While Judi Dench is a theater actress first and foremost, throughout her entertainment career she has appeared in a wide variety of feature films. She is best known for her twenty-year-long tenure as M in the James Bond franchise and her numerous appearances in cinematic adaptations of stage plays (particularly those based on the works of Shakespeare).
She's been nominated for seven Academy Awards and is considered by many to be one of the greatest dramatic performers of the last hundred years, but that's not to say her career hasn't occasionally been marked by the stain of a critically-panned misfire. Today, we'll be using Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus score to rank the biggest hits and worst flops of Dench's career.
10 Worst: Rage (2009) - 29%
Films trying to introduce their viewers to original, never-before-seen concepts will usually either achieve massive success or be huge failures. There's rarely a middle ground. 2009's Rage is a satirical art film that falls in the latter category.
It follows Michelangelo, an unseen young blogger who films interviews on his cell phone with several New York fashionistas and celebrities, including a fault-finding pundit played by Dench, as they confide in him their true, unadulterated feelings and opinions. When a model is murdered, his amateur celebrity dialogues are the only substantial evidence. The first film in cinema history to debut on mobile phones, it didn't bode well with critics, many of whom were less than enthralled with what they saw as an incredulous, overly long story mixed with below-average performances; although others praised the film's web-series-like style.
9 Best: Mrs. Brown (1997) - 92%
The 1997 drama film Mrs. Brown stars Dench as Queen Victoria and details the complicated, controversial real-life relationship between her and her long-time personal attendant John Brown (Billy Connolly) - although it definitely takes some liberties with the actual history.
However, audiences didn't seem to mind the film's various creative liberties, as Mrs. Brown became a surprise commercial success. Critics were also basically unfazed by the film's more factually inaccurate elements, with many praising the film for Dench and Connolly's chemistry and acting ability, as well as the nuanced, subtle writing.
8 Worst: The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) - 29%
Vin Diesel stars in The Chronicles of Riddick, a 2004 sci-fi flop that follows the titular antihero as he is being pursued by bounty hunters as a result of his actions in the franchise's previous installments. Meanwhile, Riddick must save the world from a ruthless group of warriors converting others to their religion by force.
Dench plays Aereon, an elder who guides Riddick on his quest. While a sci-fi film is definitely an odd addition to her filmography, Dench's performance was solid. Unfortunately, the film's other elements weren't as well-received, with its most blatant critics claiming it failed as both a follow-up to a successful sleeper hit and an action film, noting the lack of emotional elements and the overly formulaic sci-fi style.
7 Best: Hamlet (1996) - 95%
One of the most famous of director Kenneth Branagh's numerous Shakespearian adaptations, 1996's Hamlet is the definitive film version of its source material, running for four hours and including a bevy of well-known, prolific actors. Dench took on the role of the mythological Troy queen Hecuba, appearing in flashback, as a member of a theater troupe recites a monologue based on her life story to Hamlet.
Despite becoming a somewhat large box-office bomb, Branagh's cinematic magnum opus earned positive reviews and received four Oscar nominations among a vast collection of accolades.
6 Worst: Cats (2019) - 20%
Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name, Cats follows a clan of the titular mammals as they must make the annual choice of which of them will ascend to the strange, unseen world known as the Heaviside Layer and begin a new life. It received a good deal of hype up until the time of its release, though not for the right reasons. Its trailer went viral as an example of poorly-crafted CGI, which the animators used to merge human and cat characteristics.
Once the film was released, many other issues were discovered by critics; editing, tone, script, and direction being foremost among them. While many of the performances, including Dench's portrayal of the wise Old Deuteronomy, were praised, the film will likely go down in history as a poorly-executed train wreck.
5 Best: Casino Royale (2006) - 95%
Daniel Craig's debut as James Bond in Casino Royale drew audiences in and, for a time, was the highest-grossing film of its franchise. It follows the newly-licensed-to-kill secret agent as he tries to bankrupt a notorious funder of terrorist organizations by defeating the liquid strategical genius in a high-stakes poker game.
Dench's performance as M, the brash but caring head of MI6, was very well-received, and Craig's performance was also praised, being hailed as a new take on the famed lead character. Many of the film's other important details such as plot, characters, direction, and cinematography also met with near-universal acclaim.
4 Worst: Tulip Fever (2017) - 10%
The 2017 historical rom-com Tulip Fever follows two lovers - Sophia, a married noblewoman, and Jan, a painter - as their star-crossed relationship faces numerous difficulties. Told against the backdrop of "tulip mania," a period in history during which prices for the famed flower hit an all-time high, the film was very poorly-reviewed. Despite its lengthy production history, the movie was accused of being bland and uninspired.
While faults in Dench's acting are very difficult to spot (she delivers a smart and well-executed performance, as an abbess who gifts Jan with tulip bulbs after recognizing his ambition), we still question her judgment in taking this role, even if the film's missteps weren't her fault.
3 Best: A Room With a View (1985) - 100%
The romantic drama A Room with a View, based on a 1908 novel of the same name, follows Lucy Honeychurch, a young woman who learns to recognize her desires and ambitions, despite the Edwardian culture she's been raised in.
This is a result of her meeting the romantic and youthful George Emerson while on vacation in Italy. Becoming the breakthrough performance for now-famous screen starlet Helena Bonham Carter and featuring one of Dench's first major film appearances (as a romance novelist), the film was universally praised for its characters, emotion, humor, and wittiness.
2 Worst: Doogal (2006) - 8%
The Weinstein Company's 2006 animated film Doogal is a bit of an oddity; many critics claimed it blew much of its $20 million dollar budget on its all-star voice cast, leaving many of its other elements lacking. Based on the classic television program The Magic Roundabout, the film follows a group of animals who live in a peaceful utopia under the protection of Zebedee, a red wizard. Unbeknownst to them, Zebedee's evil counterpart Zeebad has a dastardly plan for their village.
The film was criticized for its premise, characters, visuals, and direction, as well as its lack of traditional film qualities in favor of a more kid-oriented approach. Even Dench's high-quality narration couldn't save this animated disaster.
1 Best: Henry V (1989) - 100%
Kenneth Branagh's obsession with the works of Shakespeare was clearly accentuated in his directorial debut Henry V, an adaptation of the play of the same name. The story follows the titular King of England (played by Branagh) as he goes on numerous adventures, defeating the French army against all odds, stopping a conspiracy to remove him from the throne, and finding love.
Branagh's unwavering devotion to the source material shines in this oft-praised cinematic masterpiece, and Dench's performance as the signature Shakespearian innkeeper Mistress Quickly is just as amazing as should be expected from the theater titan.
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