The 5 Best Will Smith Sci-Fi Movies, Ranked

Will Smith’s film career has covered just about every corner of mainstream cinema. He has taken on emotional dramas such as “The Pursuit of Happyness” and “Collateral Beauty,” played a charming con artist in “Focus,” and led enough big-budget hits to become one of Hollywood’s most dependable stars. His success has often come from choosing accessible, crowd-pleasing projects, a strategy that was already evident in his early years, when the star of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” began making the leap into science-fiction blockbusters.

Science fiction has not always been kind to Smith — his experience with “After Earth” is proof of that — but the genre has also delivered some of his biggest and most enduring box-office successes. These five Will Smith sci-fi movies, ranked from least impressive to best according to this writer’s subjective judgment, show why he has remained such a reliable presence in futuristic adventures. Even after exploring so many other genres, Smith continues to return to science fiction, where his charisma has helped turn several ambitious concepts into crowd-pleasing films.

Smith’s strongest sci-fi movies also reveal what makes him such a beloved movie star. Their appeal goes beyond memorable spectacle or catchy songs, including the instantly recognizable “Men in Black” theme.

There is plenty to like in “Men in Black 3,” though viewers have to wait a while before the movie finds its rhythm. The third installment brings Will Smith back as Agent J, but its opening stretch is uneven, with jokes such as Emma Thompson’s Agent O speaking an alien language at a funeral failing to land. For a time, the film seems destined to become a disappointing conclusion to the trilogy. Fortunately, everything changes once the central story takes shape: J travels back to the 1960s to save Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K. From there, the comedy becomes more effective, including a clever gag in which J reveals that he already knows the names of the younger O and K before either character introduces themselves.

The time-travel setup also gives Josh Brolin plenty of room to deliver an entertaining impression of Tommy Lee Jones as a younger Agent K. His performance is remarkably funny and demonstrates considerable skill. Michael Stuhlbarg adds another welcome dimension as an alien capable of seeing the future, while the finale brings an unexpected emotional weight that could only emerge from this particular story. “Men in Black 3” takes a long route to get there, but it ultimately succeeds more often than it stumbles.

The journey to that finale can be a slog, but “Men in Black 3” remains an enjoyable sequel more often than not.

Like “Men in Black 3,” “I, Robot” is an uneven production that remains entertaining despite its rough construction. Directed by Alex Proyas, the 2004 sci-fi thriller is set in 2035, when robots have become an ordinary part of daily life. Will Smith plays Detective Del Spooner, a robot-skeptical investigator assigned to examine the death of a robotics pioneer — and the possibility that the humanoid robot Sonny, voiced by Alan Tudyk, is responsible. Proyas occasionally introduces noir-inspired ideas, but the movie is ultimately more interested in explosive set pieces, high-speed chases, and collapsing buildings than in the restrained mood of “Double Indemnity.”

That clash of styles is only one of the film’s weaknesses. Strange narrative decisions, conspicuous product placement, and a finale that leans heavily on computer-generated robots also hold “I, Robot” back from greatness. Even so, the film is surprisingly easy to watch. Its flaws prevent it from becoming a classic, but they also keep the story moving from one chase, fight, or suspense sequence to the next. Smith provides a sturdy lead performance, while Tudyk nearly steals the movie as Sonny, a digital character audiences cannot help but root for.

Other contributions, including Marco Beltrami’s score, help lift “I, Robot” into the realm of undemanding, frequently entertaining science fiction. Anyone looking for a movie in which Will Smith drives a futuristic vehicle through swarms of robots will find exactly that here.

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Many of Will Smith’s biggest star vehicles thrive on his chemistry with an eccentric co-star or a large ensemble of distinctive personalities. “I Am Legend” takes the opposite approach. As Dr. Robert Neville, Smith spends much of the film with no human companion at all, apart from his loyal dog. A virus has devastated humanity, leaving Neville alone in an abandoned New York City populated by mutated, undead creatures. It is a considerably darker role than many of Smith’s usual parts, and he handles the isolation with impressive control.

The film’s emotional weight highlights Smith’s range, giving him the opportunity to portray profound loneliness and grief. Francis Lawrence was a strong choice to direct the project, having demonstrated an aptitude for bleak, end-of-the-world settings in “The Long Walk” and the “Hunger Games” sequels. The theatrical ending remains a weakness, abandoning the movie’s quiet, reflective mood in favor of a more explosive conclusion. “I Am Legend’s” alternate ending is considerably stronger and would have provided a more fitting finish to the somber story.

Even with the frustrations of its original theatrical cut, “I Am Legend” remains an evocative science-fiction film, largely because of Smith’s committed and unusually haunting performance.

It is difficult to recreate the impact of a genuine surprise hit. No matter how much money Roland Emmerich’s later movies earned, few matched the sheer entertainment value and polished spectacle of 1996’s “Independence Day.” Some of his post-1996 blockbusters, including “2012” and the 2013 film “White House Down,” have their moments. Yet attempts such as “Independence Day: Resurgence” and “Moonfall” failed to capture the original’s appeal, in part because their stories became overly complicated and their casts too unwieldy.

By contrast, “Independence Day” struck an ideal balance between an expansive ensemble and a straightforward story about humanity fighting back against alien invaders. Emmerich’s film delivers one memorable action sequence after another, backed by striking visual effects and a cast full of personality. Among them is Will Smith in his breakthrough movie role as Captain Steven Hiller. He is effortlessly charming, bringing an appealing everyman quality to the impossible situation and giving audiences an ideal character to follow through the alien attack.

The film did more than establish Smith as a leading man capable of carrying an expensive blockbuster. It also showcased one of his most enduring strengths: reacting to outrageous events with the same disbelief and excitement the audience might feel. That quality became central to his appeal throughout the rest of his career. It is little wonder that Emmerich never managed to recreate the lightning-in-a-bottle success of “Independence Day.”

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.