40 Of Charlize Theron Movies Ranked From Best To Worst

Charlize Theron, a South African-American Actress, attained the limelight following her 1996’s Two Days in the Valley movie. But the big breakthrough emerged a year later when she played the satanic bait in The Devil’s Advocate. And a big thanks to Keanu, Theron instantly became inescapable working with big-name directors. For her role of a serial killer in the 2003 Movie ‘Monster, her performance was said to be one of the greatest ever in the history of cinema. She equally won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for Monster. 

For playing a high-on-alcohol writer in Young Adult (2001), Theron received a Golden Globe nomination and even got an Oscar and a BAFTA nomination for her role in North Country (2005). The actress most successful movies ever include The Old Guard, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Snow White and The Huntsman (2012), and even Atomic Blonde (2017). Her all-time worst is Aeon Flux (2005), while her highest-grossing movie is The Fate of the Furious (2017). However, we’re taking you on a tour as we’ve collated 40 of Theron’s movies ranked best to worst, enjoy!

YOUNG ADULT:

This movie gave Theron an exciting opportunity to play one of her prickliest characters, a misanthropic alcoholic ghostwriter who obsesses over the lost youth and the life she could have had. Her role as Mavis was one described continually as unlikeable. However, between Young Adult and Tully, most people couldn’t help but pray she became a more frequent team member of Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman.

ATOMIC BLONDE:

Mad Max: Fury road laid the groundwork for Theron to establish herself as an action star in Atomic Blonde. While Director David Leitch had got his cinematic start with John Wick, the movie had featured stylish fight scenes that managed to elicit awes and winces in equal measure. However, a sequel is in the works with Netflix, and Leitch has revealed he would love to cross Atomic Blonde over with John Wick.

THE OLD GUARD:

Theron had led a gang of immoral mercenaries seeking revenge against the former CIA operative who had set them up. The movie had plenty of familiar superhero genre beats, but its natural energy lay balanced between passionate, emotional core and kinetic action sequences. Gina Prince-Blythewood directed the blockbuster, and it featured queer characters with an open and sexual romance, including action scene kiss typically reserved for straight couples. Currently, Netflix is hoping for a full-on franchise of the Old Guard, and frankly, it’s fingers crossed.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD:

This movie was a sharp reminder that action movies could be so much more than mere set-pieces. Theron might have an Oscar on her shelf for a more traditionally awards-friendly role, but the part of Imperator Furiosa is arguably her most excellent performance. She nailed it, bringing quiet dignity and determination to an often-silent woman, someone who is all too used to bottling up her rage in the face of violent despots. Nonetheless, Mad Max: Fury Road is a near-perfect piece of cinema and elevated Theron to the upper chambers of Hollywood actors.

THE ROAD:

This follows the tale of a man played by Viggo Mortensen and his young son, who try to survive in a wasteland bereft of humanity and trust. Theron’s role was relatively small, but then it was unique to have watched a Hollywood film where the audience was uncertain if everything would turn out fine.

MONSTER:

Theron was unrecognizable under all the makeup, but her performance is so much more than that. She keenly captured the physical feel of Aileen Wuornos, a woman beaten down by life from day one but tried to hold her head high. The movie was superb, giving an insight into a troubled woman while asking the audience to consider her desperate plight without excusing her heinous crimes.

IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (2007):

A true-life story had inspired this movie. It was a part crime drama, part Biblical allegory, and strident anti-war polemic centered on a military police veteran who tried to uncover the truth behind the violent death of his soldier son, who returned from Iraq. Nonetheless, the movie was bravely bleak in its exploration of the trauma of war.

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS:

This was a beautiful drama motivated by Japanese myth and the works of Studio Ghibli. It was a profoundly sophisticated piece of work and one that was smart enough to take its young target audience seriously. Indeed, it was a mournful and layered tale that was funny, beautiful, sad, and scary.

THAT THING YOU DO:

One of Theron’s first named credits turned up in a small role in Tom Hank’s immensely charming directorial debut. The film’s best parts came with how pitch-perfect its depiction of the early 1960s is, not just in terms of production or costume design but the music and feelings of intense Pre-Vietnam War Optimism. Only a few movies have since had original songs that good.

TULLY:

2018’s Tully was a mercilessly honest story of Postpartum difficulties. Theron had captured the constant exhaustion and frustration of motherhood, a time of sharply contrasting emotions that many people either don’t understand or refuse to confront. While a few critics disapproved of the film’s direction in its 3rd act, Tully’s strength had lied in its twists.

