Tom Cruise’s Only Decade With No Bad Movies

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Tom Cruise is known for consistently starring in successful films. He first gained prominence in the 1980s with movies like Top Gun and Rain Man, and then starred in iconic films throughout the 1990s, including Mission: Impossible, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. More recently, he’s continued to deliver popular movies, especially through the Top Gun and Mission: Impossible series.

Overall, Tom Cruise has starred in many successful films, but even he has had a few that didn’t perform well. The disappointing reception of 2017’s The Mummy serves as a recent example. As he continues to work in the 2020s, he’ll likely strive to avoid similar failures. However, there was one decade where he consistently delivered strong performances without any major flops.

The 2000s Is Tom Cruise’s Only Decade With Zero Bad Movies

As a movie fan, I always think about how great Tom Cruise was in the 2000s – it was really a peak period for him! He made some truly iconic films during that decade. I especially loved seeing him work with Steven Spielberg on movies like Minority Report and War of the Worlds. Plus, it was so unexpected and brilliant to see him play a villain in Michael Mann’s Collateral. And who could forget his hilarious cameo in Tropic Thunder? He really surprised everyone with that one!

Look, everyone agrees those earlier films were fantastic. But the 2000s were a bit of a mixed bag for Cruise. We got more Mission: Impossible – II and III – which were solid, and he took on some interesting, though less successful, projects like The Last Samurai and the WWII thriller Valkyrie. He also did Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky, which was… a choice. And let’s not forget Lions for Lambs, his one other big role directed by Robert Redford. Overall, a decade with some highs and lows, but always interesting to watch him work.

People often debate whether Tom Cruise made any truly bad movies in the 2000s, and that discussion usually centers around these six films. While most of them received lukewarm or even negative reviews at the time, I personally think they’re all good, entertaining movies.

Despite its often negative reception, Vanilla Sky is a surprisingly good film. Reuniting Cameron Crowe and Tom Cruise after Jerry Maguire, it’s an emotionally powerful story that’s much bigger in scale, venturing into science fiction. The movie is truly captivating, and Cruise’s strong performance, combined with its bold ending, make it one of his best films, not a misstep as many believe.

John Woo brought a completely new, action-packed style to Mission: Impossible II, and his use of slow-motion and fun set pieces actually make the movie more enjoyable. Later, when J.J. Abrams took over with Mission: Impossible III, he really elevated the series. He delivered bigger action sequences, stronger supporting characters, and a fantastic villain – all of which outweigh any issues, like the overuse of mysterious plot devices (such as the ‘Rabbit’s Foot’).

While films like The Last Samurai, Valkyrie, and Lions for Lambs aren’t flawless, they’re far from failures. The Last Samurai stands out with its impressive action, a strong performance by Ken Watanabe, and a grand scope. Valkyrie and Lions for Lambs are just adequate, though they could have been better, and their flaws are easier to overlook compared to some of the actor’s other less successful roles.

I firmly believe the 2000s were the only decade where Tom Cruise didn’t star in any truly bad movies. He had some early missteps in the 1980s with films like Cocktail and Legend. The 1990s brought disappointments like Far and Away and Days of Thunder. And the 2010s were inconsistent, including films like The Mummy, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and Rock of Ages.

Considering the worst Tom Cruise movies of the 2000s were films like Vanilla Sky or even the Mission: Impossible sequel, and some war films, his decade was actually quite strong.

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2026-02-05 17:40