The Many Faces of Glen: Glen Powell’s recent movie successes have solidified him as one of the best actors of recent years

Since Top Gun Maverick was released in 2022, Glen Powell has been swarming through my social media feed. From fan-made edits of Powell in “Top Gun Maverick” to funny scenes from “Anyone but You”, Powell is shown to be one of the most versatile and talented actors.

He’s received so much fanfare due to his acting ability and I’d love to see him in many more lead roles, especially more thrillers. If he acted in more thrillers he would add comedic relief, where he can diversify the different characters he’s able to play.

His first claim to fame was the film “Top Gun Maverick,” an action movie, followed by “Anyone But You”, a rom-com and “Twisters,” a suspenseful film. Each movie has received large amounts of media attention, with lots of interviews to get viewers excited for the release.

As someone who loves the original “Top Gun” movie, I had high expectations for the sequel, “Top Gun Maverick,” and they were completely exceeded by the plot twists, emotional turns –– and obviously seeing Powell flying fighter jets as Hangman.

Powell was the best actor to play Hangman –– his cocky and high-energy which complemented the high-thrill dynamic of the movie perfectly. I appreciated Powell’s character growth throughout the movie and his ability to commit to the annoying co-worker/opponent persona. Whether it was because of the incredible film quality or watching Powell in a dogfight, saving the slightly-less beautiful Tom Cruise in the sequel, it did its award-winning prequel justice.

Just one year later Powell starred in “Anyone But You”, which ended up being one of my favorite rom-com movies of all time. The plot line follows characters Ben and Bea who spend the night together after a run-in at the same coffee shop. Then they don’t end up seeing each other until six months later at the same wedding in Sydney, Australia. The two start fake dating and ultimately fall in love.

The media buildup and the rumored relationship between Powell and co-star Sydney Sweeney before the film came out made me thrilled for the movie’s release. I couldn’t wait to see how they’d interact and complement each other on-screen.

Although the chemistry between Powell and Sweeney was very apparent, I enjoyed the comedy so much more. 

There were many times throughout the movie when I was doubled over and wheezing from laughing so hard at the way Powell executed funny quips. Like when Powell and Sweeney were looking out on a cliff and Powell got a huge spider in his pants, then threw all his clothes into the tree or when Powell couldn’t swim and Sweeney had to drag him back to shore. 

“Anyone But You” was incredibly entertaining and I’ll never get sick of the humor no matter how many times I watch it. Powell’s ability to execute the banter and have a hilarious personality to match Sweeney’s made the movie even more delightful.

The most recent of his movies that have hit theaters is “Twisters.” Which was an outstanding sequel to the movie Twister that came out in 1996. The movie had great information about how tornadoes are formed and the weather using graphics –– without sounding like Bill Nye the Science Guy. 

I loved how they started out as rivals. Powell gave off an egotistical and arrogant energy but then eventually he changed to help Kate fulfill her dream of destroying tornadoes. It was impressive how easily he was able to channel those different characteristics into his acting.

Edgar Jones and Powell have such astounding chemistry throughout the plot, that I could see the connection. When I was watching it I was waiting for the kiss at the end — but it never came. This left me disappointed, but I also understood the producer’s reasoning for removing the kiss scene so it didn’t end up feeling cliche.

The Twisters movie made me laugh so much because the way Powell and Kate’s mom interacted was just hysterical. In one scene, he gave her a branded t-shirt with his YouTube channel and his catchphrase “Tornado Wrangler” on it. On the flip side, there were also a lot of moments where I was on the edge of my seat to see if they’d get sucked up in the tornado or not.

In these popular movies from recent years, Powell has done an incredible job committing to his roles and making the stories feel even more real to the viewer. I hope to see him in many upcoming movies with his remarkable talent for bringing energy to the screen.