Rachel Zegler's movies have showcased her incredible acting career that is just beginning. Zegler quickly became a big name in Hollywood after her debut in West Side Story (2021), offering up memorable performances in movies. Zegler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey on May 3, 2001, and she grew to prominence online for her YouTube channel where she mostly posts videos of her singing. The actor submitted videos through Twitter for the open casting call to find a Maria for West Side Story.

Despite being one of 2021's biggest box office bombs, West Side Story was highly praised by critics and audiences, thrusting Zegler into the spotlight. Since then, she’s continued to get lead roles in movies across different genres, with most featuring her beautiful vocals. With Snow White now hitting theaters and giving Zegler her biggest role to date, there will surely be even more from the actor to come. However, not every Rachel Zegler movie rises to the same level of success as the last, with some outshining the others.

6 Shazam! Fury Of The Gods (2023)

Rachel Zegler As Anthea

Of all Rachel Zegler’s movies, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the weakest film, but not because of Zegler’s performance. If Zegler’s performance were isolated from the rest of the movie, it’d be easy to argue that Shazam 2 should rank higher. The Shazam sequel is an unfortunate situation where the movie has many components necessary to make a great movie, making it even more disappointing how lackluster the result is. The cast of Shazam 2 has given incredible performances in other movies, and they try to give this film their all, too.

Sadly, the final product falls into the category where it’s not good or bad enough to be memorable. The storyline is formulaic, making it forgettable in the long run. The movie is targeted towards audiences of all ages, but Shazam 2 feels much more catered towards children, making it dull for adult viewers.

The jokes just don’t land like they do in the first film, coming across as immature but not absurd or goofy enough to match the first movie. The SFX also isn’t terrible but it’s lacking compared to other films and TV series in the superhero genre. The movie also changes the iconic costume from the first movie, abandoning the campy style that felt like an homage to DC’s Golden Age comic books, one of the biggest Shazam! Fury of the Gods criticisms.

Despite these criticisms, the movie is still enjoyable to watch with lowered expectations. It isn’t a completely joyless film, and it does have some genuinely interesting moments. However, it ultimately ranks lower than other movies that star Rachel Zegler, as most of her other movies have been well-received.

5 Spellbound (2024)

Rachel Zegler As Princess Ellian

Based on the Rotten Tomatoes score for Spellbound, the movie should land in last place. After all, the critic score is on par with Shazam! Gods of Fury, but the audience score is lower. However, the audience score skewed negatively due to the fact that angry adults review-bombed the movie for normalizing divorce — a choice that was bound to ruffle feathers for viewers with antiquated values. As such, the scores can’t be the determining factor in placement.

The Spellbound soundtrack is fun to revisit because of Zegler’s crisp, musical theater-style vocals and the Alan Menken songs.

Spellbound is enjoyable, especially for those who didn’t have picture-perfect childhoods. Even though the pacing and narrative is uneven, the story, themes, and characters are well-developed. Children, who are the target demographic, might not have the patience to get through the less exciting moments. Luckily, Princess Ellian, played by Rachel Zegler, has enough spunk and personality to make up for the weaker moments. The movie also possesses stunning visuals that show the caliber of Skydance Animation. The Spellbound soundtrack is fun to revisit because of Zegler’s crisp, musical theater-style vocals and the Alan Menken songs.

Despite the strengths of the movie, it can’t be ignored that the stakes of Spellbound are painfully low. The film doesn’t offer a sense of urgency. Additionally, the story gets extremely predictable at times, and it often feels like the solutions to problems are simply handed to Elian. In the best children’s stories, the protagonists have an active role in problem-solving, allowing young viewers to feel empowered.

4 Y2K (2024)

Rachel Zegler As Laura

The horror-comedy offers an apocalyptic take on “What if Y2K really happened?” The outcome is divisive, with most people loving it or hating it. Y2K is campy, cheesy, and packed with nostalgia, making it the perfect choice for Millennials who love a terrible horror movie. Viewers will only enjoy the film if they love hilariously bad kills filled with unnecessary gore. The horror-comedy has a similar vibe to Superbad, Dale & Tucker vs. Evil, and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. There’s definitely an audience for this film even if it’s super niche.

However, the movie will have minimal appeal to viewers too young to the Y2K fear and hysteria, plus the surrounding time period. Even with the 90s and early 00s trends becoming popular again, many references require a solid knowledge of that era. The fact that a movie is niche doesn’t make it inherently bad, though. Plenty of movies cater to a very specific group of people. The biggest difference is that niche films typically release with limited releases or go directly to streaming. A24 might have been better off changing the release plan.

Luckily, since they released the movie widely, everyone can enjoy Y2K’s fantastic soundtrack, jam-packed with songs popular during the year 1999. It’s also easy to care about Eli, Ash, Danny, and Laura — the four characters that shine above the rest. Additionally, Rachel Zegler, who plays Laura gives a heartfelt performance despite the fact that she’s stuck with an uneven script.

Y2K must also be applauded for having the guts to kill off a main character within the first half of the movie. The movie's promotional materials featured Danny so heavily that it seemed like he and Eli would be the two guaranteed survivors at the end of Y2K. Ultimately, the movie might not be life-changing by any means, but it doesn’t need to leave a major cinematic impact in order to entertain audiences.

