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Benedict Cumberbatch Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

We’re ranking the films of Benedict Cumberbatch! Let’s start with his Certified Fresh films, including his residency as Doctor Strange in the MCU (Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home), Best Actor-nominated The Power of the Dog and The Imitation Game, and Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave. Cumberbatch’s Rotten films with positive Audience Scores include The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Third Star, and The Other Boleyn Girl. —Alex Vo

#1

12 Years a Slave (2013)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#1
Adjusted Score: 113163%
Critics Consensus: It's far from comfortable viewing, but 12 Years a Slave's unflinchingly brutal look at American slavery is also brilliant -- and quite possibly essential -- cinema.
Synopsis: In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is... [More]
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano
Directed By: Steve McQueen

#2

Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#2
Adjusted Score: 123891%
Critics Consensus: Exciting, entertaining, and emotionally impactful, Avengers: Endgame does whatever it takes to deliver a satisfying finale to Marvel's epic Infinity Saga.
Synopsis: The fourth installment in the Avengers saga is the culmination of 22 interconnected Marvel films and the climax of a... [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth
Directed By: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

#3
#3
Adjusted Score: 112739%
Critics Consensus: Brought to life by a stellar ensemble led by Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog reaffirms writer-director Jane Campion as one of her generation's finest filmmakers.
Synopsis: Severe, pale-eyed, handsome, Phil Burbank is brutally beguiling. All of Phil's romance, power and fragility is trapped in the past... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Directed By: Jane Campion

#4
#4
Adjusted Score: 115264%
Critics Consensus: A bigger, bolder Spider-Man sequel, No Way Home expands the franchise's scope and stakes without losing sight of its humor and heart.
Synopsis: For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero's identity is revealed, bringing his Super... [More]
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon
Directed By: Jon Watts

#5

The Imitation Game (2014)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#5
Adjusted Score: 103710%
Critics Consensus: With an outstanding starring performance from Benedict Cumberbatch illuminating its fact-based story, The Imitation Game serves as an eminently well-made entry in the "prestige biopic" genre.
Synopsis: In 1939, newly created British intelligence agency MI6 recruits Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to crack Nazi codes,... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear
Directed By: Morten Tyldum

#6

Starter for 10 (2006)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#6
Adjusted Score: 92694%
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... [More]
Starring: James McAvoy, Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, Simon Woods
Directed By: Tom Vaughan

#7

Doctor Strange (2016)
Tomatometer icon 89%

#7
Adjusted Score: 107867%
Critics Consensus: Doctor Strange artfully balances its outré source material against the blockbuster constraints of the MCU, delivering a thoroughly entertaining superhero origin story in the bargain.
Synopsis: Dr. Stephen Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong
Directed By: Scott Derrickson

#8

1917 (2019)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#8
Adjusted Score: 113418%
Critics Consensus: Hard-hitting, immersive, and an impressive technical achievement, 1917 captures the trench warfare of World War I with raw, startling immediacy.
Synopsis: During World War I, two British soldiers -- Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake -- receive seemingly impossible orders.... [More]
Starring: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott
Directed By: Sam Mendes

#9
#9
Adjusted Score: 112597%
Critics Consensus: Avengers: Infinity War ably juggles a dizzying array of MCU heroes in the fight against their gravest threat yet, and the result is a thrilling, emotionally resonant blockbuster that (mostly) realizes its gargantuan ambitions.
Synopsis: Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet --... [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Chadwick Boseman
Directed By: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

#10

The Courier (2020)
Tomatometer icon 85%

#10
Adjusted Score: 97231%
Critics Consensus: The Courier delivers a rousingly effective old-school spy adventure elevated by a thrilling fact-based story and Benedict Cumberbatch's nervy central performance.
Synopsis: THE COURIER is a true-life spy thriller, the story of an unassuming British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) recruited into... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Vladimir Chuprikov, James Schofield
Directed By: Dominic Cooke

#11
#11
Adjusted Score: 97944%
Critics Consensus: Visually spectacular and suitably action packed, Star Trek Into Darkness is a rock-solid installment in the venerable sci-fi franchise, even if it's not as fresh as its predecessor.
Synopsis: The crew of the Starship Enterprise returns home after an act of terrorism within its own organization destroys most of... [More]
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana
Directed By: J.J. Abrams

