Dave Bautista Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked"-a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related accolades. This week, I'm profiling the work of Dave Bautista-whose latest project "Knock at the Cabin" releases in theaters tomorrow. 

Dave Bautista's Filmography Ranked:

19.Spectre (C+)

18.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (C+)

17.Heist (C+)

16.Riddick (B-)

15.Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (B-)

14.Final Score (B-)

13.Blade Runner 2049 (B-)

12.Bushwick (B)

11.The Man with the Iron Fists (B)

10.Stuber (B)

9.Hotel Artemis (B)

8.Thor: Love and Thunder (B)

7.My Spy (B)

6.Army of the Dead (B+)

5.Dune (B+)

4.Avengers: Endgame (A-)

3.Glass Onion (A)

2.Avengers: Infinity War (A)

1.Guardians of the Galaxy (A)

Top Dog: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

The road that led James Gunn to become the creative head of DC's film and television endeavors started with this triumph. Gunn found a way to shakeup what an MCU movie was capable of by turning a group of oddballs with checkered pasts (Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper) into unlikely heroes and building an eccentric, deeply funny and sincerely heartfelt movie around them that allowed audiences to form a connection with them at the same time that the characters were building bonds with each other.  

Bottom Feeder: Spectre (2015)

Save for its thrilling opening sequence in Mexico City and an all-timer of a death scene for Bautista's character, Spectre is a thoroughly half-assed Bond vehicle with iffy pacing, a shocking lack of true spectacle or style and Daniel Craig delivering one of the greatest "I'm just here for the paycheck" performances in recent history.   

Most Underrated: My Spy (2020)

There wasn't a lot of fun to be had in the summer of 2020, which is perhaps explains why I enjoyed My Spy so much. Peter Seagal's action comedy manages to be a frequently amusing send-up of spy movie tropes as well as a heartwarming buddy movie built around the special parent/child-esque bond that forms between a CIA Agent (Bautista) and the 9-year-old-daughter (Chloe Coleman) of a woman (Parisa Fitz-Henley) he's tasked with surveilling as part of a covert operation.  

Most Overrated: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker have proven that Gunn has figured out to blend emotional family drama with really silly comedy, but his 1st crack at combing these things didn't turn out so good. By frequently veering between serious moments and goofy setpieces with no regard for bringing them together in a coherent fashion that served the story, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 quickly morphs into a tonally jarring affair that fails its characters by not giving their jokes or emotional arcs the level of care they needed to thrive.