The Best Ezra Miller Movies, Ranked By Fans

When people talk about Ezra Miller, the conversation often swings wildly between their scene-stealing film roles and their very public off-screen controversies. Both can be true at once: Miller has delivered some of the most memorable performances of the last decade, and their personal life has raised serious concerns for many viewers. This list focuses on the films themselves and how fans rank Ezra Miller’s best work on screen, drawing from fan lists, user ratings, and critic roundups across sites like Ranker, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and more.

If you’re trying to decide which Ezra Miller movie to watch nextor you just want to revisit the performances that made them a starhere’s a fan-informed ranking of their most talked-about films, along with why each one still stands out.

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

If there’s one role fans almost universally agree on, it’s Patrick in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. On fan-voting platforms like Ranker and chart sites like Flickchart, this coming-of-age drama usually lands at or near the top of “Best Ezra Miller movies” lists.

Based on Stephen Chbosky’s novel (and directed by Chbosky himself), the film follows shy freshman Charlie (Logan Lerman) as he’s taken under the wing of two eccentric seniors: Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). Patrick is loud, theatrical, deeply vulnerable, and frequently hilariousthe kind of friend who will drag you onto the dance floor and then sit with you at 3 a.m. when the trauma hits. Miller’s performance balances sharp wit with raw emotion, which is why so many fans still quote Patrick’s lines a decade later.

Critics praised Miller’s work alongside the rest of the cast, and the role earned them multiple awards from critics’ groups. For many viewers, this was the movie that put Ezra Miller firmly on the map.

2. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

If Perks was the movie that made audiences love Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin is the film that made them uneasyin a way that’s hard to shake. This psychological drama follows Eva (Tilda Swinton), a mother haunted by her son Kevin’s violent actions and by all the moments when something felt “off” while he was growing up.

Miller plays teenage Kevin with chilling precision. There’s a controlled stillness to the characterflat affect, knowing smirks, and sudden flashes of ragethat makes Kevin feel more like a looming threat than a typical troubled teen. Critics widely praised the film as a blend of psychological horror and drama, and it has strong approval scores on review aggregators. Fans who vote on ranking sites consistently put this film in the top 2 or 3 of Miller’s career because of how unforgettable (and unsettling) the performance is.

It’s absolutely not an easy watch, but if you’re interested in seeing the darker side of Miller’s range, this is essential viewing.

3. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

Barry Allen/The Flash may have been introduced in cameos in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, but it’s in Zack Snyder’s Justice League where fans feel the character finally gets room to breathe. The four-hour cut leans harder into Barry’s awkward humor and his growth from anxious outsider to full-fledged hero.

On fan charts that rank Ezra Miller’s movies, Snyder’s cut of Justice League often outranks the theatrical version and even Miller’s standalone superhero film, thanks to stronger storytelling and a more satisfying use of the Flash’s powers in key action scenes. The “time-reversal” sequence near the end is a fan favorite: Barry literally runs back through time to save the team, accompanied by an emotional voiceover that gives the character unexpected depth.

Whatever you think of the DCEU, this is the superhero performance fans most frequently recommend when they talk about Miller as the Flash.

4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

In a franchise filled with magical creatures and big visual effects, Ezra Miller’s Credence Barebone is surprisingly groundedand heartbreaking. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Credence is a repressed young man raised by an abusive, anti-magic zealot. The fear and shame he carries eventually manifest as a destructive Obscurus, making him both victim and threat.

Fans and critics pointed to Credence as one of the more compelling new characters introduced in J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world spinoff. The mix of fragility and explosive power gave Miller a chance to play something quieter than their more flamboyant roles, and audiences responded. On rankings that mix critical reception with user voting, the first Fantastic Beasts movie usually sits in the upper half of Miller’s filmography.

Later sequels didn’t always maintain that momentum, but if you want to see why so many viewers connected with Credence in the first place, the original installment is the one to watch.

5. The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)

Based on the infamous real-life study, The Stanford Prison Experiment casts Miller as Daniel Culp (Prisoner 8612), one of the students assigned to the “prisoner” role in a mock jail. As the experiment spirals out of control, Culp becomes one of the first participants to crack under the psychological pressure.

The film has strong critic and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes and other review sites, and Miller’s performance is frequently singled out as one of the most intense in the ensemble. You see fear, anger, and a desperate attempt to claw back dignity in a situation that’s rapidly dehumanizing everyone involved. Fans who enjoy Miller’s darker work often place this movie right alongside We Need to Talk About Kevin as proof that they’re especially effective in psychologically fraught stories.

6. Afterschool (2008)

Miller’s feature debut, Afterschool, is not as widely seen as some of their later films, but it has a strong critical reputation. Directed by Antonio Campos, the movie follows Robert, a boarding-school student who accidentally records the drug-related deaths of two classmates and is then asked to edit a memorial video.

Critics praised the film’s unsettling tone and Miller’s performance as a distant, internet-obsessed teen. Fans who seek it out tend to view it as a fascinating early look at the kind of emotionally off-kilter characters Miller would later become known for. On IMDb and ranking lists, it consistently lands in the mid-to-upper tier of their filmography.

7. Beware the Gonzo (2010)

On the lighter side, Beware the Gonzo gives Miller a chance to go full rebel in a high-school dramedy. They play Eddie “Gonzo” Gilman, a student journalist who starts an underground newspaper after clashing with his school’s administration. The movie is scrappy, not slick, but that’s part of its appeal for fans.

