Ben Travis

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Empire
For 69 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 69% higher than the average critic
  • 1% same as the average critic
  • 30% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 0.7 points lower than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

Ben Travis' Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 65
Highest review score: 100 The Boy and the Heron
Lowest review score: 20 Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 69
  3. Negative: 1 out of 69
69 movie reviews
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    • 91 Metascore
    • 100 Ben Travis
    The Boy and the Heron
    Don’t call it a comeback — or another retirement. Do call it an astonishing, sumptuous animated fantasy featuring everything you love about one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
    • 48 Metascore
    • 40 Ben Travis
    Thrash
    More shallow than The Shallows, and lacking the depth of even Deep Blue Sea, this has chuckle-worthy moments but will be forgotten roughly 47 metres down in the lower-echelons of shark cinema.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 100 Ben Travis
    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
    Across The Spider-Verse cranks every dial to 11, and somehow doesn’t collapse in on itself. Visually astonishing, emotionally powerful, narratively propulsive — it’s another masterpiece.
    • 83 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Turning Red
    A daring, distinctive and downright delightful debut from Domee Shi, and a welcome change of pace from Pixar. Turning Red is, appropriately, its own beast — and one that’s easy to love.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 100 Ben Travis
    Everything Everywhere All at Once
    A pure firework display of technical bravado, wild invention, emotional storytelling, comedic genius, action mastery and outstanding performances, Everything Everywhere All At Once is everything cinema was invented for.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 100 Ben Travis
    The Mitchells vs. The Machines
    Both a thrilling, giddy family adventure, and the solidification of a radical new visual language in feature animation.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Dune: Part Two
    Another epic helping of sci-fi wildness from Denis Villeneuve that’ll take true believers to paradise — even if it’s a bit too much Spice to digest in one sitting.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    28 Years Later
    The sequel we needed is both the film you expect, and the one you don’t. There’s blood, but also real guts and brain and heart — visceral cinema soaked in viscera.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    The Colors Within
    There’s amazing beauty to be found in Naoko Yamada’s aural odyssey – even when a film about matters of the heart gets a little caught up in its own head.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Encanto
    Vibrant visuals, a stack of stellar songs, and a story with real heart make for another Disney banger. Sixty films in, the Mouse House still has that magic.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Nimona
    Both enthusiastically irreverent and deeply sincere, Nimona is a revisionist fairytale that forges its own path visually and narratively to beautiful effect. Insert celebratory shark-dance here.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Raya and the Last Dragon
    Disney delivers a vibrant action-fantasy epic with another heroine who feels legitimately revolutionary.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 100 Ben Travis
    Dune: Part One
    An absorbing, awe-inspiringly huge adaptation of (half of) Frank Herbert’s novel that will wow existing acolytes, and get newcomers hooked on its Spice-fuelled visions. If Part Two never happens, it’ll be a travesty.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
    A cat always lands on its feet — and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish does so with considerable style, rapier wit, and surprising substance. The sequel nobody saw coming just became must-see cinematic spectacle.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 60 Ben Travis
    The United States vs. Billie Holiday
    Andra Day is excellent as the jazz singer struggling to survive in a hostile world — but the film around her can’t decide exactly what story about Billie Holiday it wants to tell.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Nightmare Alley
    A rare del Toro film that’s not an outright spook show, Nightmare Alley isn’t quite the filmmaker’s best — but it’s not far off, boasting an enveloping atmosphere, compelling characters, and gorgeous filmmaking.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Ben Travis
    Late Night
    Late Night is sharply written and warmly enjoyable, with Kaling and Thompson on endearing form. But a few extra knock-out gags and a clearer focus would really help it in the ratings.
    • 67 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Deep Cover
    Does Deep Cover work as an improv comedy? Yes, and it delivers strong characterisation, a twisty crime story, and great performances too. End scene.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    A Quiet Place: Day One
    A solid A Quiet Place entry is elevated by Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn’s affecting performances — a surprisingly tender tale of the end of days.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Ben Travis
    Crime 101
    There’s a pleasure to seeing such a starry cast in a slick cinematic thriller. But beyond that, Crime 101 offers little to remember after the closing credits.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Master
    Well-performed, especially by Regina Hall, and directed with real flair and intention by Mariama Diallo, Master transcends its two-dimensional opening to become a complex, character-driven horror with much on its mind.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 Ben Travis
    Caught Stealing
    For the most part, Caught Stealing is a riotous, rollicking ride studded with New York’s concrete grit — but its sharper edges prove more difficult to endure.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    To All the Boys: Always and Forever
    Lara Jean and Peter grow up convincingly in a well-handled conclusion to Netflix’s hit trilogy, with a heart as generous as its charming central heroine.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Strange World
    Fast, fun, and full of freaky creatures, Strange World shows that Disney can do all-out action-adventure just as well as fairytale fare – while, hopefully, nudging the studio further towards the future.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    The Black Phone
    Despite its darker-than-dark premise — Abduction! Dead kids! Imprisonment! — The Black Phone finds hope in the midst of the horror. Looking for soulful scares this summer? Answer the call.
    • 64 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar
    A very different take on female friendship than Bridesmaids, this has future cult favourite written all over it. As bright and breezy as a pair of pastel culottes.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Ben Travis
    Totally Killer
    It’s not a classic, but this colourful combination of Halloween and Back To The Future is undeniably a scream.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 Ben Travis
    Cuckoo
    Despite great performances, stylish filmmaking, and a distinctive personality, Cuckoo emerges as slightly less than the sum of its parts. But it completes the hat-trick on Dan Stevens’ wildest year.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 80 Ben Travis
    Avatar: Fire and Ash
    In a bigger, busier and burlier Avatar, James Cameron once again displays his blockbuster mastery. Despite some repetitive moments, this is truly epic cinema, more than worth plugging into for three hours.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 Ben Travis
    Peter Pan & Wendy
    David Lowery’s second Disney reimagining is artfully constructed and full of interesting ideas. But for a film about the energy and imagination of youth, it often feels trapped in its own head.
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