There are currently very few Hollywood actors working today that carry as much clout as Chris Pratt. With his humble beginnings as the lovable Andy in Parks and Recreation, Pratt evolved as an actor over the years, transforming himself into one of Hollywood's most bankable stars through a series of carefully chosen roles.
With Pratt set to return to the big screen in the forthcoming Jurassic World: Dominion as ex-Navy ethologist and velociraptor whisperer Owen Grady, now's the perfect opportunity to look back over the actor's back catalog of feature film performances. Pratt's film resumé is diverse, featuring comedies, animated movies, and action-adventure films. There's plenty for Chris Pratt fans to enjoy while they wait for the sixth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise.
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
Stream On Disney+
Guardians of the Galaxy is a must-see for any Chris Pratt fans. The James Gunn-directed superhero sci-fi action comedy put Pratt on the map as an action movie star. Pratt stars as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, a human abducted from earth following the death of his mother by a group of space pirates. His attempted theft of an infinity stone leads Quill to a ragtag group of misfits, including Gamora, Groot, Drax, and Rocket, and from there they save the galaxy from the villainous Ronan.
Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the very best MCU movies, primarily due to the fantastic chemistry of its leading stars, including Pratt as the goofy, yet charming, Star-Lord. Despite the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy was based on a group of C-list comic-book superheroes with little recognisability, the movie exploded and became one of Marvel's most loved movies.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Available To Rent On Apple TV+
Directed by legendary Hollywood filmmaker Katherine Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty is a dramatized account of the real-life hunt for 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden. While the movie centers primarily on the CIA's behind-the-scenes hunt for Bin Laden, the assault on Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan features as the climactic moment of this gripping spy thriller based on real events.
Chris Pratt stars as Justin Lenihan, one of the Navy SEALs, also known as DEVGRU, who take down Bin Laden at the end of the movie. Zero Dark Thirty marked the beginning of Pratt's transition from comedy goofball to gruff action-movie hardman.
Moneyball (2011)
Stream On Hulu
Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Chris Pratt, is one of the more unique American sports movies because it focuses on statistics rather than the action of the sport. Based on the best-selling book of the same name, written by author Michael Lewis, Moneyball tracks the real-life story of Oakland Athletics manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) who utilized non-traditional statistics to identify undervalued baseball players to achieve high-level success with a modest budget.
Pratt takes on the role of real-life player Scott Hatteberg, who played to make a mark in the MLB before Beane recruited him for Oakland Athletics. Pratt's performance as an unrealized sports star is one of the actor's more subdued roles, and definitely shows off the actor's versatility.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Available To Rent On Apple TV+
One of the all-time animated classics from the modern era, The Lego Movie managed to capture the pure childhood innocence and creative ingenuity of the iconic Lego toy and transform it into a fun and hilarious animated comedy, without it coming across as corporate pandering as was the case with the ill-conceived Emoji Movie.
Chris Pratt voices the central hero of The Lego Movie, Emmet Brickowski, an everyman construction worker with no particular talent who is initially mistaken for the Special, a prophesized hero who will save the world. Pratt perfectly captures the charming everyman optimism of Emmet and breathes real soul into the character's inspiring speeches about the nature of individuality and uniqueness of everyone.
Onward (2020)
Stream On Disney+
Another animating offering featuring the voice talents of Chris Pratt, Onward is set in a mythical world blended with the modern world. Pratt voices an elf Barley Lightfoot, brother to Tom Holland's Ian Lightfoot. The two brothers set out on a journey to bring their deceased father back from the dead for one day only.
Pratt's performance as Ian's knockabout goofy brother is very much in keeping with the actor's work as Andy in Parks and Recreation. Despite Pratt's generally light-hearted approach to the character, he also captures the more somber moments of the movie with real pathos. While Onward scored well with critics upon its release, the movie struggled financially at the box-office due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie did eventually find an appreciative audience on Disney's flagship streaming platform Disney+.
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Available To Rent On Apple TV+
Antoine Fuqua's 2016 remake of the 1960 John Sturges classic Western of the same name, The Magnificent Seven features an all-star cast, including Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, and, of course, Chris Pratt. The plot concerns an eclectic group of gunslingers who are brought in to take down the ruthless Bartholomew Bogue and his gang of henchmen.
Pratt stars as one of the seven, Joshua Faraday, a gambler, explosive expert, and drunk of the group. Pratt's performance, along with the rest of the stellar cast, was one aspect of the movie that was praised by critics upon its release. Despite this, the movie failed to make a major impact on audiences and has fallen into obscurity in the years since its release.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Stream On Amazon Prime
This 2021 sci-fi action film directed by Chris McKay was originally set to be released theatrically by Paramount before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon picked up the rights to the movie and The Tomorrow War debuted exclusively on Amazon Prime, becoming one of the most expensive movies to ever debut exclusively on a streaming platform.
Chris Pratt leads The Tomorrow War as Dan Forester, a former Green Beret turned biology teacher, who time travels to the future to aid in mankind's war with a deadly race of aliens, known as Whitespikes. A mashup of numerous other movies in a similar vein, such as Independence Day, Starship Troopers, and Edge of Tomorrow, The Tomorrow War gets loads of things right for a sci-fi action movie but fails to capture the same special ingredient that has helped those movies become iconic cult-classics.
Passengers (2016)
Available To Rent On Apple TV+
Hopes were extremely high for this sci-fi romance starring two of the biggest Hollywood stars in the world, but Passengers failed to capture audiences' imaginations in the way the creators wanted. Passengers stars Chris Pratt and Jennifer Laurence as Jim and Aurora, two passengers on a gigantic carriership transporting humans to a faraway planet.
When Jim's hibernation pod wakes him up ninety years too early, he wakes another of the ship's several thousand passengers so he'll have company, and a romance ensues. While Pratt and Laurence have an undeniable chemistry as the two central leads, many viewers struggled to get past the troubling premise of the movie. Despite this, the cast acquits themselves well, particularly Pratt, who shines most vividly in the movie's early scenes depicting Jim's loneliness post-awakening.
Her (2013)
Available To Rent On Apple TV+
While Her is most certainly a one-man show with Joaquin Phoenix (playing the character Theodore) front and center for most of the movie, with the voice of Scarlett Johansson in his ear as his A.I. personal assistant, many viewers may have forgotten that Chris Pratt features in a supporting role.
Pratt plays a man named Paul, one of Theodore's only friends. Pratt's friendly and warm demeanor is in sharp contrast to Theodore's elusive loneliness. With only a few scenes in the movie, Pratt makes his presence felt, in one of the actor's earlier feature-film roles.
Jurassic World (2015)
Available To Rent On Apple TV+
There's no better Chris Pratt movie to watch to get ready for this summer's Jurassic World: Dominion than the first movie in the revamped series: Jurassic World. Pratt's role in Jurassic World, along with his role in Guardians of the Galaxy the preceding summer, cemented the actor as one of Hollywood's leading action stars.
Pratt plays Owen Grady alongside Bryce Dallas Howards' Claire Dearin in this billion-dollar action blockbuster. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, Jurassic World takes place in a world where a successful dinosaur-themed park has opened and has been operational for a number of years. When a newly cloned dinosaur escapes and goes on the run, it's up to hot head Grady and stickler Dearin to save the day. Jurassic World was a monster success worldwide, spawning a resurgence in the Jurassic Park franchise, thanks in part to a great leading performance by Chris Pratt.