#12
#12
Adjusted Score: 93277%
Critics Consensus: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together with utmost skill.
Synopsis: In 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian... [More]
Starring: Gary Oldman, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik
Directed By: Tomas Alfredson

#13

Atonement (2007)
Tomatometer icon 83%

#13
Adjusted Score: 91850%
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 (Keira... [More]
Starring: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan
Directed By: Joe Wright

#14

Four Lions (2009)
Tomatometer icon 84%

#14
Adjusted Score: 89113%
Critics Consensus: Its premise suggests brazenly tasteless humor, but Four Lions is actually a smart, pitch-black comedy that carries the unmistakable ring of truth.
Synopsis: A group of young Muslim men living in Sheffield decide to wage jihad, and they hatch an inept plan to... [More]
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak
Directed By: Christopher Morris

#15

The Child in Time (2017)
Tomatometer icon 79%

#15
Adjusted Score: 79414%
Critics Consensus: The Child in Time skillfully resists melodrama, trusting the finer details of its story -- and the actors bringing them to life -- to land with a slow-building, devastating impact.
Synopsis: Stephen Lewis, a successful author of children's books, is confronted with the unthinkable when his only child disappears in a... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Campbell Moore, Saskia Reeves
Directed By: Julian Farino

#16

War Horse (2011)
Tomatometer icon 74%

#16
Adjusted Score: 83768%
Critics Consensus: Technically superb, proudly sentimental, and unabashedly old-fashioned, War Horse is an emotional drama that tugs the heartstrings with Spielberg's customary flair.
Synopsis: Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his beloved horse, Joey, live on a farm in the British countryside. At the outbreak of... [More]
Starring: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan
Directed By: Steven Spielberg

#17

The Mauritanian (2021)
Tomatometer icon 75%

#17
Adjusted Score: 85805%
Critics Consensus: The Mauritanian takes a frustratingly generic approach to a real-life story that might have been inspirational in other hands, but Tahar Rahim's performance elevates the uneven material.
Synopsis: Directed by Kevin Macdonald and based on the NY Times best-selling memoir "Guantánamo Diary" by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, this is... [More]
Starring: Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch
Directed By: Kevin Macdonald

#18

The Whistleblower (2010)
Tomatometer icon 75%

#18
Adjusted Score: 79337%
Critics Consensus: Rachel Weisz puts on a compelling smoldering act though the film suffers from a literal-minded approach to the material.
Synopsis: The experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a cop from Nebraska, who worked as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and exposed a... [More]
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Monica Bellucci, Vanessa Redgrave, Benedict Cumberbatch
Directed By: Larysa Kondracki

#19
#19
Adjusted Score: 85759%
Critics Consensus: While still slightly hamstrung by "middle chapter" narrative problems and its formidable length, The Desolation of Smaug represents a more confident, exciting second chapter for the Hobbit series.
Synopsis: Having survived the first part of their unsettling journey, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his companions (Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage)... [More]
Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch
Directed By: Peter Jackson

#20

Black Mass (2015)
Tomatometer icon 73%

#20
Adjusted Score: 87255%
Critics Consensus: Black Mass spins a gripping yarn out of its fact-based story -- and leaves audiences with one of Johnny Depp's most compelling performances in years.
Synopsis: While his brother Bill (Benedict Cumberbatch) remains a powerful leader in the Massachusetts Senate, Irish hoodlum James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny... [More]
Starring: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson
Directed By: Scott Cooper

#21
#21
Adjusted Score: 100349%
Critics Consensus: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness labors under the weight of the sprawling MCU, but Sam Raimi's distinctive direction casts an entertaining spell.
Synopsis: In Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams
Directed By: Sam Raimi

#22
#22
Adjusted Score: 78957%
Critics Consensus: Penguins of Madagascar is fast and brightly colored enough to entertain small children, but too frantically silly to offer real filmgoing fun for the whole family.
Synopsis: Plucky penguins Skipper (Tom McGrath), Kowalski (Chris Miller), Rico (Conrad Vernon) and Private (Christopher Knights) -- the most elite spies... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, John Malkovich, Tom McGrath, Chris Miller
Directed By: Eric Darnell, Simon J. Smith

