With WandaVision, fans have been waiting to find out where Wanda's journey to reunite with her kids will take her, and early critics have praised Elizabeth Olsen as one of the best parts of the movie.
The early praise and rave reviews for her performance should come as no surprise to fans though as Olsen has continued shining with a wide range of performances outside of the world that is the MCU.
Silent House
In one of her first movie roles, Olsen shines as Sarah, a young woman experiencing what seems to be a home invasion. Told in real-time with the filmmakers using techniques to make it seem like one continuous shot, as the movie's story becomes clearer, Olsen's performance becomes stronger.
It may not be her best role or the best movie she's been in but all of the talent she possesses is put on full display as her character continues to break down under the stress of the situation she finds herself in. A remake of an Uruguayan horror film, Silent House may have failed to live up to the original but word of mouth for Olsen's performance and the movie's real-time gimmick still managed to help the movie a moderate success.
Very Good Girls
A fairly standard love-triangle drama, the movie is bolstered by the appearance of Olsen as one of the two girls caught in the love triangle alongside a high-profile ing cast including Dakota Fanning, Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, Ellen Barkin, Clark Gregg, and Peter Sarsgaard.
Though the movie wasn't well-received by audiences or critics who criticized the movie's bland plot and overuse of cliches, Olsen's performance was often highlighted as one of the lone positives for rising above the material with her performance, making this an important movie that shows that she could steal scenes from just about anyone.
In Secret
A little-seen movie that also happens to star Olsen alongside internet acting favorites like Oscar Isaac and Jessica Lange, In Secret is supposed to be an erotic/romance-thriller that ends up missing the mark despite boasting a scene-stealing performance from Lange.
The movie seems to be polarizing among Olsen's fanbase as well with fans split on where it ranks in her filmography. Some fans consider it another strong performance to start her career while others think the movie's cast is failed by an underdeveloped screenplay that prefers to rehash old genre conventions rather than do anything new or bold with the material.
Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding
Another early movie in Olsen's filmography, Olsen is more than capable of holding her own in this indie dramedy that sees her playing Zoe, the granddaughter of Jane Fonda's Grace.
Olsen's performance shows her ability to elevate average material as she remains a believable, grounded character even as the movie was ripped by critics for being unintentionally hilarious. Fans were a bit nicer than critics with many complimenting the movie's cast and considering it a watchable, if not forgettable, entry in the genre.
Liberal Arts
There are a lot of things that could go wrong with a movie like Liberal Arts, with a story centered on a 35-year-old college issions officer potentially entering a relationship with a 19-year-old student played by Olsen.
Written and directed by Josh Radnor, the movie manages to respectfully approach its subject matter and gives Olsen the opportunity to create a character that audiences can fall in love with alongside Radnor. The movie was very well received by critics and audiences who did see it similarly praised the performances and Radnor's screenplay for not falling victim to typical tropes on age disparity relationships.
Godzilla
Unfortunately, the role of the wife of the main character is sometimes one that's underutilized in blockbuster movies, but Olsen's inclusion in Godzilla almost forces the film to give her character more to do than audiences may have expected.
Reuniting with her MCU brother Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Olsen does the most with her limited screen time and helps to elevate the movie's quiet moments in between the MUTO attacks and Godzilla fights. While a more story-driven approach to Godzilla wasn't popular with all audiences, it did allow the cast the chance to develop deeper connections to the audiences that did like the decision.
I Saw The Light
The Scarlet Witch hasn't shared any scenes with Loki in the MCU, but here Olsen plays Audrey Williams, opposite Tom Hiddleston as country music legend Hank Williams. Olsen's performance is impressive for many reasons, not the least of which is that Audrey continues to want to sing with Hank despite his bandmates and managers feeling like she's a lousy singer.
Intentionally singing the right type of poorly presents a unique acting challenge, one that Olsen pulls off to perfection here, creating one of the most memorable parts of an underseen movie.
Ingrid Goes West
A dark comedy all about the perils of obsessing over social media, Olsen nails her role as popular influencer Taylor Sloane. When Aubrey Plaza's titular Ingrid meets and befriends Sloane, she quickly becomes obsessed with her and jealous of Sloane's relationships with her friends and family.
Olsen does a great job nailing the movie's more comedic moments but as the veneer of social media fades and audiences see the real person behind the influencer facade, the full strength of Olsen's performance is put on display.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
In her film debut, Olsen garnered rave reviews and plenty of awards buzz as a young woman attempting to piece her life back together after escaping from a cult. The movie asks a lot from Olsen who answers the call tremendously, showcasing a wide range of emotions and often shifting between them at a moment's notice.
This versatility and vulnerability in just her first on-screen performance stunned audiences who saw the movie and announced the arrival of an incredible new talent to watch. The depth and layers she brings to Martha also seem to be early indicators of what makes Wanda such a popular character in the MCU, with both characters' tragedy and grief often on full display.
Wind River
In this neo-western murder mystery, Olsen plays a rookie FBI agent who teams with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Agent, played by Jeremy Renner, to solve the murder of a young woman on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.
The rookie officer is an often-used trope in movies, but Olsen avoids the stereotypes that can limit those characters' impact. While Renner's character has ties to the other characters in the story, Olsen is the driving force for the movie to truly make the impact it does.
