Every Johnny Depp Movie Ranked Worst To Best

With an impressively varied career under his belt, Johnny Depp is one of the most prolific actors of the last 30 years. Starting his career in 1984, Depp appeared in "A Nightmare On Elm Street" before shooting to stardom when he played undercover cop Tommy Hanson in the TV series "21 Jump Street" — a role that led to his memorable cameo in the film of the same name in 2012.

While his early roles saw him typically cast as the "teen heartthrob," it was in the 1990s — and his numerous collaborations with director Tim Burton — that Depp found his niche. Considered to be an acting chameleon, Depp became known for playing idiosyncratic and occasionally dark characters, able to completely inhabit them to the point of becoming almost unrecognizable.

From 2000 to 2010, Johnny Depp's career was at its peak, and he even entered the Guinness World Records in 2012 as the "Highest-Paid Actor," (via ABC News) largely thanks to his appearances in the incredibly popular "Pirates Of The Caribbean" film series. While his career has seen some tumultuous developments in recent years as well as considerable legal troubles, there is no denying that Depp has an impressive portfolio. We've taken the time to look back at the highs and lows of his long and diverse career, ranking his movies from worst to best.

Coming out of the film festival circuit, this 2018 independent film stars Johnny Depp as a terminally ill college professor who decides to live out his remaining days as recklessly as possible. While it tries to push sentiment with its "Dead Poets Society"-inspired "seize the day" message, it offers little nuance beyond the pseudo-self-improvement phrases that the titular educator throws around.

"The Professor" failed to impress the critics, and it currently holds an embarrassingly low rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critic James Berardinelli at ReelViews said that the film's "message is muddled and the means by which it is presented are confused."

For the most part, Johnny Depp's run of films in the '90s was pretty solid. However, he rounded out the decade with a bit of a clunker in the form of the sci-fi thriller, "The Astronaut's Wife." The titular wife of the film is Jillian (Charlize Theron), whose husband, Commander Spencer Armacost (Depp), returns from a mission not quite the same as he was when he left.

While the premise is admittedly intriguing, the film fails to stick the landing, and "The Astronaut's Wife" bombed at the box office, making just $19 million worldwide off a budget of $75 million. As well as being a commercial flop, it was also panned by critics, with Janet Maslin for The New York Times calling it "ridiculously derivative."

Throwing together two huge movie stars does not necessarily guarantee a good film, and that is certainly the case with the glossy thriller "The Tourist." Johnny Depp plays Frank Tupelo, a heartbroken math teacher whose vacation to Italy takes an interesting turn when he meets alluring stranger Elise (Angelina Jolie), and a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse ensues.

While it sounds like an interesting idea on paper, the film was decimated by critics. Particularly scathing was Peter Travers for Rolling Stone, who said that the film "fails on every conceivable level" and named it the worst film of 2010. To make matters even worse, "The Tourist" became a laughing stock when it was nominated for three Golden Globes in the best movie, comedy or musical category. "The Tourist" doesn't appear to be shooting for comedy — at least intentionally — so this nomination was seen as a particularly egregious example of the awards group making a cynical play to ensure that A-list celebrities Depp and Jolie would attend the ceremony.

If you've ever found yourself wondering, "What would happen if you took the legendary literary detective Sherlock Holmes, but made him a sentient garden ornament?", this 2018 animated film has got you covered. Where the previous film "Gnomeo And Juliet" besmirched William Shakespeare's tragic play, "Sherlock Gnomes" transforms Arthur Conan Doyle's creation beyond recognition, with Johnny Depp as the titular sleuth tasked with investigating the mysterious disappearance of several garden gnomes.

Depp's vocal performance is actually pretty solid in this film, with an impeccable English accent effectively bringing Sherlock to life, even if the script doesn't give him much to work with. Still, "Sherlock Gnomes" failed to close the case with critics. Keith Watson, critic for Slant Magazine, said the film was, "weirdly incoherent, a bunch of disparate elements awkwardly bundled together without any overarching aesthetic vision."

Taking the prize as the worst Burton-Depp collaboration is this dismal dark horror-comedy from 2012. Johnny Depp plays Barnabas Collins, an 18th century vampire who is awoken in the 1970s to find his ancestral home — now occupied by his dysfunctional descendants — fallen into disrepair. Where "Dark Shadows" occasionally works is in its fish-out-of-water story, with Depp hamming it up in a role perfectly suited to his talents.