LONG SHOT:

Starred alongside Seth Rogen, the duo had warm and believable chemistry that the film teases out to significant romantic and comedic effects. The long-shot was more hinged on how the pair work in tandem, both professionally and personally. However, it suffered the bad luck of opening cinemas one week after Avengers: Endgame; hence, it was probably buried at the box office.

THE YARDS:

Theron was excellent in this movie, but it had belonged to Joaquin Phoenix, a long-time team member of Director James Gray, who does some of his most underrated work. The 2000 movie heavily suffered from the wrath of Miramax, who all but dumped the movie and caused it to be a major box office flop. 

THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS:

Part eight of this movie wasn’t the best of the franchise, but it was indicative of why movies work so well. The franchise knew precisely what it was and had no problems milking its ridiculous nature for maximum impact. Theron’s icy charm proved to be an excellent foil for the familiar faces; hence it wasn’t much of a surprise when she returned for part 9. 

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES:

Michael Caine won his second Oscar for the kindly doctor who runs an orphanage while performing illegal abortions for those in need. The movie, which had Theron in it, had struck a precarious balance between the homey comforts of old-school golden age Hollywood cinema and the darkness of the novel but ultimately pulled it off.

PROMETHEUS:

This movie had some incredible moments worth re-watching, and Theron had worked alongside a strong cast, including Idris Elba and scene-stealing Michael Fassbender. While Prometheus got quite tangled up, it remains a gorgeous-looking film with plenty of surprises and scares to keep one at the edge of a chair.

THE DEVIL’s ADVOCATE:

Starred alongside Keanu Reeves, who played a hotshot small-town player lawyer, the Devil’s Advocate was vulgar melodrama, and this was when it’s at its most ridiculously enjoyable. The movie was particularly a weird cross between Paradise Lost, a John Grishman legal thriller, and a drag queen revue, with Pacino hamming it up to near unfathomable levels in a way that only he can. 

2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY:

This was the first significant role of Theron’s career. The movie was a fun, nasty crime ensemble with a strong cast of actors, including James Spader, Glenne Headley, and Danny Aiello. Theron was well cast as a femme fatale, and she got a chance to show that her potential lies far beyond the limitations of a mere sex symbol.

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS:

Geoffrey Rush played the legendary actor while Theron played his second wife. However, Britt Ekland had criticized the movie for downplaying his more monstrous aspects, and the film was undoubtedly guilty of liking its protagonist a bit too much. Well, it might be worth watching to see familiar faces.

BATTLE IN SEATTLE:

Theron starred alongside Stuart Townsend. The tale was loosely hinged on the many protests amid the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999. However, the movie failed when it stepped away from politics and diluted in favor of characters the audience had little interest in. 

NORTH COUNTRY:

This movie had noble intentions, but it fell into every trap of the biopic formula resulting in a much worse film. Theron, who starred alongside Frances McDormand were unarguably excellent; the scenes had powerful and meaningful messages. However, Theron landed her 2nd Oscar Nomination in this drama inspired by a landmark class action sexual harassment lawsuit that a group of female mineworkers leveled against their employers.

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN:

As the evil queen in this movie, Theron allows herself to have a lot of vampy fun in the role. And while an uneven arch hampers its overall energy, it remained a refreshing change of pace from the typical Summer Blockbuster fare. Unfortunately, the sequel learned all the wrong lessons.

HANCOCK:

Will Smith starred in this movie and played the role of a super-powered vigilante with a mysterious past. But then Theron held her character top-notched, even as the plot got seriously loopy. Notably, the sequel’s second-half twist and dramatic shift proved too much for views and instantly lost track of what made it an intriguing concept.

GRINGO:

Theron had produced this movie but was directed by Nash Edgerton, brother of Joel. The Egerton brothers called in a lot of favors and put together an incredibly talented cast, including David Oyelowo, a mild-mannered pharmaceutical employee. However, the movie eventually got lost in its conceit and experienced tangled plotting.

MEN OF HONOR:

Theron wasted the dutiful spouse role in this otherwise biopic hinged on Masternited States Navy. The tale follows a familiarity structured story that has force behind it to avoid unnecessary sentimentality. The film was rated better when it tempered its mutual habit of descending into scenery-chewing.

