Orlando Bloom has been one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars since his start in the 90s and his subsequent breakout in The Lord of the Rings. Since then, he has played a part in two of the biggest film franchises in the world as well as many more standalone projects. Bloom consistently delivers solid, emotional performances in some of the film’s most highly recognized roles. From Legolas to Will Turner, let’s revisit Orlando Bloom’s best movies of all time.
A Breakout Fantasy Star
Orlando Bloom’s film debut didn’t start with the highly successful film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel. But his portrayal of the suave, blonde elf Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) served as his official entrance into the Hollywood sphere. After the release of the first film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Orlando Bloom became a household name. He would go on to complete his role in the franchise, starring in both The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).
Despite Legolas not appearing in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit, Orlando Bloom was brought back to reprise his role as Legolas in the final two films of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. While he was absent from the first film, he made appearances as Legolas in both The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014).
Fans were split on how to take this news, but Jackson argued it made perfect narrative sense, despite not strictly matching the source material. And Bloom, out of respect and gratitude for Jackson, signed on to the project in a heartbeat. He commented on the decision, saying, “Does Legolas fit in this world? Absolutely. Should he be in this world? Why not?”
Pirates of the Caribbean
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Any piece on the best and most iconic Orlando Bloom movies would be incomplete without mentioning Pirates of the Caribbean. Bloom was riding the high of his success in the first two movies of the Lord of the Rings trilogy when yet another iconic franchise hit theaters for the first time. In 2003, Orlando Bloom made his debut as the tragic and handsome Will Turner in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He would go on to reprise this role in further sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
Surprisingly, Orlando Bloom and several other iconic characters were missing from the 2011 entry into the franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This isn’t because of their lackluster performances, however. The writers of the fourth installment in the beloved pirate franchise, Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, discovered Tim Powers’ 1987 novel On Stranger Tides. Enamored by Powers’ story of Blackbeard and the fountain of youth, they decided to use this as inspiration for a “new chapter” in the franchise.
The real reason for Orlando Bloom’s absence from the fourth film, however, was his public opposition to returning to the character and franchise. Both he and Kiera Knightley felt that their characters had received closure at the end of the third film. As a result, Bloom turned down the offer to appear in the fourth movie. Despite this, Bloom later expressed interest in returning to Pirates of the Caribbean. He did just that and appeared in the fifth and final Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.
A New Direction
Orlando Bloom is most well known for his roles in popular fantasy and adventure franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. However, one of his most recent film appearances has the actor in a modern and realistic setting. In the 2023 biographical sports drama Gran Turismo, Bloom plays the part of Danny Moore, a marketing executive at Nissan. This film marked a surprising new direction for the experienced fantasy actor. In it, Bloom displayed his skillful range and ability to play a more grounded character.
Gran Turismo received mixed critic reviews upon its release. However, audience reviews are generally positive. The movie holds a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes’ “Tomatometer,” but its “Popcornmeter,” the separate audience score, boasts a whopping 98%. Despite a poor critic score, fans of the movie generally found it a thrilling watch. It especially satisfied fans of video games and racing.
The Lovecraftian Honorable Mention
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While it’s not a movie, the dark fantasy television series Carnival Row deserves a mention. The series, streaming now on Prime Video, follows Philo (Orlando Bloom), a half-fae, half-human detective investigating the dark side of his city. The show is a dark fantasy spectacle, diving into serious themes like violence, immigration, and coexistence. Forbes called it “a fantasy, a mystery, a period piece, a war story, an immigration story, and a love story.” Some have drawn similarities between Carnival Row and both Victorian fantasy settings and Lovecraftian horror tropes.
Carnival Row is yet another example of critic scores being lower than audience scores. Critic scores place at 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score is decidedly more optimistic with a solid 79%. Regardless of the mixed reviews, the love of the fanbase is strong, and Carnival Row received a nomination for Best Genre Series at the 2020 Satellite Awards. Despite its narrative shortcomings, critics praised the show for its world-building, mythology, beautiful visuals, and ambitious storytelling.
Final Thoughts
Orlando Bloom has proven his acting skills time and time again in popular franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. But he’s also proven that he isn’t held back by the love for his iconic characters and has since branched out into other projects with dedicated fanbases. While Gran Turismo and Carnival Row may have mixed scores on review aggregators, their fans happily sing glowing praises of both of these works. Through satisfied audiences alone, each one of these Orlando Bloom movies is worth a watch.
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