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All Robert Rodriguez Movies Ranked
Alita: Battle Angel turns 5!
Texas native Robert Rodriguez developed his signature kinetic style way back while he was still in film school, when a short film he made called Bedhead earned him enough attention to convince him to pursue film seriously. Since then, Rodriguez has embraced his love of genre fare and become one of Hollywood’s foremost purveyors of slick, well-crafted grindhouse-style action. He began his big screen career with bombastic modern westerns like Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn, the latter of which featured fellow cult connoisseur Quentin Tarantino. The friendship between the two of them produced multiple collaborations over the years, including the neo-noir Sin City and the aptly named joint double feature Grindhouse, which spawned a tongue-in-cheek spinoff franchise.
In between all of that, Rodriguez found time to crank out an effects-driven, family-friendly adventure about a couple of Spy Kids, and the film was such a critical and commercial hit that it spawned three sequels, all of which Rodriguez also directed. It’s no wonder James Cameron entrusted him with his long-in-development Alita: Battle Angel, which quickly emerged as a cult favorite. His latest were Netflix’s We Can Be Heroes and Spy Kids: Armageddon. With all of that in mind, we thought it was about time to take a look at his filmography and see how his films match up with each other. Read on to see the full list and see where your favorites land!
#1
Adjusted Score: 96463%
Critics Consensus: A kinetic and fun movie that's sure to thrill children of all ages.
Synopsis: Two young kids become spies in attempt to save their parents, who are ex-spies, from an evil mastermind. Armed with...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 97643%
Critics Consensus: Made on a shoestring budget, El Mariachi's story is not new. However, the movie has so much energy that it's thoroughly enjoyable.
Synopsis: El Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) is a traveling guitar player with the modest desire to play music for a living. Looking...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 85815%
Critics Consensus: Visually groundbreaking and terrifically violent, Sin City brings the dark world of Frank Miller's graphic novel to vivid life.
Synopsis: In this quartet of neo-noir tales, a mysterious salesman (Josh Hartnett) narrates a tragic story of co-dependency, while a musclebound...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 79207%
Critics Consensus: Though the concept is no longer fresh, Spy Kids 2 is still an agreeable and energetic romp.
Synopsis: Now full fledged Spy Kids, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara) Cortez are back for another James Bond style...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 77775%
Critics Consensus: Machete is messy, violent, shallow, and tasteless -- and that's precisely the point of one of the summer's most cartoonishly enjoyable films.
Synopsis: After nearly being killed during a violent fight with a powerful drug lord, a former Mexican Federale known as Machete...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 77350%
Critics Consensus: A cool and hip grindhouse throwback, Planet Terror is an unpredictable zombie thrillride.
Synopsis: An ordinary evening in a small Texas town becomes a grisly nightmare when a horde of flesh-eating zombies goes on...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 77782%
Critics Consensus: Although it may be too zany for adults, We Can Be Heroes balances its sophisticated themes with heart and zealous originality.
Synopsis: When alien invaders kidnap Earth's superheroes, their children must team up and learn to work together if they want to...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 73568%
Critics Consensus: Desperado contains almost too much action and too little story to sustain interest, but Antonio Banderas proves a charismatic lead in Robert Rodriguez's inventive extravaganza.
Synopsis: Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) plunges headfirst into the dark border underworld when he follows a trail of blood to the last...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 22502%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A student tries to buy his way out of a huge debt to the tune of $7,000 by volunteering for...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 71726%
Critics Consensus: Violent, pulpy, loopy fun, with Depp stealing the show.
Synopsis: Return of the mythic guitar-slinging hero, El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas), in the final installment of the Mariachi/Desperado trilogy. The saga...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 67228%
Critics Consensus: A pulpy crime drama/vampire film hybrid, From Dusk Till Dawn is an uneven but often deliriously enjoyable B-movie.
Synopsis: On the run from a bank robbery that left several police officers dead, Seth Gecko (George Clooney) and his paranoid,...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 78412%
Critics Consensus: Alita: Battle Angel's story struggles to keep up with its special effects, but fans of futuristic sci-fi action may still find themselves more than sufficiently entertained.
Synopsis: Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido, a...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 57043%
Critics Consensus: Spy Kids: Armageddon offers solidly diverting action for younger viewers, even if it's starting to feel like this franchise has run out of reasons to continue.
Synopsis: When the children of the world's greatest secret agents unwittingly help a powerful Game Developer unleash a computer virus that...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 61482%
Critics Consensus: Rip-off of other sci-fi thrillers.
Synopsis: To the students at Harrington High, the principal and her posse of teachers have always been a little odd, but...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 49585%
Critics Consensus: Shorts has imagination and energy, but most viewers beyond elementary school will likely tire of the kiddie humor and sensory overload.
Synopsis: In the little town of Black Falls, every house looks the same and almost everyone works for Black Box Unlimited...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 49445%
Critics Consensus: The movie will be found wanting if one is not taken in by the 3-D visuals.
Synopsis: Pint-sized kid spy Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) faces his biggest challenge yet when he confronts the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), a...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 51738%
Critics Consensus: A Dame to Kill For boasts the same stylish violence and striking visual palette as the original Sin City, but lacks its predecessor's brutal impact.
Synopsis: The damaged denizens of Sin City return for another round of stories from the mind of Frank Miller. In "Just...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 37848%
Critics Consensus: Although Hypnotic isn't without glimmers of inspiration, the ultimate effect of this often clunky crime caper will be to leave you feeling rather sleepy.
Synopsis: Determined to find his missing daughter, Austin detective Danny Rourke finds himself spiraling down a rabbit hole investigating a series...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 34354%
Critics Consensus: While possessed with the same schlocky lunacy as its far superior predecessor, Machete Kills loses the first installment's spark in a less deftly assembled sequel.
Synopsis: When the president (Carlos Estevez) of the United States has a mission that would be impossible for just any mortal...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 24681%
Critics Consensus: Burdened by a rote plot and unfunny scatological humor, All the Time in the World suggests that the Spy Kids franchise has run its course.
Synopsis: Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) is a retired spy who keeps that identity hidden from her clueless husband and whip-smart...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 24132%
Critics Consensus: The decision to turn this kiddie fantasy into a 3-D film was a miscalculation.
Synopsis: Bullied by classmates, young Max (Cayden Boyd) escapes into a fantasy, conjuring up the action-packed lives of Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley)...
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92%
77%
56%
