James Mottram

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NME, Radio Times, South China Morning Post, Total Film
For 305 reviews, this critic has graded:
  • 64% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 33% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 3.6 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)

James Mottram's Scores

  • Movies
  • TV
Average review score: 69
Highest review score: 100 Whitney
Lowest review score: 20 The New Mutants
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 166 out of 305
  2. Mixed: 131 out of 305
  3. Negative: 8 out of 305
305 movie reviews
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    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Young & Beautiful
    Ozon keeps the melodrama at bay to deliver a typically subversive study of growing pains. And in Vacth he’s found a real star-in-waiting.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Piece By Piece
    Neville’s film is so forward-thinking, it’s easy to forgive the more superficial aspects of the production.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Sicario: Day of the Soldado
    A robust follow-up, which carries the same brooding atmosphere and tension of the original. The young cast additions are also excellent.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Knock at the Cabin
    From hook to pay-off, this is Shyamalan doing what he does best. A clever story, thunderously acted, carried off with élan.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Free Fire
    Loud, ripe, violent, bloody and blackly funny, Free Fire cocks its gun right in your face. See it – and bring earplugs.
    • 63 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Thanksgiving
    Blending OTT gore, devilish humor and on-the-nose satire, this is sick, twisted and hugely enjoyable.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Iron Man 3
    Funny, twisty and thrilling, this is shellhead’s most entertaining solo flight to date. It’s also an impressive pace-setter for this summer’s barrage of big movies.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Loving Vincent
    An animated film like no other, Loving Vincent is a staggering visual achievement.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
    It’s just a pity that the storytelling sprawls all over the place, with some plotlines (like the Beetlejuice/Delores discord) failing to pay off. But mostly Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a fun afterlife frolic.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Big Eyes
    Adams is as watchable as ever as Margaret, backed by fine support, but the problem lies with Waltz. He’s more caricature than character, and Burton proves unable to harness his energy as well as Tarantino did.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes
    While the plot toys with credibility, director Mikkel Nørgaard ( Borgen ) conjures a squalid atmosphere – the stuff of real nightmares. This is so grimly compelling that even if you want to look away, you won’t be able to.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
    Murphy’s youthful cheekiness has long gone, stripping this sequel of some of its verve. But this is still an enjoyable, affable reunion: the heat is just about back on.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    The Monkey
    You’d be hard-pressed to call it moving, but at least there’s an emotional narrative that drags us through the grisly bits. Sick, dark and laugh-out-loud nuts.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Run Rabbit Run
    Sadly, a generic script doesn’t aid the film’s overall ambitions. A little less than the sum of its parts, Run Rabbit Run is ultimately more intriguing than outright terrifying.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Avatar: Fire and Ash
    If spending time in the bio-luminescent forests and turquoise oceans of an alien planet is your thing, then Fire and Ash does everything you’d hope. It’s a marvel of CG craftsmanship and of Cameron’s pursuit of perfection.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Peter Pan & Wendy
    An impish Peter and an enjoyable Hook shine in this comfy, occasionally inspired take on J.M. Barrie’s classic.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Magic Mike XXL
    Packed tight, Jacobs’ straightforward sequel may boast less up top than the Soderbergh-directed original, but still bulges where it counts.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Fast & Furious 6
    Another silly but sturdy instalment that’s as well-oiled as The Rock’s muscles. If the ‘Letty in London’ story doesn’t exactly have that new-car smell, this is still the fastest soap opera on wheels.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Blue Beetle
    As summer blockbusters go, it’s only ever really mildly diverting. But bringing us a first Latino superhero in a DC movie, ably played by the charming Maridueña, is still to be applauded.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Kingsman: The Secret Service
    Injecting fun and fairground thrills back into the spy movie, Kingsman is a blast. Firth is sensational, Jackson rules and newcomer Egerton surprises. Mission accomplished for Matthew Vaughn.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    The Commune
    The resulting drama offers a great showcase for Dyrholm, whose slide towards instability is the film’s core.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Eisenstein in Guanajuato
    Beautiful and bold, rebellious and riotous, its sexual frankness puts E.L. James in the shade.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    See How They Run
    If you’re looking for a good-old fashioned romp, stylishly made and frequently hilarious, this ticks all the boxes.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Jeff Who Lives at Home
    Cool cast, hip directors, but a movie that's less than the sum of both. Like its title character, Jeff is gentle, warm but a little forgettable.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Wolfs
    For those looking for an easy-on-the-eye, brain-in-neutral-thriller, Wolfs still hits the spot.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    The Angry Birds Movie 2
    Pleasingly silly sequel is a colourful, creative, deliciously daft animation.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    The Many Saints of Newark
    Violent, gripping, darkly funny and deeply human… everything, in other words, you’d expect from a Sopranos story.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Get the Gringo
    If the story doesn’t strain itself in pursuit of originality, it does build to a satisfying conclusion.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 80 James Mottram
    Bad Times at the El Royale
    If the film isn’t quite as inventive as the game-changing horror that was Cabin in the Woods (which boasted Joss Whedon as co-scripter), it’s infused with affection and craft.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 60 James Mottram
    Saw X
    Bell is as low-key brilliant as he always is – that ominous, gravelly voice gets a great workout, while his withered, grey-haired appearance lends the film real gravitas. And yes, there is enough Saw iconography here to keep the bloodthirsty on-side.
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