10 Best Megan Fox Movies, Ranked

One of the most recognizable faces of the mid-2000s and 2010s, Megan Fox occupies a contentious position within Hollywood. While '90s babies were first introduced to Fox in films like "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" or the Mary-Kate and Ashley film "Holiday in the Sun," by 2007 she was best-known for playing eye candy in films like "Transformers."

The big question about Fox has always been, "Is she talented, or just hot?" Public opinion about Fox was not great following her breakout role in "Transformers." Many found her attractive (she was crowned "sexiest woman in the world" by FHM men's magazine in 2008), but these fans often didn't respect Fox either as a woman or an actress.

On the other hand, some found her deliberate sex appeal offensive or anti-feminist because she leaned into her sex symbol status and seemed okay with being objectified. Indeed, Fox has always been aware of how she is perceived by the media. As she told New York Magazine's Lynn Hirschberg in 2009, "All women in Hollywood are known as sex symbols. You're sold, and it's based on sex. That's okay, if you know how to use it."

But Fox also wants to prove she's more than just a pretty face. In 2009, she told Entertainment Weekly that the world had seen "seven percent" of her range. That number has surely raised a few points since then, though her filmography certainly contains more flops than hits. Our task today is to cut through all the noise and find Fox's 10 best movies, perhaps discovering the breadth of her range along the way.

For many "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" fans, the mid-2010s live action reboot of the series was a huge disappointment. The 2014 film was poorly reviewed but still made good money at the box office. Its sequel, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," was less successful at the box office but received moderately better reviews, earning it a place (albeit the last place) on this list.

The movie takes place a year after the events of the previous film, wherein the Turtles defeated Shredder (Brian Tee). Learning another villain has plans to break Shredder out of prison, the Turtles are back on the case. Shredder hooks up with a megalomaniac alien named Krang (Brad Garrett), who plans to invade earth. Megan Fox reprises her role as April O'Neil, a reporter who learns of the Turtles' existence in the first film and becomes embroiled in their battle with Shredder. Fox isn't the only big name in the film, which also features "Reacher" star Alan Ritchson (who hated making the movies), "Arrow's" Stephen Amell, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, and Tyler Perry.

Despite the film's supposed disrespect of the source material, several critics noted it was an improvement from its predecessor. IndieWire's David Ehrlich, one of the movie's biggest defenders, called it "a wonderfully wacky live-action cartoon that's good enough to restore your faith in second chances," and praises producer Michael Bay's work on the film. None of the characters contain much depth (and Fox is often dressed in inexplicably revealing outfits), but there's at least a sprinkle of entertainment value here.

The 2024 film "Subservience" flew under the radar at first. The film has a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, and amateur cinephiles liked it even less, giving the movie an average rating of 2/5 on Letterboxd. Released digitally without much fanfare, the sci-fi thriller dominated the Netflix charts several months after it dropped, indicating a certain amount of audience appeal.

The film depicts a world where humanoid androids have become commonplace and started replacing human jobs. Nick (Michele Morrone), who works in construction, purchases a female robot (Megan Fox) known as a 'sim' when his wife Maggie (Madeline Zima) falls ill and is hospitalized. Given the name Alice by his daughter, the robot begins acting strangely, becoming possessive of Nick and exhibiting jealousy toward Maggie. Alice's odd behavior escalates and she becomes violent.

The plot of "Subservience" may sound familiar to you, and that's because filmmakers have been playing with this concept — most recently seen in the film "Companion -– for decades. Though the narrative fails to stand out from other films of this type, it's a solid (if uninspired) android thriller. Its best asset is Megan Fox, who utilizes her Hollywood It Girl image to add depth to her character. Director S.K. Dale, in his second project with Fox, understands that her sometimes apathetic affect can be useful given the right context. There are definitely better evil fembot films than this one, but Fox's performance gives "Subservience" a slight edge.

A slasher where the serial killer is a lion, Megan Fox's 2020 film "Rouge" at the very least puts forth an interesting premise. Fox plays Sam O'Hara, a ruthless mercenary on a mission to rescue the daughter of a politician in South Africa. The girl was captured by a terrorist group, and Sam and her team must traverse through the savanna to find her, fighting off any wild creatures they come across.

As the film's poster suggests, one of those creatures is a lioness who stalks the mercenaries and picks them off one by one. But that's not the only threat they face. In addition to a ferocious crocodile, they also encounter heavily-armed members of the terrorist group who are almost as deadly as a hungry lion. Humorless and austere, Sam leads the group with coldhearted ferocity, and is certainly the most competent of the group. (When the other mercenaries neglect to follow her commands, death becomes imminent.)

