10,000 BC
Roland Emmerich ’s latest mega - blockbusterMidwayhit field earlier this calendar month , and it ranks pretty well against some of his other picture . The German - born Emmerich start his film career while enrolled at the University of Television and Film Munich , and only decided to become a director after watchingStar Wars .
Emmerich released a number of direct - to - video films and theatrical releases in his native country before bursting onto the Hollywood scene withStargate , which became a surprisal smasher in the United States . He then began to rip off one commercial success after another , includingIndependence DayandGodzilla . Currently , he is the eleventh - highest grossing manager in the U.S ..
Related : Midway Review : Roland Emmerich ’s Tasteful Tribute To Real Heroes
avowedly , not all of Emmerich ’s films have come well with critic – or audiences for that topic . His trend to prioritize style and bombastic action over substance has wrick his name into a bit of a punch bag , despite making some iconic movies . Still , no one wreaks mayhem on camera quite like Emmerich , and his hang for portraying calamity on the crowing screen has helped set a touchstone for how grown budget action should be filmed . Here ’s how all of Roland Emmerich ’s movies ranked , from worst to upright .
14. 10,000 B.C. (2008)
Any conversation about Emmerich ’s " style over pith " tendencies starts and stops with10,000 B.C. The 2008 historical epic , which follows prehistoric mammoth hunter and wizard Steven Strait and Camilla Belle , is neither coherent nor historically exact – a peculiarly laughable plot item being that humans prepare woolly mammoth to help build the pyramids . There are so many animals that existed at different time periods on concealment at the same time – some already nonextant , some yet to come around – that it was open Emmerich was n’t even trying with the story . The CG is fair to middling , but Richard Roeper say it best:“It ’s a horrible pic . "
13. Stonewall (2015)
One of Emmerich ’s few films that does n’t boast much volatile action , Stonewallis a catastrophe in its own rightfulness . The film follows the 1969 Stonewall Riots , a violent brush in Manhattan that spark off the queer freeing drive . But instead of saying anything remotely significant about the clash , Emmerich instead ferment it into a suave , cliche - ridden coming - of - age drama . Like10,000 B.C. , it betray with historical accuracy , with many fundamental flesh from the Stonewall Riots either condensed or remove wholly . Worse , Emmerichwhite - washed any semblance of minority representationout of the film , leading to a turn of civic rights group protesting the waiver . Emmerich ’s intent might have been pure , but this was still a prodigious dud .
12. 2012 (2009)
2012had a lot going for it – a swell cast ( John Cusack , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Amanda Peet , Woody Harrelson , Thandie Newton ) , a successful viral merchandising cause , and a release smack in the middle of a clip where awe of the Mayan calendar ’s prediction of the 2012 apocalypse was securely plant in the public psyche . But despite some typically declamatory action , the script go to deliver anything in the way of fictitious character or sharpen , and it was way , right smart too long ( 158 minute ) . Cusack ’s character was too mopey and one - dimensional to impart the film , and Emmerich ’s city - ruin sequences had been done better and more methodically in motion picture likeThe Day After Tomorrow.2012 ’s only redeem qualitywas an preposterous jump cut to a wimp that was fishy for all the amiss intellect .
associate : Stonewall & The Necessary Burden of Historical Accuracy
11. Moon 44 (1990)
Emmerich ’s first theatrical passing , Moon 44only made the German picture palace , getting the lineal - to - video treatment in the United States . It also guard the dubious differentiation of receiving a 0 % on Rotten Tomatoes , albeit with only five reviews . This low - budget sci - fi flick about excavation for resources on the moonshine makes utterly no horse sense , but Emmerich should get some credit for mash as much as possible out of the $ 15 million budget , with some self-colored effects considering the money and era .
10. Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Many questioned whetherIndependence Dayneeded a subsequence 20 years after the original hit theatre . And , apart from some thin 90s nostalgia watch Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles , the movie had little to provide . Resurgencewas largely what you ’d expect from anIndependence Daysequel – loud , absurd , and thoroughly unneeded . Within moments , the film try on to claim there had been no armed conflict for twenty age , with nations putting aside their " petty differences " in the wake of an alien plan of attack , which lay out the tone of voice for what was to add up . Independence Day : Resurgencewas also cramp by the fact Will Smith did n’t return for the movie . Most notably , while the original was an action classic due to its envelope - pushing effects that were well ahead of its sentence , Resurgencedidn’t do enough to resist out , and evenEmmerich has regrets about it .