#23
#23
Adjusted Score: 75520%
Critics Consensus: Sparked by a pair of well-matched leads, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain honors its real-life subject by adding a dash of whimsy to the standard biopic formula.
Synopsis: The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to... [More]
Starring: Sophia Di Martino, Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough
Directed By: Will Sharpe

#24
#24
Adjusted Score: 76420%
Critics Consensus: The sheer amount of acting going on in August: Osage County threatens to overwhelm, but when the actors involved are as talented as Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, it's difficult to complain.
Synopsis: The death and funeral of their father brings three sisters to the home of their mother, Violet (Meryl Streep), an... [More]
Starring: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper
Directed By: John Wells

#25

Amazing Grace (2006)
Tomatometer icon 68%

#25
Adjusted Score: 72681%
Critics Consensus: Amazing Grace is your quintessential historical biopic: stately, noble, and with plenty of electrifying performances.
Synopsis: In 18th-century England, House of Commons member William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) and his close friend and a future prime minister,... [More]
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney
Directed By: Michael Apted

#26
#26
Adjusted Score: 65988%
Critics Consensus: If it lacks the powerful voltage that its impressive cast suggests, The Current War: Director's Cut represents a significant improvement over previous versions.
Synopsis: Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse -- the greatest inventors of the industrial age -- engage in a battle of technology... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, Katherine Waterston
Directed By: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

#27
#27
Adjusted Score: 71726%
Critics Consensus: Though somewhat overwhelmed by its own spectacle, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ends Peter Jackson's second Middle-earth trilogy on a reasonably satisfying note.
Synopsis: Having reclaimed Erebor and vast treasure from the dragon Smaug, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) sacrifices friendship and honor in seeking... [More]
Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly
Directed By: Peter Jackson

#28
#28
Adjusted Score: 70592%
Critics Consensus: The Grinch gives the classic Seuss source material a brightly animated update that's solidly suitable for younger viewers without adding substantially to the story's legacy.
Synopsis: The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones, Pharrell Williams
Directed By: Scott Mosier, Yarrow Cheney

#29
#29
Adjusted Score: 57473%
Critics Consensus: Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle brings impressive special effects to bear on the darker side of its classic source material, but loses track of the story's heart along the way.
Synopsis: Human child Mowgli is raised by a wolf pack in the jungles of India. As he learns the often harsh... [More]
Starring: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Rohan Chand, Benedict Cumberbatch
Directed By: Andy Serkis

#30

Creation (2009)
Tomatometer icon 47%

#30
Adjusted Score: 51169%
Critics Consensus: This Charles Darwin biopic is curiously dispassionate, but Creation contains some of director Jon Amiel's best work, and Paul Bettany's performance is not to be missed.
Synopsis: Devastated by the death of his beloved daughter, Annie, Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany) sinks into a deep depression, and cannot... [More]
Starring: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones
Directed By: Jon Amiel

#31

Third Star (2010)
Tomatometer icon 47%

#31
Adjusted Score: 36127%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: James (Benedict Cumberbatch), a dying young man, and his friends travel to the coast of Barafundle Bay in western Wales.... [More]
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Tom Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, JJ Feild
Directed By: Hattie Dalton

#32
#32
Adjusted Score: 48646%
Critics Consensus: Though it features some extravagant and entertaining moments, The Other Boleyn Girl feels more like a soap opera than historical drama.
Synopsis: King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) lacks an heir. Seeing this as an opportunity for personal gain, the Duke of Norfolk... [More]
Starring: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Kristin Scott Thomas
Directed By: Justin Chadwick

#33

The Fifth Estate (2013)
Tomatometer icon 35%

#33
Adjusted Score: 42946%
Critics Consensus: Heavy on detail and melodrama but missing the spark from its remarkable real-life inspiration, The Fifth Estate mostly serves as a middling showcase for Benedict Cumberbatch's remarkable talent.
Synopsis: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a colleague, Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl), join forces to become watchdogs over actions... [More]
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Dan Stevens, Alicia Vikander
Directed By: Bill Condon

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