Zoe Saldaña is one of those Hollywood starlets that you can't help but appreciate whenever she shows up on film. Her dramatic skills are good enough to make her a great casting choice in any genre, and her physicality has solidly put her on the top of the list of ideal performers for motion capture and voice acting.
Saldaña is one of those actresses who show comfort in every role. Typecasting her is impossible by this point because of the versatility she displays in every one of her performances. With a career that's far from over, it was only natural that we would go through her best movies as ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.
15 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) - 82%
The Guardians' latest movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comfortably sits on a bottom that has a very decent ranking. With 82%, the film confirms James Gunn's importance for the rebellious side of Marvel Studios, and even though Saldaña's Gamora was out of the picture at some point, her comeback is notable enough to still keep her as one of the most important characters of the franchise.
14 Drumline (2002) - 82%
More than 20 years ago, Saldaña played Laila, the romantic counterpart in Drumline. The very underrated film (82%, not bad!) about a drummer clashing with the leader of his new university's drum section, shows a young Saldaña playing her best version of a teenager trying to deal with a difficult young man as they fall in love.
13 Avatar (2009) - 82%
Cameron's first entry into the world of Pandora, Avatar, gives us Saldaña's fierce Neytiri. No one believed Cameron's film could have the emotional weight it carried in the end because of all the technology and special effects. But Saldaña's impressive performance gave her character the personality that was needed to believe these weren't cold-blooded creatures.
12 The Book of Life (2014) - 83%
In The Book of Life, the actress plays Maria, the love interest of not one but two men. Saldaña's voice performance is essential to give Maria enough identity to make her a very colorful character in a film that normally wouldn't need this. Maria is a really beautiful animated character whose raspy voice was only possible due to Saldaña doing what she does best.
11 Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - 84%
The J.J. Abrams sequel to his Star Trek is a solid sequel that surpassed every expectation possible. Star Trek Into Darkness brings us a much more relevant Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, who becomes a key piece in the plot where our heroes head over to Klingon to save a crew member. Saldaña's role is so good in the franchise that we can't help but think she could have managed to lead this one instead of Kirk.
10 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - 85%
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gamora is undeniably a notable piece that makes Star-Lord face one dilemma after another. But her role in saving the universe alongside the Guardians is tilted towards a more dramatic battle between her and her sister Nebula. In the hands of Saldaña, the performance is key to understanding the sisters' estranged relationship.
9 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - 85%
Possibly the best of all Avengers films, Avengers: Infinity War is definitely one of the most dramatic. Gamora's presence in the battle against Thanos is cut short when the villain kills her, proving his relentlessness as he sacrifices his own daughter to complete his agenda. Ranking at 85%, this one made everyone cry in the cinema and the tears had already started when Gamora was killed.
8 Vivo (2021) - 86%
In Netflix's Vivo, Saldaña plays Rosa, a supporting mother who also complies heavily with the Latina mom model. Gabi, Rosa's daughter, decides to help Vivo in his mission and when her daughter finds out, you best believe Saldaña's voice acting is very effective. The animated film is an underrated feature hidden in Netflix's huge catalog, but with a ranking of 86%, perhaps you should give it a watch.
7 Star Trek Beyond (2016) - 86%
The third entry in the new version of Star Trek, Star Trek Beyond is an underrated film that fell under the radar because no one believed the storyline could be extended beyond the events of Into Darkness. Luckily, Justin Lin in the director's chair gave the franchise a fresh look. In the film, Saldaña's Nyota clashes again with Spock as their loving relationship suffers some inconveniences.
6 Premium (2006) - 88%
Premium is one of Saldaña's unknown features that greatly captures her skills for portraying drama. Sitting at a solid 88%, this is one film you should look for if you're into exploring the early parts of her career. It tells the story of a struggling actor who randomly reunites with his former love as they both begin to go through the reasons why they're not together anymore.
5 Missing Link (2019) - 88%
Once again, Saldaña shows her skills in voice acting. This time she plays Adelina Fortnight, a fierce adventurer who helps Mr. Link finds his family in the Himalayas. Missing Link is an underrated film that got nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards but lost to Pixar. Nevertheless, this is a very exciting film that children love.
4 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - 92%
The very first entry of the Guardians is ranked with a solid 92% in Rotten Tomatoes. Guardians of the Galaxy is fun and original film that felt like a rebellious twist to the formulaic tradition of Marvel Studios. Saldaña's Gamora is a stunning being from other world that Star-Lord falls in love at first sight. She also becomes one of his weaknesses as time goes by.
3 Star Trek (2009) - 94%
J.J. Abrams reboot of the franchise, Star Trek is a very effective science fiction adventure. In the franchise, Saldaña plays Nyota Uhura, the Communications Officer who's also able to confront Kirk whenever needed, and also becomes Spock's love interest with time. Let's face it. Without Saldaña showing her dramatic range as Uhura, the franchise would lack emotional weight.
2 Avengers: Endgame (2019) - 94%
The very last film of the Avengers sits at 94% of the ranking. Avengers: Endgame showed the heroes fighting Thanos who thought he had killed half of the universe. Thankfully, with time travel, we were able to see Gamora back in action and playing Star-Lord's love interest during the epic battle that restored order.
1 For the Love of Spock (2016) - 100%
In the highest-ranked film of the list, Saldaña plays... herself. For the Love of Spock is a documentary featuring celebrities talking about Star Trek's Spock and Leonard Nimoy, the actor who interpreted the iconic character since its conception. Given the importance of the franchise for Saldaña's career, this one deserves to be on the top with a golden 100%.
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