Hayden Christensen rose to fame after his appearance as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise and fans of the franchise are anticipating his return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. However, this actor has been in several other hit films that have been given a score on Rotten Tomatoes. These scores are calculated by the rating that various titles were given by a professional critic, and anything below 60% is considered ‘rotten.’ Fans of the actor might be surprised to learn of his roles in some pretty popular films beyond Star Wars.
Updated on May 17th, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: Hayden Christensen hasn’t appeared in many movies over his career, despite his breakout performance in the Star Wars trilogy, where he portrayed a young Anakin Skywalker before he became Darth Vader. Out of his movies, outside Star Wars, only one received critical acclaim and one other was seen as a launching point for a career that never materialized.
However, Christensen is coming back in 2022 and it is to the franchise that made him a star. Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker, giving him the first chance to take on the role under the mask as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi. With that Disney+ streaming series coming soon, it might be a good time to reprise his career and see if his movies were really as bad as Rotten Tomatoes critics made them out to be.
14 Jumper (2008) – 15%
Available on Cinemax
After Hayden Christensen broke out in the Star Wars saga, studios thought he could be a major action star. The one chance he got didn’t go the way he had hoped. In Doug Liman’s Jumper, Hayden starred as a young man who could “jump” to anywhere he had seen before.
However, a group of religious fanatics set out to murder all jumpers, considering them an aberration. Critics were not impressed. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie was certified rotten with complaints about “uninvolving characters” and a “loose narrative.”
13 Factory Girl (2007) – 20%
Available on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Vudu, and Pluto TV
Christensen played the role of Billy Quin, a musician, in this film that was given a 20% rating by critics. The audience, however, felt a bit differently as they gave it a 60% rating as they fell for the story of Edie Sedgewick, a trust fund baby turned superstar.
The film follows her journey as she looks for love while struggling with the facts surrounding her apparent stardom.
12 Awake (2007) – 23%
Available on Vudu
This film was given a rating of 24% by critics and a rating of 54% by the audience where Clayton Beresford Jr. was played by Hayden Christensen.
The movie follows this man’s story as he is one of the few who is able to stay awake even under anesthesia, and he learns of his impending murder while under the knife. It is full of suspense and mystery that keeps fans hooked for the entire movie as they attempt to figure out the ending to this story.
11 Takers (2010) – 28%
Available on Tubi
Those interested in action and crime films should see this one where Christensen was cast in the role of A.J., who is one of the bank robbers. The group is careful and precise in their planning, but when a big heist involving an armored car comes their way it is impossible for them to resist.
The quick planning and different venue of this heist could lead to their capture and fans loved the high-paced action of this film. The critics, however, only gave it a rating of 28%, while the audience favored it a bit more with a 62% rating.
10 9o Minutes In Heaven (2015) – 26%
Available on Tubi
Don Piper was played by Hayden Christensen in this film that critics gave a 23% rating, and the audience gave it a mere 50%. Christensen was the main character in the film who died after his car was crushed by a semi-truck, and he was given the chance to spend 90 minutes in Heaven.
He was then brought back to life and forced to face the new reality of physical and mental pain that he manages with the help of his family.
9 Life As A House (2001) – 47%
Available on Kanopy
Christensen played the role of Sam Monroe in this film which was given a 47% rating by critics and an 88% audience score. It follows the story of a man named George Monroe who is diagnosed with cancer the day he is fired from his job and decides to take the time to build a new home to replace his ugly shack.
He has his son, Sam, come live with him for the summer in order to help him with this project before he dies, but his son’s bad behavior doesn’t make it an easy task.
8 Vanishing On 7th Street (2010) – 48%
Available on YouTube, Pluto TV, and Tubi
This film is about the middle of the road for this actor as it was given a 48% rating by critics, but the audience wasn’t a huge fan as they only gave it a 21% rating.
Christensen played the main character by the name of Luke who is left in a world where everyone begins to vanish following a massive power outage. The dark seems to be closing in on them all and it is only a matter of time before everyone vanishes due to this strange phenomenon.
7 Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) – 52%
Available on Disney+
Hayden Christensen did not appear in The Rise of Skywalker, but his voice was in the movie. At one point, Rey was trying to survive the onslaught against her and all the past Jedi Masters began speaking to her. This included Hayden’s Anakin Skywalker, who found redemption after Darth Vader’s death.
The movie wasn’t critically beloved, although older Star Wars liked it, giving it an 86% approval rating. Critics complained the movie had a “lack of imagination” but it concluded the saga with devotion to the characters.
6 In The Mouth Of Madness (1995) – 57%
Available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video
This film just barely missed a good score on Rotten Tomatoes as it was given a 59% by critics, but 73% of the audience enjoyed it. Christensen played a minor role in this film as he was just the paperboy in a world where a woman’s horror stories have come to life.
It follows a detective as he seeks to uncover the truth behind the writer Sutter Cane’s disappearance. He soon learns that this writer has unleashed a terrible evil onto the world and the book affects its readers in mysterious ways. This is the perfect throwback Halloween film as it takes its viewers on the adventure of a lifetime.
5 Strike! (1998) – 67%
Available on Starz
This film is back from 1998 and it is the first film on this list to be given a positive rating by critics with a score of 67%. The audience also rated it highly with 73% and Christensen was cast as Tinka’s date.
It follows the merger of an all-girls school with an all-boys school where a group of girls focuses their energy on making sure this doesn’t happen. Kirsten Dunst was the main lead role in this movie.
4 The Virgin Suicides (1999) – 78%
Available on fuboTV
Christensen acts beside Kirsten Dunst once again in this film as Jake Hill Conley. Critics gave a 76% and the audience rated it an 81%.
It tells the story of the Lisbon sisters who were sheltered by their Catholic mother and strict father. It follows their lives as one committed suicide and the other tried her best to push the limits that her parents had set.
3 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack Of The Clones (2002) – 65%
Available on Disney+
The second Star Wars prequel movie, Attack of the Clones, had Anakin Skywalker grow up a lot after his first appearance. In this movie, Hayden Christensen took on the role of the Jedi who would one day become Darth Vader in a story of romance and political intrigue.
This was one of the least liked Star Wars movies by fans, who rated it at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, lower than the 65% approval rating from critics. Attack of the Clones had a lot more action than the previous one, but complaints still rose for “underdeveloped characters.”
2 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith (2005) – 79%
Available on Disney+
The highest-rated Star Wars movie from the prequel trilogy was the last one, Revenge of the Sith. This was a tragic movie, where the good guys won, but at the cost of the main protagonist’s soul. This was where Obi-Wan steals the movie and puts down Anakin, only to see him rise again later as Darth Vader.
While the movie was dark and had several disturbing moments as Anakin turned to the Dark Side, critics pointed out that the movie brought the entire prequel trilogy to a thrilling and poignant conclusion.
1 Shattered Glass (2003) – 92%
Available on YouTube, Tubi, and Amazon Prime Video
The movie at the top of our list is called Shattered Glass, which critics loved as they gave it a score of 92%. The audience didn’t love it as much, but they still gave it a rating of 79% and the positivity is because of Christensen’s outstanding performance as a journalist named Stephen Glass.
It tells the true story of this journalist as it was uncovered that his stories were false as he concocted sources and quotes in an effort to help him rise to fame.
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