3 Snow White (2025)

Rachel Zegler As Snow White

Rachel Zegler stepped into her most iconic role to date, taking on the part of Snow White in Disney's latest live-action remake. Not only does the role make Zegler a Disney princess, but also sees her taking over the very first Disney princess character presented by the legendary studio. Directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man), Snow White stars Zegler as the titular common girl who becomes the target of the jealous Evil Queen (Gal Gadot). Running away from the threat of her powerful enemy, Snow White makes a new life in the forest with the seven dwarves.

Like many of the recent Disney live-action remakes, Snow White looks to modernize the story with some more topical social commentary. However, like many of those remakes, the notable efforts result in some clumsy and forced storylines that feel disingenuous within this giant mainstream blockbuster. The movie also faces much of the criticism aimed at these remakes, mainly that they lack the magic of the animated originals and the new songs fall short of the original classics.

While few fans will be surprised that Zegler nails the musical moments, her performance is also genuine, heartfelt, and funny, elevating the entire movie.

However, despite Snow White being plagued with controversy long before its release, the movie is far from the failure that many of its critics were hoping for. Most notably, the best thing about the movie is Zegler's performance in the lead role which seems to solidify her potential as a genuine movie star. While few fans will be surprised that Zegler nails the musical moments, her performance is also genuine, heartfelt, and funny, elevating the entire movie.

Gadot's performance as the Evil Queen is not quite as successful, but the actor seems to be having fun in her rare villainous role. The CGI dwarves are also a questionable choice, though they do add some great humor to the story. In the end, it is another Disney live-action remake that falls far short of its animated original. However, it is still a fun and lively family-friendly ride with another winning performance from Zegler.

2 The Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

Rachel Zegler As Lucy Gray Baird

The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a significant risk because it requires the audience to empathize with a character who becomes dictatorial and Machiavellian by the first movie in the Hunger Games franchise. Somehow, the film succeeds in making the younger version of Coriolanus Snow sympathetic despite his eventual fate. The background knowledge also makes every moment of the movie feel more tragic, since the audience knows there’s no hope.

Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes also feels like a throwback to the first two Hunger Games movies because the story follows Snow as he mentors a girl named Lucy Gray Baird, who is a tribute preparing for the titular competition. The story sends the same messages from the original book, which still resonate years later.

Additionally, the prequel movie thrives thanks to the star power of Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' lead actors, Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler. The duo infuse their characters with authenticity and emotion that make them easy to invest in. Their compelling performances might not rise to the level of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson in The Hunger Games, but they get pretty close.

Zegler was also perfectly cast, as singing is integral to the character Lucy Gray Baird. The actress’s saccharine and beautiful singing draws out emotion in the audience. It almost makes up for the nearly three-hour runtime, which was inevitable since Suzanne Collins’ Songbirds & Snakes book is the longest in the series.

Unfortunately, Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cannot take the title of the best Rachel Zegler for two reasons. Fans of the franchise complained about Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ PG-13 rating, which lessens the violence and cruelty of the Hunger Games. Additionally, the number one movie, West Side Story, rises so far above and beyond the rest that it isn’t truly a competition.

1 West Side Story (2021)

Rachel Zegler As Maria

Inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story – which is set in the 1950s – tells the story of a young Puerto Rican woman who falls in love with a Polish white man who’s trying to change his life after a gang-related jail stint. The 1961 version of West Side Story is so beloved that the Steven Spielberg remake had high expectations. Luckily, the 2021 movie is one of the best Broadway musical adaptations of all time despite being drastically underappreciated and a box office bomb.

The movie musical’s costume design thrives above most in of details and overall aesthetics, showing the contrast between the warring gangs – the Jets and the Sharks. Lead Costume designer Paul Tazewell does an excellent job with Tony’s and Maria’s costumes, staying true to the iconic looks while updating them with new details.

The West Side Story cast and casting team also deserve praise as they enhance the viewing experience. Rather than casting Hollywood actors who can sing, the casting team went a different direction, bringing together almost exclusively Broadway actors who could execute the music and Justin Peck’s choreography with precision. This means numbers like “America” and “Gee, Officer Krupke” stand out, with the latter ranking among the best group numbers from Broadway musical adaptations. The frequent use of wide shots and long sequences without cuts also makes West Side Story’s numbers feel like watching a stage show.

Actor Rachel Zegler won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her performance in West Side Story.

The acting of Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose must also be highlighted when discussing the success of the West Side Story remake. Ariana DeBose is a well-known Broadway actor who made a memorable transition into Hollywood acting. She makes Anita just as lovable and memorable as Rita Moreno’s version. Rachel Zegler does just as incredible a job as the established actors in the movie. Shockingly, this was Rachel Zegler’s first onscreen role, but she held her own opposite Ansel Elgort, an established actor with almost a decade of experience before the Broadway musical adaptation.

Ultimately, it feels justified that the movie has a 91% Tomatometer score and a 93% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, making up for the poor box office performance. The West Side Story remake clearly deserves to be ed and praised just as much as the original movie version.