Every Tom Holland movie, ranked according critics
by Abby Monteil
- Actor Tom Holland is known for his roles in movies like “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Onward.”
- So far, Holland has appeared in 17 movies throughout his career.
- His best film, according to critics, is “The Secret World of Arrietty.”
- Below are the movies that the actor has appeared in over the years, ranked by critics’ scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Tom Holland is one of Hollywood’s next big stars.
He went from appearing alongside actors like Saoirse Ronan and Chris Hemsworth in minor roles to starring as Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) in the massively popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also recently co-starred with Chris Pratt in the Pixar fantasy film “Onward.”
However, some of the actor’s roles have been better received by critics than others. Here are all of the movies that Holland has appeared in, ranked according to audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Tom Holland’s lowest-rated film is the 2020 children’s adventure film “Dolittle.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 14%
Synopsis: Loosely based on Hugh Lofting’s classic children’s series, “Dolittle” follows its titular doctor (Robert Downey Jr.), who speaks to animals and searches for a legendary island. Holland voices Jip, a dog who is one of Dolittle’s companions.
The children’s adventure comedy was overwhelmingly panned for its crude humor and chaotic pacing.
“‘Dolittle’ is a not a film,” wrote Scott Tobias for NPR. “‘Dolittle’ is a crime scene in need of forensic analysis. Something happened here. Something terrible. Something inexplicable.”
He briefly appeared in the 2017 historical drama “The Current War,” which centers on famous inventor Thomas Edison.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 30%
Synopsis: The actor had a minor role in “The Current War,” which follows Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse’s competition to invent the electrical system that would power the United States. A director’s cut of the film was later released in 2019.
“For all its aggressive energy, ‘The Current War’ is an uninvolving bore, making it unlikely to measure up as the kind of Oscar-baity prestige entry The Weinstein Co. obviously had in mind,” wrote David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter.
Before joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Holland appeared in 2015’s “In The Heart of the Sea” with Chris Hemsworth, his future “Avengers” costar.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 43%
Synopsis: He appeared with his future Marvel costar, Chris Hemsworth, in “In the Heart of the Sea.” The movie recounts the real-life whaling disaster that later inspired Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.”
“Sorry to beat a dead whale, since ‘In the Heart of the Sea’ clearly lacks whatever it takes to engage a contemporary audience, but what were they thinking when they put such a ponderous picture into production?” wrote Joe Morgenstern for The Wall Street Journal.
He played a boy stranded in a remote cabin in the 2016 survival drama “Edge of Winter.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
Synopsis: “Edge of Winter” centers on Elliot (Joel Kinnaman), a recently divorced father who becomes stranded in a desolate cabin with his two sons (Holland and Percy Hynes White). As their dad quickly begins to unravel, the boys eventually realize that he threatens their chances of survival.
“Director Rob Connolly may well think he’s upping the stakes by plunging his film into borderline horror territory, but in fact he’s minimizing them,” wrote Luke Y. Thompson for The Village Voice. “[…] The story gives great winter, but the forced attempts at ‘edge’ would feel clichéd in a high school creative-writing class.”
He appeared alongside Saoirse Ronan in the 2013 teen dystopian drama “How I Live Now.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
Synopsis: “How I Live Now” follows American teenager Daisy (Saoirse Ronan), who moves in with her English relatives and finds love as a war breaks out around them.
The actor portrayed Isaac, one of Daisy’s cousins.
“‘How I Live Now’ centres on what happens to a group of young people when civilization begins to crumble,” wrote Bruce DeMara for The Toronto Star. “But it’s also a poignant love story, a compelling, against-all-odds one at that.”
Holland starred in the 2017 Irish historical movie “Pilgrimage.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%
Synopsis: The actor led “Pilgrimage,” in which he played a 13th century Irish monk tasked with transporting his monastery’s holiest relic to Rome. However, the journey soon becomes treacherous when passerby realize how valuable the relic is and attempt to take it.
“For all its bloody and violent genre trappings, ‘Pilgrimage’ […] Is a gorgeously shot film that carefully renders the details of this fascinating historical period,” wrote Katie Walsh for The Los Angeles Times.
Holland costarred with Will Smith in the 2019 animated comedy “Spies in Disguise.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 75%
Synopsis: “Spies In Disguise” revolves around the unlikely friendship between suave spy Lance (Smith) and overeager young scientist Walter (Holland). When the two uncover a threat that could endanger the world as they know it, Walter transforms Lance into a pigeon so he can go undercover.
“There’s a level of craftsmanship [in ‘Spies In Disguise’] that’s to be admired, even as you tick off every predictable sequence and plot point as it advances steadily to its obvious conclusion,” wrote G. Allen Johnson for The San Francisco Chronicle.
He starred alongside Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in the 2012 disaster film “The Impossible.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
Synopsis: “The Impossible” recounts the true story of a vacationing family in Thailand, who are caught up in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Holland stars as one of the family’s three sons, while Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts play his parents.
[Watts’] is a beautiful performance that couldn’t exist, by the way, without young Holland’s own impressive access to the emotional truth of being a kid who must become his mother’s protector,” wrote Lisa Schwarzbaum for Entertainment Weekly. “[…] While flooding the viewer with nerve-racking anxiety, ‘The Impossible’ is possibly one of the most pro-family-values movies of the year.”
