All 39 Kristen Stewart Movies Ranked From Worst to Best | Purgatory Film Rankings

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Kristen Stewart is one of the most famous actresses of the 21st century. Acting since she was only eight years old, she has already amassed over two decades of experience under her belt, and she’s only in her thirties.

From indie flicks to big-budget vampire movies, Stewart’s career has been one hell of a ride, and In this article, as you’ve already read in the title, we’ll be ranking all of her most important movies, starting with the absolute dumpster fires and finishing with the masterpieces.

By the way, only movies where Stewart has a significant presence will be included, so films like Undertow (2004) and What Just Happened (2008), where she only has a few minutes of screen time, will not be on the list. So, let’s begin!

39. The Messengers (2007)

The Messengers is a movie that fell off the “horror tree” and hit every single “cliché branch” on its way down. A haunted house? Check! A child who can’t speak, but can see ghosts? Check! Crows attacking people, Hitchcock-style? Check! And in the end, it turns out that (spoilers ahead, but seriously, it’s predictable as f@#k) the ghosts were the previous house owners who were killed and now their souls are trapped inside the house until they get justice?!

If you’re into the horror genre, chances are you’ve already seen everything that The Messengers has to offer. Also, the title is a bit misleading: there are no “messengers” nor a “message” anywhere in the movie (other than “feel free to skip this one” I guess).

38. Catch That Kid (2004)

Catch That Kid is a family action comedy film and a remake of the Danish 2002 movie Klatretøsen (The Climbing Girl). It was poorly received by both critics and audiences, but it has an important place in Stewart’s filmography because this is the first time she has had the lead role.

It was mostly compared unfavorably to the Spy Kids movies that were popular at the time, however, famed critic Roger Ebert gave the movie a positive three-star (out of four) rating in his review. So, who knows? Maybe this movie is a masterpiece and we are all missing something.

37. Cold Creek Manor (2003)

Cold Creek Manor was Stewart’s second major film and here she got to act alongside veterans like Sharon Stone, Dennis Quaid, Juliette Lewis, and Christopher Plummer. But, despite all the star power, the movie fails to deliver the goods.

Cold Creek is a little too predictable, a little too “by the numbers,” and follows a concept that has been executed better in other movies. If you are a hard-core Stewart fan and are interested in her early material, you can give this one a watch; otherwise, feel free to skip it. You won’t be missing much.

36. Charlie’s Angels (2019)

The Charlie’s Angels franchise is not exactly known for producing critically acclaimed masterpieces and this 2019 version doesn’t stray away from the tradition. Uninteresting characters, dialogue that could have been written by a 12-year-old, mediocre action scenes, forgettable one-liners, and tons of unfunny jokes is not a good combination for your mental health.

Writer/director Elizabeth Banks should have some mercy for her audience and stay away from the keyboard as much as possible. But, the good news is that the movie underperformed at the box office, so it’s very unlikely we will be seeing a sequel any time soon (thank God).

35. Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)

Breaking Dawn Part 1 is probably the worst of the Twilight movies, but that doesn’t mean that the other films are much better. It’s an adaptation of the first half of Breaking Dawn, the fourth novel in the series. Why would the studio make only one movie when they could be charging the audience double? So, in other to “milk the cow” as much as possible, the novel was adapted into two movies, and, as a result, Part 1 has a lot of filler with barely anything happening in the first 50 minutes, and all the interesting stuff is saved for Part 2.

34. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)

As a war drama, Billy Lynn doesn’t really work on any level. The film tries to show the unfair treatment Iraq War Veterans get when they return home to the USA. it’s worth mentioning that it’s the first movie that uses an extremely high frame rate of 120 frames per second (24 fps is the industry standard), and one of the very few movies where Steve Martin plays the bad guy. Stewart plays Kathryn, Billy Lynn’s older sister, who tries to dissuade her brother from returning to Iraq. The movie was a commercial and critical failure despite good performances from the cast.

33. New Moon (2009)

When the first Twilight movie was released in 2008, it didn’t exactly set the bar high for the sequels to reach. But even with low expectations, New Moon fails to match the original in quality. Critics lambasted the movie for its slow pace, bad dialogue, and subpar acting, but, honestly, it’s not like good acting could have saved such a badly-written script.

