Ever since taking on the role of Spider-Man in the MCU, Tom Holland has become a popular Hollywood figure. He began performing and acting as early as eleven when he landed a role in Billy Elliott the Musical at a London theater, where he quickly managed to secure the lead role and star in the show for around two years.
After several years of back-to-back hits with only a couple of lower-rated movies, Holland is now taking a year off of acting to rest, recuperate, and hopefully come back better than ever. While that means there will be a gap in his portfolio, and we might not see him again on the screen for a while, it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what he already has out there. And who better to help rank his top movies than the popular critic website Rotten Tomatoes?
10 The Impossible
The Impossible is based on a true story of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. A family of five visits Thailand for vacation over the Christmas holiday, thinking they’ll have a moment of peace. Unfortunately, two days later the tsunami hits the area and separates the family. Though they all survive, they have no idea if the others are alive while they are separated, making for a harrowing and dramatic movie as they search for each other in the hopes of reuniting.
This was Holland’s film debut, where he played a young teen member of the family named Lucas. As he and his mother were together alone, he had to take charge with his mother injured and work on reuniting the family. It’s a touching performance that also earned him many up-and-coming youth actor awards.
9 Avengers: Infinity War
In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos finally makes his move and works to collect all the infinity stones, many of which are already in the possession of some of the Avengers and their friends. However, ever since their falling out the Avengers have broken up, meaning two separate groups of heroes end up fighting against him at two different times — one on Earth in Wakanda, and one in space that hitched a ride on the alien spaceship that had invaded Earth. Holland reprises his role of Spider-Man in this movie, showing off one of his new suits in the process. It was a heart-tugging moment and a performance from Holland that no one is going to forget.
8 The Lost City of Z
The biographical adventure The Lost City of Z is based on the book of the same name. It follows the story of British explorer Percy Fawcett and his several attempts to find a lost city in the middle of the Amazon. It shows us the life of Fawcett and how his foray into the Amazon even began in the first place. Going from a place of disbelief to a sudden change of heart and the need to convince others to fund him, he had several ups and downs in his attempts to find this lost city, which he named Z.
Holland plays Fawcett's eldest son, Jack, who has an interesting relationship with his father. Initially, Jack is estranged from him after believing he abandoned his family, but they reconcile after Fawcett is injured in the war, and they start on the final expedition together. Though it might be a smaller role, Holland still put his all into the performance and made Jack feel as real as he did when he was alive.
7 Onward
Disney’s animated fantasy Onward is all about overcoming grief. In a fantasy world full of mythical creatures, magic has grown obsolete thanks to the technological boom. Brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot live alone with their mother after their father died shortly before Ian was born. On his sixteenth birthday, they all discover their father left a present in the form of some of the only magic left in the world, hoping the boys would use a spell to bring him back for a day and let him meet them. When the spell goes wrong, the boys must travel across the country and work together to beat the ticking clock and try to see their father one last time.
Holland lends his voice to Ian, the movie’s protagonist. He’s the perfect fit for the shy and socially awkward teenager learning how to become himself, and really helps knit the story together with his performance.
6 Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Civil War sees the Avengers divided and fighting each other as the government begins to try and take control over any and all superheroes in the world. Captain America seems hesitant to sign his free will over in the Sokovia Accords and definitely has no intention of doing so after finally finding Bucky again. The only problem is, everyone thinks Bucky bombed the United Nations building. Captain America is willing to do anything to help his friend clear his name, even if it means fighting the other Avengers in the process.
Holland makes his MCU debut in this movie as he takes on the role of Spider-Man, one of Marvel’s most popular heroes. He knows just how to win the audience over with his performance, and he’s become many people’s favorite Spider-Man actor.
5 Spider-Man: Far From Home
After the events of Avengers: Endgame and the end of an era, Spider-Man: Far From Home shows us that no hero can ever truly take a break, no matter how hard they try. Now that Peter Parker is back after the Blip caused by Thanos, he decides to go on a summer trip to Europe with his classmates and tries to leave the Spider-Man role behind in New York. Unfortunately, Nick Fury is looking for him and isn’t one to take no for an answer. With the world now facing a new threat, it seems like Peter is the only one who can stop it, interrupting his vacation and causing more problems for him.
Though it might not be the most memorable of Holland’s Spider-Man performances so far, the movie still wouldn’t be the same without him. His performance helps show how Peter is trying to cope with everything that has happened, along with where his priorities lie.
4 Locke
The psychological drama Locke has a unique take on filming as it only ever shows one person on screen. Ivan Locke is driving from Birmingham to London late at night as he rushes to a hospital where Bethan, a woman he had a one-night stand with, is in premature labor with his child. Vowing to never abandon any of his children as his father did to him, Locke spends the drive on many phone calls as he confesses to his wife, consoles Bethan, and tries to direct his construction co-workers on how to prepare for an important concrete pour he was now going to miss, and more.
Holland can be heard as Eddie Locke, one of Ivan’s sons. He and his brother call several times to keep Locke updated on what’s happening in the football game he’s missing, which devolves into talking about the emotional breakdown their mother begins to go through. Despite not being on screen, Holland still carries the weight of an excited and then concerned teen in his voice alone, and helps show just what Locke is leaving behind to make this trip.
3 Spider-Man: Homecoming
One of Holland’s first lead roles comes in Spider-Man: Homecoming, where we get to see the MCU Spider-Man in his home territory for the first time. Now that he has been on a mission with the bigger heroes, he excitedly waits for them to call on him again. In the meantime, he continues being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. However, he begins to struggle with holding onto both identities, wondering why he even needs to finish high school if he’s an Avenger and getting his personal life accidentally tied up in his hero life in the process.
Holland makes the movie shine, giving us the perfect showcase of a rebellious teen who still has to learn how the world works. It wouldn’t be the same movie without him.
2 Spider-Man: No Way Home
The third movie in the Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man: No Way Home, expanded on some of the darker themes we began to see in the second movie as Peter is close to finally graduating from high school. His life has gone downhill ever since his identity was revealed by Mysterio, so he sought out Doctor Strange to figure out a solution. However, he interrupted the memory modification spell too much and disrupted the multiverse, letting some of Spider-Man’s villains from previous dimensions into his. Now it was up to him to try and find a way to send them back without killing them and before the multiverse can collapse in on itself.
Holland’s performance here is commendable — when tragedy strikes, it’s almost impossible to not want to crawl through the screen and help comfort him. Plus, his interactions with the other Peter Parkers are moments we’ll never forget.
1 Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame, the end of an era, was one of the most anticipated movies ever. After the crushing defeat by Thanos, the remaining Avengers seemed hopeless to fix what they had lost before Ant-Man’s return. With the hope that his tech might help unlock time travel, so they can fix their mistake and try to get everyone back. Of course, their time travel escapades don’t come without a few ups and downs along the way, some of them being pretty big. As it ended the Infinity Saga for the MCU, it should come as no surprise that they attempted to bring every hero into the fray as they possibly could.
This is how Holland made his appearance yet again as Spider-Man. Though he wasn’t a main character since he had disappeared in the Blitz, his performance showed us that Peter really is an Avenger-level hero and can fight with the rest of them. His return was highly anticipated, and he didn’t drop the ball on this one.
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