In the span of less than a decade, Anya Taylor-Joy movies have become frequently talked-about pieces of cinema. Technically, her first acting role was in the 2014 horror-comedy Vampire Academy, but it was a minor character that was removed from the film's final cut. Taylor-Joy's career truly started off with small television roles. However, the actress had her breakthrough with The Witch, Robert Eggers' 2015 period supernatural horror film. After The Witch, Anya Taylor-Joy became a rising young actress, with more success and acclaim to come.

Anya Taylor-Joy has starred in many horror movies, but she has shown her range in many film genres. In addition to her features, Taylor-Joy appeared in the short film Crossmaglen and the documentary Love, Antosha. She has also impressed on television as Gina Gray in Peaker Blinders and as Beth Harmon in The Queen's Gambit, for which she won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. With big movies like Furiosa and The Gorge continuing to cement her star status, it is clear that Taylor-Joy has a long and successful career ahead.

20 Playmobil: The Movie (2019)

As Marla Brenner

Anya Taylor-Joy’s worst movie is this adventure comedy based on the German Playmobil line of toys. The film centers on siblings Marla (Taylor-Joy) and Charlie (Gabriel Bateman) who get sucked into a Playmobil world. When Charlie gets kidnapped, Marla sets off on a journey with food truck driver Del (Jim Gaffigan) to save him. Since The LEGO Movie was such a hit, it’s no surprise that other movies based on toys followed.

However, Playmobil: The Movie has none of the charm of The LEGO Movie. The film was said to be joyless and generic, with cringe-worthy dialogue, uninteresting musical numbers, and worldbuilding that’s very inconsistent. Playmobil: The Movie attempts more emotional moments as well, but they don’t exactly land.

Taylor-Joy does her best with the material, managing to be charming despite the poor script. She also has a pretty good singing voice; her opening number is the highlight of Playmobil: The Movie. Bateman is decent as her kid brother, and Daniel Radcliffe is clearly having fun as Rex Dasher, a James Bond parody. However, for the most part, Playmobil: The Movie is relatively uninteresting.

19 Morgan (2016)

As Morgan

After The Witch, Anya Taylor-Joy starred in this underwhelming sci-fi thriller directed by Luke Scott (the son of director Ridley Scott) in his directorial debut. Its themes dealing with artificial intelligence and free will are interesting, but the concept was portrayed much better in 2014’s Ex Machina. Morgan is also hindered by its flat main character, played by Kate Mara in a role that doesn't do her justice. There is a twist at the end that does explain some things, but it feels unearned.

If there’s one highlight to Morgan, it’s Taylor-Joy’s performance. She is captivating as the childlike Morgan, who is really five years old despite having the appearance of a teenager. Taylor-Joy manages to give Morgan emotional moments that humanize her, especially in the video clips of Morgan having fun outside with psychologist Amy (Rose Leslie). Though Taylor-Joy can’t save Morgan from mediocrity, she still succeeds in making the film watchable.

18 Glass (2019)

As Casey Cooke

Glass is a disappointing final installment in M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable movie trilogy. The film brings back Kevin (James McAvoy) and Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) from Split, as well as David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Joshua (Spencer Treat Clark), Elijah Price/Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), and Mrs. Price (Charlayne Woodard) from Unbreakable. After David briefly battles with the Beast, a superhuman personality of Kevin, who lives with dissociative identity disorder, Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) intervenes and the two men are placed in a psychiatric hospital.

Taylor-Joy shines with the limited screen time she has as she desperately tries to connect to Kevin and bring his original personality into the “light.”

The concept of crossover with two of Shyamalan's previous films is intriguing, but Glass underwhelms with the promising premise. The first hour of the film is slow-moving and doesn’t have the suspense that made Split and Unbreakable compelling watches. Glass is also weakened by its constant use of expository dialogue. At this point, audiences are familiar with superhero media tropes, so having the characters explain them adds nothing new to the table. The final act is especially disappointing, with a twist that could’ve been more interesting if there was better build-up to it.

Despite the script, the cast is clearly trying their best. Taylor-Joy shines with the limited screen time she has as she desperately tries to connect to Kevin and bring his original personality into the “light.” James McAvoy adeptly switches from one of Kevin’s personalities to the next, even bringing some new personalities that weren’t previously touched upon in Split.

Samuel L. Jackson is having fun as the villainous Elijah Glass. Charlayne Woodward injects the film with some tender, human moments as Elijah’s mother. Sarah Paulson is compelling as the psychiatrist determined to convince Kevin, David, and Elijah that they aren’t superhuman. Still, the performances can only elevate the movie so much. Split's ending offered an intriguing tie-in with the world of Unbreakable, and it’s a shame that Shyamalan didn’t do more with Glass's potential.

17 Amsterdam (2022)

As Libby Voze

For a while, controversial director David O. Russell's movies were on a hot streak at the Academy Awards, securing wins for actors Christian Bale (The Fighter) and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook). However, Amsterdam not only failed to garner any nominations, but it was a bomb with critics and audiences alike. The movie was studded with A-list actors, but many pointed to the massive ensemble as a failure, criticizing the volume of characters and the confusing plot.

Based on the 1933 conspiracy known as the business plot, a trio of friends — doctor Burt Berendsen (Bale), nurse Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), and lawyer Harold Woodman (John David Washington) — investigate the murder of their retired military friend Bill Meekins (Ed Begley Jr.). Taylor-Joy plays Libby Voze, Valerie's sister.

Whether it's a scream queen in her horror movies or plucky heroines like Emma or Princess Peach, Taylor-Joy rarely gets to play a villain, so it's a treat watching her as the patronizing Libby in Amsterdam, as she insists that Valerie be hospitalized for her nerves. But the scenes of Taylor-Joy's poised frostiness aren't enough to salvage the otherwise muddled 134-minute movie, and neither she nor the many, many ing actors get much of a chance to shine.

16 Here Are The Young Men (2021)

As Jen

This coming-of-age drama, based on the book by Rob Doyle, had potential. Here Are the Young Men has a very talented cast of young stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), Finn Cole (Michael in Peaky Blinders), and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Sing Street). The plot is also intriguing: in the summer of 2003, a trio of Irish teen boys enjoy their post-graduation freedom until they witness a tragic accident that shakes up their lives. However, the execution of this idea falls flat.

The inciting incident happens very early on in Here Are the Young Men, barely giving time to establish the characters beforehand. Here Are the Young Men doesn’t do enough to develop its characters, especially Walsh-Peelo’s Rez, and get the audience to truly care about them. However, the most frustrating part of this movie is the ending.

By the film’s final act, it doesn’t seem as if Matthew (Chapman) has really grown as a character, and the decision he decides to make is baffling, especially since Here Are the Young Men ends without any repercussions for the character. The cast's performances make the movie interesting, though. Dean-Charles Chapman is great as Matthew, a teen who finds his future unclear after graduating and is shaken by the accident he witnessed.

His transformation from a sensitive soul to someone engulfed by toxic masculinity and rage is compelling to watch. Finn Cole is intriguing and chilling as Joseph, a nihilistic, troubled soul. Taylor-Joy delivers the best performance as the self-assured, down-to-earth Jen. Her character has great chemistry with Matthew and is the film's voice of reason. Perhaps a better film could’ve focused on Jen instead; she’s far more likable than the central trio of Here Are the Young Men.

15 The New Mutants (2020)

As Illyana Rasputin / Magik

On paper, The New Mutants sounds great. It’s a superhero horror movie focused on a group of young mutants: Illyana (Anya Taylor-Joy), Rahne (Maisie Williams), Dani (Blu Hunt), Sam (Charlie Heaton), and Roberto (Henry Zaga) who are trapped in a facility that will supposedly help them learn how to control their powers, only to discover they're being held captive. However, the actual movie falls a little flat. Some of the dialogue is cringy, especially Illyana’s racist remarks toward Dani, who’s Native American.

The accent work can also be a tad distracting, especially Heaton’s attempt at a Kentucky drawl. The New Mutants would have benefited from being a bit longer so the film could have more time to tell its story. Still, The New Mutants isn’t without its enjoyable aspects. The nightmarish visions that plague the main characters are definitely creepy, and the film does a decent job of having the characters learn to deal with their past traumas. The cast is good, with Blu Hunt and Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams being standouts, especially because of their characters’ great romantic chemistry.

Taylor-Joy is also a highlight; she plays Illyana as an aloof mean girl at first who slowly reveals her vulnerabilities. Alice Braga is chilling as Dr. Reyes, who may or may not be actually helping these teens. Though the film needed more time to let genuine friendships develop, The New Mutants’ Breakfast Club vibe is entertaining to watch. There was definitely potential with this film; it was unfortunately an unfinished victim of Disney's Fox acquisition.

14 Marrowbone (2017)

As Allie

This psychological horror drama from Spanish director Sergio G. Sánchez focuses on the titular Marrowbone family, who moved from England to Maine in the late 1960s to escape their dark and mysterious past. Marrowbone boasts a talented cast: along with Anya Taylor-Joy, the film also stars George MacKay, Charlie Heaton, and noted horror movie actress Mia Goth. MacKay is especially good in his role as Jack, the troubled eldest Marrowbone sibling who shares a tender romance with Taylor-Joy’s Allie.

Though Marrowbone is short on actual scares, it manages to create an eerie, Gothic atmosphere through the cinematography and score. The mystery of the Marrowbones’ past is intriguing, and a third-act twist is genuinely shocking and tragic. It’s a shame that Taylor-Joy is underused in the film and mainly serves as a plot device, but she manages to be funny, warm, and compelling; it’s clear why Jack would fall for her. Mia Goth doesn’t get much to do either, though she is still captivating. Despite its flaws, Marrowbone is a fascinating watch.

13 Radioactive (2020)

As Irene Curie

Based on the 2010 graphic novel Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss and directed by Persepolis's Marjane Satrapi, Radioactive is a decent Marie Curie biopic. Rosamund Pike is great as Curie, portraying her as a ionate and determined scientist who also has moments of stubbornness and vulnerability. Sam Riley is also quite good as her husband Pierre, who always s her.

Anya Taylor-Joy appears late in the film, as the 18-year-old version of the Curies’ oldest daughter, Irene. Though she doesn’t have a lot of screen time, Taylor-Joy's performance is still solid and she holds her own against Pike. Radioactive also has interesting narrative touches, especially with the scenes showing future uses of radium, the element discovered by Marie and Pierre. It’s used to treat cancer but is also utilized in warfare.

Even Curie herself grapples with radium: it causes sickness but can also help save lives during World War I. It’s an interesting commentary on how this scientific discovery can be useful but also destructive. Radioactive isn't groundbreaking, but is still a good watch.

12 The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

As Princess Peach

Like with Amsterdam, Anya Taylor-Joy stars in another movie featuring a huge star-studded ensemble, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie was much more successful. First, it has the IP credentials going for it, being based on the characters from the hyper-popular Nintendo Mario games. Taylor-Joy had much more to do as she voiced the iconic Princess Peach.

The movie serves as an origin story for Italian American plumbers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), who find themselves transported to an alternate world where they find themselves caught in a battle between Princess Peach's Mushroom Kingdom and Bowzer's (Jack Black) Koopas. While past video game iterations of Peach see her as a helpless damsel in distress, Taylor-Joy's version has much more agency. She's the one who trains Mario and though under duress, it's her decision to accept Bowzer's marriage proposal.

Though The Super Mario Bros. Movie was squeezed out by Barbie, it had a steady run as the highest-grossing movie of 2023. However, critics were less kind to the film, giving it tepid reviews. The main cited issue was the thin plotting and an over-reliance on IP to sell the story. But there's no arguing with the box office results, and even if most of those dollars are driven by nostalgia, Taylor-Joy offered up something different in a film that ultimately felt a little too samey.

11 The Gorge (2025)

As Drasa

Anya Taylor-Joy has a talent for jumping into some genre fare and elevating it with her strong performances. The Gorge is the latest project from the busy actor and a fun mix of sci-fi, action, romance, and horror. Taylor-Joy plays a skilled operative who is given the mysterious task of guarding a massive and secret gorge with a counterpart (Miles Teller) on the other side. Though forbidden from communicating, the two operatives form a bond despite the distance while also learning the truth about what is in the dark abyss.

The Gorge's attempts to mash so many genres together don't always work as some elements take away from others. However, it is a solid and entertaining blockbuster that is elevated by the central performances. It is basically Taylor-Joy and Teller as the sole stars of the show and they share wonderful chemistry despite the nature of the characters' relationship. The romantic elements of the movie are among the most surprising and allow it to standout from the typical creature feature.