The Epic 3 Movie Run of 90s Will Smith

In his hugely popular hit single Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, Will Smith sings, “Watch your step, you might fall trying to do what I did.” And he has a point. There was a time in the 90s when Smith had the Midas touch, coming off an already hugely successful television show and music career in making the leap to the big screen. Many have tried and many have failed, let alone do what Smith did and turn it into a full time gig that made him an international superstar. While he’s been a box office draw for a few decades now (I, Robot, 2004 above), there is really almost nothing and no one to compare with the unbelievable triumph of his early films, he putting together 3 in row that set box office records and paved a wide path to galactic fame, starting with a Miami-set buddy cop movie …

BAD BOYS

Smith’s first starring role, after a series of minor supporting turns in smaller movies, finally took advantage of his charismatic leading man appeal. Say whatever you will about director Michael Bay, he knows how to cast a film and putting Smith front and center alongside the comic shenanigans of other rise to famer Martin Lawrence was a stroke of genius. Sure, the movie is hard boiled and loopy with gobs of saturated style and Bay-isms that would become signature in his work, yet Smith saves this from top to bottom, his effortless ability to deliver a smart-alec line and take command of the action having audiences lapping it up without a quibble. Few mix it up like Smith does. And while he’s good at playing a cop, we discover a year later, he’s even better as a pilot …

INDEPENDENCE DAY

The 90s were primed for a movie like director Roland Emmerich‘s epic sci-fi thriller Independence Day, the huge advancements in visual effects making it the perfect timing to go full scale with an alien invasion. All it needed was a star to sell it to the masses. That’s what Smith did, his big bold presence rocketing this summer blockbuster into the distant stars. Playing an Air Force fighter pilot, who almost single-handedly stops a wave of intergalactic evil-doers from taking over the planet, Smith proved he was packed with the right stuff in delivering another big screen juggernaut. Cigar-chomping and laying down one-liners like a boss, he made the action film somehow legitimate yet undeniably fun. There wasn’t a kid in the weeks that followed who wasn’t saying, “Welcome to Earth.” Heck, we still do. Smith made punching alien bad guys in the face something we all wanted to do. Fortunately, he wasn’t done with creatures from outer space …

MEN IN BLACK

Some said all you needed for box office gold was Will Smith and invaders from another world. If Independence Day  didn’t prove that, than his next film the following year sure did. Director Barry Sonnenfeld‘s clever and smartly-written adaptation of the 1990 comic books is a treasure trove of great comedy, better action, and spot-on performances with Smith playing Agent Jay, partnered with Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), members of a secret organization that polices space aliens living on Earth. Perfect casting aside (Vincent D’onOfrio is a tour de force), the sharp dialogue and genuinely innovate visual effects made Men in Black a particular treat, one that audiences really took too, enough to spawn two sequels and an upcoming reboot (sadly, sans Smith). The best of the three (arguably), Men in Black is pure movie magic that only gets better with time, Smith so memorable as Jay, you can’t help but wish this kind of movie was released more often.

THE AFTERMATH

Obviously, Smith had no trouble keeping on top, even after a few setbacks, including Wild Wild West, a dreadful remake of the classic TV show that wasted not only his talents but the entire roster on screen. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his lead role in the biopic Ali, based on the life of boxer Muhammad Ali (above). Huge hits like I Am Legend and Hitch kept him on top and into today as he continues to explore a host of characters and stories, from dramas to superheroes and everything in-between. Soon to play the genie in the live-action update of the animated Disney feature Aladdin, he’s once again poised to create another potentially memorable performance. Time will tell.