Will Smith's First 10 Movies, Ranked

Here's a look back at Will Smith's first 10 movies, from Bad Boys to Ali.

Today, it'd be hard to find someone who hasn't seen a single Will Smith movie or TV show. Whether it's the cult classic The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that dominated the 90s, or his more recent blockbusters like Aladdin and King Richard, Smith is a staple in theaters around the world. It's hard to believe there was a time when he was known more for his music than his acting career.

Smith has over 50 film credits to his name and industry-wide recognition, as evidenced by the Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe Awards he's nabbed. His upcoming role in Pole to Pole, where he will take on a trek to the North Pole, will add even more diversity to his portfolio. And while his filmography continues to improve, there are several gems from early in his career that show what a budding star he was destined to become. So, let's rewind to the early-90s and rank Will Smith's first 10 movies.

Released in 1999, Wild Wild West is a western that stars Smith and Kevin Kline as two U.S. Secret Service agents set to protect the president during a tumultuous time: the American Frontier. Salma Hayek is also in the film, as well as Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs). The film came out after the smashing success of Men in Black, and was one of the most expensive films made at the time, with a budget of $170 million. By all accounts, the movie should've been a success.

Instead, it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 16% and won several Golden Raspberry awards, including Worst Screen Couple (Smith and Kline), Worst Original Song ("Wild Wild West" by Smith), and Worst Director (Barry Sonnenfeld). Smith himself regrets doing the movie, saying in a GQ interview that Wild Wild West is "a thorn in his side." Safe to say, Wild Wild West wasn't his best work.

Related: 10 Movies Will Smith Said No To

Where the Day Takes You is notable for being Smith's film debut, although he has a small role. Directed by Marc Rocco, the film is about a group of unhoused young people navigating life in Los Angeles. Drugs? Check. Crime? Check. Love...check? Smith, who was 22 years old at the time, played Manny, an amputee who is friends with the leader of the gang, King (played by Dermot Mulroney). Smith isn't the only now-famous actor with a miniscule role. Alyssa Milano, who originally sought the role King's love interest Heather, was ultimately cast as a sex worker named Kimmy. Christian Slater wasn't even credited for his role as a social worker.

The film earned under $200,000 and is forgotten in the broad work of the aforementioned actors' extensive body of work. If you like gritty dramas set in L.A., this film could scratch that itch. It's well acted for the most part, and shines a light on homelessness in the City of Angels, a problem that persists today. But tight on time while wanting to delve into Smith's back catalog of work? This could be one to skip.

This comedy stars Whoopi Goldberg, Nia Long, Ted Danson, and, of course, Smith. In Made in America, Long's character, Zora, discovers her deceased father wasn't her biological dad. She traces her conception to a sperm bank, where she learns her father's true identity, accompanied by her best friend, curiously named Tea Cake, played by Smith.

For those familiar with The Fresh Prince, they will recognize the on-screen chemistry he has with Long who played Smith's longtime girlfriend in the sitcom. Here, Smith has a secondary role as the best friend, yet the two still bounce off each other well. Smith's trademark goofy humor is on display and with notable stars like Goldberg, Long, and Jennifer Tilly, the 90s nostalgia is off the charts.

Independence Day is a sci-fi action film with an impressive ensemble cast. Bill Pullman (Sleepless in Seattle), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), Randy Quaid (A Streetcar Named Desire), Vivica A. Fox (Soul Train), among others. The movie centers on a group of people ready to take on a threat that may be just a little out of their league: aliens. And what better day to take on this other worldly challenge than the Fourth of July, hence the name.

Smith shines as Captain Steven Hiller, who runs the Black Knight fighter squadron. This movie has all the tropes sci-fi fans love: high stakes, intense action sequences, Area 51 references, political intrigue, and conspiracy theories. You know a movie stuck with fans if Hollywood decides to pursue a sequel 20 years after the original released. Smith didn't appear in Independence Day: Resurgence and the newer release didn't resonate as much with moviegoers. However, for those looking for their comfort food equivalent in film form, Independence Day is available to watch on STARZ.

Related: Independence Day: Resurgence Had to be Rewritten in Two Weeks After Will Smith's Departure

The 90s sure was a busy time for Smith. He had a movie come out every year from 1992 to 1999, save for 1994. Bad Boys, where he stars alongside the equally hilarious Martin Lawrence, released in '95. It's likely that as soon as you read the title you started hearing the catchy song of the same name. "Bad boys, bad boys. What'cha gonna do when they come for you?"

