Like most visionary directors,Guillermo del Torotends to be divisive. Despite his gregarious and charming personality, his famous movies, fromCronostoNightmare Alley, can divide fans. There are those who think he’s a genius, weaving in a deep love of cinema and especially monsters, and those who feel like he’s more of a glorified production designer, able to bring in disparate elements but rarely telling a cohesive story.
Even those who wouldn’t consider themselves fans of the Mexican auteur, however, must admit plenty of things about him. One, he’s a master of dark fantasy and sci-fi, capable of crafting the creepiest of stories and tensest of situations with little effort. Two, his films are joined by a strong thematic thread that critiques authoritarianism, celebrates childlike innocence, and is amazed by the creepy charm of monsters. Three, even the director’s weakest movies have plenty to offer.What follows is a ranking of Guillermo del Toro’s moviesbased on their overall quality, mainstream recognition, and importance to their director’s career.
12’Mimic' (1997)
Starring Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin
It almost feels unfair to callMimicGuillermo del Toro’s weakest film. On the commentary track for the Director’s Cut, del Toro freely admits that this isn’t really his vision and that it was heavily compromised by studio executives who didn’t understand what he was going for. As it stands, it feels like a low-grade horror film combined with del Toro’s passion for creature features.
WhereMimicfalls apart is in that, ultimately,viewers don’t really care about the characters. There’s an interesting subtext about questioning man’s position at the top of the food chain, and the overall picture is still in del Toro’s wheelhouse of finding the relationship between monsters and men, but it never quite clicks into place because one can see all the compromises he was forced to make. If del Toro ever wanted to return toMimicand remake the picture with no constraints and true to his original vision, fans would happily watch it even if the bugs grossed them out.
11’Hellboy' (2004)
Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor
Inthe superhero-drenched marketplace of today, it’s easy to take a film likeHellboyfor granted. But back in 2004, when the film was released,it was a serious uphill battle. Now, it’s easier to appreciate just how much del Toro was able to accomplish in trying to stay true toMike Mignola’s comic. Remarkably, the title character is being played by veteran character actorRon Perlman(who absolutely nails Hellboy’s working-class attitude). It’s impressive that del Toro didn’t have to fudge Hellboy’s origin or give him special powers to make him more relatable.
The trade-off is thatHellboy isn’t really the star of his debut movie. The need for an audience surrogate gives us the milquetoast John Myers (Rupert Evans), and the entire story is viewed through his eyes, so the movie feels like it’s wrestling with the weird stuff Hellboy brings to the table and the more “relatable” stuff with John that feels like a sop to nervous execs and wary audience members. The far superiorHellboy IIshows why it’s better to just let del Toro do his thing, but that is a story for later.
10’Blade II' (2002)
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman
WithBlade II, Del Toro basically gives the series a soft reboot and repurposes it to his interest, finding a way to make Blade (Wesley Snipes) far more interesting by playing him off a variety of characters. It makes for an incredibly colorful feature that still deepens the vampire underworld by bringing in a larger threat, the Reapers, who del Toro still finds sympathy for. On top of that, the film features one ofthe most underrated superhero movie villainsof all time.
It’s still a bit of an odd-duck film,able to have fun with the action scenes and larger cast but never going as deep as it could, perhaps because of genre limitations or simply because there’s only time to do so much. The film is a lot of fun and lets del Toro provide his spin on the vampire-action movie, but he sometimes favors the action way too much over story and character development.
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9’Pacific Rim' (2013)
Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi
It’s kind of remarkable that Legendary and Universal gave del Toro a boatload of money to just indulge his interests, letting him deliver one ofthe most entertaining kaiju moviesin recent memory. On an aesthetic level,Pacific Rimis a total blast, with del Toro’s eye for design coming up with unique looks for both the Jaegers and the kaiju, whereas a lesser director probably would have come up with something more staid and unimaginative.
Where the film seriously falters is in its characters. Even ifCharlie Hunnamdidn’t give a forgettable performance (which he does),Pacific Rimwould still be stocked with archetypeswhere it’s contingent on every actor bringing some kind of coloring to their performance, or else they’ll get completely overshadowed. It’s telling that despite all the action happening around Raleigh (Hunnam), Mako (Rinko Kikuchi), and the Jaegers, the more interesting storyline is happening with Newt (Charlie Day) and his kaiju discoveries. That journey at the ground level is where the more interesting world-building is going on, and while the set pieces are certainly exhilarating,Pacific Rimis best at a micro level.
Pacific Rim
8’Cronos' (1998)
Starring Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook
Like most first features,Cronoslets viewers see the outlines of what del Toro would go on to become, even if the film itself also shows the growing pains of a filmmaker finding his voice. The story follows a kindly old man who melds with a robotic parasite that bestows the user eternal life at the cost of needing to consume blood. It shows flashes of the filmmaker del Toro would become, but it also hastrouble striking the right balance between comedy and tragedy.