The film otherwise suffers from being tonally inconsistent, and never certain of whether it wants to be an outright comedy or a subversive horror. Burton-Depp films are usually guaranteed to pull in audiences, and while "Dark Shadows" wasn't a flop, the reviews leaned on the negative side with critic Anthony Lane for The New Yorker calling it, "not so much a coherent movie as a long, expensive joke in search of a purpose."

"The Lone Ranger" may have heavily marketed itself as being produced by the creative talent behind "Pirates Of The Caribbean," but this couldn't prevent it from ending up as one of Disney's biggest box office failures. In addition to the production budget of $215 million, the film had marketing costs of a whopping $150 million, and when it failed to perform commercially and critically, the full weight of its catastrophe was realized.

Telling the story of the Native American Tonto (Depp), and his adventures with John Reid (Armie Hammer) — also known as the Lone Ranger — the film ran into some controversy over the casting of Depp. Native American playwright and professor, Hanay Geiogamah, criticized the casting in the Los Angeles Times saying, "this represents a major setback in our efforts to combat stereotyping of our image."

With an established acting career, Johnny Depp moved behind the camera for the first and only time in 1997 with his feature directorial debut, "The Brave." Also starring in the film alongside screen legend Marlon Brando, Depp plays an American Indian who, in order to make some money for his impoverished family, agrees to appear in a snuff film in which he will be tortured and killed on camera.

Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, "The Brave" received largely negative reviews, including Godfrey Cheshire for Variety, who said that it "wastes its handsome mounting and capable cast on a plodding tale that eludes either psychological or allegorical sense." The film performed so poorly, in fact, that Depp pulled its theatrical and home media release in the US — something that ended up being incredibly costly to him, as he had fronted nearly $2 million of the film's budget himself.

In this 2004 period drama, Depp plays legendary rogue John Wilmott, a famous poet in the time of King Charles II's reign who earned a reputation for his debauchery, womanizing, and heavy drinking. While the film itself is a mixed bag, Depp's performance as the divisive cad is the highlight, with the actor seemingly born to play a handsome scoundrel. Depp adds some real nuances to the character, finding a darker edge and a hint of sadness that adds a human quality in spite of his frequently detestable behavior.

While the film had a mixed critical response, Depp's performance was fairly consistently praised, with The Sydney Morning Herald's critic Sandra Hall commenting, "I enjoyed it — or much of it — for reasons that have everything to do with Johnny Depp."

To paraphrase the famous "Wizard Of Oz" quote: Mermaids, and zombies, and Blackbeard ... oh my. "Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" throws in everything that hasn't already been used in the series, but unfortunately, very little of it sticks. Even with Penelope Cruz adding some spice as a feisty female swashbuckler, and a cameo from Keith Richards — who Depp based his characterization of Jack Sparrow on — it lacks the fresh, adventurous spirit that made the first three films so enjoyable.

While it may have been commercially successful — making over $1 billion at the box office and becoming the third highest-grossing film of 2011 — it didn't hit the same sweet spot with critics. Christopher Orr, a critic for The Atlantic, also felt the film's formula was becoming tiresome saying it, "has the feel of a TV drama renewed for one season too many, a last, furtive run at the till before it closes for business."

Following the big reveal at the end of "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them," this sequel sees the dark wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) in a much more prominent role, as the unassuming hero Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and legendary wizard Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) attempt to bring him down in a magical world that is becoming increasingly divided. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Depp spoke about how he'd read the books and watched the films with his kids when they were smaller, and that he found the character of Gellert Grindelwald "fascinating and complex."

While Depp brings a certain gravitas to this complex character, he decided to step down from the sequel — partly due to the allegations made about him by his ex-wife and ongoing court proceedings — with Mads Mikkelsen taking up the role of Grindelwald.

Based on the book "LAbyrinth" by Randall Sullivan, "City Of Lies" examines the high-profile murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., with Johnny Depp playing the LAPD Detective Russell Poole. The film examines the hot button topic of police corruption, and it had real potential, as well as a chance for Depp to show his serious acting chops outside of playing a kooky character.

The film had a rocky road to release, something that ultimately affected its numbers at the box office. Originally scheduled to be released in September 2018, the film was pulled following controversy when the film's location manager accused Depp "of assault and battery on the set in April 2017" (via Deadline), and was finally pushed onto VOD to a muted critical response in March 2021.

