Kristen Stewart has long been a darling of indie movies. Though she's also starred in a number of popular blockbuster films, she's cut her teeth on quieter movies including The Cake Eaters, Clouds of Sils Maria, and Speak. But while Stewart's performances in these films shone bright on the movie screen, her turn as Bella Swan in the Twilight franchise catapulted her into the mainstream after the first movie in that series premiered in 2008. For the next four years, she was deeply entrenched in the world of vampires and werewolves, watching her star rapidly rise. 

Once Twilight ended, though, Stewart mostly fell back into smaller, quieter films where she's excelled. She took a turn a few years ago, however, by starring in the latest Charlie's Angels movie that gave her a chance to combine action and humor. The following year, she dipped a toe into Christmas films with Hulu's Happiest Season, another humorous take, this time on romance. But it was her starring role in 2021's Spencer that earned her her first Oscar nomination of her career — 20 years after her first major role in Panic Room. 

Stewart's film résumé is vast and varied — from fantasy teen romance to inspiring indies. She's tapped into a number of genres over the years, showing off her talent for adapting to any character she plays. So many of her movies are popular with viewers, whether it's because of her performance or the cinematic storytelling (or both). 

Here, Metacritic highlights the top 10 movies Stewart has acted in, ranked by Metascore.

Certain Women

Metascore: 82
Best for: Anyone who wants to enjoy a movie about strong women
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu  
Runtime: 107 minutes

Stewart stars alongside Laura Dern and Michelle Williams in this movie about independent women who want more out of their lives than what is expected of them. Gina (Williams) is trying to build her dream home, Laura (Dern) is a lawyer always fighting to stand up for herself, and Elizabeth (Stewart) is a law student trying to be the first in family to make something of her life. Each woman's story is a quiet quest for strength as they weave in and out of each other's lives. 

"Stewart does an intriguing job creating a paradoxical character who explains herself without giving of herself, her very persona exposing the false promise of personal exposition." — Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail

Clouds of Sils Maria

Metascore: 79
Best for: Fans of indie movies with intriguing women in lead roles
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 124 minutes

Actress Maria's (Juliette Binoche) career is coming full circle when she's offered a role in a revival of the same play that made her famous years before. This time, though, she's set to play the older role, opposite an up-and-comer named Jo-Ann (Chloë Grace Moretz). As her life starts to spiral, she leans more heavily on her assistant, Valentine (Stewart), but their relationship is starting to become unhealthy.

"Each actress is, in her own peculiar way, preternaturally high-strung, able to convey momentous emotional stakes without raising her voice above the pitch of conversation." — David Edelstein, Vulture

Personal Shopper

Metascore: 77
Best for: Fans of Olivier Assayas and ghost stories
Where to watch:

, Google Play, , iTunes, Vudu  
Runtime: 105 minutes

Stewart stars as Maureen, a personal shopper in Paris who is content to spend her time going from store to store with someone else's money. But after her twin brother dies, she becomes laser-focused on making contact with him again. He promised her he'd do just that, and she pokes around every corner of his home trying to find him. Things escalate, though, when ghostly things start to happen, and it doesn't always feel friendly.

"It is actually Assayas's best film for a long time, and Stewart's best performance to date." — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Adventureland

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of the '80s and amazing movie soundtracks
Where to watch:

, Google Play, HBO Max, iTunes, Vudu  
Runtime: 107 minutes

James (Jesse Eisenberg) had his summer plans all figured out when his parents dropped the bomb that he'd need to get a job instead. Enter: the Adventureland theme park. At work, he meets a rotating cast of characters who are all quirky in their own way, including Em (Stewart). James can't help but feel drawn to her as the summer days pass. Though Adventureland and its interesting staff grow on him, his budding romance with Em doesn't exactly go as planned.

