It’s rather remarkable to see how quicklyLupita Nyong’ohas become one of Hollywood’s most exciting young talents.While it often takes a breakout performer many years in order to be taken seriously by their peers, Nyong’o immediately earned the acclaim of the industry whenshe won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Although this may have suggested that she was on a track to exclusively appear in prestigious films, Nyong’o has lined up a number of exciting projects that exist within a multitude of genres.
Nyong’o has joined many exciting franchises,including both theStar Warsfranchiseand the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Not all of her work has been successful, as the horror comedyLittle Monstersand the highly anticipated sequelStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerfell massively short of expectations. That being said, it’s hard to name another young performer whose overall track record is as solid as Nyong’o’s. Here are the top ten best Lupita Nyong’o movies, ranked.
10‘The 355’ (2022)
Directed by Simon Kinberg
It may not have initiated the original franchise that it was intended to, butThe 355was a very fun action spy thriller that proved Nyong’o’s merits as an action star.The film starred Nyong’o alongsideJessica Chastain, Diane Kruger,andPenelope Cruzas a group of highly trained espionage agents who team up to take down a turncoat (Sebastian Stan). While itspoor box office returns may have prevented the chance of a sequel, it hopefully won’t be the last time that Nyong’o does something in the espionage genre.
Nyong’o is by far the best part ofThe 355, and her emotional expressiveness is reason enough to check out the film. It speaks to her incredible abilities as a performer that she was able to take a thinly written character and improve upon it, raising the quality of the entire film as a result.
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9‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ (2022)
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Expectations could not be higher forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, as its predecessor has grossed over $1 billion at the global box office and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. The film was also placed in the difficult position of explaining the death of King T’Challa due to the tragic passing ofChadwick Bosemanin real life. Although there were some moments that felt purely inserted to set up future installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris an emotional and epic sequel that fleshes out Nyong’o’s character Nakia in more detailwhen it is revealed that she had a child with T’Challa.
Nyong’o does a great job at showing Nakia’s mourning, which may have been a sincere expression of her own grief. While it remains unclearwhat direction theBlack Pantherfranchise will go nextgiven the many shifts in Marvel Studios’ creative team, it’s safe to say that Nakia has emerged as one of the franchise’s strongest creations.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening world powers as they mourn the death of King T’Challa.
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8‘Non-Stop’ (2014)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Shortly after her Academy Award victory earned her worldwide recognition, Nyong’o made an appearance in the action thrillerNon-Stopfrom directorJaume Collet-Serra.The film centers on an alcoholic air marshall (Liam Neeson) who discovers that the plane flight he is on is being hijacked by terrorists,but finds himself framed for committing the crime.Nyong’o’s brief appearance as an experienced flight attendant improves the dramatic realism of the film, which attempts to blend the influence of bothAlfred Hitchcock’s suspense thrillersandDie Hard-style action films.
Non-Stopis a completely watchable and surprisingly intense action thrillerthat thankfully does not make the mistake of taking itself too seriously. Nyong’o proved once again that she doesn’t need a whole lot of screen time to leave a strong impression on the viewer, and the film certainly benefits from her involvement.
7‘Black Panther’ (2018)
Even for those that were not already massive fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,Black Pantherwas a culturally defining event unlike anything else the superhero genre had ever seen.While Boseman’s star power was undeniably, Nyong’o’s performance as Nakia represented a different type of superhero character. She is a proud representative of the interest of the Wakandan people, who nonetheless recognizes the importance of reaching out to other nations.Black Pantherdoes a better job at boosting the roles of its female characters than any other installment in the MCU.
Black Panthermanaged to tackle weighty themes about the escalation of the arms race, colonialism, and race relations, whilst still containing all the exciting action sequences thatone would expect out of a great superhero movie.Surprisingly, the romance between T’Challa and Nakia ends up being one of the film’s greatest virtues, and not a distraction that takes away from the main plot.
Black Panther
T’Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country’s past.
6‘The Jungle Book’ (2016)
Directed by Jon Favreau
It’s easy to become bored by theendless string of live-action remakes produced by Walt Disney Studios,as a majority of them do not do another to differentiate themselves from the original animated versions. However,Jon Favreau’s 2016 version ofThe Jungle Bookwas an expansion on the original animated film that fleshed out its characters in more details.Nyong’o has one of the most important roles in the film as the Indian wolf Rakasha, who serves as a maternal figure within the life of the young human Mowgli (Neel Sethi).
Nyong’o adds a comforting, heartfelt presence to the early scenes inThe Jungle Bookthat makes the subsequent action and adventure grounded in a place of genuine emotion. Even though it is an entirely vocal performance, Nyong’o manages to give more depth and personality to Rakasha than most live-action characters in other films.