There are moments whereCronosis deeply emotional, especially in the tragedy of its protagonist, who doesn’t ask for what the Cronos device bestows but has become addicted to its power all the same. Yet, there are also lapses into moments of Raimi-esque horror-comedy, which don’t quite land. Del Toro tends to have a good self-aware sense of humor, but here, it’s deployed awkwardly, sometimes working (usually in the form of Ron Perlman’s vain villain) and sometimes proving a distraction.Cronosmay not be among del Toro’s best, but it remains a fascinating first feature nonetheless.
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7’Crimson Peak' (2015)
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain
Although the marketing soldCrimson Peakas more of a horror film, the heart of the movie isa Gothic romance about a tortured love affairbetween Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) and Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), with Thomas’ sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) as a devious third wheel. Yes, there are ghosts (that are underserved by the overuse of VFX on Doug Jones’ horrifying frame) and a haunted house, but where the film really breathes is in exploring the horrors of love.
Finding something horrifying in something good may seem odd, but del Toro makes it work wonderfully through the lens of the twisted relationship between Thomas and Edith. The romantic elements of the story may have trouble shining through, but the horrific elements are always on point and serve togiveCrimson Peaka unique and terrifying personality, even if Edith’s journey sometimes feels underserved to give more time to the colorful Sharpes.
Crimson Peak
6’Nightmare Alley' (2021)
Starring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
WhatCrimson Peakis to Gothic romance,Nightmare Alleyis to film noir, making it one ofthe best neo-noirs of the 21st century. Del Toro clearly has a deep and abiding love for the genre and really lets himself indulge in its more fatalistic aspects in telling the story of Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a carny who gets in too deep into his hype with the help of manipulative psychologist Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett).
Del Toro’s first (and so far only) remake, as well as his first movie to eschew the supernatural,Nightmare Alleystillharkens to a recurring theme in the director’s work, which is that humans are the real monsters. However, while these human monsters were typically the antagonists, inNightmare Alley, del Toro has the freedom to explore the inner monstrosity of Stanton Carlisle woven with the character’s self-delusion and inability to escape his doom. Viewers who love noir will likely be captivated by del Toro’s work here.
Nightmare Alley
5’Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio' (2022)
Starring Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, David Bradley
Leave it to del Toro to take a children’s story audiences have seen countless times before and breathe new life into it. WithGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, his version of this tale is more than just about a wooden boy. It’s also about the love Geppetto (voiced byDavid Bradley) had for his son, who tragically died, and the pain and desperation that loss caused, moving him to make a wooden facsimile of his boy. With such a mature story,del Toro’s Pinocchiois one of thebest dark fantasy films not aimed directly at kids.
Del Toro brings a realness to this stop-motion tale, as Geppetto is at first terrified of this wooden creature coming to life, and Pinocchio (Gregory Mann) is both curious and vapid — which makes sense, considering he’s a full-grown boy who’s only a few days old. Pinocchio also has much more agency in this tale than in most adaptations, particularly in the final moments, when he becomes the deciding factor in turning into a real boy. Considering how much del Toro clearly loves animation and fairy tales, it’s fairly shocking thatPinocchiois his first animated film. But after his success withPinocchio, this hopefully won’t be his last —Ross Bonaime.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
4’Hellboy II: The Golden Army' (2008)
Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones
This sequelfeels like the filmHellboywas always supposed to be, with the big red guy front-and-center and a more colorful cast surrounding him. It fully indulges del Toro’s love ofbig, weird, badass monsterswithout losing any of the humor of its predecessor. The movie got lost a bit in the superhero shuffle of 2008 (being released the same summer asThe Dark KnightandIron Man), but it’s absolutely worth revisiting, even if the fact thatHellboy IIIwill probably never exist still stings.
While the first movie had to explain that the guy named “Hellboy” is on the humans' side, inThe Golden Army, the conflict is far more complicated.
What makesHellboy II: The Golden Armywork so well is that beneath the comic book stuff lies a film that’s seriously considering the place of the supernatural in this world. While the first movie had to explain that the guy named “Hellboy” is on the humans' side, inThe Golden Army, the conflict is far more complicated. Audiences can’t totally hate Prince Nuada even if he’s the antagonist, and the stakes come not just from whether the heroes lose but what could happen if they win.Hellboy II: The Golden Armyis a richer, more thoughtful filmthat never loses sight of its terrific characters.
3’The Shape of Water' (2017)
Starring Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Michael Shannon
Easily del Toro’s best English-language film to date, a statement that the Oscars would agree with,The Shape of Wateristhe perfect blend of del Toro’s genre sensibilities and unabashed romanticism. It’s a film that, despite its firm setting in the Cold War era, feels absolutely timeless thanks to how it approaches its themes, namely the power of love that defies conventions. Rather than try to outwit or outmatch any cynicism that would confront the love story between a mute woman (Sally Hawkins) and a fish man (Doug Jones), del Toro approaches it with the utmost earnestness and comes out victorious.
The movie is also just a marvel to behold, with excellent performances from Hawkins andMichael Shannon(this beingone of his most rewatchable roles), exquisite production design, and lovely music. It’s the kind of film where the whole enterprise feels like del Toro is working at the top of his game, investing fully in emotions rather than trying to cobble together a collection of his interests. It’s still fully his movie, and recognizably so, but it also feels like the work of someone who has clearly grown as a filmmaker.
