Dylan O'Brien Has Two New 2024 Movies That Audiences Are Liking On Rotten Tomatoes

Dylan O'Brien has two new movies connecting with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, as the actor returns to film in a big way after a brief two-year gap. Although he co-led the 2023 political satire Maximum Truth, the Teen Wolf alum has largely stepped away from major roles since 2022's The Outfit and Not Okay. O'Brien is back doing press tours for two very different films: the mystery thriller Caddo Lake and the comedy Saturday Night, in which he plays Dan Ackroyd and which focuses on the premiere episode of Saturday Night Live.

Both movies are gaining approval on Rotten Tomatoes. Saturday Night, directed by Jason Reitman, has a slight edge with an 87% audience score based on more than 250 ratings. Caddo Lake, which is written and directed by Celine Held and Logan George, with M. Night Shyamalan as one of the producers, is not too far behind with 82% based on more than 250 ratings.

Caddo Lake is currently available to stream on the Max streaming service, while Saturday Night released in theaters on October 11. The two new movies also have a positive overall critics' score, hovering around 80%.

What The Positive Response Means For O'Brien

Two Very Different Movies Are Garnering Similar Acclaim

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Caddo Lake is a twisty mystery, focusing on what happens when the disappearance of a young girl unlocks family secrets. It takes inspiration from the real forest that is located between Texas and Louisiana, with O'Brien playing the lead alongside Little Women and The Devil All the Time actor Eliza Scanlen, though the movie's supporting cast includes Lauren Roberts, Eric Lange, Dianna Hopper, Sam Hennings, and Caroline Falk.

Dylan O'Brien's Recent Rotten Tomatoes Scores The Movie Critics' Score Audience Score Caddo Lake (2024) 81% (27 reviews) 82% (250+ ratings) Saturday Night (2024) 80% (147 reviews) 87% (250+ ratings)

Saturday Night is much closer to ensemble. Even though O'Brien's performance has garnered praise, his part as Arkroyd is part of a larger story about the chaos and uncertainty of what would go on to become a game-changing episode of television. Plenty of other stars populate the world of Saturday Night, including Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, and J. K. Simmons. But each film holds true to O'Brien's goal of where he wants to take his career.

Our Take On O'Brien's Recent Run

He's Successfully Mixing It Up

At one point in time, with his breakout role as Teen Wolf's Stiles Stilinski coming to an end, O'Brien was being primed as the next big star. He led The Maze Runner franchise, which was a success, and headlined American Assassin which was a misfire with both audiences and critics. But after taking a step back, following a horrific and life-threatening accident on the set of The Maze Runner, O'Brien's movies have been more interesting and varied than the typical big blockbuster offerings.

O'Brien gives what I believe to be his best performance in the 2020 dystopian comedy Love and Monsters, a marquee star where two of O'Brien's co-stars are a dog and a robot. He holds the screen, being vulnerable, funny, and even heroic. Since then, he's dabbled in different genres. He spoke to this in a recent interview with Men's Health, saying in part that he wants to “try to champion original things as much as I can.”

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Looking ahead to his upcoming slate, the New York native has the queer thriller Ponyboi and the drama Anniversary, in addition to playing dual roles in the comedy Twinless. It is perhaps not the expected path for someone who was heavily championed as the next Spider-Man at one point in his career. But it does seem to be more satisfying for the actor and audiences as well, making it all the more satisfying whenever O'Brien does sign up for a big-budget project.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes