Every Andrew Garfield movie, ranked according to critics

• Andrew Garfield is known for roles in films like “The Social Network” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
• Critics are mixed on his latest Luca Guadagnino film, “After the Hunt.”
• Here are all of the films Garfield appeared in, ranked according to critics’ scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

Andrew Garfield is a Tony-winning, two-time Oscar nominee whose performances have captured the attention of critics for years.

Since his breakthrough role in “Boy A,” which earned him a BAFTA award, Garfield has taken on a plethora of roles. He’s played a televangelist, a Jesuit priest, a pretend influencer, a Facebook cofounder, and, of course, a superhero.

In his latest film, “After the Hunt,” Garfield stars opposite Julia Roberts in a stirring drama in which he plays a professor facing allegations of sexual abuse.

Here’s how all of Garfield’s movies rank according to critics.

All scores are accurate as of publication change but are subject to change. Olivia Singh contributed a previous version of this story.

Garfield’s lowest-rated film is “Lions for Lambs.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 28%

Synopsis: “Lions for Lambs,” directed by and starring Robert Redford, marked Garfield’s feature-film debut. The movie, released in 2007, costarred Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep.

Garfield plays a college student named Todd Hayes, who was the president of his fraternity and disinterested in applying himself to his studies despite his intelligence. In the film, Redford portrays his professor, Dr. Malley, who educates him on two former students who decided to enlist in the US Army and fight in Afghanistan.

“‘Lions for Lambs’ is one of those movies in which the principals talk a lot but don’t say much,” James Berardinelli wrote for ReelViews. “The film is built not upon characters and plot but upon ideas. That would be fine if the ideas were revolutionary or interesting, but they’re fairly commonplace.”

Garfield portrays a character named Link, a pretend influencer, in Gia Coppola’s dramedy titled “Mainstream.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 42%

Synopsis: The film centers on a love triangle that develops between characters played by Garfield, “Stranger Things” actor Maya Hawke, and Nickelodeon alum Nat Wolff.

“Mainstream” is a satire about social media and viral fame, as Garfield’s character concocts a chaotic social-media persona that results in internet fame.

Critics said that the film felt outdated and didn’t offer compelling commentary on its central topic of social-media stardom.

“The film has all the knowing swagger of something on the cutting edge but none of the self-awareness to realize that it’s arrived late to the party,” Steven Scaife wrote for Slant magazine.

Critics didn’t enjoy “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” as much as they liked Garfield’s first outing as the Marvel superhero.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%

Synopsis: Garfield and Emma Stone returned as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy, respectively, in 2014’s “Amazing Spider-Man” sequel.

The overstuffed movie centers on Spidey facing two villains: a disgruntled Oscorp electrician named Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), who became Electro after falling into a tank of electric eels, and Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), Peter’s childhood best friend who took on the Green Goblin persona after the death of his father Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper).

The film set up a sequel involving the comic-book supervillain group known as the Sinister Six, but plans were scrapped and the Spidey franchise was later rebooted with Tom Holland as the web-slinger.

“The majority of its 142 minutes are devoted to cross-film story arcs and subplots, without a lot of space left over from a strong narrative through line,” Grant Watson wrote for Fiction magazine. “The film has a beginning, a middle, and an end, but they’re all just a little too unfocused and flabby.”

Critics were mixed about “After the Hunt,” in which Garfield plays a professor faced with accusations of sexual abuse.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%

Synopsis: In Luca Guadagnino’s latest movie, Julia Roberts plays a college professor who is put in a precarious position when her star pupil (Ayo Edebiri) makes shocking allegations against her colleague (Andrew Garfield).

Garfield delivers a stirring and complex performance as a professor who believes he has been wronged, but audiences were mixed about the movie.

Variety critic Owen Gleiberman described it as “a weirdly muddled experience” that’s “tense and compelling at times, but dotted with contrivances and too many vague unanswered questions.”

In “Under the Silver Lake,” Garfield’s character tries to piece together the mysterious disappearance of a woman in his apartment building.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 58%

Synopsis: Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, the A24 movie features twists and turns as Garfield’s character, Sam, attempts to follow clues and get answers about a woman named Sarah (Riley Keough).

“Under the Silver Lake” received mixed reviews from critics.

Olly Richards of NME wrote that the film “is clearly intentionally baffling. It’s a garble of surreal ideas, only very loosely pinned to something you could reasonably call a plot.”

Allen Almachar of The MacGuffin said that the film won’t “appeal to general audiences,” but enjoyed it due to “Mitchell’s confident writing and direction” and Garfield’s performance.

“Garfield subverts his charm and good boy looks to play Sam as a kind of worn out bum,” Almachar wrote. “While Sam may be the protagonist, the narrative also paints him with villainous undertones.”

He plays a sleight-of-hand pro in the 2009 film “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%

Synopsis: “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” centers on a traveling theatre troupe and costarred Heath Ledger (who died while production was underway), Christopher Plummer, Gwendoline Christie, and Jude Law.

Critics praised the stunning visuals of director and cowriter Terry Gilliam’s film but described the plot as messy.

“The contrast between the stark, bleak cities and the amazingly colorful, crazy acid-trip fantasy sequences was a visual treat,” Amie Simon wrote for Three Imaginary Girls. “It definitely LOOKS fantastic. The problem is in the substance.”

Garfield starred in the 2017 biopic “Breathe,” portraying a man named Robin Cavendish.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

Synopsis: The film shows how drastically Cavendish’s life changed when he developed polio and was paralyzed from the neck down at 28 years old.

“Breathe” received mixed reviews. Critics praised the performances of Garfield and Claire Foy (who played his wife Diana) but said that the film focused too much on the characters’ romance.

“Set in a jolly old England of warm beer, country houses and village greens, it feels more like ‘Downton Abbey’ with a medical subplot than a serious biopic about an astoundingly able disabled man and his devoted wife,” Stephen Dalton wrote for The Hollywood Reporter.

Garfield and Jessica Chastain play real-life televangelists Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye in 2021’s “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

Synopsis: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” whose title was based on a 2000 documentary film of the same name, shows how Faye and Bakker built a religious empire that eventually fell.

Critics weren’t impressed by the film’s storyline but praised the performances of Chastain and Garfield.

“While the resulting narrative feels disappointingly routine, the movie is worth watching for Chastain’s makeup-caked and brassy performance alone,” David Sims wrote for The Atlantic.

Garfield made his first appearance as the iconic web-slinger in 2012’s “The Amazing Spider-Man.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

Synopsis: Garfield was the second actor to portray Spider-Man on the big screen, following Tobey Maguire’s performance in Sam Raimi’s trilogy that lasted from 2002 to 2007.

Garfield’s version of the love-struck teen superhero was a moodier outcast than Maguire’s. He traveled via skateboard when he wasn’t swinging from buildings and adorned his bedroom with posters of musicians and Alfred Hitchcock movies.

“The potential is there for a much bigger, better, ‘Spider-Man’ movie universe to come, even if this movie doesn’t fully realize that potential,” Kofi Outlaw wrote for ScreenRant.

He plays a man involved in a love triangle in the 2010 film “Never Let Me Go.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

Synopsis: Mark Romanek’s film, based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel of the same name, stars Garfield, Carey Mulligan, and Keira Knightley. It chronicles the intertwined lives of Kathy H (Mulligan), Ruth C (Knightley), and Tommy D (Garfield), beginning with their time as students at a boarding school named Hailsham.

“A beautifully realized adaptation of a profoundly affecting novel,” Dan Jolin wrote for Empire magazine. “Intelligent sci-fi provides the backdrop, while in the foreground is a trio of truly impressive performances from Mulligan, Knightley, and Garfield.”

Garfield and Florence Pugh’s chemistry in the romantic drama “We Live in Time” won over critics.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%

Synopsis: John Crowley’s 2024 film tells a nonlinear love story between Tobias (Garfield) and Almut (Pugh), who meet after she accidentally hits him with her car. The movie jumps around different time periods, showing the butterflies at the start of their relationship and the challenges they face after Almut is diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Critics were moved by Garfield and Pugh’s performances and effortless rapport on screen.

“In a movie whose setup almost inevitably leads to rampant sentimentality, Pugh and Garfield are enormously charming actors who are also skilled at undercutting their own charm,” Steve Pond wrote for TheWrap. “They commit to the sentiment without yielding to it, making ‘We Live in Time’ a truly charming and surprisingly rich film.”

He portrays a Jesuit priest in Martin Scorsese’s 2016 film “Silence.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%

Synopsis: The film is based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō. To prepare for his role, Garfield spent a year studying to be a Jesuit priest and went on a silent retreat in Wales for a week with his costar Adam Driver.

Garfield also lost 40 pounds for the role and slept three hours a night during production, according to The Guardian.

Critics praised the film’s introspective and thought-provoking nature.

“A theologically complex, yet exquisitely beautiful and spiritual journey, one’s patience is rewarded with a richness and soul searching introspective experience that lingers long after the curtain falls on ‘Silence,'” Debbie Lynn Elias wrote for Behind the Lens.

Garfield earned his first Oscar nomination for his performance in the 2016 film “Hacksaw Ridge.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%

Synopsis: Directed by Mel Gibson and based on a real-life story, Garfield portrays Desmond Doss, a Seventh-Day Adventist who famously refused to bear arms while serving as a US Army medic during WWII. He fearlessly stepped into the lines of fire to rescue soldiers and was the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor in October 1945.

