Every Wes Anderson Film Ranked Worst To Best

Some directors have such a clear voice and sense of style that they almost become their own genre.

Quentin Tarantino has his gory shootouts, foul language, and an odd fixation on shots of feet. Tim Burton has his twisted gothic fairy tales stuffed full of pale-faced actors spouting his darkly ironic sense of humour.

And it's safe to say that director Wes Anderson's movies are instantly recognisable thanks to his commitment to a certain pastel coloured style. You only need to see one frame from any of his films to know that he directed it. Perfectly symmetrical shots, a soundtrack with nothing released past 1979, and the recurring theme of deeply dysfunctional oddballs, from thieving foxes to infighting New York families, doing their best to survive in a hostile world define his work.

Anderson is sometimes criticised as being a superficial director, concerned more with his films’ looks than their stories, but a careful watch through his filmography will prove that to be false. His films always have a strong emotional core to them and the characters, while often exaggerated, never feel false.

So, which of his films rank among the best of all time and what are the entries in his filmography that don’t quite live up to his lofty standards? Read on to see how your favourite Anderson flick fared in our ranking.

Although it has grown in reputation since the lukewarm reception it received upon release, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou still sits fairly comfortably as Wes Anderson’s weakest film. While the star-studded cast – including the likes of Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, and Willem Dafoe – is on top form, the plot can’t help but feel a little paper-thin.

Anderson usually manages to walk the tightrope between genuine emotional drama and his heavily stylised aesthetic. Unfortunately, this movie focuses a little too much on the latter at the expense of true character depth and several of the emotional beats don’t land as well as they should.

The main character of Steve Zissou was conceived as a part-parody, part-homage to famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and he never really transcends that comparison. Therefore, the audience can only care so much about the emotional struggles of this noticeably fake person.

Still, Anderson’s natural eye for gorgeous visuals is as prominent as ever. The final scene with the shark, as Zissou tearfully wonders if it remembers him, is one of the most beautiful moments in his filmography.