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John Collee

John Collee

Writer and producer · Born January 1, 1955 (71) · Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

BAFTA Award nominee

John Gerald Collee (born 1955) is a Scottish/Australian doctor, novelist and screenwriter whose films have been nominated for Oscars. Master and Commander was nominated for Best Film 2003, Happy Feetwon Best Animation in 2006, and Tanna (2015) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Feature in 2015. His many other films, written or co-written, include Creation (2009), Hotel Mumbai (2018) and Lee. His novels include Kingsley's Touch, A Paper Mask, and The Rig. His TV adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe received critical acclaim upon release on Netflix in 2024. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Collee, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 1, 1955 (71)
From
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Works as
Writer and producer
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 28% in 30 days

What are John Collee's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
23%
Self
19%
Bonds
19%
Survival
16%
Society
14%
Ideas
5%
Power
4%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 4 · Dark 12

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 8 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 9 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 6

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Thrilling
6
Melancholic
5
Contemplative
5
Dread
4
Other
21

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet12
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John Collee's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Collee's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page.

  • Whale Shark Jack(2026)

    Story Consultant

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Return(2024)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Lee(2023)

    Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Monkey Man(2024)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Boy Swallows Universe(2024)

    Show 7 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Three (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Writer

  • Black Site(2022)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • The Story of Lee Ping (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Screenplay

  • Roborovski (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Executive Producer · Writer

  • Miss Fisher & the Crypt of Tears(2020)

    Script Consultant

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Hotel Mumbai(2018)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Nekrotronic(2018)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Mahana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Screenplay

  • The Legend of Tarzan(2016)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Tanna(2015)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Wolf Totem(2015)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Water Diviner(2014)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Son of a Gun(2014)

    Additional Writing · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Walking with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric Planet 3D (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Writer

  • Tango Underpants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Writer

  • Walking with Dinosaurs 3D(2013)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Happy Feet Two(2011)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Creation(2009)

    Screenplay · Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The View from Greenhaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Script Editor

  • Happy Feet(2006)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Candy(2006)

    Script Editor

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World(2003)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Sued God(2001)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Heart Surgeon(1997)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Heart Surgeon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

  • Paper Mask(1990)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Star Cops (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer

  • Function Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • Bergerac(1981)

    Show 4 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 31 titles from 1981 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Happy Feet (2006)

$384M worldwide

Highest rated

Hotel Mumbai (2018)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Return (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing28 of 31: 25 only writing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score65thProducing5 of 31: 1 only producing, 4 with another roleOther crew3 of 31: 1 only other crew, 2 with another role

31 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1980s3 · crew1990s3 · crew2000s5 · crew2010s10 · crew2020s10 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

Nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2025, Outstanding British Film of the Year.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do John Collee's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser16
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · writer

Whale Shark Jack (2026)

88th percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer, producer

Hotel Mumbai (2018)

Midcredits 95th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is John Collee's work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles33–92 · median 65 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles10–62 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles10–81 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles8–68 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles42–88 · median 65 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does John Collee work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Collee's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Basil Iwanyk shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles