There was a brief period of time when it appeared thatLogan Lermancould have been the nextDaniel Radcliffe. Giventhe popularity ofRick Riordan’sPercy Jackson & The Olympianbooks, it seemed like the film series adaptation would be equally as successful. Unfortunately, thePercy Jacksonfilm saga never became a popular culture phenomenon likeHarry Potter, despite Lerman’s charismatic performance as the titular protagonist. Instead of letting the failure of thePercy Jacksonseries bring his career to an early conclusion, Lerman made a series of smart choices with his subsequent projects. He has emerged as one of the most promising young actors of his generation; the failure ofPercy Jacksonis long behind him.
Lerman has certainly learned from some of the best. His role in theAmazon Prime original seriesHuntersallowed him the chance to co-star withAl Pacino, and his first feature film role inRoland Emmerich’sThe Patriotteamed him up withMel Gibson. Although co-starring alongside such acting legends would certainly be a daunting task for any young star, Lerman has done a great job establishing a unique persona for himself. His relative youth means that he still has many years left of great performances ahead of him. Here are the best Logan Lerman movies, ranked.
8’Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief' (2010)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thiefhas been mocked, dismissed, and downright forgotten by fans of Riordan’s series. Among its many flaws, the film failed to capture the unique synthesis of Greek mythology and young adult storytelling that had made Riordan’s novels so successful. It’s very hard to judgePercy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thiefon its own merits; had the film been somewhat stronger, Lerman’s career would have been in a very different place. While it’s easy to look at the firstPercy Jacksonfilm and consider what it didn’t do, Lerman’s performance is without a doubt one of the highlights.
Lerman captures the anxiety that Percy feels as he learns about his true lineage; Percy isn’t fully human or an actual Greek god, and thus, he doesn’t belong in either world. Although thefilm contradicts much of the novel, Lerman’s performance feels like an authentic representation of the character that Riordan originally wrote. Lerman also deserves credit for emerging from the film’s disastrous 2013 sequel,Percy Jackson & The Olympians: Sea of Monsters, with some dignity intact.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Lightning Thief
Watch Now On Disney+
7’The Three Musketeers' (2011)
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
There have been countlessadaptations ofThe Three Musketeersstory, as the characters exist within the public domain, and thus can be interpreted by any filmmaker or other studio. That being said,Paul W.S. Anderson’s 2011 version ofAlexander Dumas’ classic novel is certainly one of the weirdest. Did anyone actually read the original novel and think that it needed flying ships, more explosions, and the same amount of slow motion as theResident Evilfranchise?
WhileThe Three Musketeersis a very exaggerated film, Lerman actually manages to ground his version of D’Artagnan. The film doesn’t make a lick of sense, but the relationship between D’Artagnan and Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Porthos (the late greatRay Stevenson), and Aramis (Luke Evans) does work quite well. It’s almost a shame that Anderson’s film wasn’t successful enough to launch a goofy franchise of its own.
Watch Now On Tubi
6’Bullet Train' (2022)
Directed by David Leitch
Bullet Trainis a slick, fast-paced action thriller with a cast that’s so great that it’s downright embarrassing. The film’s incredible ensemble features a ton of great actors, includingBrad Pittin one of his best action rolesas the hitman known as “Ladybug.”A film with such a stacked ensemble can’t be that easy to stand out in, but Lerman’s role is one of the most important. He co-stars as the son of a Russian gangster (Michael Shannon), whose safety is of critical importance to the assassin duo Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry).
Unfortunately, Lerman doesn’t have a lot to do inBullet Train, as he is killed early on in the story. His early departure is somewhat disappointing, as it would have been fun to see how Lerman would have interacted with some of the film’s other characters. However, the death of his character is the inciting incident that sets up the rest ofBullet Train’s story.
Bullet Train
Packing a stellar cast with the likes of Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, and Zazie Beetz, David Leitch’s Bullet Train tells the story of an assassin for hire who bumps into multiple dangerous criminals aboard a high-speed Shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. The 2022 action comedy is an adaptation of Kōtarō Isaka’s novel “Maria Beetle”.
Watch Now On Netflix
5’Noah' (2014)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofskydidn’t seem like the type of filmmaker who would be interested in making a fantasy epic likeNoah.Aronofsky is often attracted to stories about self-destruction, addiction, and suffering. Why was he interested in adapting one of the stories from the Bible? As it turns out, Aronofsky’sNoahisn’t necessarily aimed at the same audience that sawThe Passion of the Christ.It’s a deeply weird disaster thriller that only loosely uses the original Biblical text as inspiration.
