Dakota Fanning’s best movies; From “War of the Worlds” to “Coraline”

Dakota Fanning is one of those figures who started her career in the world of cinema from childhood and now, without slowing down for a moment, she has become one of the few young actors who both critics respect and audiences are excited about her films. In this article, we will review Dakota Fanning’s best movies.

Fanning has shown in all these years that she is not one of those actors who stays in one mold. From indie dramas to sci-fi, from historical films to animations, she has tried almost every type of role and more often than not came out of it proud and has the potential to become one of the best actresses of all time. So now may be the best time to review his career and see what works this young but experienced actor has played in.

The best Dakota Fanning movies you should see

12- The Runaways

• Release year: 2010
• Director: Floria Sigismundi
• Other actors: Kristen Stewart, Michael Shannon, Riley Keough, Riley Keough, Stella Mave, Scout Taylor-Compton, Johnny Lewis
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 6.5 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 58 out of 100

This biographical film is about the formation and rise to fame of one of the pioneering girl rock groups in the seventies. The story takes place in 1975, where June Jett (Kristen Stewart), a teenage guitarist who dreams of forming an all-girl rock ‘n’ roll band, meets Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), a quirky, charismatic and opportunistic producer who realizes the commercial potential of the idea. They are looking for a special face to complete the group and they find Sherry Cory (Dakota Fanning), a teenager with an innocent face but a rebellious spirit and influenced by David Bowie, in a night club and choose her as the lead singer. With Fawley’s strict, humiliating management and unorthodox training, the group “Runaways” is formed, and these teenage girls soon reach world fame and tours in Japan with their unconventional songs and daring style; But the rapid success, mental pressures of fame, drug use and emotional and professional tensions between the members, especially the competition and complicated relationship between Jon and Sherry, put the friendship and future of the band on a slippery slope.

“The Fugitives” is based on Sherry Cory’s memoir, so the film’s angle revolves more around Cory’s personal experiences and her relationship with Jon Jet rather than a well-rounded account of all the band members (like Lita Ford, who criticized the film). Despite this, the film came out very close to reality, mainly because the real Jon Jet was on the set with Kristen Stewart to teach her the details of behavior, how to stand, how to play the guitar and even the tone of her speech.

Dakota Fanning’s role as Sheri Cory is considered a turning point in her artistic career, as it was her first serious and completely adult role after years of shining as a young and child actress. It wasn’t an easy role, Fanning had to portray a person whose teenage innocence goes away and becomes a symbol in the rough world of rock and road. However, she managed to portray a complex combination of vulnerability, fear, depression and exuberance. To play this role, Fanning not only completely changed her appearance and cut her hair, but also performed all the songs related to her character herself (not lip reading).

11- The Watchers

• Release year: 2024
• Director: Ishana Night Shyamalan
• Other actors: Georgina Campbell, Alon Faure, Oliver Finnigan, Alistair Brammer, John Lynch
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 5.7 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 32 out of 100

Dakota Fanning, who is no stranger to playing depressed and damaged people, plays a similar type of character here; Blaming herself for her mother’s death, Mina has moved to Ireland to get over her tragic past and make a fresh start, but she still can’t let go of the past. In order to enjoy life sometimes, he even changes his identity and claims to be another person to meet new people. One day, the owner of the pet store where he works asks him to deliver a precious golden parrot to a zoo in Belfast. A day later, he sets out on his journey but, possibly distracted by his sister’s call, veers off the main road to reach the old forests of Ireland, which he says “doesn’t exist on any map.”

His car suddenly breaks down, and a little later, his car disappears into broad daylight! (Even if we take into account the logic within the story, the creatures in the story would not come out of their cave for days.) We have to assume that there is a spell or magic in this area, but if so, the question arises, why don’t other means of transportation – such as a bicycle – disappear? The girl wanders in the forest with her parrot until she sees a middle-aged woman and follows her to a house that looks too modern for a house in the middle of the cursed ancient forest. There are three other people there who explain to him that there is no way to escape from this forest because no matter where they go, it will be night and then mysterious and dangerous creatures will come to kill them. So what is the solution? To spend the nights in this house and look out of its big window so that the mysterious creatures of the story look at them and touch them! as if they have come to a concert.

Ishana Night Shyamalan, in her first directorial experience, made a film that is not disturbing, at least visually; Previously, as the director of the second filming unit, he had directed parts of his father’s two recent films, “Old” (2021) and “Knock on the cabin door” (2023), and has a history of directing several episodes of the “Servant” series – again a product of his father. But the problem that can be seen here in Shyamalan’s work is that he does not have a correct understanding of suspense, and that he still does not know that an interesting or exciting idea alone is not enough for a good film; The irony of the story is that his father has also struggled with this problem in the last two decades. You can come up with a crazy idea that sounds amazing on paper, but the real question is: how should this idea be implemented so that it has the right logic and structure? Ishana Night Shyamalan and her father in “Watchmen” have not thought about this “how to implement the idea” as usual. However, Dakota Fanning’s performance is good enough to recommend this movie to you.

10- The Motel Life

• Release year: 2012
• Director: Alan Polsky, Gabriel Polsky
• Other actors: Emile Hirsch, Steven Derff, Kris Kristofferson, Joshua Lennard, Dayton Calley, Noah Harpster
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 5.9 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 70 out of 100

This melancholic and neo-noir drama tells the story of two brothers named Jerry Lee (Steven Dorff) and Frank (Emil Hersh), who after the death of their mother, live an unstable and unstable life in cheap motels in Reno, Nevada, and are the only support for each other. The story gets complicated when Jerry Lee crashes his bike in a drunken state on a snowy night, causing his death; This horrible event makes the brothers gather their few belongings and go on the road to escape from the law and preserve their freedom. In the meantime, Frank is constantly reminded of his old love, Annie (Dakota Fanning), a girl whose fate is tied to Frank’s hard life and whose presence in his mind keeps alive a combination of hope and regret in this journey full of anxiety and uncertainty.

The film is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Willy Velatin and directed by the Polsky brothers. One of the unique features of the film is the use of creative animation sequences alongside the main narrative, which are used to depict the fictional stories that Frank tells. The film has an independent and indie atmosphere and tried to present a realistic and sad picture of the working class and the marginalized in America; Of course, the movie was not seen much and few people remember it these days.

Dakota Fanning as Annie James has a different presence in the film. Although he is not physically present throughout the film and a large part of his role takes place in flashbacks or imaginations of the main character, he is the emotional heart of the story. With a pale face and quiet voice, Fanning shows the vulnerability of a girl who is a victim of life’s difficult circumstances. His performance here relies less on dialogue and more on tired looks and wry smiles that justify Frank’s character’s main motivation to keep going.

9- In the Realms of the Unreal

• Release year: 2004
• Director: Jessica Yu
• Other actors: Larry Pine, Wally Wingert, Freer McCallister, Janice Hong
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 4.5 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 17 out of 100

This quirky documentary is a surprising and sometimes shocking exploration of the life of Henry Darger, a reclusive and reclusive Chicago hospital janitor whose death in 1973 led his landlord to discover a vast treasure trove of thousands of pages of writing and hundreds of panoramic watercolor paintings in his room. Without interviewing Darger himself, the film tries to reconstruct his complex mental world by combining interviews with neighbors and animating his paintings; Paintings that tell the epic and whimsical story of the “Vivian Girls” in a never-ending battle against child slavery by evil adults, challenging the line between artistic genius and insanity.

The documentary’s director, Jessica Yu, spent five years making the film, as it took a lot of time and precision to animate Darger’s still and detailed drawings. The film was highly praised for its unique visual style that brings Darger’s paintings to life. The downside of the film is that it doesn’t make any judgments about Darger’s tendencies and mental state and only deals with his unique worldview.

Dakota Fanning does not act in this film, but is the narrator. The choice of a little girl’s voice (Fanning was about 10 at the time of recording) to read Darger’s texts creates a clever and sometimes frightening contrast; Because these stories often include scenes of violence against children in Darger’s fantasy world, and the innocence of Fanning’s voice highlights the tragic depth and strange purity of the creator’s mind.

8- The Equalizer 3

• Release year: 2023
• Director: Antoine Foucault
• Other actors: Denzel Washington, Ohneo Mastrandra, David Denman, Remo Girone, Dia Lanzaro, Bruno Bilotta
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 6.8 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 76 out of 100

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), a former and mysterious government agent, after carrying out a bloody mission, accidentally ends up in a quiet and beautiful village on the coast of Italy and decides to leave behind his violent past and retire in this place. But his peace does not last long, because he realizes that his new friends and the kind people of the village are under the oppression and extortion of a ruthless local mafia group (Camorra). Unable to remain indifferent, McCall again executes his own personal justice while contacting Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning), a young CIA analyst, to uncover a larger conspiracy and begin a risky partnership to clear the area.

The main attraction of this movie is the reunion of Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning after nearly 20 years since the movie “Man on Fire”, which we will discuss further. The chemistry and master-student relationship that existed between the two actors behind the scenes and in front of the camera created a deep nostalgic feeling for the fans.

Fanning plays CIA agent Emma Collins in a different role than her usual dramas. Here she is a smart, professional and curious woman who is trying to prove herself in the male world of espionage. His performance against the imposing Denzel Washington is balanced and solid; She is no longer the little girl in need of protection, but a collaborator that McCall trusts. Their meaningful looks evoke a kind of mutual respect and an unspoken father-daughter emotional bond that is a tribute to their previous collaboration.

7- War of the Worlds

• Release year: 2005
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Other actors: Tom Cruise, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins, Rick Gonzalez, Lenny Venito, Amy Ryan, David Harbor
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 6.5 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 75 out of 100

Compared to Steven Spielberg’s other creations, “War of the Worlds” is an average film (of course, views on it have become more positive in recent years) and although its weaknesses are evident, we are facing an attractive film that, at least in terms of narrative, does not deviate much from the original novel. Most of the blockbuster movies about alien attacks portray the events on a global scale and scientists, soldiers and politicians have a strong presence in the story; “War of the Worlds”, however, focuses on three innocent citizens who are caught in this great war. Tom Cruise plays the role of an ordinary man named Ray who wants to protect his children from these events.

As usual, Spielberg has made a quality film that is top notch in terms of cinematography and special effects. Some of the scenes in the film still look amazing, like the one where the bodies are floating in the river or the scene where the train cars are on fire. The soundtrack of John Williams has also helped to make these moments more effective. But perhaps the best shot of the film is where we first meet a gigantic, majestic “tripod” war machine. This scene comes from the heart of Wells’ novel and is exactly what he described.

Spielberg has used one of his familiar motifs about a troubled family here as well, and it can be said that he has been able to modernize the classic story of Wells; He replaced some of the themes of the novel, such as colonialism and nuclear war, with the issues of that time – that is, life in the world after the September 11 attacks – which was the right decision and never diminishes the darkness of the main story. Despite her young age, Dakota Fanning gives a dramatic portrayal of Rachel (Ray’s daughter) and is the emotional center of the film.

6- Nine Lives

• Release year: 2005
• Director: Rodrigo Garcia
• Other actors: Robin Wright, Holly Hunter, Amanda Seyfried, Amy Brenneman, Sissy Spacek, Kathy Baker, Glenn Close, Jason Isaacs
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 6.7 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 17 out of 100

This anthology film is a narrative of the lives of 9 different women, each of whom is stuck in a critical and emotional situation, and their stories are delicately connected. In the episode about Dakota Fanning, she plays Maria, a little girl who goes to a cemetery for a picnic with her mother Maggie (Glenn Close). While the mother is drowning in her grief, Maria walks among the graves with innocence and a kind of peace and tries to establish an emotional connection with the mother who is physically present but whose soul rests somewhere else.