“‘Hacksaw Ridge,’ the first movie Mel Gibson has directed in a decade, is about as Mel Gibson as you can get: grisly, devout, and patriotic, with a deeply complicated core,” Alissa Wilkinson wrote for Vox.

He gave a passionate performance as the late “Rent” composer Jonathan Larson in “Tick, Tick… Boom!”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%

Synopsis: “Tick, Tick… Boom!” was released in November 2021 on Netflix and helmed by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda in his directorial debut. Garfield, who had never sung professionally before or played the piano, spent a year honing both skills to portray Larson.

The film is set in 1990, shortly before Larson’s 30th birthday, as the composer prepares for a workshop of his rock musical called “Superbia,” which he had spent eight years working on.

He juggles his career aspirations with his day job at the famous Moondance diner, his relationship with his girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp), and the financial hardship of living in New York City — all while constantly feeling like he’s running out of time to accomplish everything.

The undercurrent of “Tick, Tick… Boom!” is the knowledge that Larson, who died on the morning of January 25, 1996, hours before the first Off-Broadway preview performance of “Rent,” wouldn’t live to see the impact of his musical genius.

Jessica Derschowitz of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the film “unspools as an exuberant ode to Larson and a tribute to anyone, especially those in the arts, who might be chasing big dreams” and said that Garfield delivers “one of the most emotional performances of the year.”

Garfield won a BAFTA Award for best television actor in a leading role for his performance in “Boy A.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%

Synopsis: The TV movie is based on Jonathan Trigell’s 2004 novel of the same name. Garfield portrays Eric Wilson, who took on the name Jack Burridge after re-entering society following a yearslong prison sentence. He became a hometown hero after saving a little girl, but a secret from his past threatened to tarnish his new reputation.

Critics were impressed by the intricacies of Garfield’s performance.

“Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of Jack as a young adult — by now he’s a tense, twitching man-child who regards people very gingerly — taps a deep, dark reservoir of sentiment,” Christy DeSmith wrote for the Star Tribune.

He portrays a former construction worker who gets evicted from his house in “99 Homes.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

Synopsis: Michael Shannon’s character, a corrupt real-estate agent named Rick Carver who evicts people from their homes in Florida in order to resell and make a profit, serves as the foil to Garfield’s character Dennis. After Dennis, his mom (played by Laura Dern), and his son get evicted from their shared home, he ends up working for Rick to earn some money and discovers shady business dealings.

Kenneth Turan of the LA Times wrote that Shannon delivered a standout performance, but also applauded Garfield’s work.

“He’s especially good at sensitive desperation, and he’s able to project a steeliness behind the despair that catches Carver’s eye,” Turan wrote.

Garfield made a triumphant return in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

Synopsis: Years after his time as Spidey was cut short, Garfield got a shot at redemption in “No Way Home.”

In Jon Watts’ third “Spider-Man” film, Tom Holland’s titular character recruits Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to keep his superhero identity a secret. But their plan goes awry, resulting in villains from the multiverse entering his universe and wreaking havoc. Miraculously, the teen webslinger ends up getting help from some familiar faces: previous Spider-Man actors Garfield and Tobey Maguire reprising their roles.

Garfield’s involvement in the movie was perhaps one of Marvel’s worst-kept secrets, but critics were still delighted and touched by his performance.

“Now seven years older and doing some of the best work of his life, a more mature Garfield exudes something that doesn’t enter into this ever-recycling, short-term-memory franchise — that there is life after Spider-Man,” Jake Coyle wrote for the Associated Press.

He plays Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin in David Fincher’s critically acclaimed 2010 film “The Social Network.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

Synopsis: Garfield stars alongside Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Mark Zuckerberg, and Justin Timberlake, who portrays Napster cofounder Sean Parker. Through fast-paced dialogue written by Aaron Sorkin, the film explains how Zuckerberg found himself in the middle of two lawsuits.

More than a decade later, people still can’t get enough of Garfield’s performance in the film — particularly in the “lawyer up” scene.

“This account of Facebook’s founder, and of the website’s explosive growth, quickly lifts you to a state of exhilaration, and pretty much keeps you there for two hours,” Joe Morgenstern wrote for the Wall Street Journal.

Garfield’s highest-rated film, according to critics, is the 2009 TV film “Red Riding: 1974.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

Synopsis: The movie was the first in a “Red Riding” trilogy released in 2009, based on David Peace’s “Red Riding Quartet” book series.

Garfield stars as a crime reporter at the Yorkshire Post named Eddie Dunford, who investigates a series of child murders.

“‘1974’ initiates the extensive tale with a convincing bout of revulsion, dragging the viewer into a smoke-choked era of shaky journalistic integrity and power-mad men of authority,” Brian Orndorf wrote for BrianOrndorf.com

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