Jonathan Baileyhas had a ton of television success with shows likeBridgertonandFellow Travelers, but with the buzz around Bailey and his much-discussed little glasses inJurassic World Rebirth, it’s time to talk about his film career. By the way,Jurassic World Rebirthisn’t even the biggest movie the 37-year-old English actor has starred in over the past year. Bailey appeared in his first feature film in 2004, and since then, he’s been in about a dozen movies and plenty of TV shows. In 2024, he won a Critics' Choice Award and a Satellite Award for his performance as Tim Laughlin inFellow Travellers.
Of course, determining Bailey’s “best” movie is subjective. One must take into account critics, the public, cultural impact, and personal taste. To create a baseline for this list, we are looking at his feature films (not including TV movies) as they are ranked by critics onRotten Tomatoes.
Are you a fan of Bailey’s work? ensure you’ve seen these 6 films.
6’The Young Messiah' (2016)
50% Tomatometer
The Young Messiahis a biblical dramabased on the novelChrist the Lord: Out of Egyptby bestsellingInterview with a Vampireauthor Anne Rice. Cyrus Nowrasteh directs the film with a screenplay he wrote with his wife andThe Stoning of Soraya M.writing partner, Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh. Adam Greaves-Neal (All at Sea) stars as seven-year-old Jesus, who leaves Alexandria with his family for Nazareth. Sara Lazzaro (The Law According to Lidia Poët) plays Jesus’s mother, Mary, and Vincent Walsh (Billy the Kid) plays Joseph. The cast includes Christian McKay (Me and Orson Welles) as Cleopas, Rory Keenan (Peaky Blinders) as Satan, and Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) as Severus. Bailey plays Herod Archelaus, son of Herod the Great.
The film underperformed at the box office and was met with mixed reviews. It did win Most Inspiring Movie at The Movieguide Awards, which are held to celebrate Christian entertainment. Movieguide also gave Greaves-Neal the Grace Award for Best Actor and an award for Most Inspiring Performance in a Movie. Audiences rate the movie slightly higher than the critics do on Rotten Tomatoes, affording the film 66% on the Popcornmeter.
5’Jurassic World Rebirth' (2025)
51% Tomatometer
Fans have been thirsting after Bailey’s whole look inJurassic World Rebirthsince the first trailer dropped. Set five years after the events ofJurassic World Dominion,Rebirthis the seventh filmin theJurassic Parkfranchise. The movie is directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) with a screenplay by David Koepp, who also penned the original 1993Jurassic Parkscreenplay. The film centers on an expedition to extract DNA from dinosaurs for medical research, with ex-military covert operation expert Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) running the mission. Her team leader is Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) and they are working with paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Bailey).
WhileRebirthis still aJurassic Worldfilm, they decided to start fresh with a whole new cast. Universal recommended Bailey for the role after seeing his work inWicked, which was nearly complete by the timeJurassic World Rebirthbegan the casting process. Released a little over a month ago,Rebirthhas done well at the box office and reviews so far have been mixed, leaning towards positive. The consensus seems to be that it is an entertaining film that is better than the last twoJurassic Worldmovies. While critics on Rotten Tomatoes only giveRebirtha 51% rating on the Tomatometer, audiences give it 71% on the Popcornmeter.
4’Five Children and It' (2004)
63% Tomatometer
Five Children and Itis a fantasy film based on the 1902 children’s novel by E. Nesbit. Directed by John Stephenson (The Christmas Candle) and adapted by David Solomons (Not Another Happy Ending), the film is set in the English countrysideduring World War I. When their father goes off to fight in the war, the five Butterworth children are sent to stay with their eccentric Uncle Albert. While exploring the house, the children discover a forbidden greenhouse that leads to a magical wish-granting creature. The children are played by Bailey, Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel), Jessica Claridge (Heidi), Poppy Rogers (Breaking and Entering), and Alec and Zak Muggleton. Kenneth Branagh (A Haunting in Venice) appears as Uncle Albert with Eddie Izzard (Kaos) as the voice of the creature.