The Jungle Book
Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book brings the original Rudyard Kipling story to life, telling the story of Mowgli the Man-Cub (Neel Sethi) as he is cared for by the animals of the jungle. Raised by wolves and taught to hunt by the panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), Mowgli also befriends the carefree bear, Baloo (Bill Murray). However, the tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) wants to kill Mowgli, forcing him to assess whether or not the jungle is a safe place for a human.
5‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ (2024)
Directed by Michael Sarnoski
A Quiet Placewas a singular achievement in original science fiction storytelling, butA Quiet Place: Day Onewas a creative reimagining of the franchise that explored the origins of its apocalyptic event.Set in New York City during the first stages of an alien invasion,A Quiet: Place: Day Onestars Nyong’o as a disturbed young womanwith mental health issues, who teams up with a lonely British man (Joseph Quinn) to break free of the island and escape with the rest of the survivors.
Although it features some remarkable feats of visual effects,A Quiet Place: Day Oneis a remarkably intimate and soulful film that focuses on the quiet moments between Nyong’o and Quinn. It’s impressive that both actors were able to convey such a strong connection with one another when their characters are only given strict parameters in which they can communicate.
A Quiet Place: Day One
Experience the day the world went quiet.
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4‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (2015)
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Star Wars: The Force Awakenswas a heavily anticipated legacy sequel that featured the exciting return of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). However,many ofthe best aspects ofStar Wars: The Force Awakenswere the new characters, including Nyong’o as the mysterious alien bartender Maz Kanata. Despite her strange appearance, Maz has a deep knowledge of the history of the force, and contains insights on the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).
Maz was a fun new addition to theStar Warsuniversewho was helpful in giving Rey (Daisy Ridley) the guidance that she needed when she started experiencing visions of her past. The combination of creating a unique voice and doing motion capture work proved that Nyong’o was up to any challenges when it came to joining one of the most exciting science fiction franchises in the history of cinema.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
As a new threat to the galaxy rises, Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, an ex-stormtrooper, must join Han Solo and Chewbacca to search for the one hope of restoring peace.
3‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ (2017)
Directed by Rian Johnson
Star Wars: The Last Jediis the bestStar Warsmovie sinceThe Empire Strikes Back, as it managed toquestion the saga’s themeswhilst still celebrating what made it great in the first place. Maz is given a very important role in the film, as she passes along important information about a mysterious thief (Benicio del Toro) to Finn (John Boyega) that he needs in order to infiltrate the Imperial Starship run by General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson).
The appearance of Maz in the film celebrates the new generation of heroes that were established in theStar Warssequel trilogy, which have become beloved by younger viewers who were experiencing the franchise for the first time. While she may look diminutive and a little goofy, Maz proves that any character in theStar Warsfranchise can become a hero if they trust in the will of the force.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
The Star Wars saga continues as new heroes and galactic legends go on an epic adventure, unlocking mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
2‘Us’ (2019)
Directed by Jordan Peele
Usfeatures the single most dynamic performance of Nyong’o’s career,as she managed to play two completely distinct characters.Jordan Peele’s masterful horror thriller stars Nyong’o as a caring mother whose family is haunted by a series of malevolent doppelgangers once they go on vacation. It’s eventually revealed that they are pawns with a larger effort to replace those living on the surface and take over. It’s a testament to Nyong’o’s abilities that she was able to simultaneously play a “final girl” and one of the most terrifying slasher villains in recent memory.
Usis easilyone of the most rewatchable horror films of the 2010s,as it’s so packed with hidden details that it improves upon each viewing. If the Academy Award didn’t have such a strong bias against horror films, Nyong’o’s performance would have landed her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Adelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realize that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.
1‘12 Years a Slave’ (2013)
Directed by Steven McQueen
12 Years a Slaveis one of the most heartbreaking films ever made, as no historical epic has managed to capture the brutality of slavery and its dehumanizing effects in the same way. WhileChiwetel Ejiofer’s performance as the captured freeman Solomon Lane anchors the film, it’s Nyong’o who breaks every viewer’s heart as Patsy, a slave who is relentlessly brutalized by the white plantation owner (Michael Fassbender).
Nyong’o shows a tremendous amount of bravery in her performance, as she had to reach deep inside to show the emotional and physical torment that her character endured.12 Years a Slaveis by no means an easy film to watch, but it’s such an important representation of the horrors of America’s past that it serves as an essential watch for any citizen. Both the film itself and its performances are an important part of film history.
12 Years a Slave
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
