Emma Watson, the English actress and activist, became a cinema darling when she had her debut in the Harry Potter movie in 2001. She proved to be a brilliant and gifted performer many times through the years. Therefore, TechTrends made a list of the best Emma Watson movies of all time.
Emma Watson made a name for herself when she appeared in all eight Harry Potter movies as Hermione Granger at the age of 11. That role has not just launched her career, but it actually made it. After that, she proved multiple times that she could do more than being a teenage wizard, featuring in many different genres. So, she has built a reputation for herself. However, acting is not the only thing she is passionate about. Not only is she an actor, but she is also a model, an activist, and one of the most influential people in the world as she fights for gender equality. In 2014, she became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, and the HeForShe was launched.
Moreover, she stood behind Black Lives Matter and climate change in the last couple of years. With everything she does off-screen, being able to continue working in movies is a blessing. Her career in acting has led to her becoming one of the highest-paid actresses in the world. Let’s dive into the best must see Emma Watson performances.
Best Emma Watson Movies of All Time
The audience came to know Emma Watson in the Harry Potter Series, but she grew to be much more than that. Although she will stay Hermione Granger in the audience’s heart, she has accomplished way more than that. TechTrends decided to take a look at all her roles over the years and made a list of the best Emma Watson movies of all time.
10. This Is The End 2013
- Genre: Comedy/Dark Comedy
- Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
- Star: Emma Watson, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Michael Cera
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 83%, IMDb 6.6
One of the best Emma Watson movies of all time is an apocalyptic comedy named This Is The End. The movie shows James France and a group of famous friends, who are actually cast as exaggerated versions of their real selves. Moreover, they have a wild party house. Then, the whole city is then alerted, so Franco and his friends have to survive earthquakes, monsters, and one another.
The actors make a mockery of themselves in this crazy movie while making others laugh. Emma Watson appears for a short time, and that is why the movie is on the list. She breaks into Franco’s home and has an ax in hand. Moreover, she is armed with uncharacteristic swear words and asks for sanctuary. Although there are a lot of laughs, there are not many female actors involved, with Emma Watson being the notable one and without a doubt the best.
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9. My Week with Marilyn 2011
- Genre: Drama/History
- Director: Simon Curtis
- Star: Emma Watson, Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Julia Ormond
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 84%, IMDb 6.9
Another one of the best Emma Watson movies of all time is the movie My Week with Marilyn, a drama film. It is based on Colin Clark’s books, and it chronicles The Prince and the Showgirl in 1957, which was a comedy Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier starred in. Emma Watson plays the role of Lucy Armstrong, who is a wardrobe assistant. She falls in love with one of the characters, Colin, but she then breaks up with him. In comparison to other actors, her role is small as she only plays in a few scenes. Nevertheless, she was able to impress the audience and make a memorable appearance.
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8. The Bling Ring 2013
- Genre: Crime/Drama
- Director: Sofia Coppola
- Star: Emma Watson, Katie Chang, Claire Julien, Taissa Farmiga, Israel Broussard, Leslie Mann, Paris Hilton
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 60%, IMDb 5.6
The movie The Bling Ring is based on true events and is one of the best Emma Watson movies ever. It is about a group of fame and fortune-obsessed teenagers who go through a crime spree across Hollywood. They try to find the whereabouts of celebrities to be able to burglarize their home, which is unoccupied, naming it high-end fashion.
Sofia Coppola’s cool, edgy directorial vision totally overshadows a story that has only a little plot. The tone of desperation and the wish to live a life of fame without earning it is kept perfectly by the cast. Emma Watson portrays the role of Nicki, who is homeschooled and feels entitlement is what she has a right to. She performs as a sexy and selfish character which is based on reality. This was one of the roles in a completely different direction for the actor we mostly know as Hermione.
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7. Ballet Shoes 2007
- Genre: Drama/Dance
- Director: Sandra Goldbacher
- Star: Emma Watson, Yasmin Paige, Lucy Boynton, Nina Watson, Richard Griffiths, Emilia Fox
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 100%, IMDb 6.6
Ballet Shoes is another one of the best Emma Watson movies of all time based on a novel written by Noel Streatfeild in 1936. The story is about three orphaned girls who got adopted by an eccentric adventurer when they were infants. They have a hard time accomplishing their high aspirations. Emma Watson plays the role of the eldest orphan named Pauline Fossil. When she was only six, her guardian could not pay the fees for her school, and she had to drop out. However, she then attends a dancing school following a recommendation. Because of her talent for acting, she then signed a Hollywood contract despite many setbacks.
6. Colonia 2015
- Genre: Thriller/Drama
- Director: Florian Gallenberger
- Star: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl, Michael Nyqvist, Richenda Carey, Vicky Krieps, Jeanne Werner
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 29%, IMDb 7
Another one of Emma Watson greatest movies ever is a historical thriller named Colonia. It is set against the backdrop of the Chilean coup d’etat and “Colonia Dignidad in 1973. German lay preacher named Paul Schafer is the leader of the cult in Chile’s south. The story follows a brave stewardess who aims to save her loved one from incarceration when the coup d’etat is happening.