Cyril Butterworth was 16-year-old Bailey’s first feature film, though he’d appeared in several TV movies and shows starting in the late 1990s.Five Children and Itreceived mixed reviews when it came out, though critics seemed to agree that Izzard was a delight. It’s fun and wholesome. The score is strong and composer Jane Antonia Cornish won the Anthony Asquith Award for Best New British Composer at the BAFTA Awards. The critical response on Rotten Tomatoes is somewhat better than the response from audiences. The movie only has a 42% rating on the Popcornmeter.
3’The Mercy' (2018)
73% Tomatometer
The Mercyis a biographical drama directed by James Marsh (The Theory of Everything) with a screenplay by Scott Z. Burns (The Report), based on the story of businessman and amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst.Colin Firth (Kingsman: The Secret Service) starsas Crowhurst, who tried to race around the world in a yacht during the late 1960s and ultimately falsified records to compensate for his failures at sea. Rachel Weisz (Dead Ringers) co-stars as Clare Crowhurst, the wife who waited at home with their children for his return. The cast includes Ken Stott (The Dig), Adrian Schiller (Tolkien), Oliver Maltman (Maleficent), Mark Gatiss (The Favourite), and David Thewlis (The Theory of Everything). Bailey plays Ian Wheeler, a member of the press who is covering the race.
The film earned positive reviews and while some critics note the story could be stronger, it is agreed that the performances — especially Firth’s — are excellent. At the World Soundtrack Awards, Jóhann Jóhannsson won Film Composer of the Year for his work onThe Mercy,Last and First Men,Mandy, andMary Magdalene. While critics praisedThe Mercy, it fared somewhat less favorably among audiences. It has a 34% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes, a stark contrast to the critical 73% Tomatometer rating.
2’Testament of Youth' (2014)
84% Tomatometer
Testament of Youthis a World War I drama based on the memoir by wartime nurse Vera Brittain. James Kent, who would later work with Bailey on the Showtime seriesFellow Travelers, directs the film with a screenplay by Juliette Towhidi (Love, Rosie). Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) stars Vera Brittain, a young woman who leaves Somerville College in Oxford to become a nurse during the war as the most important men in her life go off to fight. Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) plays her fiancé, Roland Leighton, and Taron Egerton (Rocketman) plays Vera’s brother, Edward Brittain. Victor Richardson, Edward and Roland’s friend who also has feelings for Vera, is played by Colin Morgan (Merlin). Bailey plays Edward’s “dear friend” and secret lover, Geoffrey Thurlow.
Testament of Youthis a harrowing, heartbreaking look at life and love in a time of war. Critics have praised the performances as well as the filmmaking. It’s a moving true story about a woman who goes through a remarkable journey and terrible tragedy, on her path to becoming a pacifist. Vikander was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for her performance as Vera. Egerton was nominated for Best British Newcomer at the London Film Festival and Kent earned a nomination at the London Critics Circle Film Awards for Breakthrough British Filmmaker. Audiences give the film a 78% Popcornmeter rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
1’Wicked' (2024)
88% Tomatometer
Based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire as well as the 2003 stage musical of the same name,Wickedis a fantastical musical feature film. It tells the story of Elphaba Thropp and Galinda “Glinda” Upland, two women who would go on to be known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good fromThe Wizard of Oz. Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) stars as Elphaba and Ariana Grande (Don’t Look Up) stars as Glinda. The cast includes Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater (Lost on a Mountain In Maine), Bowen Yang (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) as The Wizard of Oz. Bailey plays the dashing Prince Fiyero Tigelaar, who meets Elphaba and Glinda at Shiz University.
The highly anticipatedWickedmovie has been a sensation, a hit at the box office and a critical triumph. Bailey has garnered much praise for his performance. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning for Best Achievement in Production Design and Best Achievement in Costume Design. Erivo was nominated for Best Actress and Grande was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.Wickedalso won two out of seven BAFTA Award nominations. The sequel,Wicked: For Good, is scheduledto be released in late 2025. WhileWickedhas a great rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences love it even more. The film has a 95% Popcornmeter rating.