REINDEER GAMES:

It wasn’t a great movie and was too forgettable to be truly awful. The film ended up being as silly as its title. It experienced some so-bad-it’s good moment in its plot but wasn’t just enough to sustain its running time. It had been directed by John Frankenheimer, known for the Manchurian Candidate.

MIGHTY JOE YOUNG:

This 1998 remake courtesy of Disney was reasonably family-friendly with dose sentimentality. The impact of the movie is pretty much still impressive despite centering it all on the gentle giant. Young children would certainly enjoy the film, but their parents might be less interested.

THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION:

This movie was Woody Allen’s most expensive, with a budget of $33million. But while it’s was way better than Celebrity in that it at least appeared to have genuine warmth of ideas, it was otherwise an unnecessary title in Allen’s vast filmography.

BOMBSHELL:

This film took on a true story hinged on the epidemic of sexual harassment at Fox News under the tenure of the infamous Roger Ailes. Jay Roach, the director, took the easy route and ended up with an utterly disingenuous tale that overlooked the natural abrasiveness of the actual events. It was wholly you go girl whitewashing of reality that smugly viewed watering down women’s lives as some form of encouraging feminism. 

THE ITALIAN JOB:

The car chases in this movie were undeniably enjoyable, but the ramshackle thrills of the original film were all missed. While it did leave people’s brains at the door of escapism, it inevitably missed the scrappy charm of Michael Caine and company.

DARK PLACES:

Theron had played the sole survivor of a family massacre, which left her traumatized and forever marked as a victim into her adulthood; however, the strangeness of the novel didn’t work so well in adaptation, and even as the endless plots and turns were revealed, the movie lost the attention of its audience very instantly. Gone Girl did much better!

CELEBRITY:

In this movie, Kenneth Branagh played a neurotic writer who became a celebrity profiler and fell head-first into the world of fame. But in the long run, everything felt simultaneously overblown and half-baked, and to top it all off, Donald Trump turned up playing himself. Quite gross, we must confess.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY:

Theron would have been the perfect fit for the role of Morticia in this movie but was left only with a voiceover part. She worked alongside casts that included Nick Kroll and Oscar Isaac, and YES, the film sapped that wonderfully macabre source material of its chipper darkness.

THE BURNING PLAIN:

Theron threw all strength behind this movie as both an executive producer and actress. The film was told in a nonlinear narrative and was as thematically bleak as one could imagine, but then it relied far too much on head-thudding obvious symbolism instead of trusting its actors to their jobs. Moments of elegance surfaced but were nowhere near enough to maintain its concept.

AEON FLUX:

This film appeared like a great match, but studio interference forced both the filmmaker and actors to compromise the tale’s original aim. However, Theron was predictably great; the movie looked nice but remained a tedious affair that lacked the subversive cartoon edge and expressionist elements. Karyn Kusama had directed it. 

THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER’S WAR:

This was quite a strange sequel or perhaps a prequel hybrid. While Theron had a hold as the passionate and proud evil queen, her charm was squandered, as is that of her co-stars, including Jessica Chastain and Chris Hemsworth. The film had taken its inspiration from Frozen but eventually had little for its audience.

THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE:

Theron started alongside Robert Redford in this film. However, Robert, who had landed the Best Director for his 1st movie behind the camera, Ordinary People, witnessed a real low point in this film, painfully dated in its script and ideas. While the cast tried as hard as they could, Bagger Vance felt like a leftover from 50years prior in all the worst ways. 

TRAPPED:

What was expected to be tensed was very predictable, and this movie ended up relying too much on exploitation-style tactics. Luis Mandoki had directed it, and a whole lot went missing. 

TRIAL AND ERROR:

Theron was left with a much less satisfying supporting role than Marisa Tomei got in this film. Michael Richards and Jeff Daniels worked on, loved Dumb and Dumber; lightning didn’t strike with this courtroom storyline.

SWEET NOVEMBER:

This film is dubbed a total waste of talents. Both Theron and Keanu Reeves starred in it, and while it could have been forgiven for its unabashed schmaltz, how creepy both protagonists became couldn’t be overlooked. Theron and Reeves had harmful romantic and sexual chemistry, so the duo appeared lost throughout.

SLEEPWALKING:

William Maher’s tale of family neglect and an unlikely bond appeared to be aiming languid. But ended up on soporific despite the efforts of its cast, which included Theron and Nick Stahl. The film experienced no energy, and its aimlessness made the 100-minute running time feel like twice the actual time.