However, when it comes to the ca$h, New Moon was an even bigger moneymaker than its predecessor, earning over $700 million worldwide (against a $50 million budget) and cementing Stewart’s place among the A-list Hollywood superstars.

32. In the Land of Women (2007)

An annoying and unlikable protagonist who thinks he is smarter than everyone else; a confused girl-next-door (Stewart) who needs his advice for everything; her younger sister who is wise beyond her age and knows what “precocious” means (despite being only 10 years old); and a grandmother who tries to be interesting by using profanity all the time.

In the Land of Women is a romantic comedy-drama that tries way too hard to be “deep” and “profound,” but ends up being a total bore. Everybody gets hyper-emotional and needy, and the movie feels like a mediocre soap opera episode.

31. JT Leroy (2018)

JT Leroy tells the real-life story of author Laura Albert (played by Laura Dern) and Savannah Knoop, a girl who masquerades as her fictional literary persona, JT Leroy, (played by Stewart), and how they managed to fool everyone about the identity of the author behind the popular novels Sarah and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things in the early 2000s.

Stewart does a good job portraying JT, but the real star of the show is Academy Award-winning actress Laura Dern. However, despite the strong performances, and the amazing story it adapts, the movie fails to realize its full potential, and the end results are not that impressive.

30. Fierce People (2005)

Fierce People has a smug protagonist, unlikable characters, and a predictable ending, and, overall, it’s a thriller that doesn’t really, well… thrill. It’s an indie film based on a 2002 novel, and here Stewart plays Maya, the granddaughter of a powerful billionaire, Ogden Osbourne (Donald Sutherland). This is where Kirsten started playing a lot more mature characters as she got a ton of kissing scenes and even an erotic body-painting scene with actor Anton Yelchin (which was a bit controversial, because Stewart was only 14 while filming this).

29. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Let’s face it: out of all the actresses of her generation, Stewart was probably the best choice to play Snow White. This is the first time we hear Stewart use an English accent, and she even had multiple horse-riding scenes (which was particularly difficult for her, because Stewart suffers from equinophobia – fear of horses).

The film is way too similar to the then-popular Game of Thrones series, to the point of looking like a mediocre GOT episode. Stewart’s Snow White has much more in common with Arya Stark than with the original German character, and the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron) could practically be Cersei’s younger sister.

28. Eclipse (2010)

The third film of the Twilight Saga. There isn’t much to be said about this one that hasn’t already been said about the other movies in the series: Stewart and Pattinson having a staring competition, Taylor Lautner not having his shirt on for two hours, subpar writing, subpar acting… subpar everything. However, there is a cool vampire-wolf fight at the end, and overall, It’s an improvement compared to the previous film, New Moon. As with all the other movies in the saga, if you’re not a 14-year-old girl, feel free to skip this one.

27. The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)

One of Kirsten’s early indie films, The Yellow Handkerchief is a remake of the Japanese 1977 classic movie of the same name. Stewart gives a strong performance, but it’s British Academy-Award-winning actor, Eddie Redmayne, who steals every scene with his talent. You can give it a watch for the good acting alone, but you won’t find anything extraordinary here. The movie feels overlong and even depressing at times, and it’s not considered as good as the Japanese original.

26. Twilight (2008)

So, here we are. The movie that catapulted Stewart into super-stardom. Bella Swan is probably Stewart’s most well-known character, and it turned Stewart into one of the most recognizable celebrities of the 21st century. The film made a ton of money ($407 million against a $37 million budget) and spawned four sequels.

But, while the book it is based on received generally positive reviews, the movie itself, and Stewart’s portrayal of Bella, gained mixed reception. Teenage girls absolutely loved the film, but everyone else was either indifferent or hated it with a passion.

25. Anesthesia (2015)

Anesthesia is an independent drama film about different characters, with not much in common, who are connected somehow by a single event – much in the vein of Amores Perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), and Babel (2006). Stewart plays Sophie, a student who indulges in self-harm because she has problems connecting with people around her.

As with almost all of her indie dramas, Stewart does an excellent job, but the movie itself is somewhat of a mixed bag. It’s just not as powerful as other similar movies in this genre (like the ones mentioned above), and the writing could have used some improvement.

24. Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)

The last of the Twilight movies (thank God). In some ways, the Twilight Saga is like the 50 Shades of Grey movies, but for girls who haven’t turned 18 yet. Breaking Dawn Part 2 is better than Part 1, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good movie. Let’s be honest: when it comes to Twilight films, the bar for excellence is not set that high.

But, the film did give its loyal audience a satisfying ending with an unexpected twist and perhaps the most unintentionally funny moment in the entire series (Aro’s laugh when he meets Renesmee). It’s also the only film in the saga where Stewart gets to play a vampire. The last and arguably the best of the Twilight films, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a masterpiece.

23. American Ultra (2015)

Stewart teams up with her Adventureland co-star, Jesse Eisenberg, for this action comedy flick. And, just as with Adventureland, Stewart and Eisenberg deliver great performances, but, unfortunately, this time it’s not enough to save the movie. It seems that British-Iranian director Nima Nourizadeh wanted to do something similar to Zombieland (also starring Eisenberg) here, but the results are not as fascinating.

Despite great performances from pretty much everyone involved, the humor is not exceptional and the action is just mediocre. All this results in one of the least memorable movies in Stewart’s filmography, despite her giving her best.

22. Welcome to the Rileys (2010)

Some of Stewart’s best acting can be found in her early indie films. In Welcome to the Rileys, Stewart teams up with Tony Sop—, I mean, James Gandolfini, and Academy Award-winning actress, Melissa Leo, to deliver one of her most acclaimed and challenging performances to date. She plays a 16-year-old stripper (Stewart was 19 during filming) who lost her mother, and she bonds with Doug (Gandolfini) and Lois (Leo), a couple who’ve lost their daughter in a car accident. All actors give strong performances with Stewart winning the “Best Actress” award at the Milan International Film Festival.

21. Equals (2015)

Stewart’s first Sci-Fi film. Equals has good acting and an impressive futuristic set design, but there is one major flaw here: we’ve already seen this movie. Twice! It’s way too similar to films like THX 1138 (1971) and Equilibrium (2002), and it borrows heavily from classic Sci-Fi novels like Nineteen Eighty-Four. So, there is nothing new here.

Stewart plays Nia, a girl who hides her emotions in a society where feelings are banned, and she falls in love with a man called Silas (Nicholas Hoult). The two of them have to hide their relationship from the rest of the emotionless society. Sounds too familiar?

20. Underwater (2020)

Another one of Stewart’s Sci-Fi movies. The problem with Underwater is that it borrows too heavily from the Alien franchise and lacks originality. The movie takes place in the year 2050 and here Stewart plays Norah Price, a mechanical engineer trapped in a drilling facility that has been struck by a strong earthquake.

The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising the casting choices and the acting but also noting the similarities with the aforementioned Alien movies, and many concluding that Underwater is just an inferior product by comparison.

19. Certain Women (2016)

Director Kelly Reichardt’s style is not for everyone. The slow pace, lack of dialogue, and a large amount of time spent on the characters doing their mundane daily routines are sure to leave at least a portion of the viewers scratching their heads.

Similarly to Anesthesia, the movie follows two individuals and a married couple whose stories are only loosely connected: the attorney, Laura Wells, who has to deal with her mentally unstable client; Gina and Ryan, a couple who want to buy sandstone for the new house they are building; and Jamie, a lonely rancher who falls in love with the young lawyer, Beth Travis (Stewart).

The film received critical acclaim and won numerous awards, but, as mentioned earlier, its minimalist style is not for everyone.

18. Lizzie (2018)

Lizzie is a fictionalized retelling of the infamous 1892 axe murders that occurred in Fall River, Massachusetts, but with an original LGBT spin injected into the story. Stewart plays Bridget Sullivan – the maid of the Borden family who was present during the time of the murders – and, for the first time in her career, she uses an Irish accent.

The film received mixed to positive reviews, but Stewart’s and Chloë Sevigny’s performances were highlighted for praise. Arguably Stewart’s most disturbing movie. If you cannot handle people being axed to death on screen, I suggest you skip this one.

