Spanish director Jaume Collet Serra has become a major power player in Hollywood over the past decade and a half, making a name for himself in thrillers and big-budget action films. After making his directorial debut in the 2005 horror film House of Waxthe skilled filmmaker continued to increase the size, scale and scope of his productions. He further solidified his place as a Hollywood director with his continued working relationships with major stars like Dwayne Johnson and Liam Neeson.
Although Collet-Serra's films may not seem like ambitious productions, he has had a lot of success opting for a specific type of film, showing his talent as a filmmaker who knows how to entertain an audience. While some of his efforts were lesser than others, he can often be counted on to elevate even lackluster material. With Collet-Serra's latest film, ContinueProving once again his talent, fans may be interested in remembering his entire filmography.
11
Objective II: Living the Dream (2007)
A standard sports drama
Although he is widely known for his thriller and action films, Jaume Collet-Serra took a different path in his second year, Goal II: Living the Dreama gripping sports drama that continues the story of football star Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker). In addition to the emotion on the pitch, the crux of the film concerns Munez's fight to be traded from Newcastle United to Real Madrid.
While the film received decent reviews, the biggest criticism is that it focused too much on Munez's home life and not enough on the action-packed football spectacle. Being compared to the superior original also hurt the film's reputation, but Collet-Serra was able to bring energy and emotion to the film to make it his own.. Ultimately, it's not a sports movie that takes the genre to new places, but it does offer the kind of uplifting story that fans of these types of films are looking for.
10
The Traveler (2018)
Liam Neeson elevates flawed thriller
Jaume Collet-Serra found his most frequent protagonist in Liam Neeson, working together in several films. Unfortunately, the last project the two collaborated on as director and star is their least successful. Neeson stars as Michael MacCauley, a former police officer who becomes embroiled in a harrowing mystery when he boards a train on his way home from work. For a price of $100,000, he is tasked with identifying the passenger known as Prynne, a criminal in possession of a valuable stolen item.
As with many of the actor's thriller roles, Neeson's acting talent does much to improve the film. His committed performance helps keep the audience engaged while surrounded by a strong cast. Unfortunately, the script lets it down, while Collet-Serra seems less in control of the story than in Neeson's previous films. While there are some fun thrills to the genre, it doesn't bring much satisfaction.
9
House Of Wax (2005)
Collet-Serra's Messy, Fun Horror Debut
Although Jaume Collet-Serra hasn't returned to the horror genre in some time, House of Wax it's a sign of his ability to deliver some memorable scares and stars. The film follows two teenagers who get stuck in a small town on their way to a football game. They decide to visit the town's strange wax museum, only to fight for their lives when they make a terrifying discovery about the truth behind the wax figures.
The film was rejected at the time for being a formulaic horror remake. While it certainly falls into genre traps frequently, audiences have appreciated its considerably gruesome nature, which offers some memorable and disturbing scenes. Collet-Serra imbues the picture with style and elegance, creating some memorable set pieces and elevating the predictable horror story..
8
The Shallows (2016)
Blake Lively brings a mixed shark movie
Although there have been few shark films since Jaws that marked the subgenre, Jaume Collet-Serra sought to do justice to Steven Spielberg's classic film with The Shallows. Blake Lively stars as Nancy, a young woman on a solo surfing vacation who visits a secluded beach and begins riding the waves. However, her little moment in paradise turns into a nightmare when she is attacked by a shark that begins chasing her as she becomes trapped on a reef with the tide rising.
There are some great shark attack moments throughout the film and Lively gives a thrilling central performance.
The Shallows it works best as a character-driven survival tale that shows how Nancy, moment by moment, works to outsmart and survive the killer shark with nothing but her ingenuity and undeniable will. It's a basic script that feels like Collet-Serra's best work.. There are some great shark attack moments throughout the film and Lively gives a thrilling central performance. However, the film struggles to maintain suspense throughout its running time.
7
Run All Night (2015)
A gritty, underrated crime story
Perhaps the most underrated of all Liam Neeson and Jaume Collet-Serra's collaborations is Run all nightwhich is a decidedly more grounded crime film compared to the high-concept thrillers they made together. In the film, Neeson plays a mob hitman named Jimmy Conlon, who is caught in a moral bind when his estranged son (Joel Kinnaman) witnesses a mob hit. With both men on the run, their conflicted relationship will have the chance to heal if they can survive the night.
The film is a fine crime thriller, once again led by a reserved performance from Neeson. The actor seems to excel at conflicted heroes and Jimmy is a perfect example. Collet-Serra also seems to enjoy tackling a film that's less about the concept and more about the relationship at its center.. Unfortunately, Run all night marks the lowest-grossing of Collett-Serra's Liam Neeson films.
6
Unknown (2011)
A complicated thriller with a solid mystery
The first joint effort between Jaume Collet-Serra and Liam Neeson came on the heels of Neeson's surprising success with Taken and his new reputation as an action hero. Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris, a biochemist who travels to Berlin with his wife for a medical conference. After a car accident, Martin wakes up in Germany not knowing who he is, while his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) is unable to recognize him. Racing to unravel the mystery and find the person who stole his identity, Harris faces a challenge from bandits.