"A sweet, sharp coming-of-age romance, Adventureland is a little warmer, a little funnier and a lot more truthful than the last 20 or 30 of its ilk. Especially its Hollywood ilk." — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Spencer

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of royal history
Where to watch: 

, Google Play, , iTunes, Vudu  
Runtime: 111 minutes

Taking place over the course of a weekend, Spencer stars Stewart as Diana, Princess of Wales, at the peak of her fractured marriage with Prince Charles (played by Jack Farthing). It's the Christmas holiday at Sandringham Estate, and Diana is falling apart. All she wants is to get away and bring her boys (played by Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry) with her. After years of going along with the royal family's traditions, she's had enough.

"Who better to play a person remembered for her perceived shyness than the current maestro of hooded introspection?" — Donald Clarke, The Irish Times

Into the Wild

Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of powerful true stories
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix, Vudu 
Runtime: 148 minutes

Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch) had it all, including a college degree, money, and parents who wanted to give him more. But he walked away from everything to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. He set out to travel the country on his own will and merit with a goal of making it to Alaska. Based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild also features a number of people who Chris meets on his adventure, including Stewart's Tracy. She's a young girl who fancies Chris, but the romance fizzles as quickly as it begins.

"Into the Wild is a beautifully made motion picture and some of the segments (especially those with Hal Holbrook and those that transpire around "the magic bus" in Alaska) are powerful." — James Bernardinelli, Reel Views

Still Alice

Metascore: 72
Best for: Fans of heart-wrenching dramas
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, , Vudu
Runtime: 101 minutes

It's a scary world to be in when Alice (Julianne Moore) is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. She finds herself slowly forgetting words and is so afraid of forgetting her family and her life. Her family, which includes her kids Lydia (Stewart), Anna (Kate Bosworth), and Tom (Hunter Parrish), comes together to support her through her trying time and pick her up any time she stumbles.

"This is a deeply moving dramatization of what Alzheimer's does to mind and spirit, anchored by the finest performance, male or female, from any 2014 movie release." — Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times

Happiest Season

Metascore: 69
Best for: Christmas movie-lovers and fans of LGBTQIA+ romance stories
Where to watch:

, iTunes
Runtime: 102 minutes

Abby (Stewart) is so excited to finally meet her girlfriend Harper's (Mackenzie Davis) family this Christmas, but what Harper failed to mention is that her family has no idea she's gay. When the two show up, Abby is forced to pretend to be Harper's very straight, very platonic girlfriend. Her time with the family is incredibly tense, and she quickly loses her patience with the situation. With an assist from her pal John (Dan Levy), though, Abby starts to see the situation a bit differently.

"The movie practically vibrates with its own meta tension." — Teo Bugbee, The New York Times

Zathura: A Space Adventure

Metascore: 67
Best for: Fans of action-packed fantasy movies
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu
Runtime: 113 minutes

From the same world as Jumanji comes Zathura: A Space Adventure. Two brothers (played by Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo) discover an intriguing board game in their basement and can't help but try it out. They soon realize, though, that they've been sucked into the game — and propelled into outer space. Their older sister, Lisa (Stewart), is frozen solid, thanks to one of the cards in the game, so the boys have to race against the clock — and the game — to unfreeze her and get back to their own world.

"Zathura is a rarity: a stellar fantasy that faces down childhood anxieties with feet-on-the-ground maturity." — Scott Brown, Entertainment Weekly

The Runaways

Metascore: 65
Best for: Fans of rock and roll history
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix, Vudu
Runtime: 106 minutes

Stewart embodies Joan Jett in this historical film based on the singer's life and creation of the band The Runaways. The young musician arrives in Hollywood looking to start an all-female rock band when she meets Sandy (Stella Maeve), Robin (Alia Shawkat), Lita (Scout Taylor-Compton), and the band's soon-to-be star Cherie (Dakota Fanning). Their stars quickly rise, but Cherie struggles to handle the rock star lifestyle, abusing drugs and fighting with the rest of the band about the uneven popularity. 

"An entertaining but routine rock flick." — Kyle Smith, New York Post