Scarlett Johansson has been in quite a few movies since making her debut in 1993’s Just Cause, and to her credit she has a better track record than most other current A-listers. While she has a few duds along the way like Home Alone 3, The Perfect Score (alongside fellow future Avenger Chris Evans), The Island, The Spirit, and The Black Dahlia, her films have garnered critical praise more often than not. Ten of them have even scored a 90% or above on Rotten Tomatoes. That in mind, it says a lot about her filmography that entries such as Match Point, The Prestige, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Under the Skin, and Jojo Rabbit didn’t make the cut.
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What critics have deemed the best of the best range considerably when it comes to genre. There are nearly as many Marvel Cinematic Universe films as there are moving dramas. There’s even a movie where she played a giant snake. Will this year’s Jurassic World Rebirth end up on the list?
Avengers: Endgame — 94%
A record-shattering box office sensation, Avengers: Endgame was also a smash success with critics. The three-hour film kept reviewers as entertained as general audience members, with both groups referring to it as an exciting and moving highpoint for the overarching cinematic universe.
The culmination of all that came before, Avengers: Endgame finds the few remaining heroes who weren’t turned into dust going back in time to undo the slaughter that took place in Avengers: Infinity War. It’s their one chance, but even success may bring about death and pain. No one is safe, from friends turned enemies turned friends again Tony Stark and Steve Rogers to Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff.
Captain America: Civil War — 90%
Like with Joe and Anthony Russo’s other MCU adventures, Captain America: Civil War received extremely high marks from critics. The vast majority of them called it one of the universe’s best installments, with many finding themselves impressed by its ability to balance enthralling set pieces with a decidedly character-driven plotline.
Civil War shows the rift growing between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, the latter of whom knows he goofed up bad by bringing Ultron into the world. He thinks he and his superhero team need to be held accountable for their actions, especially now that the group’s latest mission has gone awry. But Rogers disagrees, and that’s made him a criminal in the government’s eyes. And a traitor in the eyes of some of his friends. Johansson’s Black Widow has one of the more interesting parts to play in the whole interpersonal conflict, as she’s found herself on Stark’s side, but can’t quite fully turn her back on the man who she teamed up with in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier — 90%
Just like MCU fans, critics found Captain America: The Winter Soldier to be one of the cinematic universe’s very best installments. Many of them praised its emulation of classic political thrillers as well as its more restrained approach to the superhero movie formula, especially when compared to The Avengers from two years prior.
The story follows Captain America as he teams up with Johansson’s Black Widow to uncover a mysterious plot that seems to have consumed the majority of S.H.I.E.L.D. It turns out the situation is worse than the duo could have ever imagined, as the agency for which they’ve fought has actually been HYDRA the whole time, and their main weapon is Cap’s childhood friend.
Ghost World — 93%
Before Johansson was becoming an MCU legend as Natasha Romanoff, she was starring in a far different comics adaptation. Ghost World was an early showcase of Johansson’s talent. Critics loved her work, but they also heaped praise upon Thora Birch’s co-lead performance as well as the film’s unique deadpan sense of humor.
Birch stars as Enid and Johansson as Rebecca, two recent high school graduates who carry with them a wisdom of two women decades their senior. Enid takes things a step further by trying to coach a middle-aged man, Seymour (Steve Buscemi), on how to find love. The irony is, as an outcast, Enid has even less experience than the man she’s coaching. Worse yet, Enid’s quest has caused a rift between herself and Samantha, who has a hard time wrapping her head around just what her friend is doing.
Her — 95%
One of the best-reviewed movies of 2013, critics appreciated genius auteur Spike Jonze’s Her even more than his Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. Many reviewers pointed to how it could take a look at a deeply unconventional romance and simultaneously shed light on what it is that makes conventional romances flourish or fall apart. Compliments were also bestowed the work of the cast, including Johansson’s vocal-only performance.
Her tells the story of Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore Twombly, an extremely lonely man who develops a relationship with Johansson’s Samantha, an AI operating system. OS1, as the AI is called, has been advertised not only as being the first operating system of its type, but essentially a being with consciousness. Theodore finds this to be true as the system he’s come to rely on starts to become something of a love interest, baffling the few actual humans in his life. The reality is, though, the less lonely Twombly feels because of Samantha, the more alone he truly is.
Isle of Dogs — 90%
Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs received as much critical praise as many of the director’s other revered works, including fellow stop-motion animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox. Like with that George Clooney and Meryl Streep-led film, the star-studded Isle of Dogs received high marks for its deadpan humor as well as the gorgeous visuals on display.
The cleverly named film takes place in a fictional Japanese city where people have been barred from owning dogs by the mayor due to a canine flu pandemic. All the pups have been relocated to Trash Island, which is now where the Mayor’s nephew is travelling to find his missing best friend.
The Jungle Book — 94%
Helmed by Johansson’s Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau, the live-action version of The Jungle Book was as much a critical success as it was a commercial one. Much appreciation was bestowed not just the gorgeous visuals, but also the casting and thematic heft. Some critics even deemed it an improvement over the animated classic.
Featuring fellow MCU vets Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Lupita Nyong’o, Giancarlo Esposito, Garry Shandling, and even Sam Raimi, The Jungle Book was certainly a star-studded affair. The narrative, of course, follows young Mowgli, a little boy raised by wolves who is run out of his home by the evil tiger Shere Khan. Mowgli teams up with a panther and a happy-go-lucky bear to survive the dangers posed by not just Shere Khan, but a smooth-talking, musically inclined gorilla and Johansson’s hissing serpent, as well.
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Lost in Translation — 95%
Sofia Coppola’s masterpiece, Lost in Translation stands both as perhaps the best film of 2003 and one of the best of its respective decade. It wouldn’t be seen as such if the two lead performances weren’t note-perfect and the narrative fully involving. Critics were essentially unanimous in saying it checked both boxes.
The narrative follows Bill Murray’s Bob Harris, a past-his-prime movie star shooting a commercial in Tokyo. There, he meets Johansson’s Charlotte, a newlywed whose celebrity photographer husband doesn’t seem to make much time for her. While Bob and Charlotte are two very different people, they develop a friendship that changes both lives forever.
Marriage Story — 95%
Featuring tour de force performances by leads Johansson and Adam Driver as well as Laura Dern and the late Ray Liotta, Marriage Story easily ranks among the very best Netflix original films. Reviewers appreciated the film’s no holds barred look at a crumbling relationship as well as the work from the cast and the heartfelt direction by Noah Baumbach.
Johansson stars as actress Nicole and Driver stars as theater director Charlie. Charlie is all set up in New York, but Nicole gets a new gig which requires her to leave her husband’s theater company. Their marriage has already been on the ropes for a while, but this new development sends them on a path towards a vicious custody battle over their son.
Marvel’s The Avengers — 91%
The movie that solidified the MCU’s standing as not just a successful franchise but a bonafide money printer, The Avengers dominated the crowded 2012 summer movie season. It also did extremely well with critics, who praised the chemistry shared by the cast as well as Joss Whedon’s energetic script. Besides the first Iron Man, it was the highest-rated entry of the MCU’s first phase.
The narrative follows Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Hulk, and Thor as they team-up under the watchful eye of Nick Fury to take on Loki and his borrowed Chitauri army. Will they be able to put aside their personal differences between the egomaniac and the aliens tear apart New York?
