All James McAvoy Movies Ranked

Critics Consensus: Aardman Animations broadens their humor a bit for Arthur Christmas, a clever and earnest holiday film with surprising emotional strength.

Synopsis: Everyone knows that, each Christmas, Santa Claus delivers presents to every last child on Earth. What everyone doesn't know is that Santa accomplishes the feat... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent

Directed By: Sarah Smith

Critics Consensus: X-Men: Days of Future Past combines the best elements of the series to produce a satisfyingly fast-paced outing that ranks among the franchise's finest installments.

Synopsis: Convinced that mutants pose a threat to humanity, Dr. Bolivar Trask develops the Sentinels, enormous robotic weapons that can detect a mutant gene and zero... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

Directed By: Bryan Singer

Critics Consensus: Starter For 10 is a spirited coming-of-age tale that remains charming and witty even as it veers into darker teritory. The unique setting of a quiz show makes the film wittier than your average romantic comedy.

Synopsis: Brian Jackson (James McAvoy), a working-class youth from Essex, gets a chance to prove himself when he is accepted to respected Bristol University. As Brian... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, Simon Woods

Directed By: Tom Vaughan

Critics Consensus: Forest Whitaker's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin powers this fictionalized political thriller, a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption.

Synopsis: While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan becomes the personal physician and close confidant of dictator Idi Amin. Although at first... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson

Directed By: Kevin Macdonald

Critics Consensus: With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise.

Synopsis: In the early 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, a mutant named Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) meets a fellow mutant named Erik Lehnsherr... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence

Directed By: Matthew Vaughn

Critics Consensus: Atonement features strong performances, brilliant cinematography, and a unique score. Featuring deft performances from James MacAvoy and Keira Knightley, it's a successful adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel.

Synopsis: This sweeping English drama, based on the book by Ian McEwan, follows the lives of young lovers Cecilia Tallis and Robbie Turner. When the couple... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan

Directed By: Joe Wright

Critics Consensus: Atomic Blonde gets enough mileage out of its stylish action sequences -- and ever-magnetic star -- to make up for a narrative that's somewhat less hard-hitting than its protagonist.

Synopsis: Sensual and savage, Lorraine Broughton is the most elite spy in MI6, an agent who's willing to use all of her lethal skills to stay... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, John Goodman

Directed By: David Leitch

Critics Consensus: Split serves as a dramatic tour de force for James McAvoy in multiple roles -- and finds writer-director M. Night Shyamalan returning resoundingly to thrilling form.

Synopsis: Though Kevin has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Haley Lu Richardson

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan

Critics Consensus: With first-rate special effects and compelling storytelling, this adaptation stays faithful to its source material and will please moviegoers of all ages.

Synopsis: During the World War II bombings of London, four English siblings are sent to a country house where they will be safe. One day Lucy... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley

Directed By: Andrew Adamson

Critics Consensus: Wanted is stylish, energetic popcorn fare with witty performances from Angelina Jolie (playing an expert assassin), James McAvoy, and Morgan Freeman that help to distract from its absurdly over-the-top plot.

Synopsis: Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. After his estranged father is murdered, he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie), who... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp

Directed By: Timur Bekmambetov

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In an alternate puppet world, all marionettes are connected to a higher power by their strings. When one is severed, they lose use of that... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Catherine McCormack, Julian Glover, Derek Jacobi

Directed By: Anders Rønnow Klarlund

Critics Consensus: Michael Hoffman's script doesn't quite live up to its famous subject, but this Tolstoy biopic benefits from a spellbinding tour de force performance by Helen Mirren.

Synopsis: In 1910, famed novelist Leo Tolstoy and his wife Sofya vehemently disagree over the rights to Tolstoy's literary legacy. Sofya believes her husband should bequeath... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, James McAvoy

Directed By: Michael Hoffman

Critics Consensus: Together is a little too effective at recreating the lockdown experience, although Sharon Horgan and James McAvoy are an appealing duo.

Synopsis: Academy Award nominee Stephen Daldry's new comedy, TOGETHER, starring James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan, is the story of a family, like so many, who found... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Sharon Horgan, Samuel Logan

Directed By: Stephen Daldry

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Family interference and culture clash threaten the romance between the offspring (Preeya Kalidas, James McAvoy) of rival clothiers in London.

Starring: Preeya Kalidas, James McAvoy, Ciarán McMenamin, Kat Bhathena

Directed By: Jeremy Wooding

Critics Consensus: As stylish as ever, director Danny Boyle seems to be treading water with the surprisingly thinly written Trance -- but for fans of Boyle's work, it should still prove a trippily entertaining distraction.

Synopsis: Simon (James McAvoy), a fine-art auctioneer, joins a gang of thieves led by Franck (Vincent Cassel) to steal a priceless Goya painting. During the heist... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel, Danny Sapani

Directed By: Danny Boyle

Critics Consensus: Warped, grimy, and enthusiastically unpleasant, Filth lives up to its title splendidly.

Synopsis: A drug-addled, manipulative misanthrope (James McAvoy) begins to experience increasingly severe hallucinations as he tries to solve the murder of a Japanese student.

Starring: James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Jim Broadbent

Directed By: Jon S. Baird

Critics Consensus: Led by strong performances from Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is a hauntingly original rumination on love and loss.

Synopsis: Following the death of their child, a woman (Jessica Chastain) leaves her husband (James McAvoy) and flees to the suburban home of her wealthy parents.

Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Viola Davis, William Hurt

Directed By: Ned Benson

Critics Consensus: Colored with witty performances and a camp sense of satire, Stephen Fry's version of Evelyn Waugh's novel may only be fitfully successful but it does mark a promising debut for the British comic.

