Every Andrew Garfield movie, ranked according to critics

Rotten Tomatoes score: 38%

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

“Mainstream” was a satire about social media and viral fame, as Garfield’s character concocted a chaotic social media persona that resulted 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Critics said that the film felt outdated and didn’t offer compelling commentary on its central topic of social-media stardom.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. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 58%

Synopsis: Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, the A24 movie featured twists and turns as Garfield’s character, Sam, attempted to follow clues and get answers about the woman named Sarah (played by 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,” Almacahr wrote. “While Sam may be the protagonist, the narrative also paints him with villainous undertones.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

Synopsis: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” whose title was based on a 2000 documentary film of the same name, showed 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. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%

Synopsis: Mark Romanek’s film, based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel of the same name, starred Garfield, Carey Mulligan, and Keira Knightley. It chronicled 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.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

Synopsis: John Crowley’s 2024 film tells a non-linear love story between the two characters 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 to the challenges faced 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.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%

Synopsis: Directed by Mel Gibson and based on a real-life story, Garfield portrayed Desmond Doss.

Doss, a Seventh-Day Adventist, 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. 

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%

Synopsis: The TV movie was based on Jonathan Trigell’s 2004 novel of the same name. Garfield portrayed 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.

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 recruited Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to keep his superhero identity a secret. But their plan went awry, resulting in villains from the multiverse entering his universe and wreaking havoc. Miraculously, the teen webslinger ended 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.

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 starred as a crime reporter at the Yorkshire Post named Eddie Dunford, who investigated 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