Every Jaden Smith Movie, Ranked From Worst To Best

The child of celebrity couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jaden Smith’s movie career began at a young age, acting in one of his dad’s best films.

Here is a look at every movie featuring Jaden Smith, ranked from worst to best. Jaden has been active in the industry for more than 15 years now, appearing in an array of different formats and genres during that time. With his band of famous friends and family, Jaden’s career was supercharged at a young age, making his creative endeavors an interesting exploration of the impact of wealth and privilege.

Jaden Christopher Syre Smith was born on July 8th, 1998 to celebrity power couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Eclectic by nature, Jaden has spent time exploring various different fields, from philosophy to music to founding the boxed water company JUST Water. He has released three studio albums as a rapper under the mononym Jaden, as well as featuring on the quintuple-platinum 2010 Justin Bieber song Never Say Never. He has appeared in Grammy-nominated albums and Oscar-nominated movies, his accomplishments rivaling those of his famous family.

Although Jaden’s career began by predominantly appearing in Will Smith movies, he has since grown out of his father’s shadow, forming a brand and artistic style all his own. He has spoken at length about his struggles growing up famous and the isolation he often felt as a result of his parents’ Hollywood status. With that in mind, here is a look at Jaden’s accomplishments in film, ranking each of his movies from worst to best.

6. After Earth (2013)

After Earth is a sci-fi thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Jaden plays Kitai Raige, son of legendary warrior Cypher Raige (appropriately played by his father, Will Smith). The two crash land on Earth 1,000 years after humans were forced to flee the planet, which has now evolved to inhabit dangerous and unfamiliar wildlife. With Cypher laying injured in the wreckage, Katai must race against the clock to recover their distress beacon before he and his father asphyxiate—or worse. The film is visually impressive, but it fails to tell a compelling or intelligent story. The rules of the universe are inconsistent and contradictory, and the characters are intentionally emotionless, putting the film at a disadvantage by not capitalizing on Will Smith’s characteristic charm. Although it is far from being M. Night Shyamalan’s worst movie, it is certainly Jaden’s.

5. Life In A Year (2020)

Life in a Year is a romantic drama featuring the directorial debut of Mitja Okorn. After learning of his girlfriend’s terminal illness, high school student and aspiring rapper Daryn (played by Jaden Smith) endeavors to give her a lifetime of experiences in the time she has left. The star-studded cast includes Cara Delevigne, Big Sean, and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Daryn’s father, Xavier. The story is heartbreaking and emotional, and the performances from most of the cast were on par, but the film is inevitably predictable and somewhat cliched, offering little to distinguish itself from similar stories such as The Fault in Our Stars or A Walk to Remember.

4. The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a remake of the original 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still, based on the 1940 short story “Farewell to the Master” by Harry Bates. A humanoid alien lands in Central Park, marking the beginning of an invasion. Unlike the original film which contained themes of Cold War-era nuclear warfare, the remake shifts to the more modern concern of climate change, with the alien insisting that humans change their ways or he has been instructed to destroy them in order to save the planet. Jaden plays Jacob Benson, son of astrobiologist Helen Benson, who forms a connection with the alien, Klaatu. The Day the Earth Stood Still’s cast is packed with celebrities, including Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, and Monty Python’s John Cleese. The plot is fairly predictable and some of the performances are underwhelming, but overall it is a fairly sincere remake of a classic science fiction story.

3. The Karate Kid (2010)

The Karate Kid is a remake of the classic 1984 film by the same name, though it bears a handful of distinct differences. The characters have different names, the setting is changed to China, and the martial art is changed to kung fu despite the film’s name. Jaden stars as Dre Parker, a young American from Detroit who moves to Beijing, China with his mother, quickly finding trouble in the neighborhood bully before seeking out the teachings of Mr. Han, a local maintenance man and aging kung fu master played by Jackie Chan, who trains Dre in the art of self-defense. Although the film lacks some of the charm of the original, Jackie Chan’s performance as the spiritual successor to Mr. Miyagi is justification enough for the film’s existence, making it a worthwhile extension of The Karate Kid movie franchise.

2. Skate Kitchen (2018)

Skate Kitchen is a teen drama based on the experiences of the real-life group of female skaters of the same name, with the members appearing as fictionalized versions of themselves. The story centers on Camille, an 18-year-old skating enthusiast living with her conservative mother on Long Island. Camille joins up with the already-established Skate Kitchen, eventually moving in with the group as she begins to explore a new side of herself that had previously been repressed. Most of the principal cast had no acting experience prior to the film (with the notable exception of Smith), undergoing months of acting and improvisational training in preparation. The film was a critical success, spawning a spinoff in the 2020 HBO series Betty, which featured most of the original cast.

1. The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006)

The Pursuit of Happyness is a biographical drama about the life of Chris Gardner, based on the 2006 memoir by the same name. After investing in a brand of portable bone-density scanner, Gardner (played by Will Smith) falls into debt, causing tensions in his marriage that inevitably lead to a divorce. With his 5-year-old son Christopher Jr. (played by Jaden) in tow, Gardner has to strike it big on Wall Street with nothing more than his charisma and skills with a Rubik’s Cube or risk losing what family he has left. The story is as heartbreaking as it is uplifting, dealing with the complex issues of poverty and homelessness while still managing to retain a hopeful tone. Will Smith’s performance earned him an Oscar nomination, emboldened by the presence of his real-life son Jaden Smith in what is one of the best films of either actor’s career.

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