17. Personal Shopper (2016)

If you thought Clouds of Sils Maria was confusing, wait until you see Personal Shopper. Stewart teams up with French director Olivier Assayas for the second time to deliver a movie with an even more puzzling ending. No one will blame you if you google “Personal Shopper+ending explained” after seeing the film for the first time. It seems Assayas is a director who sometimes really wants to torture his audience. In fact, the film confused viewers so much that it was booed after being first screened at the Cannes film festival.

But, while the film itself polarized the masses, everyone was united on giving Stewart praise for portraying Maureen – a girl who has the ability to communicate with the afterlife and is trying to make contact with her recently deceased brother.

16. The Runaways (2010)

Stewart started the 2010s by rocking a guitar in The Runaways – a biopic about one of the most iconic all-female rock bands of all time – with Kristen playing legendary guitarist, Joan Jett. Stewart’s performance, although not Oscar-worthy, is still pretty strong and is one of the best of her career.

Dakota Fanning and Michael Shannon also did excellent jobs portraying singer Cherie Currie and producer Kim Fowley respectively. But, despite the strong performances, the movie itself is not a classic; just a decent rock biopic that gets the job done, but nothing more.

15. On The Road (2012)

On the Road is an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s classic 1957 novel of the same name and it features an impressive ensemble cast: Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams, Kirsten Dunst, and Elisabeth Moss, among others. But, ultimately, it’s Garrett Hedlund’s performance as Dean Moriarty that saves the movie and makes it watchable. His acting skills alone are the reason why the movie has three stars instead of two-and-a-half.

Stewart plays Marylou in what is perhaps the most “adult” performance of her career. She has tons of sex scenes, and this is the first time she appears on the screen naked. Her performance was well-received. So, although not a classic like the book it’s based on, On the Road is still a decent effort and well worth a watch.

14. Café Society (2016)

After Adventureland and American Ultra, Stewart teams up with fellow actor, Jesse Eisenberg, for the third time in 2016’s Café Society. This is her first collaboration with legendary director Woody Allen. In many ways, Café Society is just a typical Allen movie: quirky humor, love triangles, Jewish stereotypes… it’s all here. It’s not one of Allen’s best, but definitely not one of his worst either.

Stewart plays, Veronica, Eisenberg’s love interest (again). The movie has good performances and, for the most part, the humor is good enough to hold your attention. But the film’s greatest strength is probably its breathtaking locations and visuals. If this was a ranking of “best-looking” Stewart movies, Café Society would have definitely been No.1.

13. Seberg (2019)

The problem with Seberg isn’t that it’s not a good movie, but that it should have been a great one considering the material the filmmakers had to work with. Actress Jean Seberg (1938 – 1979) had one of the most incredible life stories of the 20th century. How many other celebrities got themselves involved with a radical revolutionary movement, became a target of the F.B.I., and fell victim to a harassment campaign orchestrated by the government?! Now, that’s Oscar-worthy material right there!

Also, Stewart was the perfect actress to play Seberg, as the two actresses are somewhat similar in appearance. But, despite the excellent acting from Stewart, the movie fails to live up to its potential, and the end result is just a decently good movie that could have been so much more.

12. The Cake Eaters (2007)

If some of your friends tell you that Kristen Stewart cannot act (probably after watching one of the Twilight movies), then just refer them to The Cake Eaters, and may they forever remain silent. The Cake Eaters is an independent drama, and here Stewart plays Georgia, a girl who suffers from Friedreich’s ataxia – an incurable disease.

Judging by the script alone, The Cake Eaters should have been just an averagely good movie, but the strong performances elevate it into something more. We get excellent acting from Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern, and Jayce Bartok, but Stewart is clearly the star of the show. Arguably her best performance of the 2000s.

11. Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Think Jumanji (1995), but in space instead on planet Earth, and without the comedic talent of Robin Williams, and you’ll get Zathura. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 book of the same name by author Chris Van Allsburg (who also wrote Jumanji in 1981).

It’s a decent family adventure, with enough action and plot twists to keep you invested till the end, but the problem is: It’s just not as good as the aforementioned Jumanji. In fact, if you’ve already seen Jumanji, you might find Zathura a bit too predictable and, overall, an inferior version of the 1995 film. But, nevertheless, it’s still a decent movie on its own, and you should definitely check it out.

