Roland Emmerich’s latest mega-blockbuster Midway hit theaters earlier this month, and it ranks pretty well against some of his other movies. The German-born Emmerich began his film career while enrolled at the University of Television and Film Munich, and only decided to become a director after watching Star Wars.
Emmerich released a number of direct-to-video films and theatrical releases in his native country before bursting onto the Hollywood scene with Stargate, which became a surprise smash in the United States. He then began to rip off one commercial success after another, including Independence Day and Godzilla. Currently, he is the eleventh-highest grossing director in the U.S..
Admittedly, not all of Emmerich’s films have fared well with critics – or audiences for that matter. His tendency to prioritize style and bombastic action over substance has turned his name into a bit of a punching bag, despite making some iconic movies. Still, no one wreaks havoc on camera quite like Emmerich, and his knack for portraying disaster on the big screen has helped set a standard for how big budget action should be filmed. Here’s how all of Roland Emmerich’s movies ranked, from worst to best.
14. 10,000 B.C. (2008)
Any conversation about Emmerich’s “style over substance” tendencies starts and stops with 10,000 B.C. The 2008 historical epic, which follows prehistoric mammoth hunters and stars Steven Strait and Camilla Belle, is neither coherent nor historically accurate – a particularly ludicrous plot point being that humans trained woolly mammoths to help build the pyramids. There are so many animals that existed at different time periods on screen at the same time – some already extinct, some yet to come around – that it was clear Emmerich wasn’t even trying with the history. The CG is passable, but Richard Roeper said it best: “It’s a horrible movie.”
13. Stonewall (2015)
One of Emmerich’s few films that doesn’t feature much explosive action, Stonewall is a catastrophe in its own right. The film follows the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a violent clash in Manhattan that sparked the gay liberation movement. But instead of saying anything remotely significant about the clashes, Emmerich instead turned it into a bland, cliche-ridden coming-of-age drama. Like 10,000 B.C., it fails with historical accuracy, with many key figures from the Stonewall Riots either condensed or removed entirely. Worse, Emmerich white-washed any semblance of minority representation out of the film, leading to a number of civil rights groups protesting the release. Emmerich’s intentions might have been pure, but this was still a colossal misfire.
12. 2012 (2009)
2012 had a lot going for it – a great cast (John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton), a successful viral marketing campaign, and a release smack in the middle of a time where fear of the Mayan calendar’s prediction of the 2012 apocalypse was firmly embedded in the public psyche. But despite some typically bombastic action, the script failed to deliver anything in the way of character or focus, and it was way, way too long (158 minutes). Cusack’s character was too mopey and one-dimensional to carry the film, and Emmerich’s city-destroying sequences had been done better and more methodically in films like The Day After Tomorrow. 2012’s only redeeming quality was an absurd jump cut to a chicken that was funny for all the wrong reasons.
11. Moon 44 (1990)
Emmerich’s first theatrical release, Moon 44 only made the German cinemas, getting the direct-to-video treatment in the United States. It also holds the dubious distinction of receiving a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, albeit with only five reviews. This low-budget sci-fi flick about mining for resources on the moon makes absolutely no sense, but Emmerich should get some credit for squeezing as much as possible out of the $15 million budget, with some solid effects considering the money and era.
10. Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Many questioned whether Independence Day needed a sequel 20 years after the original hit theaters. And, apart from some slight 90s nostalgia watching Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles, the movie had little to offer. Resurgence was largely what you’d expect from an Independence Day sequel – loud, absurd, and thoroughly unnecessary. Within moments, the film tries to claim there had been no armed conflict for twenty years, with nations putting aside their “petty differences” in the wake of an alien attack, which set the tone for what was to come. Independence Day: Resurgence was also hampered by the fact Will Smith didn’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 time, Resurgence didn’t do enough to stand out, and even Emmerich has regrets about it.
9. Anonymous (2011)
One of Emmerich’s more, well, anonymous films, Anonymous was released to little fanfare in 2013 and made a measly $15 million against an estimated budget twice 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 theorists believe is the true author of William Shakespeare’s work. Like in some of Emmerich’s other films, he plays fast and loose with the facts, although he did not write this screenplay (instead it was John Orloff, who also penned HBO’s Band of Brothers). It’s pretty, with nice attention to detail in the set design, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously – any more heavy-handedness could have sunk this film immediately. But the narrative is wonky, starting in present-day England before gradually shifting back in time without much rhyme or reason. It’s very easy to get confused or lose interest in the narrative, which makes this one hard to recommend.
8. Godzilla (1998)
It’s only natural that Emmerich would make a Godzilla film, especially since when it came out in 1998, he was entering his “how do I destroy a city this time” phase. It was the 23rd film in the franchise and the first American one, bringing the monster to New York to wreak havoc. Emmerich rounded up a ’90s All-Star cast (Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer) and had ambitions of making a huge summer blockbuster, but it underwhelmed at the box office, perhaps due to negative critical reception – the film holds a measly 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. Like many of Emmerich’s movies, it is full of dull characters, cliches, and plot holes. Broderick sleepwalks through the movie, and none of the other actors do much better. The visuals and action are top-notch, and the final product probably isn’t as bad as some make it out to be. But as far as U.S. Godzilla films go, the 2014 reboot is a better option.