9. Anonymous (2011)
One of Emmerich ’s more , well , anonymous films , Anonymouswas issue to lilliputian flash in 2013 and made a measly $ 15 million against an estimated budget doubly that size . It ’s not as much of an action flick as it is a period piece about Edward de Vere , 17th Earl of Oxford , who some conspiracy theorizer believe is the lawful author of William Shakespeare ’s work . Like in some of Emmerich ’s other celluloid , he plays fast and loose with the facts , although he did not write this screenplay ( instead it was John Orloff , who also pen HBO’sBand of Brothers ) . It ’s pretty , with nice attention to detail in the set design , and it does n’t take itselftooseriously – any more big - handedness could have sunk this film immediately . But the narrative is wonky , starting in present - twenty-four hour period England before gradually shifting back in time without much rime or ground . It ’s very sluttish to get confused or suffer interest group in the narrative , which makes this one hard to recommend .
8. Godzilla (1998)
It ’s only natural that Emmerich would make aGodzillafilm , especially since when it come out in 1998 , he was get into his " how do I destruct a metropolis this clock time " stage . It was the twenty-third film in the franchise and the first American one , bringing the monster to New York to make for havoc . Emmerich polish up a ' XC All - Star cast ( Matthew Broderick , Jean Reno , Hank Azaria , Harry Shearer ) and had ambitions of create a huge summer megahit , but it underwhelmed at the box office , perhaps due to negative decisive reception – the film hold a measly 16 % on Rotten Tomatoes . Like many of Emmerich ’s movies , it is full of dull characters , banality , and plot of land hole . Broderick sleepwalks through the motion picture , and none of the other actors do much better . The visuals and military action are top - notch , and the final merchandise likely is n’t as bad as some make it out to be . But as far as U.S.Godzilla filmsgo , the 2014 reboot is a better selection .
refer : How Godzilla 1998 Was Retconned Out Of Toho Canon ( Hilariously )
7. White House Down (2013)
Some of Emmerich ’s less efforts all skip character reference and patch in position of explosions and big budget action at law . White House Down , to its deferred payment , has enough to support in the character section . Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx are quite fun in the two lead , as Secret Service wannabe John Cale and President James Sawyer , severally , and the film sailplaning on their uneven chemistry . At the center ofWhite House Downis the most elaborated and downright ridiculous terrorist attack one could ideate , and there are plenty of unlikely moments that are a bit tougher to get past here than in Emmerich ’s alien - and - teras - centrical motion picture . On the top , it ’s less violent and more enjoyable thanOlympus Has come down , Antoine Fuqua ’s likewise - plot film , which expel just three months in the beginning , and is n’t big as escapist summer amusement .
6. Midway (2019)
Emmerich ’s most recent film , Midway , was his 2nd try at get a specific diachronic effect to life history . fortuitously , it is nowhere near the cataclysm thatStonewallwas , and it is probably the filmmaker ’s best endeavor at diachronic truth . It surveil the event of the Battle of Midway in the Pacific Theater , with the storey beginning just after the Pearl Harbor onrush . Emmerich merit credit for giving a balanced take on the events , casting Nipponese worker in a number of big role . It has a killer dramatis personae , featuring Ed Skrein ( the original Daario Naharis fromGame of Thrones ) , Patrick Wilson , Woody Harrelson , Aaron Eckhart and Dennis Quaid . But the moving-picture show ’s relatively low budget and independent nature are somewhat obvious , as the CGI and optical effects do n’t bolt down as much as they do in some of Emmerich ’s studio flick . Midway ’s still a better overall film than some of Emmerich ’s set opus - laden blockbuster , but it ’s not as much of a popcorn flick .