The film was directed by Rodrigo García (Gabriel García Márquez’s son) and its distinctive feature is the sequence plan structure; That is, each episode is filmed in one long take. This technique required high mastery of the actors. The film had a small budget, but managed to assemble a group of the best actresses in Hollywood and was praised for its sincerity and realism.

Playing a long take alongside a giant like Glenn Close was a tough test for a child actor, and Fanning came out of it with flying colors. The character of Maria in this film is a symbol of life and continuity against death and stillness. With a quiet presence and limited dialogue, Fanning appears beyond her years. In this role, he showed that even as a child, he has the ability to understand the heavy atmosphere of the stage and coordinate with adult actors in complex cinematic formats.

5- Charlotte’s Web

• Release year: 2006
• Director: Charlotte’s Web
• Other voice actors: Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, Cedric Entertainer, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Haden Church, Kathy Bates
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 6.3 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 79 out of 100

This family-fantasy film tells the story of Wilbur, a small and weak domestic pig who is about to be killed because he is premature, but is saved by the insistence and compassion of a kind little girl named Fern (Dakota Fanning) and sent to his uncle Fern’s farm. Wilbur meets various animals in the haystack, but his closest friend is a wise and intelligent spider named Charlotte (Julia Roberts). When the news comes that Wilbur is going to be turned into food for Christmas, Charlotte hatches a clever plan and weaves words of praise into her webs to try to introduce Wilbur to the humans as a magical pig in order to save her friend’s life.

An adaptation of the famous classic novel of the same name written by E.B. White is a combination of live-action and CGI (for talking animals). Dakota Fanning was the undisputed child star of Hollywood at the time of the film and was considered the first and last choice for the role of Fern.

In the role of Fern, she is a perfect embodiment of innocence, pure love for nature and stubbornness of children. He is the only human-centered actor among a multitude of animals and voice actors, and bears the burden of the audience’s emotional connection with the real world. His acting is passionate and believable; So that the viewer really believes that he understands the sounds of animals or has a connection with them beyond words. This role is one of his most popular images in the mind of the general cinema audience.

4- Night Moves

• Release year: 2013
• Director: Kelly Rijkaard
• Other actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Peter Sarsgaard, Aaliyah Shawkat, Logan Miller, Katherine Waterston, Barry Dell, James Lugro
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 6.1 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 86 out of 100

Three radical environmental activists, Josh (Jesse Eisenberg), Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard) and Dina (Dakota Fanning), who are angry at the world’s indifference to climate change, devise a dangerous plan to blow up a hydroelectric dam to draw public attention to environmental issues. Dina, a young and wealthy girl who finances the operation, along with two other men fill a boat with explosives; But after the execution of the plan, the unwanted and tragic consequences of the explosion cause the unity of the group to fall apart and an atmosphere full of paranoia, guilt and fear of arrest casts a shadow on their lives.

“Night Movements” is a psychological thriller – with a very calm rhythm – that focuses more on internal tensions than action and excitement. The film also faced legal issues; Edward Abbey, author of the novel The Monkey Wrench, complained that the film was too similar to his book, although the makers denied it. The film was praised at the Venice Film Festival, but due to its slow pace, it has its own audience.

The role of Dinah was a serious change of direction for Fanning towards independent and dark cinema. Here, she plays the role of a girl who initially enters the story with idealism, but after the incident, she crumbles under the psychological and moral pressure sooner than others. Fanning shows stress, panic and nervous breakdown with subtlety using voice tremors and facial expressions. He perfectly portrays the contrast between Dina’s calm and rich exterior and her inner turmoil caused by being an accomplice in a crime.