Holland played Spider-Man in the 2018 Marvel movie “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
Synopsis: In “Avengers: Infinity War,” the Avengers and other Marvel characters fight to stop the totalitarian titan Thanos (Josh Brolin), who threatens to wipe out half of Earth’s population. Holland’s Peter Parker accompanies his mentor, Iron Man (Downey Jr.), into space throughout the film.
“Never has the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’ seemed like more of a universe, in ways both good and bad,” wrote Christopher Orr for The Atlantic. “Infinity War-the title is almost too apt […] It is far from a perfect movie, but it is probably close to the best movie it could have been.”
He played an amateur explorer in the 2016 adventure drama “The Lost City of Z.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Synopsis: Based on David Grann’s nonfiction book of the same name, “The Lost City of Z” tells the real-life story of 20th-century British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who travels to the Amazon and discovers remnants of what may have been an advanced civilization. Holland plays Jack, Fawcett’s teenage son.
“[Robert] Pattinson does fine character work as [Fawcett’s aide-de-camp] Mr. Costin, as does Tom Holland,” wrote Katie Walsh for The News & Observer. “[…] ‘The Lost City of Z’ etches a delicate picture underneath the colorful, wild portrait of Fawcett – of the losses suffered at home in service of greater ambitions and fantastical dreams.”
Tom Holland and Chris Pratt played brothers in the 2020 Pixary fantasy movie “Onward.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Synopsis: Pixar’s “Onward” takes place in a fantasy world much like our own, where teen elf brothers Ian (Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) are granted the magical opportunity to spend one day with their late father. But when the spell goes wrong, the two embark on a mission to bring their dad back before time runs out.
“There’s a fair bit of wit and fun, and some tender moments, although the attitude towards death isn’t nearly as radically powerful as it was in the 2017 Pixar/Disney classic ‘Coco,'” wrote Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian. “[…] Still, it is a likable family comedy that finds an easy rhythm without effort.”
The actor starred in the 2019 superhero adventure film “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Synopsis: “Spider-Man: Far From Home” opens soon after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” as Peter Parker is grieving a recently fallen mentor. He joins his high school classmates on a trip to Europe, but is soon recruited by Avengers operative Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to fight a new villain with mind-bending powers.
“At the very least, ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ provides precisely the sort of eye-popping escapism that’s endemic to summer movies,” wrote Catey Sullivan for The Chicago Reader.
In the 2014 road trip drama “Locke,” he voiced the protagonist’s son, Eddie.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Synopsis: The actor had a small role in “Locke,” which follows Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy), a hardworking family man who receives a phone call that immediately places his stable life in jeopardy. Holland played Ivan’s son, whose voice can briefly be heard when he calls his panicked father.
“The crises Ivan Locke faces with a tremendous will to do the right thing strike a chord,” wrote Lisa Kennedy for The Denver Post. “The mistakes that have him in the driver’s seat, but hardly in control, are terribly human and all too familiar.”
Holland first played Peter Parker in the 2016 Marvel film “Captain America: Civil War.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Synopsis: “Captain America: Civil War” introduced audiences to Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man, who is recruited by Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) to help battle Chris Evans’ Captain America (who becomes Tony’s unlikely, short-term enemy in the movie).
“In the end, this is a movie about friendships and conflict, and what can happen when the latter overwhelms the former,” wrote Jamelle Bouie for Slate. “It’s about two genuine heroes who can’t reconcile their obligations and duties with the friendship they both cherish.”
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” came out in 2017 and was the actor’s first solo “Spider-Man” movie.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Synopsis: Holland’s first stand-alone “Spider-Man” movie was 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” The movie follows Peter Parker as he attempts to balance being a high school student in Queens with fighting a recently emerged New York City supervillain.
The film was praised for its ability to effectively blend teen coming-of-age comedy and fast-paced superhero action, while still fitting into the events of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“What makes this homecoming fun is [Tom] Holland, who seems as excited about Spider-Man as his classmates even though he is Spider-Man,” wrote Bob Mondello for NPR.
His Marvel character had a small role in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Synopsis: “Avengers: Endgame” begins as half of the world’s population (including Holland’s Peter Parker) have disappeared from existence thanks to the evil Thanos. The remaining Avengers team up to reverse the damage that has been done to the universe, attempting to bring everyone back – a mission that has deadly consequences for many well-known Marvel characters.
“What you will be getting when you walk into an inevitably overstuffed movie theater is something singular that reflects our age in a way that none of the MCU films that preceded it have-indeed, very few Hollywood spectacles ever have,” wrote Oliver Jones for The Observer.
The actor’s highest-rated movie is “The Secret World of Arrietty.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Synopsis: In the Japanese animated film “The Secret World of Arrietty,” the lives of a four-inch-tall family (who discreetly live in another family’s home) are thrown in disarray when their teenage daughter, Arrietty, is discovered.
Holland starred in the redubbed English version of the movie, voicing the human boy who first encounters her.
“[‘The Secret World of Arrietty’] pulses with feeling for childhood and nature and develops a surprising amount of suspense considering it takes place around a single suburban home,” wrote Ben Sachs for The Chicago Reader. “[…] Emotionally moving in the Ghibli tradition, the movie conjures a utopian world in which everyone acts with compassion and even a crawl space can be a site of awesome mystery.”