People often think back to The Chris Wars of years past whenever a Hollywood actor named Chris is mentioned. Time and time again, social media spaces have declared Chris Pratt the “worst Chris” or everyone’s “least favorite Chris” despite how much he has accomplished in his career. Pratt literally went from shoe-shining slacker Andy Dwyer to Owen Grady battling Indominus Rex within the span of a decade. But no one talks about relevant things like this online. It is as though his evident progress is not enough to override the status of his God-given name when weighed on an unnecessary scale against his collegial namesakes. The popularity contest renders him the least favorable contender while distracting audiences from the cinematic evidence taking place right before their eyes.
Pratt made a noteworthy and seamless transition from sitcom television to action and sci-fi films. He began landing more action-packed roles after playing a series of drunk best friends and doomed-to-fail love interests on non-blockbuster films. It was the “Jurassic Park” franchise that first cast Pratt in a different light — the spotlight as the unambiguous lead. Playing a dinosaur researcher battling computer-generated velociraptors gave him street credibility among sci-fi lovers. It was nice to see him go from possibly pregnant man to a powerful protagonist.
Then came his starring role alongside actress Jennifer Lawrence in “Passengers.” This sci-fi romance showed audiences a different side of Pratt as it was the first time he was portrayed as the first choice for his love interest, albeit the only choice (drifting to another planet on an 8-decade long space odyssey and all, it was still pleasant to witness).
Just prior to Pratt’s role on “Passengers” came his well-known performance as Star-Lord on “Guardians of the Galaxy” and its subsequent films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His portrayal as Peter Quill, an intergalactic warrior from Earth traveling across planets to serve and protect marks a soft spot for fans of the Marvel comics and films. Pratt delivers a performance that truly elucidates why he was chosen as the actor to bring this character to life. The transition from illustrated page to illuminated screen is astounding.
Among Pratt’s latest work, which includes upcoming sequels to his earlier films, is his starring role as Dan Forester in “The Tomorrow War.” Pratt plays a family man searching for a job as a research biologist that has to transform into an alien-battling warrior overnight to protect both his family and the human race from an alien army from 2051. Pratt delivers an exceptional performance as a soldier with everything to lose in an unimaginable fight against forces beyond his control. “The Tomorrow War” has scored amazing streaming ratings and viewers can’t get enough of the force that is Chris Pratt. This addition to his sci-fi legacy will go far to engrave his already household name in this phenomenal genre.
Chris Pratt may not be the best Chris in the eyes of hundreds of thousands of social media users, but his global blockbusters speak more for him than irrelevant tweets ever could.