7. White House Down (2013)
Some of Emmerich’s lesser efforts completely skip character and plot in lieu of explosions and big budget action. White House Down, to its credit, has enough to digest in the character department. Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx are quite fun in the two leads, as Secret Service wannabe John Cale and President James Sawyer, respectively, and the film glides on their mismatched chemistry. At the center of White House Down is the most elaborate and downright ridiculous terrorist attack one could imagine, and there are plenty of unbelievable moments that are a bit tougher to get past here than in Emmerich’s alien-and-monster-centric films. On the upside, it’s less violent and more enjoyable than Olympus Has Fallen, Antoine Fuqua’s similarly-plotted film, which released just three months earlier, and isn’t bad as escapist summer entertainment.
6. Midway (2019)
Emmerich’s most recent film, Midway, was his second attempt at bringing a specific historical event to life. Fortunately, it is nowhere near the disaster that Stonewall was, and it is probably the filmmaker’s best attempt at historical accuracy. It follows the events of the Battle of Midway in the Pacific Theater, with the story beginning just after the Pearl Harbor attacks. Emmerich deserves credit for giving a balanced take on the events, casting Japanese actors in a number of prominent roles. It has a killer cast, featuring Ed Skrein (the original Daario Naharis from Game of Thrones), Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Eckhart and Dennis Quaid. But the film’s relatively low budget and independent nature are somewhat obvious, as the CGI and visual effects don’t pop as much as they do in some of Emmerich’s studio movies. Midway’s still a better overall film than some of Emmerich’s set piece-laden blockbusters, but it’s not as much of a popcorn flick.
5. Universal Soldier (1992)
Universal Soldier came out after both RoboCop and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, so the premise of a genetically-engineered soldier wasn’t exactly novel at the time. That could have something to do with why critics initially dismissed the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle (although it had a solid $80 million box office return – the early 90s was a good time to be a humanoid killer). But the film’s reputation has warmed over time, and for good reason – Universal Soldier has lots of B-movie entertainment value. Van Damme is a former soldier killed in Vietnam, then resurrected in a secret military project to fight in an elite counterterrorism unit. Dolph Lundgren plays Van Damme’s nemesis, and it’s tons of fun watching two of the most marketable action stars of the era facing off. The film spawned a series of far worse and far less successful sequels (most of which went straight to video), but Emmerich wisely stayed away, although Van Damme returned for a number of them. But the original Universal Soldier is worth watching as a slice of over-the-top entertainment, and the seeds of Emmerich’s world-destroying visuals are enjoyable to witness, knowing what came next.
4. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
When you spawn a South Park episode, you have to be doing something right (or horribly wrong). Emmerich does more than a few things right in his 2004 blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow, which was one of pop culture’s first attempts in tackling climate change. In this film, we get some of the best city-destroying sequences in film history – a tidal wave washing through Manhattan, a giant hail storm smashing through Tokyo. It’s undeniably impressive, with some of the best visuals Emmerich has ever put on camera. And unlike in some of his other disaster films, we get a solid early Jake Gyllenhaal performance, and a decent character dynamic with his father (Dennis Quaid) to buoy the film. Yes, there are scientific inaccuracies, but would it really be an Emmerich film without them?
3. Stargate (1994)
Gifted a budget of $55 million, more than double that of Universal Soldier, Stargate was Emmerich’s biggest and most ambitious sci-fi film yet. It became an instant success, setting a box office record at the time for any film released in October. Kurt Russell and James Spader star as a soldier-and-scholar odd couple sent to investigate the “Stargate,” a wormhole-like object that may enable inter-dimensional travel. It’s a bold and at times bizarre film, set in a world that is a mixture of ancient Egypt, Mos Eisley from Star Wars, and the military base from Arrival. But the visuals are consistently stunning, and it was the first time the world got to see what Emmerich could do if given the money and toys to properly make a big-budget popcorn flick. Like Universal Soldier, it sparked a massive franchise – there have already been three live action television series based on the film, as well as an animated series, a web series, and two made-for-TV movies. It paved the way for films like Independence Day, and is absolutely worth a rewatch.
2. The Patriot (2000)
With The Patriot, Emmerich took a brief hiatus from the disaster genre to film a Revolutionary War epic. Gibson plays a war veteran living in colonial America whose family is torn apart by a brutal British commander, played by Jason Isaacs, against whom he vows to get revenge. It’s the best character-driven story among Emmerich’s films, and despite that not saying much, the drama ratchets up consistently as the film progresses. The battle scenes are well-shot and intense, and prove the director’s aptitude for filming action when it doesn’t involve aliens, monsters or extreme weather. It wouldn’t be an Emmerich film without a historical inaccuracy, and many were quick to point out that no British soldiers ever burned colonial churches, as is depicted in the movie. Still, it has about as much as you could ask for from a historical epic.
1. Independence Day (1996)
Independence Day is the gold standard for disaster movies, with one iconic scene of action after another. Whether it’s the image of the UFO’s shadow enclosing over New York, or the raging flames that descend through the streets as the aliens execute their attack, there are too many memorable moments to count. In Independence Day, Emmerich is in the fullest command of his destructive craft, with visual effects that were groundbreaking for its time and are still impressive today – the Best Visual Effects Oscar was well-deserved. Plus, the film boasts a rockstar cast, notably Jeff Goldblum as a bumbling satellite engineer and Will Smith as the energetic pilot hero. It’s an absolute classic, and a movie that deserves to be watched on the biggest screen possible.
Next: Why Independence Day 3 Hasn’t Happened