3- Coraline

• Release year: 2009
• Director: Henry Silic
• Other voice actors: Terry Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Don French, John Hagman, Ian McShane, Robert Bailey Jr.
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 7.7 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 90 out of 100

Adapted from the popular short novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, the story is about an 11-year-old girl named Coraline Jones, whose existence is filled with fear and worry. The adventures that happen to him, although they are presented in the form of stop-motion animation and in a children’s atmosphere, but it does not reduce the eerieness of the events. The colorful world around Coraline has not reduced the sadness that lies within her, and she knocks on any door to get away from the world her parents have made for her. Coraline has recently moved to a new city with her family and struggles with loneliness and isolation. Parents are often busy with work and Coraline has no special hobbies and spends days at home.

Things change when he finds a secret door and opens it, stepping into a parallel world. This parallel world is similar to the current world in every way, except that there his parents give him more importance. Coraline later learns that this false world was designed by a witch named Beldam to trick her and steal her soul. Like James and the Giant Peach (also directed by Henry Selick), the hauntingly animated Coraline is about escapism, with a more nuanced look at family connections.

Dakota Fanning in the role of Coraline has a wonderful voice. She manages to play the tone of a slightly stubborn, bored, but at the same time smart and brave teenage girl well. The change in her voice from initial grunts of boredom to screams of fear and finally a determined and heroic tone gives life and soul to the character of Coraline. With her voice, she made Coraline a lovable and relatable character.

2- Man on Fire

• Release year: 2004
• Director: Tony Scott
• Other actors: Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony, Giancarlo Giannini, Radha Michele, Rachel Tikotin
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 7.7 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 39 out of 100

John Creasy (Denzel Washington), a former CIA agent who has lost hope in life, is hired to protect Peeta Ramos (Dakota Fanning), the nine-year-old daughter of a wealthy family in Mexico City who is in danger of being kidnapped. Despite Chrissy’s initial resistance, Peeta with his childish curiosity and affection gradually breaks down her defensive wall and gives her a new motivation to live; But when Peeta is kidnapped during an operation and Chrissy is seriously injured, she recovers and vows to brutally punish whoever was involved and set the city on fire to find Peeta.

This action-thriller film by the late Tony Scott is known for its unique visual style (quick editing and use of color filters). Filming took place in Mexico City, which had its own security challenges. Although critics had mixed opinions about the film’s violence, audiences fell in love with the deep emotional relationship between Chrissy and Peeta that drove the story.

This movie was the culmination of Dakota Fanning’s childhood and her launching pad to become a serious actress. Her chemistry with Denzel Washington is amazing. Fanning has a role beyond that of a victim; With high emotional intelligence, he has created a character that can restore a broken man. The pool scene and his goodbyes, and the moments where he tries to make Chrissy laugh, are so natural and strong that they fully justify the brutal violence of the second half of the film for the audience.

1- I Am Sam

• Release year: 2001
• Director: Jesse Nelson
• Other actors: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianne Wiest, Richard Schiff, Laura Dern, Loretta Devine, Doug Hutchison, Rosalind Chao
• Rating of IMDb users to the movie: 7.6 out of 10
• Rotten Tomatoes rating for the movie: 35 out of 100

Sam (Sean Penn), a man with the mental ability of a seven-year-old child, is responsible for raising his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) alone, and with the help of his friends, he has provided her with an environment full of love. But as Lucy reaches the age of seven and surpasses her father in intelligence, social workers question Sam’s ability to care for her and separate Lucy from him. In order to get her daughter back, Sam goes to Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), a famous and cold lawyer who is initially reluctant to take on the case, but is gradually influenced by the unconditional love between father and daughter.

Critics turned their backs on “I Am Sam” from the beginning, calling it overly sentimental and clichéd, however, Sean Penn was nominated for an Oscar for the role, and moviegoers welcomed the film. It is interesting to know that Elle Fanning (Dakota’s younger sister) plays the role of baby and young Lucy.

This was Dakota Fanning’s first major film role and she quickly became a phenomenon. At the age of seven, she played Lucy with such depth and insight that she became the youngest ever nominee for a Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG). Her biggest challenge in this role was to show a deep love for her father while at the same time understanding the fact that she is becoming smarter than her father. Her caring and supportive looks towards Sean Penn captured the hearts of the audience and changed the course of her career forever.

Source: screenrant