With tension and suspense expertly heightened to accompany an intriguing plot, Unknown shows why Collet-Serra and Neeson worked together so often.
However Unknown was branded as an action film, it is very much a Hitchcockian thriller with Neeson playing the hero searching for answers. Neeson keeps things grounded and Collet-Serra maintains an exciting pace, even if the complicated plot becomes difficult to manage. With tension and suspense expertly heightened to accompany an intriguing plot, Unknown shows why Collet-Serra and Neeson worked together so often.
5
Black Adam (2023)
A fun but empty superhero movie
Jaume Collet-Serra entered the world of superhero films with mixed results. A spin-off of Shazam universe, Dwayne Johnson stars Black Adam as one of the greatest anti-heroes in the DC Universe. He is an ancient superhuman who was imprisoned with magic for centuries only to be released into the modern world, where he seeks to exact his own brand of brutal, destructive justice as a group of superheroes attempt to stop him.
While Black Adam was considered a revolutionary event for the DCEU, it ended up being a pretty standard superhero movie. Collet-Serra feels at home in the big-budget, effects-driven world of superhero moviesmaking for some fun sequences. However, Johnson never feels very committed to the character and Black Adam himself ends up being one of the least interesting aspects of the film. In the end, it was a turning point for the DCEU, but it actually marked the last installment before the new DCU was announced.
4
Nonstop (2014)
Collet-Serra's best thriller with Liam Neeson
Non-stop remains the best of the four films Jaume Collet-Serra and Liam Neeson made together and is an example of all the best aspects of their collaborations. Neeson plays Air Marshal Bill Marks, who is blackmailed on a transatlantic flight from New York to London. While on board, Marks receives a series of text messages to transfer $150 million to an offshore account. If he refuses, one plane passenger will die every 20 minutes.
The pulpy premise and isolated environment are the ideal setting for this project between the two. Jaume Collet-Serra is able to keep things exciting with each revelation bringing more questions while the audience is just as invested in solving the mystery as Neeson's hero.. While the end of Non-stop was a disappointment to some, it's an emotional ride for most of the film, with Neeson playing the grizzled hero to perfection. The film grossed more than $220 million at the box office (via Mojo Box Office), an impressive feat for an original thriller.
3
Orphan (2009)
A twisted horror film that goes beyond
Returning to its beginnings of terror after House of WaxJaume Collet-Serra delivered an outrageous and unpredictable film with one of the wildest endings of all time. Orphan follows John and Kate Coleman, loving parents who adopt precocious nine-year-old Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman). As Esther begins to display increasingly sinister behavior, the parents must discover the source while protecting their son, Daniel (Jimmy Bennett).
The film is at its best when it leans into the ridiculous. Collet-Serra is rarely known for embracing humor much in his films, but he proves to have a knack for both the dark and comedic aspects. of this story. OrphanThe surprise ending will probably be the one that divides audiences the most, but Fuhrman's performance really makes the character Esther an icon of modern horror and sells the big reveal.
2
Jungle Cruise (2021)
A Fun Disney Popcorn Adventure
Jaume Collet-Serra entered the world of big-budget cinema with Jungle Cruise, collaborating with two major Hollywood stars on a franchise adventure. Based on the Disney theme park attraction of the same name Jungle Cruise follows Captain Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) as he guides British siblings Lily (Emily Blunt) and McGregor Houghton (Jack Whitehall) through the Amazon jungle to find the sacred Tree of Life.
The film is also helped greatly by the chemistry between Johnson and Blunt.
Given his previous intense and serious thrillers, It's surprising that Collet-Serra fits so well into the light-hearted world of popcorn cinema. It helps you role-play some fun action scenarios that let you Jungle Cruise to stand out more from some of Disney's lackluster live-action adventure films. The film is also helped greatly by the chemistry between Johnson and Blunt. While plans for Jungle Cruise 2 seems to have stopped, Collet-Serra continued to show his versatility with this film.
1
Continuation (2024)
A gripping Christmas thriller
Jaume Collet-Serra's latest film is his best directorial effort to date. The suspense Continue has elements of Die Hard while also standing on its own as its own thrill ride. Taron Egerton stars as Ethan, a TSA agent who works at the airport during the busy Christmas travel season. He then receives a message from a stranger who instructs him to allow a certain bag to pass through security without being stopped or someone Ethan loves will be killed.
Egerton is an excellent hero, while Jason Bateman steals the show in a villainous role.
Continue has the same kind of premise as many of Collet-Serra's films, including Non-stop and Travelerbut the execution is excellent. Egerton is an excellent hero, while Jason Bateman steals the show in a villainous role. However, Collet-Serra deserves a lot of credit for maintaining an exciting pace from start to finish with a sharp script that doesn't fall apart like some of these other thrillers.