As an action film, "Rogue" is not without thrills. The manner of violence varies, but sadly, the least effective enemy is the proud lioness. A poorly-designed CGI creation, it becomes clear why she so often appears in the shadows. Director M.J. Bassett, a former wildlife photographer, attempts to weave in serious topics like poaching, slavery, and terrorism into the story. However, none of these issues receive enough consideration or attention, and the film is best when it sticks to the action. Though it's far from a stellar picture, you can't accuse "Rogue" of being boring.

A follow-up to his hit "Knocked Up," Judd Apatow's "This Is 40" takes place five years after that film. Debbie (Leslie Mann) owns a boutique, and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd) owns a record label. Both on the brink of 40, the couple face numerous stressors, including their constantly fighting daughters (Maude and Iris Apatow), financial troubles, parental conflict, lack of romance and sex, and a smattering of other problems that arise.

The film features an outstanding supporting cast that includes Megan Fox, of course, as well as Jason Segel, John Lithgow, Albert Brooks, Melissa McCarthy, Lena Dunham, and Bill Hader. Fox plays Desi, an employee at Debbie's boutique who Debbie suspects of stealing (spoiler alert: she's innocent). The main thrust of the movie concerns the question of whether Debbie and Pete can survive this terrible year and come out happy and healthy on the other side of it.

Despite some seriously funny moments and a cast oozing with talent, the film suffers from a lackluster plot, meandering pacing, and an unnecessarily long runtime (134 minutes). Apatow manages to squeeze in some clever kernels of truth about marriage, parenting, and getting older, but the film would be better served by cutting out several subplots and gratuitous scenes. Not Fox's best comedy, "This Is 40" is nonetheless a relatively inoffensive entry in her filmography.

Directed, written by, and starring Jennifer Westfeldt, the 2011 film "Friends with Kids" follows the unconventional creation of a family. Westfeldt plays Julie, a woman in her mid-30s living in the same building as her best friend, Jason (Adam Scott). When all of their closest married friends start having kids, Julie and Jason decide it's time to throw their hat into the ring with one significant difference: The pair are best friends, not romantic partners, and they plan to be platonic "time share" parents.

Their plan goes swimmingly at first, but things get complicated when they begin dating other people and realize they've been harboring romantic feelings for each other all along. Julie and Jason's friends are played entirely by cast members from "Bridesmaids" — Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O'Dowd. But Megan Fox plays Mary Jane, Jason's first girlfriend after having a child with Julie.

Filled with sharp performances, the film benefits greatly from the charisma of its cast. Though not exactly playing against type, Fox illustrates that she can play a normal (but by no means average) woman and use her laconic delivery to comedic effect. The film's central gimmick and the archetypes the characters fall into -– for Julie, it's 'neurotic white woman' –- sometimes become tiresome, and the jokes periodically come off as mean-spirited. Still, the film contains moments of charm and smart humor that give it a boost.

The second part of a war trilogy following "Operation Chromite," the 2019 film "The Battle of Jangsari" is the most unexpected title in Megan Fox's filmography. Based on the titular battle, which took place during the Korean War, the film follows the Independent 1st Guerrilla Battalion, a group made up of untrained student volunteers. The Battalion staged a diversion at Jangsari beach to support General Douglas MacArthur's attack at Incheon.

In addition to the South Korean students and their leaders, the film also includes two American characters: Maggie (Megan Fox), a foreign correspondent trying to alert the world to the seriousness of the attack, and Colonel Stephen (George Eads), an officer trying to stop Maggie from revealing details of the mission. Fox's appearance in the film is compelling, and she gives an understated, solid performance that prevents her from standing out too much.

The best portions of the film are the battle sequences, which are well-shot and sufficiently devastating. Of course, none of these sequences feature the two American actors, and their appearances don't do a ton to move the plot forward. But unlike the previous film in the trilogy, "The Battle of Jangsari" avoids a propagandistic tone, instead honing in on the fatalistic nature of the battle, including the pointless deaths of these students and the indifference of their South Korean leaders. It's a solid war flick and a chance for Fox to show us a different side.

At this point, the beef between Michael Bay and Megan Fox is perhaps the best remembered part of "Transformers." Bay first met Fox when she was 15 and he cast her in a controversial cameo in "Bad Boys 2" that involved her wearing a bikini and dancing under a waterfall. When this story re-emerged doing the #MeToo movement, rumors spread that Bay had Fox wear a bikini and wash a car during her "Transformers" audition, though Fox denied this ever happened. Still, Fox is on record comparing Bay to Hitler, which supposedly led to her firing, or departure, from "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

But enough about the lore, let's get into the film. Based on the Hasbro toys, "Transformers" follows the fallout of a civil war. The conflict between two factions -– the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, and the Decepticons, led by Megatron –- comes to Earth, with both groups searching for the world-creating (or world-destroying) AllSpark. The young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) becomes embroiled in the war because his grandfather initially discovered the object in the 1800s. Sam links up with the Transformer known as Bumblebee, who helps him woo his crush Mikaela (Megan Fox) and stop the Decepticons.

