Scarlett Johansson Ranked

Welcome to the latest edition of "Ranked", where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out related accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Scarlett Johansson.   

Scarlett Johansson's Filmography Ranked:

29.Under the Skin (F)

28.Lucy (D)

27.The Jungle Book (D+)

26.Avengers: Age of Ultron (D+)

25.Hail, Caesar! (D+)

24.The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (C-)

23.Iron Man 2 (C+)

22.The Perfect Score (C+)

21.The Spirit (C+)

20.Isle of Dogs (C+)

19.Don Jon (C+)

18.Captain America: The Winter Solider (C+)

17.Ghost World (B-)

16.Captain America: Civil War (B)

15.Chef (B)

14.Match Point (B)

13.We Bought a Zoo (B)

12.Lost in Translation (B)

11.The Island (B+)

10.Rough Night (B+)

9.Vicky Christina Barcelona (B+)

8.The Prestige (B+)

7.The Avengers (B+)

6.Her (B+)

5.Ghost in the Shell (A-)

4.Avengers: Endgame (A-)

3.Avengers: Infinity War (A)

2.Jojo Rabbit (A)

1.Marriage Story (A)

Top Dog: Marriage Story (2019)

Noah Baumbach's reflection on the divorce process is nothing short of a masterpiece. Through its meticulously detailed writing and nuanced performances, the film touches on all of the emotions (anger, sadness, pettiness, deceit, cruelty, hatred, selfishness, relief) that tend to be part of this agonizing event in a natural, visceral fashion that will all but certainly trigger memories of anyone that's been sucked into the web of this all too common life event. Every "slice of life" film should aim to be this unflinchingly raw and honest.   

Lowlight: Under the Skin (2014)

Under the Skin is just torture in cinematic form. This surrealist sci-fi nonsense centered around an alien (Johansson) posing as a human woman who goes around Glasgow seducing and killing men is an overwhelmingly dull film that mistakes nature shots, unconventional color schemes and relentless ambiguity about the main character's intentions as profound storytelling.

Most Underrated: Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Controversy over Johansson's casting and subsequent complaints about its faithfulness to the source material define the legacy of the live action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. Underneath all of the backlash in my eyes, sits a steampunk flick full of great action, strong acting and some of the most astonishing visual effects in the history of cinema that is among the most slept on blockbusters of the past decade. 

Most Overrated: Under the Skin (2014)

All of the constructiveish reasons as to why I dislike Under the Skin so much are listed above, so I'll just reiterate that this movie is a top-tier pile of faux deep bullshit that isn't worthy of any of the glowing praise its received from the cinephile community. 

Biggest Oscar Snub: Her (2013)

Remarkably, Johansson's Oscar noms for Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit last year were the first two she's received. In a just world, her initial recognition from the Academy would've come seven years ago for her unreal supporting turn in Her. As the phone operating system that the lonely, heartbroken Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix-also robbed of an Oscar nom) falls in love with, Johansson gives an intimate, vulnerable performance without ever physically appearing on screen. 

Shittiest Action Movie: Lucy (2014)

Since appearing in Michael Bay's The Island shortly after her breakout turn in Lost in Translation, Johansson has been a reliably strong staple in the action genre. Thus far, the only time the genre has completely done her dirty came with the complete clusterfuck that was Lucy. After a decent enough start, Lucy takes a steep, sudden nosedive when it goes down a sci-fi path that become more and more ridiculous by the moment until it reaches a conclusion that's so breathtakingly dumb that it feels more like an elaborate trolljob than a legit ending.