The Best and Worst of Johnny Depp

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Black Mass" star Johnny Depp.

Films starring Johnny Depp that I've seen:
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Edward Scissorhands
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Blow 
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Public Enemies 
Rango
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 
The Rum Diary
The Lone Ranger
Transcendence
Tusk
Mortdecai

 Best Performance: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
The role of hard-drinking, mumbling, cooky pirate Jack Sparrow was one that Depp was born to play. Deep's eccentricity, energy and flare for all things eccentric made Sparrow one of the most memorable characters in recent film history and was almost solely responsible for making Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl one of the most fun action/adventure films of all-time.

Worst Performance: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
I still won't forgive Depp for transforming a lovable character like Willy Wonka into an awkward, creepy candy-peddler who is eerily reminiscent of Michael Jackson. Depp ramps up the eccentricity that Gene Wilder brought to the character while completely disregarding the charm that made Willy Wonka such an iconic character. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a firm reminder of why Depp should permanently stay away from Tim Burton's half-baked, psychedelic re-imaginings of classic children's films.

Best Film: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
There's plenty of trippy, unconventional drug-based films out there, but none have the bite or the same level of fillmmaking proficiency as Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Like Hunter S. Thompson's source material, Gilliam creates a world full of colorful, strange characters that repeatedly put themselves into insane situations and it's nothing of enthralling to watch. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a unique, unforgettable and darkly hilarious film that is as good as it gets when it comes to the world of surrealist cinema. 

Worst Film: Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Depp has starred in a lot of widely-hated films (Transcendence, Mortdecai, The Long Ranger) that are well-deserving of their bad raps. However, none of those films filled me with more rage and disgust than his breakout film and first collaboration with BFF Burton, Edward Scissorhands. Burton tries so hard to make a film that parallels the plot of Frankenstein and make Edward a symbol for all of the misunderstood and wrongfully feared outsiders of the world, but the love story at the center of the film is so corny and the acting is so collectively bad that Burton's good intentions don't really matter. Edward Scissorhands is an abomination and I will never even begin to understand why it's so acclaimed. 

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "Hotel Translyvania" star Adam Sandler.