The Best and Worst of Zoe Saldana

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 "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2" star Zoe Saldana.

Films starring Zoe Saldana that I've seen:
Drumline
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Guess Who
Vantage Point
Star Trek
Avatar
Death at a Funeral
The Losers
Takers
Colombiana 
The Words
Star Trek Into Darkness
Out of the Furnace
Guardians of the Galaxy
Infinitely Polar Bear
Star Trek Beyond
Live by Night

Best Performance: Infinitely Polar Bear (2015)
Saldana-who is mostly known for being an action/sci-fi star-has had some issues transitioning over to the world of dramatic films in the past (Out of the Furnace, Drumline), but those problems were nowhere to be found in Infinitely Polar Bear. Despite working with a formulaic melodramatic script, Saldana manages to turn in a sensitive, authentic performance as a poverty-stricken Boston woman who leaves her two young daughters (Imogene Wolodarsky and Ashley Aufderheide) in the care of her bipolar husband (Mark Ruffalo, equally great) to pursue a business degree in New York City.  

Worst Performance: Takers (2010)
My problem with Saldana's role in Takers lies squarely on the shoulders of the filmmakers. Given her established background as an ass-kicking action hero, reducing Saldana to a helpless love interest that sits on the sidelines while her fiance (Michael Ealy) and his bank-robbing friends (led by Idris Elba and the late Paul Walker) is dumb, unconvincing and borderline offensive. The egregious miscasting of Saldana is easily the weakest part of an otherwise fun and well-crafted B-heist movie.

Best Film: Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek is the biggest pleasant surprise I've ever experienced as a moviegoer. J.J Abrams did the impossible by taking a brand that was defined by its relentless, grating cheesiness and turning it into a truly epic, absurdly fun modern sci-fi classic. While the 2013 sequel Into Darkness failed to live up to the lofty standards he set here, I'll never forget the spellbinding magic of the original reboot. 

Worst Film: Avatar (2009)
Even as I sit here seven and a half years after it was released, I legitimately can not manage to wrap my around how Avatar managed to pickup a Best Picture nomination and get hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made by millions of people around the world. No amount of innovative visuals can save this film from being a corny, horribly-acted and overwhelmingly dull piece of trash. I genuinely hope the 62 planned sequels James Cameron has spent the last eight years working on never see the light of day.

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 "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" star Jude Law.