10. Crimes of the Future (2022)

Hands down the most experimental and bizarre of all of Stewart’s movies. Crimes of the Future is like an odd combination of Brazil, Dune, Blade Runner, and The Fifth Element, and yet, at the same time, it’s nothing like the aforementioned movies (if that makes sense). Director David Cronenberg sure comes up with some weird ideas from time to time. It’s the kind of movie that will be proclaimed a masterpiece by one-half of the viewers and leave the other half wondering: “what the hell did I just watch?”.

Stewart has a supporting role as Timlin, a girl who works for the National Organ Registry and takes an interest in Tenser (Viggo Mortensen’s character), particularly his ability to grow and develop extra organs and surgically remove them before a live audience as a part of his performance. So, yeah… I told you it’s a weird one.

9. Spencer (2021)

After playing Joan Jett in The Runaways and Jean Seberg in Seberg, Stewart returns to the biopic genre to portray another iconic figure, and deliver her best performance to date. No longer will she be known as only Bella from Twilight to general audiences.

Her performance as Diana, Princess of Wales, earned her widespread critical acclaim and got her her first Academy Award nomination, with many friends and ex-associates of the famed Princess saying that Stewart’s portrayal of Diana was by far the most accurate they ever saw.

But, although Stewart is magnificent in the movie, the film follows the same faith as Stewart’s other two aforementioned biopics: just a good movie that, given the material the filmmakers had to work with, should have been a classic.

8. Happiest Season (2020)

Happiest Season is an LGBT romantic comedy/drama written and directed by Clea DuVall. This is Stewart’s first collaboration with the director. The story was inspired by DuVall’s own real-life experiences and follows two women, Abby and Harper (played by Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, respectively), who are in love with each other but have to spend Christmas with Harper’s ultra-conservative family while keeping their relationship secret.

Besides Davis, this was also Stewart’s first time working with actors Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Victor Garber, Dan Levy, and Mary Steenburgen. The film was well-received by critics and became the best debut in Hulu’s history with over 400.000 households watching in the opening weekend.

7. Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)

Starring alongside one of the greatest European actresses of all time (Juliette Binoche) and delivering a performance just as good as (or even slightly better than) hers is not an easy task, but that’s exactly what Stewart achieves in this Swiss-German-French co-production.

Clouds of Sils Maria is one of those European “art films” that, upon first viewing, may leave you a little confused about its goal and meaning, but its strength lies in the incredible performances of its three main actresses: Stewart, Binoche, and Moretz. Stewart, however, outshines both of them and was awarded the César Award for Best Supporting Actress (becoming the first American actress in history to win the award). Arguably, her greatest performance of the 2010s.

6. Speak (2004)

Stewart always did a solid job as a young actress in the early 2000s, but it wasn’t until 2004 that she got a chance to truly shine and show the critics what she was capable of. Speak is an adaptation of the 1999 novel of the same name by author Laurie Halse Anderson.

Stewart plays Melinda Sordino, a teen who almost stops talking after being sexually assaulted before starting high school. The character is based on the author’s own life experiences. Stewart received overwhelming praise for her performance and it wasn’t long before directors started turning heads and offering her roles in big-budget blockbusters.

5. Adventureland (2009)

From the director of Superbad (2007), we get another coming-of-age comedy-drama with a well-written script, good acting, and lots of funny moments. It’s everything that a movie of this genre should be and it’s a great choice to watch with your friends or with your significant other.

But, despite almost everything being done right, Adventureland did not make a lot of money and was only a moderate success at the box office. Stewart’s performance was widely praised and she was awarded the “Stonette of the Year” Award by High Times magazine.

4. Camp X-Ray (2014)

After finishing the last of the big-budget Twilight movies in 2012, Stewart returned to indie dramas, and, as mentioned, some of her greatest acting work can be found here. She plays a rookie female guard stationed at Guantanamo Bay who bonds with one of the prisoners.

A well-written script, great acting from Stewart and Iranian actor Payman Maadi, and a powerful ending make this one of Stewart’s best films. For her performance, Stewart was nominated for “Best Actress” by the Women’s Film Critics Circle, and for the “Razzie Redeemer Award” at the Golden Raspberry Awards.

3. Panic Room (2002)