Few actors juggle villain, anti-hero, and protagonist roles better than Chris Pine and that has once again been confirmed in the psychological thriller, Don’t Worry Darling. In the Olivia Wilde movie, Pine is the boss of a company that requires its employees to live in a high-end suburb. But there’s more than meets the eye about the organization.
While Pine’s performance in the movie has been praised, critics haven’t been too kind. On Metacritic, the Warner Bros release has a disappointing 48% score. Audiences have been divided too, but fans of the actor have no reason to be disappointed as there are many movies in which he had better material to work with.
Wonder Woman 1984 – 60%
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In the ‘80s, Diana Prince struggles to cope with the death of her lover Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Luckily, he makes a surprise return and helps her take down Max Lord, a megalomaniac keen on influencing the world by granting people their wishes using the Dreamstone.
Great heroes need greater villains but Max Lord neither comes off as formidable nor detestable enough, which explains why some critics found the movie weaker in comparison to the first one. However, the sequel impresses in other ways, specifically by adding more muscle to Diana and Steve’s already awesome relationship. The two are considered one of the best DC comic couples and thanks to Pine’s charm and eye-contact expertise, Steve comes off as a caring lover on screen too.
Z For Zachariah (2015) – 68%
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Based on Robert C. O'Brien’s 1974 novel, Z For Zachariah follows a woman who survives a nuclear disaster. Thinking she is alone on Earth, she bumps into a man who she falls in love with. But their relationship is put to the test when another male survivor appears.
A love triangle in a post-apocalyptic Earth isn’t the kind of premise audiences see every day, and anyone that reviews Z For Zachariah would be compelled to give it points for serving something different. Pine plays the bad guy - a stereotypical bad boy that gets to destroy a budding romance between a woman and her not-so-perfect but dedicated performance. Given that there are only three characters, it’s easier to accurately judge the performances of all of them. Throughout the proceedings, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Margot Robbie make a point to top Pine’s perfect gestures and glances.
Star Trek Beyond (2016) – 68%
Stream On Paramount+
In the third installment of the rebooted Star Trek franchise, the crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest regions of space. There, they encounter a new enemy. Movies from established directors tend to be viewed more favorably by reviewers and justifiably so. Thanks to the excessive action sequences and amazing special effects, the threequel feels very much like a Justin Lin movie.
While the fast and furious nature of the proceedings is guaranteed to keep fans engaged, the characters are the heart of the movie. Everyone, from Pine to Simon Pegg and Idris Elba, gives a performance guaranteed to get a thumbs up from critics. Karl Urban also makes a case for himself for inclusion into A-list status and fans will be glad that he now plays one of the best characters in The Boys, Billy Butcher.
Unstoppable (2010) – 69%
Stream On Disney+
A freight train carrying toxic chemicals hurtles towards a town at high speed. To prevent a disaster, a conductor (Chris Pine) and a railroad engineer (Denzel Washington) work together to bring it to a halt.
It’s the tension and anxiety that normally carry movies like this, and from press coverage to bystanders watching in horror, the stakes feel high every single minute. However, Pine and Washington don’t let the events out-shadow them. With performances that are characterized by franticness and innovation, the two come off as so likable that they prevent anyone (including critics) from judging the movie from a “seen this type of plot before” perspective. There’s the sound of the locomotive too, so terrifying that a Best Sound Editing nomination at the Oscars felt very much deserved.
Into The Woods (2014) – 69%
Stream On Disney+
The musical Into the Woods puts a fresh spin on fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel. There are two Prince Charmings in this version and Pine plays Cinderella’s.
For a movie that tells stories that have been told hundreds of times before, fans and critics will definitely be on the lookout for something different and the screenwriters seem very much aware of that. That’s why they discard the happily-ever-part of these tales, hence throwing everything into chaos in the second part. Here, Cinderella even gets cheated on by Pine's arrogant Prince.
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) – 72%
Stream On Paramount+
In the second of the movie franchise, Captain Kirk gets demoted from the command of the USS Enterprise in the year 2259 for violating a directive. He then returns to deal with an enemy within.
Over the years, Pine has proven himself as a team player, with most of his great performances coming when the story isn’t just about his character but multiple ones. Here, he brilliantly brings out the chemistry between Kirk and Spock, making audiences eager to see more of the two. Performances aside, there are hardly any VFX flaws in the visuals, a commendable feat in an era where many big-budget productions still get lambasted for bad images.
Wonder Woman (2017) – 76%
Stream On HBO Max
In Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor (Pine) is rescued by Diana when he crashes a plane near Themyscira. She then accompanies him to the world of man to stop Ares, the god of war.
Gal Gadot and Chris Pine do their parts well, with as much praise going to director Patt Jenkins for choosing an early 20th-century setting that took the movie away from the modern gloominess that Batman and Superman had operated in. That the sequel was set in the ‘80s is a confirmation that Jenkins loves history. Luckily, critics seem to love the blending of superpowers with the past.
Star Trek (2009) – 82%
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The first installment of the rebooted franchise introduces the same characters, with new characters. This time, Kirk (Pine) and his team take on Nero, the commander of the starship Narada.
Most reboots try to change too much but the 2009 sci-fi flick impresses by building itself using pillars franchise fans know best. Pine is convincing as the new lead, so much that William Shatner himself praised his performance (via MovieWeb). Additionally, events move at a faster pace, making the movie palatable to casual viewers too.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) – 87%
Stream On Disney+
There are many versions of Spider-Man in the comics and by including a good number of them, Into The Spiderverse, builds a multiverse template that the MCU later copied. In Earth-1610, teenager Miles Morales takes up the mantle of Spider-Man after Peter Parker gets killed. Pine voices the first Peter Parker.
The movie also does a lot for inclusivity, thanks to Mile Morales being the central protagonist. As for Chris Pine, his fans will be sad about the fact that he doesn’t get to be in the movie for long, but there are enough interesting moments to cover for his absence.
Hell Or High Water (2016) – 88%
Stream On Amazon Prime
Hell Or High Water has plenty of ingredients that make it one of the best modern westerns. Two brothers decided to rob a bank that is about to take over their family land for unpaid loans. Pine plays Toby, one of the brothers.
Solid dialogue is perfectly alternated with shootouts and holding everything together is a story that has audiences rooting for the criminals. It’s easy to relate to the brothers as they are simply desperate to keep their land. And paying the bank with their own money is a genius move. It’s also commendable that Pine’s character Toby makes it out alive, a rare thing for a bank robber in a movie.