From Thomas to Stiles Stilinski, Dylan O'Brien has starred in many major roles that have captured the attention of worldwide audiences. Starring in movies and TV shows since 2011, with two of his most notable performances being the aforementioned characters in the book-to-movie Maze Runner franchise and the wildly popular young adult show Teen Wolf, O'Brien is an undeniably talented star.
O'Brien went on to do great things in his career since the success of some of his earliest works, appearing in critically and commercially acclaimed movies across various genres and earning almost two dozen nominations and awards for his performances over the last twelve years. Given his unwavering talent to bring life to the characters he portrays, this isn’t hard to believe, but these ten additions to his filmography are sure to prove readers just how brilliant he is. From Maze Runner: The Death Cure to Love and Monsters, these are the best Dylan O’Brien movies and TV shows.
10 ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 43%
Movies don't always do better as they progress, and sadly for some viewers, the third Maze Runner film fell into that stigma. However, despite some unfavorable reviews regarding its character development and storyline, it really is a decent movie, with hundreds of thousands of people continuing to love this final installment.
It follows the remaining Gladers, along with the help of their newfound allies from the previous film, as they attempt to save their captured friends and put an end to WCKD's wrongdoings. Regardless of its divided popularity, its brilliant cast performances, outstanding special effects, and action-packed scenes were a fitting end to the initial trilogy for many. O’Brien is, of course, a true highlighting of the series, and his efforts in The Death Cure are noteworthy — especially when taking into consideration that he was seriously injured by doing his own stunts.
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9 ‘Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials’ (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%
The Maze Runner's second installment was released a year after its first. Although not as popular as its predecessor, it still did relatively well according to Rotten Tomatoes for its performances and engaging script. Considered worse than the first by some but better by others, its primary reason for criticism stemmed from a lack of faithfulness to the source material.
The Scorch Trials is a film nobody seemed able to agree on quality-wise. But despite its mixed reception, it smashed records at the box office, earning $312,296,056 worldwide, instantly garnering commercial success. This factor, atop its ability to hook you and leave you pining to see how it will all end, is enough to make it an enjoyable ride.
8 ‘Flashback’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
Flashback is an intriguing mystery film by Christopher MacBride in which Dylan shines as the main character. Alternatively titled The Education of Fredrick Fitzell, the 97-minute thriller follows Fred as he experiences flashbacks to his high school days, specifically, one girl who mysteriously vanished back when he was a student.
The film premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in 2020 and was met with pretty mixed reviews. However, it's packed with enough mystery and shrouded in questions that it'll have audiences anticipating what's coming next around every twist and turn. As always, though, O’Brien’s acting performance is worth mentioning; although the film isn’t objectively great, the star still elevates it by managing to he believably bring his character to life.
Flashback
R
Mystery
Thriller
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
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- Release Date
- October 16, 2020
- Director
- Christopher MacBride
- Cast
- Dylan O'Brien , Hannah Gross , Maika Monroe , Emory Cohen , Keir Gilchrist
- Runtime
- 97 Minutes
7 ‘The Maze Runner’ (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%
The first installment in The Maze Runner trilogy, a string of sci-fi adventure movies inspired by James Dashner's wildly popular book series (as mentioned above), depicts a world where the only hope for humanity is a group of young people immune to a deadly virus following a devastating solar flare's planet-scorching destruction.
In the franchise's first installment, we meet Thomas (O’Brien) as he's introduced to a group of boys trapped within the high walls of a seemingly inescapable woodland area. The only way out? A seemingly inescapable maze. What could go wrong? Highly entertaining and certainly one of the best dystopian sci-fi films of the 2010s, The Maze Runner endures a landmark in O’Brien’s career. While Thomas wasn’t his breakout role, it certainly was a stand-out one that helped further launch his career.
The Maze Runner
PG-13
Mystery
Action
Sci-Fi
Thriller
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
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- Release Date
- September 10, 2014
- Director
- Wes Ball
- Cast
- Dylan O'Brien , Aml Ameen , Ki Hong Lee , Blake Cooper , Thomas Brodie-Sangster , will poulter
- Runtime
- 113
6 ‘Not Okay’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
2022's second film to star the talented Dylan O'Brien and Zoey Deutch alongside one another is the dark comedy-drama social media satire titled Not Okay. The story follows Deutch's problematic and questionable character Danni Sanders, a wannabe influencer who finds herself caught up in one hell of a lie that quickly gets out of hand.
Not Okay explores the dangerous ambition to be famous no matter at what cost, with its protagonist not caring how she gets there. Danni falls deeper and deeper into a web of infuriating lies when her online following believes she survived a terrorist attack that she was nowhere near. She does nothing to take the attention off herself and even takes advantage of the tragic accident, essentially feeding off it. While this 2022 film isn’t, by any means, a complex one, it still manages to send out thought-provoking messages. O’Brien shines as the protagonist’s crush.