While it didn’t make huge waves at the box office, it’s frequently listed in “best Ezra Miller performances” pieces for its mix of energy, humor, and outsider charm. If you like rebellious teen movies with a DIY spiritand you want to see Miller in full ranting-editor modethis one is worth tracking down.

8. City Island (2009)

City Island is an ensemble dramedy about a Bronx family with a truly impressive number of secrets. Andy García leads the cast as a corrections officer who secretly wants to be an actor; Miller plays his teenage son, who has his own awkward obsessions and frustrations.

The film boasts strong audience scores and is often cited as one of Miller’s best early supporting turns. Fans appreciate how they bring a prickly, deadpan quality to scenes that could have been played purely for cheap laughs. It’s a smaller role, but an important one in showing how Miller works inside a more traditional family comedy-drama.

9. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

As a movie, The Crimes of Grindelwald divided critics and fans, with many feeling the plot was overcrowded and overly dependent on franchise setup. But even people who were lukewarm on the film often point to Miller’s Credence as a highlight.

In this sequel, Credence is on a quest to learn his true origins, which pushes the character further into confused, painful territory. Fan rankings that include this film usually place it below the first Fantastic Beasts but still give Miller credit for wringing emotion out of a tangled storyline.

10. The Flash (2023)

It’s impossible to talk about The Flash without acknowledging the controversy surrounding its release. Even before the movie hit theaters, Miller’s off-screen legal issues and allegations drew intense criticism and calls for a boycott. At the same time, fans and critics had mixed reactions to the film itself, with some praising the emotional beats and others criticizing its visual effects and multiverse storytelling.

From a purely performance-based perspective, Miller has a lot to do here: they play multiple versions of Barry Allen, including a more naive alternate-timeline Barry, and have to carry both the comedy and the grief at the heart of the story. On user-rating platforms, The Flash usually lands in the mid-range of Miller’s careerinteresting, uneven, but notable as their biggest leading-role showcase yet.

How Fans Balance Performance and Controversy

Ranking the best Ezra Miller movies in 2025 is more complicated than it would have been ten years ago. Many fans are still wrestling with how to enjoy films starring someone whose off-screen behavior has been the subject of serious allegations, police reports, and legal cases.

Some viewers have chosen to step away from their work entirely. Others separate the art from the artist, focusing on the collaborative nature of filmmakingwriters, directors, editors, co-stars, and crews whose contributions also deserve recognition. Still others approach Miller’s movies as case-by-case decisions: rewatching older films they already loved while skipping new ones.

What’s clear from fan rankings, though, is that a few titles consistently rise to the top: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and the first Fantastic Beasts remain the most recommended starting points if you’re exploring Ezra Miller’s filmography today.

of Extra Insight: What It’s Like to Watch These Movies Now

So what does it actually feel like to sit down and watch an Ezra Miller movie in 2025, knowing everything we now know? For many viewers, it’s a strangely layered experience. You’re reacting not just to what’s happening on screen, but to a cloud of headlines in the back of your mind.

Take The Perks of Being a Wallflower. For a lot of fans, this movie is deeply personalmaybe they first saw it in high school or college, at a time when they also felt like shy freshmen clinging to a small circle of weird, wonderful friends. Rewatching it now, Patrick’s speeches about self-acceptance and found family can hit just as hard, but they’re also complicated by the knowledge of who plays him. Some people describe it as “emotional double exposure”: you’re moved by the story and simultaneously uneasy about the real-world person behind the performance.

With We Need to Talk About Kevin, the effect is even stranger. Miller’s Kevin is already designed to make you uncomfortable; that’s the point of the film. Today, some viewers find that the role almost feels too on-the-nose, like the performance is retroactively colored by later events. Others argue that the movie still stands on its own as a fictional exploration of violence, guilt, and parenthood, and that tying it too closely to the actor’s life misses what the director and screenwriter set out to do.

Superhero movies add another layer. The Flash is a beloved DC character with decades of history; countless artists, writers, and actors have shaped Barry Allen long before the DCEU. When fans put on Zack Snyder’s Justice League or The Flash, some focus mainly on the character and the spectaclethe time travel sequences, the team-up moments, the cameosrather than the actor. Others feel that seeing Miller in the red suit is now inseparable from the behind-the-scenes controversy, so they skip those titles or watch them only once out of curiosity.

There’s also the question of support. Streaming a movie can feel like a tiny vote: a “yes” in a system that rewards watch time and engagement. Some fans are comfortable rewatching older projects that were made long before the worst headlines, reasoning that the money has already been spent and that they’re also supporting dozens of other people who worked on the film. Others avoid clicking at all, preferring to read about the movies, watch video essays, or revisit different coming-of-age or fantasy films that scratch a similar itch without the baggage.

If you’re navigating this for yourself, it can help to be intentional. Ask what you’re hoping to get from the movie: nostalgia, artistic curiosity, a deeper understanding of a genre, or just background entertainment. You can decide to watch some films and skip others, talk openly about the discomfort, and acknowledge the contributions of everyone involvednot just the star whose name dominates the headlines.

At the end of the day, the “best” Ezra Miller moviesat least as ranked by fansare still the ones that tell resonant stories: a lonely kid finding his people, a mother wrestling with unspeakable grief, a misfit hero literally outrunning time. Whether or not you press play is a decision only you can make, but understanding why these films connected with audiences can help you make that choice with clear eyes.