Every Darren Aronofsky Film Ranked Worst To Best

Let's examine the work of one of the world's greatest directors.

Black Swan
Fox Searchlight

The work of Darren Aronofsky is a fascinating exploration of depth, nuance and symbolism. His titles have a distinct style and narrative persistence that means you will often recognise traits in any of his projects. There is always a sense of visual spectacle and a compelling approach to causing unease within his viewers.

Even though his stories often centre on emotional tales about real problems, they approach fantastical levels through deliberate metaphoric storytelling. This ambiguity can often make watching his movies a little challenging, but it ultimately means that you get just as much as you give.

His approach to character development and narrative often avoids telling the audience what to think and chooses instead to show them. The actions and visual storytelling of the roles make his films flow more like music than a movie, leading to his projects being all the more fascinating.

Despite only making seven feature-length films, Aronofsky can be called one of the best working directors of this day and age, thanks to the quality of his repertoire. Because even at his worst, the movies he creates are entertaining.

This list will contain spoilers, so consider yourself warned.

7. Noah

Black Swan
Paramount Pictures

A film about Noah's ark is an ambitious idea that Aronofsky was certainly capable of pulling off, nevertheless, it still came as a surprise to many when we found out that this film was coming. His work thus far certainly had variety but always centred on a grounded concept, which is what made the idea of an epic Biblical tale an unexpected venture. It also ended up causing major controversy due to its priority of environmentalism over religion.

While there is plenty of valid criticism thrown its way, Noah does at least tell the story in a fascinating manner that includes a lot of interesting changes. The environmental themes are strong, which makes it more relatable if you are not religiously inclined. Additionally, it is an incredibly good-looking film - which is a staple of Aronofsky's work.

The title falls flat in that it is a little too ambitious and somewhat bloated as a project. It added a lot to the base story, such as the inclusion of the Nephilim as rock-monsters, but many religious people found this to be inappropriate, and others just found them confusing.

Overall it's an interesting journey and visual spectacle but falls flat in regards to the narrative content.

Contributor

Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!