Synopsis: During the 1930s in England, a group of young socialites dominate the national gossip with extravagant and outlandish antics. Among the group is the aspiring... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Emily Mortimer, Stephen Campbell Moore, James McAvoy, Michael Sheen

Directed By: Stephen Fry

Critics Consensus: It: Chapter Two proves bigger doesn't always mean scarier for horror sequels, but a fine cast and faithful approach to the source material keep this follow-up afloat.

Synopsis: Defeated by members of the Losers' Club, the evil clown Pennywise returns 27 years later to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine, once again. Now... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa

Directed By: Andy Muschietti

Critics Consensus: A predictable, bland rom-com, but Bettany proves to be an appealing lead.

Synopsis: Frustrated at his own failures and disillusioned with professional sports, tennis player Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) resolves to retire from competition and become an instructor... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Sam Neill, Jon Favreau

Directed By: Richard Loncraine

Critics Consensus: Although Becoming Jane is a well-crafted period piece, it lacks fresh insight into the life and works of Jane Austen. The film focuses too much on wardrobe and not enough on Austen's achievements.

Synopsis: Though Jane Austen's (Anne Hathaway) financially strapped parents (James Cromwell, Julie Walters) expect her to marry the nephew of wealthy Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith

Directed By: Julian Jarrold

Critics Consensus: The Conspirator is well cast and tells a worthy story, but many viewers will lack the patience for Redford's deliberate, stagebound approach.

Synopsis: Following the assassination of President Lincoln, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill Lincoln, the vice president and the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood

Directed By: Robert Redford

Critics Consensus: While it has moments of inspiration, Gnomeo and Juliet is often too self-referential for its own good.

Synopsis: In Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, Miss Capulet and Mr. Montague feud over whose garden is the better. Garden gnomes that decorate each neighbor's flower... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith

Directed By: Kelly Asbury

Critics Consensus: Though Penelope has a charming cast and an appealing message, it ultimately suffers from faulty narrative and sloppy direction.

Synopsis: Born with the snout of a pig, young Penelope Wilhern spends life a virtual prisoner in her home. Believing that the only way to break... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Peter Dinklage

Directed By: Mark Palansky

Critics Consensus: The dramatic aspects of Rory O'Shea Was Here veer into mawkish, formulaic sentiment, which undercuts the characters' individuality.

Synopsis: In a Dublin home for the disabled, Michael Connolly (Steven Robertson) leads a glum, introverted existence; his cerebral palsy makes it difficult for anyone to... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Steven Robertson, Romola Garai, Gerard McSorley

Directed By: Damien O'Donnell

Critics Consensus: Welcome to the Punch is a little deeper and more thoughtful than most police dramas -- but not quite enough to surmount its thinly written characters and numbing violence.

Synopsis: When a notorious criminal is forced to return to London, it gives a veteran detective one final chance to bring the man to justice.

Starring: James McAvoy, Mark Strong, Peter Mullan, Andrea Riseborough

Directed By: Eran Creevy

Critics Consensus: Overloaded action and a cliched villain take the focus away from otherwise strong performers and resonant themes, making X-Men: Apocalypse a middling chapter of the venerable superhero franchise.

Synopsis: Worshiped as a god since the dawn of civilization, the immortal Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) becomes the first and most powerful mutant. Awakening after thousands of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac

Directed By: Bryan Singer

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Driving in the heart of the Highlands, Edmond Murray receives a call from his ex-wife, in tears. Their 7-year-old son has gone missing from a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Jamie Michie, Tom Cullen

Directed By: Christian Carion

Critics Consensus: Glass displays a few glimmers of M. Night Shyamalan at his twisty world-building best, but ultimately disappoints as the conclusion to the writer-director's long-gestating trilogy.

Synopsis: David Dunn tries to stay one step ahead of the law while delivering vigilante justice on the streets of Philadelphia. His special talents soon put... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A masked killer slaughters young people having a party at a fancy gymnasium.

Starring: Kristen Miller, Elena Uhlig, Thorsten Grasshoff, John Hopkins

Directed By: Boris von Sychowski

Critics Consensus: Sherlock Gnomes is sadly, utterly stumped by the mystery of the reason for its own existence.

Synopsis: When Gnomeo and Juliet first arrive in London with their friends and family, their biggest concern is getting a new garden ready for spring. When... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maggie Smith

Directed By: John Stevenson

Critics Consensus: A re-imagining without the imagining, Victor Frankenstein plays at providing a fresh perspective on an oft-told tale, but ultimately offers little of interest that viewers haven't already seen in superior Frankenstein films.

Synopsis: While searching for animal body parts at a London circus, radical scientist Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) meets gifted surgeon Igor Strausman (Daniel Radcliffe). Not only... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott

Directed By: Paul McGuigan

Critics Consensus: Dark Phoenix ends an era of the X-Men franchise by taking a second stab at adapting a classic comics arc -- with deeply disappointing results.

Synopsis: The X-Men face their most formidable and powerful foe when one of their own, Jean Grey, starts to spiral out of control. During a rescue... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult

Directed By: Simon Kinberg

Critics Consensus: A slow-moving misfire, Submergence isn't as deep as it thinks it is -- but still manages to drown its stars in a drama whose admirable ambitions remain almost entirely unfulfilled.

Synopsis: Clinging to life in a cell in Africa, James is brutally interrogated by jihadis. Worlds away, Danielle prepares to descend into the Arctic Sea. Facing... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James McAvoy, Alicia Vikander, Alexander Siddig, Celyn Jones

Directed By: Wim Wenders