Simon Pegg has gone from the star of small British comedies to joining some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood. He is a charismatic and hilarious actor who is a joy to see whenever he pops up on the screen, whether it is as the leading man or the comic relief.
Pegg’s talents have led him to become a fan favorite and allowed him to be a part of some of the biggest movies in recent memory. He has a talent for picking crowd-pleasing films and is often one of the highlights of the films in which he appears. Here are Simon Pegg’s best movies, according to IMDb.
The World’s End (7.0)
Even though Pegg has been involved in some huge franchises, perhaps his most beloved series of films is the Cornetto Trilogy he created with Edgar Wright. The World’s End is the third film in that unofficial trilogy that stars Pegg as a man who forces his childhood friends to return to their hometown in an attempt to recapture his youth through a pub crawl. But once back in town, they find that things have gotten strange.
The movie might not get the same enormous praise as the other films in the series, but it is another brilliant and hilarious adventure from Pegg and Wright. It also features one of Pegg’s best performances as the troubled man-child.
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (7.3)
Pegg’s rise in fame afforded him the opportunity to work with some incredible directors, including the one and only Steven Spielberg. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is Spielberg’s motion-capture animated adventure based on the iconic comic character. Pegg and frequent collaborator Nick Frost play bumbling detectives Thompson and Thompson in the film.
Though the motion-capture technology wasn’t quite perfected at the time, the story in the hands of Spielberg is still an extremely fun and thrilling throwback adventure brought to life with modern technology.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (7.4)
Pegg joined the Mission: Impossible series with a small role in Mission: Impossible 3 but it wasn’t until Ghost Protocol that he really became a part of the team. The movie finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) taken out of retirement to stop a rogue Russian agent from launching nuclear weapons.
Though the plot might seem like typical spy movie stuff, the action is what makes this movie so entertaining. This feels like the movie that really started the series’ penchant for death-defying stunts and mind-blowing action sequences which makes it a fun and thrilling ride.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (7.4)
Pegg continued returned again as Benji in the fifth Mission: Impossible film. This time around, Hunt and his team were facing off with an evil rival organization of spies called The Syndicate while also dealing with a mysterious operative (Rebecca Ferguson) who may or may not be on their side.
The action continued to get wilder and more thrilling as Cruise fully commits to the franchise. The movie is a fast-paced and incredibly fun adventure that features the great addition of Ferguson to the franchise, who proves to be an equal of Hunt.
Ready Player One (7.5)
Pegg has become an icon of the so-called geek culture himself which makes him a good match for Steven Spielberg’s homage to that culture in Ready Player One. Set in a future in which people spend most of their time inside a virtual reality world, a famed video game designer launches a contest to find hidden Easter eggs inside his virtual world. Pegg plays a former colleague of the video game designer.
The movie is a fun celebration of everything from Batman toIron Giantto The Shining. For certain fans, it is an adventure into some of their most beloved pop culture moments of all time.
Star Trek Into Darkness (7.7)
Part of the reason for the success of the rebooted Star Trek films includes Pegg as Scotty. The crew of the Enterprise returned for their second adventure which found them traveling into deep space to hunt down a mysterious and dangerous man, played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
Some people complained about the film’s reliance on the classic Star Trek stories as well as the obvious twists. However, the chemistry between the cast, the fun action, and the intergalactic adventure made this a worthy follow-up for most fans.
Hot Fuzz (7.8)
While the films in the Cornetto Trilogy certainly share similarities, it’s great to see the sensibilities of the artists transferred into different genres with each film. Hot Fuzz was the second film and is a love letter to over-the-top action films. Pegg stars as a very efficient and by-the-books cop from the big city who is sent away to work for the police force of a small country village.
Pegg is obviously having a lot of fun in action hero mode and the movie embraces the genre wholeheartedly. Wright’s energetic direction, a clever script and endless laugh-out-loud moments make this another winner for the pair.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (7.8)
The latest Mission: Impossible adventure has proven to be the most popular among fans. Hunt and his team return to track down a mysterious madman who is seeking to restart the mistakes of the world by detonating a nuclear bomb.
Once again, the plot comes secondary to the pulse-pounding action. Cruise pushes himself in extreme ways, making for some incredible moments. Henry Cavill makes for a solid foil and the huge scale of the movie makes it one of the most impressive action films ever made.
Shaun Of The Dead (7.9)
Zombie comedy, Shaun of the Dead is the first big-screen collaboration between Pegg and Edgar Wright and still remains the favorite of many fans. Pegg stars as a lazy slacker who attempts to get his life in order and win his girlfriend back as a zombie outbreak threatens civilization.
Like Hot Fuzz, this horror-comedy shows a great passion for the genre it is also parodying. The movie is a hilarious look at the well-known zombie movie, having fun with the tropes and also telling a touching story about friendship and relationships.
Star Trek (7.9)
Star Trek was given a new life on the big screen with this inventive reboot which also serves as a prequel of the original film series. The movie is set in the early days of the Enterprise with a crew of fresh faces coming together for an intergalactic adventure.
With the daunting task of taking over iconic and beloved characters, the new cast proves to be more than up to the challenge with them all making these roles their own. The movie is a clever, funny and thrilling ride that pays homage to what came before, while also making its own path.