Lerman has a relatively small role as Ham, the son of Noah (Russell Crowe) and Naameh (Jennifer Connolly). The film is largely reliant on its visuals, so it didn’t require as much of an emotional performance from Lerman. That being said, he does do a great job at playing opposite industry veterans (and Academy Award winners) like Crowe and Connelly. Even during the film’s epic disaster sequences, the tension surrounds whether this family will survive.
Noah is chosen by God to undertake a momentous mission before an apocalyptic flood cleanses the world.
Watch Now On Prime Video
4'3:10 to Yuma' (2007)
Directed by James Mangold
1957’s3:10 to Yumais a good film, butJames Mangold’s 2007 remake is even better. It wasn’t a case where a newer version was able to add more visual effects or action; Mangold’s version is superior to the original because it narrows its focus on the characters. Even though the rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) and the gunslinger Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) are on opposite sides of the law, the film shows that they aren’t as different as they may have initially seemed.
Mangold gives the audience a reason to invest in both characters as their paths cross. Evans is particularly compelling due to the relationship he has with his son, William (Lerman). Lerman feels like the perfect actor to play Bale’s son; they’re both ambitious actors who have never given the same performance twice.
3:10 to Yuma
A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who’s awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher.
Watch Now On Apple TV
3’Indignation' (2016)
Directed by James Schamus
Indignationshowed that Lerman was much more than just the failed star of a young adult franchise. This 2016 adaptation of thePhillip Routhnovel of the same name starred Lerman in the role of Marcus Messner, a Jewish student who receives a scholarship to the prestigious Winesburg College in Newark, New Jersey. Messner’s scholarship allows him to avoid being drafted in the war; to maintain his good standing with the university, Messner hides the fact that he is an atheist. Messner also struggles to admit his sexual desires after he falls in love with a young woman (Sarah Gadon).
Lerman does a great job at showing how hard it is for Messner to keep his emotions in check. He knows he must keep his secrets, but struggles to keep himself silenced when others question his beliefs. It’s an impressive performance that relies upon Lerman’s ability to deliver extended monologs; an extended argument between Messner and his Dean (Tracy Letts) stands out in particular.
2’Fury' (2014)
Directed by David Ayer
FilmingFurymay have beena completely miserable experience for Lerman and his co-stars, but it ended up being one of the best films that he ever appeared in. Set during the final stretch of the European Theater in World War II, the film follows the crew of a heavy-duty tank that leads the assault on Nazi territory. The tank’s crew members, Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt), Boyd “Bible” Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Trini “Gordo” Garcia (Michael Peña), and Grady “Coon-Ass” Travis (Jon Bernthal), are forced to adjust when the rookie gunner Private Norman Ellison (Lerman) is assigned to their crew.
Lerman does a great job at showing how Ellison’s perspective on war changes over the course of his experience. Initially, he is taken aback by the grim perspective that Wardaddy and the other soldiers have. However, Ellison begins to understand the events that colored their perspective as he sees more bloodshed. It serves as a heartbreaking way of showing a loss of innocence.
Watch Now On Starz
1’The Perks of Being A Wallflower' (2012)
Directed by Stephen Chbosky
The Perks Of Being A Wallflowerhas a surprisingly frank perspective on whatbeing in high school actually looks like. While it’s easy to reflect on youthful misadventures with rose-tinted glasses,The Perks of Being A Wallflowershows how challenging it is for a shy, introverted teenager like Charlie. Charlie doesn’t think that he matters until he strikes up a friendship with the senior Sam (Emma Watson) and her brother Patrick (Ezra Miller).
The Perks of Being A Wallflowerfeatures some mature discussions about sexual abuse, depression, and loneliness, and Charlie’s journey isn’t always a pleasant one. Lerman gives a performance that is so charming that it makes these plot points even more heartbreaking. It’s to his credit that, despite the trauma that Charlie endures, his journey ends up being an empowering one.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Based on the novel by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower tells the story of Charlie Kelmeckis, a high school freshman with a troubled past and history of mental health issues whose friendship with two seniors comes to define his first year of high school in surprising and dramatic ways. Logan Lerman stars as Charlies, alongside Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.
NEXT:These ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ Deleted Scenes Cut Out an Important Element