Emma Watson portrays the role of Lena, who is a courageous flight attendant for Lufthansa Airline. She infiltrates the cult with the purpose of saving her activist boyfriend, Daniel. She was eventually successful and got photographic evidence of Colonia Dignidad. Moreover, the movie received the Best Production prize at the Bavarian Film Awards in 2016.
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5. Noah 2014
- Genre: Adventure/Drama
- Director: Darren Aronofsky
- Star: Emma Watson, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 76%, IMDb 5.8
The fifth one on our list of the best Emma Watson movies of all time is the bible story of Noah’s ark. However, the story is reimagined, and a contemporary spin was given to this version of the story. Noah, played by Russell Crowe, is accompanied by the remainder of the fallen angels and tries to build the boat to save earth’s animals. Tubal-cain is played by Ray Winstone who is a descendant of Cain. In other words, he is the bad guy, who is trying to take over the control of the ark, which is the only way to be saved from the flood.
This is a great story that has a fresh vision. Crowe shows a dominant performance as God’s man on Earth, making his character believable with every hard decision he comes across making. Emma Watson plays the role of Ila, who is rescued by Noah, and he takes her in his family. She then enters a romantic relationship with Noah’s son, Shem. While boarding the ark, she announced that she was pregnant. Should it be a boy, Noah has to carry out what God wants, which is all mankind being cleansed. Ila then tries to stop him from making his most difficult decision in life.
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012
- Genre: Romance/Drama
- Director: Stephen Chbosky
- Star: Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, Nina Dobrev, Johnny Simmons, Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 85%, IMDb 8
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, directed by Stephen Chbosky in 2012, is a coming-of-age drama movie that is an adaptation of his own novel back in 1999. It is a tale of a socially shy adolescent, Charlie, who is a wallflower usually on the margins of life. Then, two of his classmates turn out to be his mentors.
Samantha Button is one of her mentors, and she is played by Emma Watson. She is nice, helpful, and peculiar. Moreover, she thinks that everything appears nicer on vinyl. Sam’s boyfriend cheats on her during the end of the film. Before Sam went to college, she and Charlie had a romance, but it was unofficial. Sam was among the people who had a positive impact on Charlie’s life. This is indeed one of the best Emma Watson movies of all time.
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3. Little Women 2019
- Genre: Romance/Drama
- Director: Greta Gerwig
- Star: Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 95%, IMDb 7.8
This is a new adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, and Timothee Chalamet co-stars with Saoirse Ronan. Greta Gerwig directed the movie in which Chalamet plays Laurie, the love interest of Ronan’s Jo March. Emma Watson also plays the role of Margaret “Meg” March, Jo’s sister. The movie has an amazing cast with other star players featuring, like Meryl Streep, Florence Pugh, and Laura Dern.
It is Emma Watson’s highest-rated movie on letterboxd, even when Harry Potter is included. Meg is the oldest sister in the March family, and when she was a little girl, she was always getting drawn to beautiful things, yearning for opulence. However, as she became older, she reached the conclusion that money does not realize genuine worth. She then fully appreciates the blessings when she gets married to John Brooke, Laurie’s teacher. However, she does not lose her desire for luxury completely. This is one of the best Emma Watson movies of all time.
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2. The Beauty and the Beast 2017
- Genre: Romance/Musical
- Director: Bill Condon
- Star: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 71%, IMDb 7.1
The second one on our list of the best Emma Watson movies of all time is Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon in 2017. The beloved Disney classic is brought to life, which tells the tale of a selfish Prince who was cursed to be a monster for the remainder of his life unless he learns to fall in love with the girl who he is keeping as a prisoner. That role is played by Emma Watson, who is the Belle of the story. Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn insisted that Watson was his first and only choice.
Paige O’Hara, who was the voice behind the animated film, believed that casting Watson was a perfect choice. She even offered Watson help regarding her singing lessons. Watson also talked about taking the role when talking to Time, saying, “I think that I just feel really lucky. For me, Belle was my childhood heroine; [the animated original] came out two days after I was born…I think I came out of [Beauty and the Beast] with more confidence and more skills. And more belief in myself.”
1. Harry Potter Series 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
- Director: Alfonso Cuarón, David Yates, Mike Newell, Chris Columbus
- Star: Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint,
The first one on our list of the best Emma Watson movies of all time is her memorable performance in the Harry Potter Franchise as Hermione Granger. Her most adored and iconic role so far was the brilliant Hermione in Harry Potter series, in which she appeared for a decade. She had her big debut in 2001 when the first Harry Potter movie came out. Although she took her audition for the role very seriously, she admitted that she never really thought she could get the role. However, she impressed the producers with her self-confidence, outperforming thousands of other girls for the part. Following eight auditions, she was given the role.
She then featured in seven more installments of the series by J.K. Rowling, in each franchise, being hailed for her emotionally-driven portrayal of Hermione. Harry Potter was indeed one of the best Emma Watson films of all time.