Smith and Lawrence play two Miami narcotic detectives in this action-comedy film. While not the first buddy cop film, it made the genre even more popular with African American audiences, shadowed by subsequent films like All About the Benjamins (starring Ice Cube and Mike Epps), White Chicks (starring the Wayans brothers), and even Smith's own Men in Black. While much of the humor in Bad Boys doesn't age well, the natural way Smith and Lawrence play off each other is indisputable and the reason why, despite negative reviews, it performed well at the box office and earned two sequels, one from 2020.

With bigger franchises that spawned sequels, merch, and massive fandoms, The Legend of Bagger Vance is often an overlooked Will Smith film. Based on Steven Pressfield's 1995 novel, Smith stars alongside powerhouses Matt Damon and Charlize Theron. Set in 1931 Georgia, Smith plays the titular Bagger Vance. Rannulph (Damon) is a veteran from a wealthy family who is suffering from PTSD after his entire company died. His ex-girlfriend, Adele (Theron), asks Rannulph to compete in a golf tournament. One night, Rannulph is approached by Bagger who offers to be his caddy.

What follows next is a series of inspirational moments, in which Bagger helps guide Rannulph out of the hole he's found himself in. While the movie doesn't do anything innovative in terms of plot, the performances by Damon, Theron, and Smith make this a nice comfort watch for lovers of historical fiction. It's also one of the first films in Smith's early career that he played a character so unlike much of his others, giving the world a preview to the range that lies within.

Six Degrees of Separation makes a few things crystal-clear within its first 20 minutes of runtime. One: Donald Sutherland was born to play a grandfatherly authority figure. Two: Stockard Channing is criminally underrated and deserves recognition for roles outside of Rizzo in Grease. Three: Smith has a talent for mocking "Carlton-esque" characters, prep school uniform and antiquated way of speaking and all.

In the role of Paul, Smith cons a rich couple into believing he's a part of their world, including being friends with their children. Besides a well-stocked cast, viewers can appreciate the goodness of upper-crust New York society in the nineties.

Clearly on a stride with action films, Enemy of the State is a political action thriller with Smith playing lawyer Robert Clayton Dean. When NSA agents murder a Congressman, they believe they have everything needed for a successful coverup. They don't anticipate a video of the murder ending up in the hands of Dean.

Smith's character in Enemy of the State is where he first starts to stretch out of the box some of his earlier roles seemed to be stuffing him into. While he fully breaks out of that box in his role as Bagger Vance, Robert Clayton Dean is a more serious character for Smith who held his own opposite decorated actor Gene Hackman.

This entry hardly needs an introduction. Men in Black is a sci-fi comedy franchise that has films from as recently as 2019, starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. But the O.G. still holds a special place for fans of the franchise for introducing us to this universe. Smith worked with Sonnenfeld from Wild Wild West, yet here the combination is magic.

Smith plays Agent J, a former NYPD detective now part of the Men in Black. Alongside Agent K, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who nails his character's stoic and sarcastic delivery, the two have to get to the bottom of crimes that seem to have links to the extraterrestrial. This film resonates with a wide audience, even those not typically drawn to science fiction films. Perhaps it's the wide appeal Smith himself has, and he wasn't the first choice for the role. But after grossing nearly $590 million worldwide, the decision seems to be the correct one.

Ali is a biopic that follows a decade in the life of renowned boxer Muhammad Ali. If you think this film just covers sports, you'd be mistaken. From the Vietnam War to racial unrest in the United States to converting religions, this movie has it all. Newer fans of Smith may recall his YouTube series Best Shape of My Life, where he documents his journey away from what he deems is the "worst shape of his life." However, that wasn't the first time Smith challenged himself physically for a film. In preparation for Ali, Smith worked boxed and trained for hours a day, studied Islam, and worked with a coach to emulate Muhammad Ali's dialect.

While the film didn't smash the box office, critics and fans alike recognize the passion Smith brought to the role. As talented as Smith is, his personality often bleeds through his work, and it can sometimes feel like you're watching him on the screen rather than the character he's playing. Here, Smith is almost unrecognizable as he seamlessly embodies the late boxing legend.