5 ‘Teen Wolf’ (2011 - 2017)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
Teen Wolf is one of those 2010s shows that had every teenager wishing they had claws and fangs, and for good reason. After all, what teenager did not want to be a part of the pack with Scott McCall (Tyler Posey), Stiles Stilinski (Dylan O'Brien), Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin), Lydia Martin (Holland Roden), Allison Argent (Crystal Reed), Issac Lahey (Daniel Sharman), and the rest of the team?
The show ran on MTV for six seasons between 2011 and 2017, gaining a wide fanbase throughout the years, even sparking the release of a movie in January of this year. Although many felt it wouldn't be the same because Stiles wouldn't be returning for the film, his presence in the series left quite a lasting impression. Arguably, Stiles and his humanity in a show full of supernatural creatures really was the heart of Teen Wolf — and that’s all thanks to O’Brien’s incredible performance.
Teen Wolf
Drama
Fantasy
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
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- Release Date
- June 5, 2011
- Cast
- Tyler Posey , Dylan O'Brien , Holland Roden , Shelley Hennig , Linden Ashby , jr bourne
- Seasons
- 6
4 ‘Deepwater Horizon’ (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
A harrowing true-story addition to O’Brien’s filmography — perfect for audiences who enjoy films based on real events — comes with the seven-year-old dramatic account of the world's worst marine oil spill. Deepwater Horizon is named after the oil rig that exploded in April 2010, and the film follows the deaths and survivors of those aboard when it happened.
With matching critic and audience scores both sitting at an impressive 82%, this dramatic and heartbreaking retelling of one of history's worst environmental disasters was ultimately successful, and it’s not difficult to grasp why. Dylan showcases his acting skills by playing the real-life survivor Caleb Holloway alongside Mark Walberg as Mike Williams, Kurt Russel as Jimmy "Mr. Jimmy" Harrell, Gina Rodriguez as Andrea Fleytas, and many more.
Deepwater Horizon
PG-13
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
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- Release Date
- September 29, 2016
- Director
- Peter Berg
- Cast
- Mark Wahlberg , Dylan O'Brien , Kurt Russell , Kate Hudson , Gina Rodriguez , John Malkovich
- Runtime
- 107
- Main Genre
- Drama
3 ‘The Outfit’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Another of Dylan's highest-praised movies comes with a 2022 box office bomb called The Outfit. But despite its commercial failure (it grossed over four million dollars on a five million dollar budget), it did exceedingly well in the eyes of both the critics and audience members who saw it upon release.
The riveting mobster mystery stars Mark Rylance alongside Johnny Flynn, Simon Russell Beale, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Zoey Deutch and Dylan O'Brien in their second project together from the same year. The psychological crime thriller follows a British cutter based out of Chicago. But instead of friendly customers coming in for a wedding suit, these clients are tailored more in the act of violence. The Outfit is among O’Brien’s most exciting projects so far, and its score on Rotten Tomatoes just proves the point.
The Outfit
R
Crime
Psychological
Drama
Mystery
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
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- Release Date
- March 18, 2022
- Director
- Graham Moore
- Cast
- Zoey Deutch , Nikki Amuka-Bird , Mark Rylance , Alan Mehdizadeh , Johnny Flynn , Dylan O'Brien , Simon Russell Beale
- Runtime
- 105 minutes
2 ‘Bumblebee’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
If you're a fan of the ever-expanding Transformers franchise, you've likely seen this popular installment from 2018. Just a few years ago, a solo film about everyone's favorite yellow Transformer was released to critical and commercial fame. The story centers around the titular character as he finds refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. In the meantime, Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) discovers the battle-scarred and broken character.
Bumblebee may only have had roughly three minutes of speaking time in the titular role. But the amount of personality that Dylan brought to an otherwise untalkative character briefly showcases his talents in the voice-acting field and has many fans wishing he'll return to voice him again one day. We can only hope.
Bumblebee
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
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- Release Date
- December 15, 2018
- Director
- Travis Knight
- Cast
- Hailee Steinfeld , Jorge Lendeborg Jr. , John Cena , Jason Drucker , Pamela Adlon , Stephen Schneider
- Runtime
- 114
1 ‘Love and Monsters’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
This little gem came as one hell of a delightful surprise when it was released. With its original story, strong plot, performances, and Academy Award-nominated special effects, the film was an all-around success on every front. And what many believed would be another cheesy monster-hunting movie exceeded expectations and became much more, with O’Brien carrying the spotlight throughout and putting his survival skills to the test.
Love and Monsters follows Dylan O’Brien’s character Joel Dawson and his four-legged companion, Boy, as they travel 85 miles across the treacherous surface to find Aimee (played by Jessica Henwick), who he lost contact with when the world ended seven years before. It is an incredibly sweet story packed with emotion, comedy, and everything you need to make a heartwarmingly memorable movie.
NEXT: All Six Seasons of 'Teen Wolf', Ranked From Worst to Best