An underrated chiller based on the novella by acclaimed horror writer Stephen King, "Secret Window" had a mixed response from critics when it was released, but has since gone on to become a cult favorite with audiences. Depp plays Mort Rainey, a writer who holes up in an isolated lakeside cabin to avoid finalizing the divorce with his wife Amy (Maria Bello). Soon, he is terrorized by a man called John Shooter (John Turturro) who alleges that Mort plagiarized his novel.

Throughout the film, Mort reiterates that "the only thing that matters is the ending," and although the ending of "Secret Window" might be one you'll see coming, it gives Depp ample opportunity to show his range and closes the book in a satisfyingly twisted manner. "Secret Window" is certainly one of the better films in Johnny Depp's career, and thanks to his star power, it also ended up being a moderate success at the box office, earning $92 million off a budget of $40 million.

Audiences have now come to anticipate a new Disney remake of their treasured animated classics into live-action movies, but back in 2010, "Alice In Wonderland" marked one of the first major films to go down this route. As Deadline reported, Disney's live-action division was floundering with "pricey flops like 'John Carter' and 'The Lone Ranger.'" However, with the success of "Pirates Of The Caribbean" films, the studio was on a hot streak that only continued with the huge success of "Alice In Wonderland," which grossed over $1 billion.

With Tim Burton at the helm, and the director's regulars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter on board, all the pieces were in place. While the film does have its shortcomings, it never feels like a carbon copy of the animated version, successfully carving out its own unique visual identity — and crucially giving Depp's inspired Mad Hatter much more to do than just host an insane tea party.

Adapted from the Broadway musical by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim, "Into The Woods" delivers a whimsical, dark, and twisted reimagining of familiar fairy tales. While Johnny Depp's role in the film is short, he makes a memorably campy entrance as the Big Bad Wolf. He tries to entice Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) in the song "Hello Little Girl," dialing the creepiness all the way up in a part that clearly allows him to have tremendous fun.

"Into The Woods" ended up being immensely successful, making $212.9 million at the box office, and receiving recognition at the Oscars with three nominations. The film had a somewhat less enthusiastic response from critics, although many praised the way it respects the source material, while also acknowledging its shortcomings. Empire critic Angie Errigo summed it up well by saying "there are brilliant, bewitching moments ... just not enough of them in what veers, at length, between the clever, the terrifying, and the bit tiring."

As the victim of the titular crime, naturally Johnny Depp's screentime is limited. But not only does he receive high billing on this very impressive cast list, but he is the character who the entire plot revolves around. Celebrated mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), who just happens to be traveling on the Orient Express when the murder takes place, is tasked with solving it. In "Murder On The Orient Express," every single person is a suspect, and the confinement of the train means nobody can hide.

As the suave American businessman Edward Ratchett — later revealed to be the con artist and killer John Cassetti — Depp is perfectly cast, oozing the charm and sophistication required to successfully manipulate the other passengers into believing a lie. The film proved to be a huge success at the box office, making more than $352 million off a budget of $55 million.

Immediately dispelling the naysayers who perhaps wondered how far Disney could stretch their ride-turned-movie concept, "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" is a worthy sequel with plenty of fun action sequences and the introduction of the villainous Davy Jones (Billy Nighy), who would go on to play a particularly important part in the third film. The impressive tentacle effects used for Davy Jones helped to earn the film an Oscar, winning for best achievement in visual effects.

Bolstered by the success of the first film, "Dead Man's Chest" is bigger, bolder, and funnier than the original, and with the characters well-established already, there is a comforting sense of familiarity. This film proved that Depp was born to play Captain Jack Sparrow, and it remains the highest-grossing "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, taking in more than $1 billion at the box office.

If you're familiar with John Waters, you may be expecting something entirely different from this 1990 musical comedy. However, the director plays it surprisingly straight in a hugely entertaining homage to the teen films of the '50s and '60s. Depp plays Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, the too-cool-for-school James Dean-esque teen rebel with a soft side, who falls in love with the "square," Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane).

While toned down compared to something like "Pink Flamingoes," Waters brings a subversive style to the film which offsets the intentional genre cliches. In his youth, Depp had the perfect bad boy, teen heartthrob look that made him absolutely perfect for this character. The film also marked a huge turning point for Depp's career, with "Edward Scissorhands" following "Cry-Baby" in the same year.

