marco Beltrami also deliver solid work that mildly elevates "I, Robot" to the level of inoffensive and regularly diverting. If you just want to see Will Smith run over hordes of robots with a futuristic car, "I, Robot" has you covered.

In many of his biggest star vehicles, Will Smith delivers a lot of entertainment bouncing off a wildly different co-star or even an ensemble of outsized personalities. For "I Am Legend," though, there is no Tommy Lee Jones or Kevin James to interact with. In fact, his lead character, Dr. Robert Neville, has nobody else to interact with except for his loyal canine. A virus has wiped out humanity and now Smith's Neville trudges through a desolate version of New York City alone, save for the undead mutated vampires that roam the streets. This is a grimmer affair that Smith handles with impressive success.

Handling more aching material reflects the actor's range and offers him chances to demonstrate aching loneliness. Pairing him with director Francis Lawrence was also an inspired move, since Lawrence's work on "The Long Walk" and the "Hunger Games" sequels showed how much he excels in worlds full of apocalyptic woe. Yes, there's the underwhelming theatrical "I Am Legend" ending that opts for more explosions than continuing the film's subdued, thoughtful tone. The alternate ending of "I Am Legend" is superior and would've ended this grim tentpole on a far better note.

Still, even in its more frustrating initial cut, "I Am Legend" proves evocative more often than not, a feat that largely comes down to a committed (and more haunting than usual) Will Smith performance. 

It's always hard to beat an initial surprise hit. No matter how much money director Roland Emmerich's movies  grossed, they just couldn't match the fun or slick craftsmanship of 1996's "Independence Day." There's fun to be had in certain post-1996 Emmerich blockbusters, particularly "2012" or the 2013 gem "White House Down." However, any attempts by dismal Emmerich works to emulate the success of this particular title have always fallen flat. That's partially because projects like "Independence Day: Resurgence" or "Moonfall" have deeply convoluted narratives and excessively large casts.

The plot of "Independence Day", though, found just the right balance in both the scope of its ensemble cast and the complexity of its story of humanity contending with alien invaders. Emmerich and company kept the memorable action set pieces and striking visuals coming throughout this production. Even better, "Independence Day" was anchored by a killer cast that included Will Smith in his breakthrough movie role as Captain Steven Hiller. He's endlessly charming and fun here, the perfect endearing everyman persona to follow through an unthinkable alien invasion.

With this film, Smith's ability to headline a costly movie wasn't just established. "Independence Day" also drove home the fun of watching Will Smith react like any audience member to the most outlandish scenarios imaginable. That concept served him incredibly well throughout the rest of his career. No wonder Emmerich wasn't ever able to replicate this lighting in a bottle success.

The entire "Men in Black" timeline began with the inaugural "Men in Black" from 1997 that introduced the world to Will Smith's Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones's Agent K. In it, J is recruited into the Men in Black organization to help protect the planet from devious aliens, including the nefarious Edgar (Vincent D'Onofrio). This title was utterly delightful in every respect, with much of its entertainment coming from it being an absolutely perfect star vehicle for Smith. This actor has bounced off many movie stars across his career, but rarely has he had a more inspired scene partner than Tommy Lee Jones.

The no-nonsense gruff air Jones always exudes proved a perfect contrast to Smith's rapid-fire comedic sensibilities. Smith was also perfect at reacting like a normal person to outlandish cosmic situations like helping an alien lady give birth or watching Agent K try to get answers from an extraterrestrial that looks like a pug. He even keeps his charisma when interacting with a CG version of Edgar's true alien form in the finale. Not every actor can effectively perform against basically nothing on-set when inhabiting a scene with a digital character. Smith, though, did it with ease. 

In every respect, Smith is absolutely perfect in "Men in Black." No wonder it is always ranked highly when people discuss the best Will Smith movies of all time.