While the plot sounds complicated, "Transformers" is mostly about huge robot cars fighting and destroying things. In this regard, the film is quite effective –- you can't deny how cool it looks when the Transformers do their thing. Though Fox's experiences with Bay and the relatively inconsequential role she plays in the film have colored contemporary perceptions, it remains a solid action flick from a bygone era.

Though not the lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating of Megan Fox's career, "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" was derided by critics upon its release in 2004. No offense to these critics, but they were wrong, for one important reason: They weren't preteen or teenage girls. Though less of a cultural shift than "Mean Girls," the film stands out as a classic of Lindsay Lohan's early career, somewhere on the qualitative spectrum between "Freaky Friday" and "Life Size."

Lohan plays Lola, a 15-year-old girl with Broadway dreams. Her plans are foiled when she and her mom move to a New Jersey suburb far removed from New York City. She makes a new friend, Ella (Alison Pill), finds a crush, Sam (Eli Marienthal), and gains a nemesis in Carla (Megan Fox), the most popular girl in school. She encounters many roadblocks in her effort to see her favorite band in concert and become a Broadway star, and her lies catch up to her.

Fox's casting opposite of Lohan goes swimmingly, and she devours the mean girl role, leaving no crumbs behind. Though successful, Fox's performance in the film was a case of fake it to you make it. As she told Lynn Hirschberg in 2009, "I didn't know how to act when I did that movie. I just mimicked all the b****** I'd seen other people play on TV." Her imitation served her well here, and she plays a significant part in a film that's funny, absurd, and just the right amount of campy. Award-winning it is not, the film nonetheless succeeds because of its diverting plot and the commitment of its young actors.

Though far from her most well-known role, Megan Fox's 2021 film "Till Death" is one of her best. A straightforward thriller, the movie follows Emma (Fox), a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage with her tyrannical husband Mark (Eoin Macken). Shortly after ending an affair with Mark's coworker, Tom (Aml Ameen), Mark surprises Emma on their anniversary with a necklace and a trip to a secluded house by the lake. The surprise intensifies when Emma wakes up handcuffed to Mark in the bed. Mark shoots himself in the head, leaving Emma with no means of escape. The setup of the film mirrors the premise of "Gerald's Game," but without that famous scene.

For the rest of the film, Emma fights for her survival as increasingly dangerous obstacles come her way. Her will to survive is strong, and the steps she takes to withstand Mark's terrible plot illustrate her intelligence. Fox gives one of her best performances in the film, which serves as her return to horror following 2009's "Jennifer's Body." She's focused, fearsome, and determined, great qualities for a Final Girl. Any issues with the film's lack of originality are easy to forget when Fox dominates the screen.

"Till Death" has the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of any Megan Fox film (90%), though the response on Letterboxd was more tepid (2.9/5). Either way, the film is one of the best horror movies of 2021 and one of the most impressive performances of Fox's career.

Sometimes, critical consensus is dead wrong, and in the best cases, a project can re-emerge as the beloved film it always deserved to be. One of the greatest examples of this phenomenon in the 21st century, "Jennifer's Body" went from box office bomb to cult classic over the course of a decade. Prior to its release in 2009, producers marketed the film as a sexy comedy geared to frat boys. That marketing campaign, along with the general sexism of the era and swaths of viewers who didn't get what the film was saying, set "Jennifer's Body" up to fail.

Now, the movie is by far the most beloved film of Fox's career, as women and people of all genders have come to realize its brilliance. The film follows Needy (Amanda Seyfried), a nerdy high school girl, and her best friend Jennifer (Fox), a popular cheerleader. When Jennifer falls victim to a virgin sacrifice gone wrong, she develops an insatiable desire for human flesh. Needy, who possesses hidden power herself, tries to stop Jennifer before she devours the entire male population of their school.

Not only is "Jennifer's Body" the best film and performance of Fox's career, it's also her best-cast role. Director Karyn Kusama and writer Diablo Cody played into Fox's image as the ultimate hot girl, turning her from the picture of beauty into a terrifying monster. Both Jennifer and Needy, representing different teen archetypes, illustrate the maxim hell is a teenage girl with biting precision, and though hyperbolic, this aspect of the film resonates with many viewers. When it comes to Fox's range, "Jennifer's Body" gives her space to demonstrate just how multi-faceted she can be.