A western unlike any other, "Dead Man" features Johnny Depp as William Blake, an accountant-turned-gunslinger who finds himself with a bounty on his head after arriving to take up a job in a new town. On the run, he meets a strange Native American spirit guide called "Nobody," who believes Blake to be the reincarnated version of the English poet of the same name.

If "Dead Man" sounds a bit strange, that's because it is, with Jonathan Rosenbaum for Chicago Reader dubbing it as an "acid western." Despite its period setting, there is much about "Dead Man" that feels ahead of its time, and has only improved over the years. In 2018, the film was added to the Criterion Collection, which called it "a profound and unique revision of the western genre."

There is an unavoidable sadness surrounding Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," as it is the last screen performance from Heath Ledger, who tragically died halfway through shooting. His untimely death left the film in turmoil but, determined to finish the project, Gilliam called in actors who he knew to be friends of Ledger's to finish the film in tribute to him. One of these was Johnny Depp, with whom Gilliam had previously worked. In an interview with CNN, Gilliam recounts a conversation he had with Depp on the future of the film, to which Depp responded, "whatever you decide to do, I'll be there."

With him on board, the film shifted so that the three actors who replaced Ledger — Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell — would play the character of Tony when he passed through a mirror into magical, fantasy worlds. While this decision was forced by the tragic circumstances, the film miraculously emerges as a fantastical tale where the lines between the surreal and the real are constantly blurred. Depp spoke highly of Gilliam's film to HitFix, saying, "it was an honor to represent Heath."

In addition to his oddball characters, Johnny Depp is particularly great at playing outlaws — something that is demonstrated in "Public Enemies" where he takes on the role of legendary bank robber John Dillinger, dubbed by the F.B.I. as "Public Enemy No. 1" following his string of crimes. The film focuses on his final years as he is hunted down by F.B.I. agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale).

While he plays a crook, Depp manages to channel something relatable and human in this character, which makes him distinctly likable. Depp described the character to CBS News, saying, "to me, he was kind of a man of the people ... there is a Robin Hood edge to John Dillinger." The film opened to positive reviews from critics, including Ian Nathan for Empire, who awarded it five stars and said of Depp's performance, "there is this kind of magical undercurrent, an intoxicating compound of angel and demon."

"Before Night Falls" is a biopic of Cuban novelist, Reinaldo Arenas (Javier Bardem), and while this is undoubtedly Bardem's film, Johnny Depp has a notable dual role that is an excellent demonstration of his range. The film is fragmented and episodic, with Reinaldo narrating his own story, from his childhood to the persecution he experienced as a gay man in Fidel Castro's Cuba.

While Depp's screentime only amounts to a few minutes, his scenes are memorable enough to make an impact on audiences. In the first role, he plays the sadistic prison warden Lt. Víctor who taunts (and flirts with) Reinaldo. And in the second, he plays Bon Bon, a cross-dressing inmate who helps Reinaldo smuggle his novel out of prison. Time even included it in their Top 10 Cross-Dressing Movie Performances saying, "his pure physical presence as the flamboyant Bon Bon, is enough to sear the image of a blond-wigged red-lipsticked Depp into your cinematic memory bank forever."

By this point in his career, Johnny Depp could play crime bosses or shady characters in his sleep, and in "Black Mass," he acts behind a mask of prosthetics as the infamous Boston mobster, James "Whitey" Bulger. With almost no redeeming qualities, Whitey Bulger is a monstrous character, and Depp plays him with such quiet malice that it is quite unnerving to watch.

After a string of flops including "The Lone Ranger" and "Mortdecai," "Black Mass" represented a real return to form for Depp, proving that he could still put in a great performance. The film earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination, and most critics agreed it was one of his best recent roles, with the consensus on Rotten Tomatoes stating that it, "spins a gripping yarn out of its fact-based story — and leaves audiences with one of Johnny Depp's most compelling performances in years."

In this quirky 1993 romantic comedy, Johnny Depp channels his inner silent movie star, and even at this early point in his career, it's clear that he was born to play misfits. As Sam, the love interest of the titular Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), Depp nails the physicality required for the comedic scenes in the film — with one particular highlight being his recreation of Charlie Chaplin's "bread roll dance" in a diner.

