The Best and Worst of Hugh Jackman

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 "Pan" star Hugh Jackman.

Film starring Hugh Jackman that I've seen:
X-Men
Swordfish
X2: X-Men United
Van Helsing
The Prestige
The Fountain
X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Real Steel
Butter
Movie 43
The Wolverine
Prisoners 
X-Men: Days of Future Past 
Chappie

Best Performance: Prisoners (2013):
For a long time, I viewed Jackman as a charismatic action star with respectable enough acting chops to tackle the occasional dramatic role. My view on Jackman as an actor changed dramatically after seeing Prisoners. Jackman gives an awards-caliber performance as a father driven to the brink of insanity after his young daughter goes missing. Jackman is simply remarkable in the role and his performance only become more striking as his character further descends into grief-fueled madness. Now that Prisoners has exposed how capable of an actor Jackman truly is, hopefully he will start landing more dramatic roles.

Worst Performance: Chappie (2015):
This was the first time I've ever seen Jackman turn in truly awful work. His performance as bitter, conniving tech-developer is the epitome of cartoonish overacting. The only thing missing from his archetypal over-the-top villain performance was a maniacal laugh and a massive cigar. His role is thankfully pretty small, but he was the easily the most ridiculous element of a movie that was loaded with corny characters and moronic plot developments.

Best Film: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014):
In my eyes, X-Men is the most underrated and consistent film franchise in the vast Marvel cannon. While the series has been loaded with great films, 2014's Days of the Future Past stands out as the most impressive achievement. The film is able to balance a lot of moving parts across its time-hopping narrative without becoming overwhelming or forgetting to develop its several primary characters and the action sequences are ambitious and deeply satisfying. In a time where superhero movies are becoming more and more underwhelming by the year, Days of Future Past is a refreshingly entertaining and intelligent exception to the rule.   

Worst Film: The Fountain (2006):
Darren Aronofsky is one of my absolute favorite directors. He's made a career of making incredibly bleak yet powerful films that stick with you long after you've finished watching them. The Fountain is the only time in his career where I believe he missed the mark. While you have to applaud his ambition for creating an interlocking romantic epic that spans over three different generations and the spirited performances from Jackman and Rachel Weiz, Aronofsky tries to pack way too much plot and symbolism into a 95-minute film and it results in a convoluted and pretentious film that's more frustrating than thought-provoking.

 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 "Bridge of Spies" star Tom Hanks.