All 10 Best Daisy Ridley Movies Ranked (Best to Worst)

J.J. Abrams crafted a kinetic, joyful resurrection of space opera mythology with this generation-defining space adventure. The film succeeds primarily on the sheer kinetic thrill of discovering scavenger life on the junkyard wastes of Jakku, blending tangible practical effects with sweeping orbital dogfights. What anchors the galactic machinery is Ridley's magnetic introduction as Rey. She infuses the character with streetwise scrappiness, childlike wonder, and unvarnished emotional grit. Her effortless charisma carried the weight of a multi-billion-dollar pop culture empire on its shoulders, instantly establishing her as one of modern cinema's most instantly recognizable and empathetic heroic figures.

Rachel Lambert directs an exquisitely gentle, atmospheric portrait of acute loneliness set against the drizzly backdrop of coastal Oregon. Framed by muted office desks, fluorescent hums, and awkward maritime office chatter, the narrative captures the internal friction between isolation and the terror of being seen. Ridley delivers an astonishing, career-best pivot away from franchise maximalism. Playing the reclusive Fran with tremulous hesitation and watchful eyes, she turns simple physical gestures—a stifled half-smile, a nervous clutch of a coffee mug—into devastating emotional revelations. It confirms her power as a formidable minimalist dramatic actress capable of devastating quietude.

This sweeping, golden-hued sports biopic chronicles Gertrude Ederle's defiant quest to become the first woman to swim the treacherous English Channel in 1926. Directed by Joachim Rønning, the film thrives on old-school studio craftsmanship, capturing the brutality of the open ocean alongside the suffocating patriarchal barriers of the Jazz Age. Ridley tackles the part with fierce physical commitment and infectious stubbornness. She spent months braving frigid waters and relentless tides, channeling Ederle's historic resilience through raw, shivering endurance. It is an exhilarating athletic showcase that positions her as a luminous, crowd-pleasing old-fashioned movie star.

Rian Johnson broke galaxy-spanning tradition by deconstructing myth, lineage, and Jedi dogma in this visually daring blockbuster. From the striking crimson salt flats of Crait to the stark monochrome seclusion of Ahch-To, the film challenges its core characters with moral ambiguity and ideological collapse. Ridley shines brightest when sparring across metaphysical voids with Adam Driver's conflicted villain. She strips away Rey's early hero-worship to unearth a woman wrestling with acute existential abandonment. In doing so, she brings profound maturity to her signature role, ensuring the character's journey feels earned rather than preordained.

Otto Bell's documentary transports viewers to the windswept, snow-dusted peaks of western Mongolia, chronicling a thirteen-year-old nomad girl named Aisholpan who defies centuries of tradition to master golden eagle hunting. The film relies on stunning, sweeping aerial cinematography and genuine familial tenderness to deliver a culturally specific, universally resonant coming-of-age story. Ridley provides the English narration and served as executive producer, lending her warm, clear vocal cadence to the narrative. Her heartfelt voice work helps universalize Aisholpan's quiet courage, reflecting Ridley's early passion for uplifting fiercely capable real-world female role models.

Claire McCarthy boldly inverts Hamlet, re-centering Elsinore's tragic downfall through the eyes of its doomed, flower-crowned confidante. Bathed in lush pre-Raphaelite painterly lighting and dense botanical motifs, the film trades Shakespearean verse for accessible, melodramatic palace intrigue. Ridley carries the revisionist burden with radiant defiance and agile stagecraft. Refusing to play the role as a passive, fragile victim destined for a watery grave, she turns Ophelia into a sharp-witted strategist fighting for autonomy amid royal decadence. It proved she could anchor complex classical costuming while maintaining modern psychological resonance.

Tasked with wrapping up four decades of generational mythos, this manic finale rushes across planets at breakneck speed, occasionally stumbling under the sheer weight of frantic retcons and crowded lore. Despite the uneven narrative architecture, the production values, lighting design, and thunderous orchestral beats remain undeniably grand. Ridley gives everything to the material, acting through sheer force of will to lend emotional sincerity to sudden lineage revelations. Even amid deafening visual effects and kinetic saber clashes, her expressive tear-streaked resolve provides the story with its only genuine emotional gravity.

Will Gluck modernizes Beatrix Potter's pastoral universe into a hyper-kinetic live-action hybrid stuffed with physical slapstick, witty farmyard banter, and contemporary pop anthems. The film operates on sheer anarchic farce as woodland creatures wage guerrilla war against Domhnall Gleeson's neat-freak heir. Voicing Cottontail, the hyperactive, daredevil triplet sister prone to reckless tactical maneuvers, Ridley unleashes playful, deadpan comedic timing that caught many fans off guard. While fundamentally lighthearted family entertainment, her spunky vocal work reveals an infectious, unpretentious sense of comedic fun separate from her heavy action credentials.

Veteran action director Martin Campbell strips modern genre thrills down to a relentless vertical siege in this high-concept survival thriller. Set atop a futuristic London skyscraper where radical activists take a corporate gala hostage, the premise operates with the straightforward tactical clarity of golden-era eighties thrillers. Ridley plays an ex-soldier turned exterior window washer dangling hundreds of feet in the air. She throws herself into grueling hand-to-hand choreography and wire stunts, delivering believable kinetic toughness. While the dialogue remains pulp-standard, Ridley's rugged screen presence makes the bruising climb entirely entertaining.

Doug Liman's adaptation of Patrick Ness's acclaimed sci-fi novel struggles under the conceptual weight of the Noise—an alien phenomenon broadcasting men's inner thoughts aloud in swirling digital clouds. Despite intriguing worldbuilding and gritty production design across untamed alien forests, the film feels hamstrung by well-publicized reshoots and uneven pacing. Ridley portrays Viola, a crash-landed spacer whose silent mind makes her the ultimate target. While her chemistry with Tom Holland is strained by script compromises, Ridley brings an alert, stoic grit to the chase, salvaging watchable survival tension from a muddled final cut.