5. Universal Soldier (1992)
Universal Soldiercame out after bothRoboCopandTerminator 2 : Judgment Day , so the premise of a genetically - engineered soldier was n’t on the button novel at the time . That could have something to do with why critic initially dismissed theJean - Claude Van Damme vehicle(although it had a substantial $ 80 million box office return – the early 90s was a near time to be a humanoid orca ) . But the film ’s reputation has warmed over time , and for adept reason – Universal Soldierhas lots of type B - motion picture amusement value . Van Damme is a former soldier killed in Vietnam , then raise in a undercover military project to fight in an elite counterterrorism unit . Dolph Lundgren wreak Van Damme ’s curse , and it ’s piles of fun keep an eye on two of the most marketable action stars of the epoch facing off . The film spawn a series of far worse and far less successful sequels ( most of which went straight to video ) , but Emmerich sagely stayed away , although Van Damme returned for a number of them . But the originalUniversal Soldieris worth watching as a slice of over - the - top entertainment , and the germ of Emmerich ’s world - destroy visuals are gratifying to witness , knowing what came next .
4. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
When you breed aSouth Parkepisode , you have to be doing something veracious ( or horribly amiss ) . Emmerich does more than a few thing mighty in his 2004 blockbusterThe Day After Tomorrow , which was one of pappa cultivation ’s first attempts in tackle climate variety . In this film , we get some of thebest city - destroying sequences in film chronicle – a tidal wave washing through Manhattan , a elephantine hail storm crush through Tokyo . It ’s undeniably impressive , with some of the good visuals Emmerich has ever put on tv camera . And unlike in some of his other disaster pic , we get a solid other Jake Gyllenhaal public presentation , and a nice eccentric dynamic with his founding father ( Dennis Quaid ) to buoy up the plastic film . Yes , there are scientific inaccuracies , but would it really be an Emmerich moving picture without them ?
Related : Independence Day & Men In Black Made The Same Mistake With Will Smith
3. Stargate (1994)
endow a budget of $ 55 million , more than double that ofUniversal Soldier , Stargatewas Emmerich ’s biggest and most ambitious sci - fi film yet . It became an instant success , setting a boxwood office record at the sentence for any film released in October . Kurt Russell and James Spader maven as a soldier - and - scholar odd couple get off to investigate the " Stargate , " a wormhole - like object that may enable inter - dimensional change of location . It ’s a bold and at prison term bizarre film , set in a world that is a mixture of ancient Egypt , Mos Eisley fromStar Wars , and the military foot fromArrival . But the visuals are consistently arresting , and it was the first meter the world got to see what Emmerich could do if give the money and toy to decent make a fully grown - budget Zea mays everta flick . LikeUniversal Soldier , itsparked a massive dealership – there have already beenthreelive action television series based on the photographic film , as well as an reanimate series , a web serial , and two made - for - television receiver movies . It paved the way for film likeIndependence Day , and is absolutely worth a rewatch .
2. The Patriot (2000)
WithThe Patriot , Emmerich took a abbreviated hiatus from the catastrophe genre to film a Revolutionary War epic . Gibson bring a war veteran living in colonial America whose menage is torn apart by a brutal British commanding officer , played by Jason Isaacs , against whom he vow to get revenge . It ’s the best character - driven story among Emmerich ’s film , and despite that not allege much , the drama ratchets up consistently as the plastic film progresses . The struggle scenes are well - shot and intense , and prove the director ’s aptitude for filming action when it does n’t involve aliens , monsters or extreme weather condition . It would n’t be an Emmerich film without a diachronic inaccuracy , and many were quick to point out that no British soldiers ever burned colonial churches , as is depicted in the moving-picture show . Still , it has about as much as you could ask for from a historical epic poem .
1. Independence Day (1996)
Independence Dayis the gold standard for tragedy movies , with one iconic scene of action after another . Whether it ’s the prototype of the UFO ’s shadow enclose over New York , or the raging flames that settle through the streets as the aliens execute their attack , there are too many memorable moments to count . InIndependence Day , Emmerich is in the full command of his destructive craft , with optical effects that were groundbreaking for its time and are still telling today – the Best Visual Effects Oscar was well - deserve . Plus , the picture boasts a rockstar cast , notably Jeff Goldblum as a bumbling satellite railroad engineer andWill Smith as the energetic pilot hero . It ’s an right-down classic , and a movie that deserves to be watched on the biggest concealment potential .
Next : Why Independence Day 3 Has n’t Happened
