Thomas or Stiles Stilinski? Who was your first introduction to Dylan O’Brien? And if the answer is neither, where did you first come across his work? He’s been appearing 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.
He’s gone on to 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 to you just how brilliant he is.
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 good 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.
9 ‘Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials’ (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%
The Maze Runner's second installment released a year after its first. Although not as popular as its predecessor, according to Rotten Tomatoes, it still did relatively well. 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, 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 a three-year-old mystery film in which Dylan stars 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 met with pretty mixed reviews. However, it's packed with enough mystery and shrouded in questions that it'll have you anticipating what's coming next around every twist and turn.
7 ‘The Maze Runner’ (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%
The Maze Runner trilogy is a string of sci-fi adventure movies inspired by James Dashner's wildly popular book series. They depict 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 (Dylan) 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 possibly go wrong?
6 ‘Not Okay’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
2022's second film to star Dylan O'Brien and Zoey Deutch alongside one another is the black comedy-drama, Not Okay. It follows Deutch's character Danni Sanders as she finds herself caught up in one hell of a lie that quickly gets out of hand.
Wanting to be famous and not caring how he gets there, Danni falls deeper and deeper into an infuriating lie when her online following believes she survived a terrorist attack that she was nowhere near. She does nothing to advert attention from herself, essentially feeding off it. But the truth always comes out eventually, right?
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. Admit it. You wanted 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, didn't you?
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.
4 ‘Deepwater Horizon’ (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
A harrowing true-story addition to Dylan's filmography 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 retelling of one of history's worst environmental disasters was ultimately successful. Dylan plays 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.
3 ‘The Outfit’ (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
Another of Dylan's highest-praised movies comes with a 2022 box office bomb called The Outfit. But despite its commercial failure, it did exceedingly well in the eyes of both the critics and audience members who saw it upon release.
It 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.
2 ‘Bumblebee’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
If you're a fan of the ever-expanding Transformers franchise, you've likely seen this popular installment from 2018. Five years ago, a solo film for everyone's favorite yellow Transformer released to critical and commercial fame.
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 has many fans wishing he'll return to voice him again one day. We can only hope.
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.
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.