The film is perhaps a little too kooky for some, but as an exhibition of what Depp would be capable of as an actor, it is an absolute tour de force. The performance even earned Depp a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in the comedy or musical category.

With an elegant English accent, Depp is almost unrecognizable as the voice behind the stuttering protagonist, Victor Van Dort, in Tim Burton's fantastical stop-motion animated film "Corpse Bride." While it was Burton's third foray into stop-motion, following his contributions to "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James And The Giant Peach," it was the first that he had directed himself.

Burton's worlds are always a visual treat, but there is something particularly wonderful about the "Corpse Bride," with the monotone and dreary "land of the living" contrasting beautifully with the rich color and vibrancy of the "land of the dead." This mirrors the differences between Victor, and the corpse he accidentally ends up marrying (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter) — with the two unexpected partners literally worlds apart. "Corpse Bride" is an enchanting and ghoulish romance that demonstrates not just Burton's proficiency with stop-motion, but also Depp's abilities as a voice actor.

This obscure film from the early period of Johnny Depp's career is well worth seeking out. While it is an odd little film, Depp is completely captivating as Axel Blackmar, a young man with a head full of dreams. Coaxed away from New York and back to Arizona to attend an uncle's wedding, Axel experiences a series of surreal encounters, including an infatuation with the older Elaine (Faye Dunaway), who he helps to build a flying machine.

"Arizona Dream" is completely bizarre yet utterly entrancing, seemingly about everything and nothing at all. It cross-examines and deconstructs the idea of the American Dream through the uniquely European lens of director Emir Kusturica.

While Johnny Depp's part in Oliver Stone's Vietnam war epic "Platoon" is small, it is nonetheless significant. He plays the character of Lerner, assigned to the company to act as an interpreter. With the language of violence spoken so frequently in this brutal film, he is crucial in the sense that he is one of the few who can actually talk to and understand the other side.

More than anything, the baby-faced Depp is a reminder of just how young these soldiers were, and while he does make it out alive, there are many that don't, a harsh reminder of the impact of the Vietnam War. The film itself received huge acclaim and was nominated for eight Oscars, winning four of them, including best director for Stone, and the coveted best picture award.

Starring a young Johnny Depp as Gilbert and an even younger Leonardo DiCaprio as his brother Arnie, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" is a sentimental story about a young man's desire to have his own life, feeling trapped in his hometown. Gilbert is the main caregiver for both his brother Arnie, who is intellectually disabled, and his severely obese mother (Darlene Cates).

The relationship between Gilbert and Arnie is perhaps the most touching part of the film, and Depp and DiCaprio have a wonderfully believable brotherly dynamic. It is also refreshingly honest in depicting Gilbert's struggle, and while he is completely devoted to his brother, he also sometimes wishes he could be free of him. The performances in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" are incredibly sincere, and while Depp didn't receive a nod, DiCaprio picked up an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor at just 19 years old.

Often described as an acting chameleon, in the animated movie "Rango," Johnny Depp gets to voice an actual chameleon. He has a tremendous amount of fun playing a former pet undergoing an identity crisis when he winds up in the Old West town of Dirt. Just as the real-life creature can blend into its surroundings, Rango is adept at spinning yarns to acclimate himself, posturing as a brave hero who later finds his claims tested when he is appointed sheriff.

With references to classic Westerns such as "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly," and even an Easter Egg for "Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas," "Rango" often feels like a film that has more for adults than it does children. With just his voice, "Rango" really gives Depp a chance to create a character that feels like it could've only been played by him.

"Ed Wood" is one of those rare films that seems to work on every level, with Tim Burton playing homage to the kind of cinema he loves, and the strength and power of misfits. Considered by some to be the worst director of all time, Ed Wood made his movies with a fervent and giddy enthusiasm that Depp perfectly conveys.

In the wrong hands, "Ed Wood" could've been mocking in tone, but Burton's intent is to celebrate the director instead, and regardless of the quality of Wood's movies, the film is never sneering or condescending to him. Wood is a lively and eccentric character that is perfectly suited to Depp's talents. While it was considered to be a flop at the box office — something that seems oddly in keeping with the subject matter — "Ed Wood" was highly praised by critics, and it won two Oscars, including best supporting actor for Martin Landau's heartbreaking performance as Bela Lugosi.