Brick Mansions
Relativity Media | Release Date: April 25, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
12
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Portland OregonianStephen WhittyApr 25, 2014
See it for Belle. See it for the parkour. And for the wonderfully magical spectacle of a man flying. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterBernard BesserglikApr 23, 2014
The movie contributes nothing new to the genre, but disbelief is suspended willingly enough once the action gets up to speed. Read full review
67
The PlaylistDrew TaylorApr 28, 2014
In Brick Mansions Walker is understated and tough, a continued testament to his frequently overlooked accomplishments as a performer. You just wish the movie surrounding him was better. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyApr 24, 2014
It’s a beat-for-beat remake of a movie whose plot was never meant to do anything except get characters to jump from rooftops, made by a less confident director (Camille Delamarre, one of the studio’s go-to editors) and set in a culture Besson has never been able to grasp. It’s also a silly pile-up of exaggerated action clichés—and much of the time, it’s pretty fun. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireApr 25, 2014
The action may be serious, but Brick Mansions doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a ridiculous movie that has the decency to acknowledge that it’s ridiculous. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinMay 3, 2014
Director Camille Delamarre and Luc Besson, who co-wrote the screenplay, relocate the story to Detroit and tone down some of its (admittedly broad) social satire — although the Parkour remains centre-stage, and is mostly hair-raising. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottApr 24, 2014
Brawny, dumb and preposterous, it nonetheless comes tantalizingly close to being a high-impact allegory of race, class and real estate in a postindustrial, new-Gilded Age America. Read full review
60
VarietyJustin ChangApr 24, 2014
Delamarre knows his way around an action scene and keeps the proceedings moving briskly enough, even if the picture clocks in at about 10 minutes longer than its taut, 81-minute predecessor. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniApr 25, 2014
A tediously faithful remake of French filmmaker Luc Besson's terrific 2004 international hit "District 13," the Besson-produced Brick Mansions might have been mildly interesting had it been made a decade ago. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTom RussoApr 24, 2014
The thematic stuff, while well-intentioned, is also clunky, and ultimately beside the point. Action, obviously, is what you’re after. Read full review
50
The DissolveKeith PhippsApr 24, 2014
Whenever it features feet flying through the air, Brick Mansions is a pleasure. Asked to do anything else, it’s one stumble after another. Read full review
50
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreApr 23, 2014
Mansions is like “Vehicle 19″ or “Takers,” dumb, noisy junk. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyAdam MarkovitzApr 24, 2014
It's fun to watch at first. All that twirling and sliding is a nice change of pace from the usual seat-shaking pyrotechnics. Read full review
40
Village VoiceChris KlimekJun 3, 2014
This is an almost scene-for-scene remake — but not a shot-for-shot remake, which likely would have been more enjoyable. Read full review
40
CineVueJamie NeishMay 3, 2014
It's essentially a collection of shoddily edited action sequences, underpinned by a monotonous narrative that has no purpose, let alone moral heart to reward viewers' waning attention. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonTrevor JohnstonApr 29, 2014
Chases on foot and four wheels keep the thing moving, but apart from a thematic wrinkle where Besson’s clearly siding with the hood rather than the lawmakers, it’s all pretty predictable. Read full review
40
TheWrapInkoo KangApr 24, 2014
The parkour is breathtaking and the plot twists are off-the-charts ridiculous. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyApr 24, 2014
Brick Mansions is a non-starter: It chokes on its déjà vu, the hyperactive Mixmaster editing is exhausting and the characters’ banter is so leaden it might violate federal emission standards. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliApr 24, 2014
There's no fun to be had here and if an action movie doesn't make the grade as escapist entertainment, what's the point? Read full review
38
Slant MagazineEric HendersonApr 24, 2014
Only the very charitable would characterize this strain of providence as anything other than dumb, or at least incredibly forgetful. Read full review
37
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanApr 30, 2014
Visually, Brick Mansions is a duller and more conventional film than “District B13,“ which was, if nothing else, a sourball-flavored form of eye candy. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisApr 30, 2014
It’s hard to take your eyes off Walker in his penultimate film appearance, cognizant of his mortality and the way he was gracefully aging much in the same way as another fair-haired, blue-eyed actor named Paul. Read full review
30
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriApr 27, 2014
It should be wilder, funnier, nuttier. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinApr 24, 2014
Brick Mansions, Paul Walker's penultimate film (prior to "Fast & Furious 7"), is a dumb and ugly action picture that works strictly as a reminder of the late actor's head-turning good looks and modest charisma. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle SmithApr 24, 2014
Dystopia’s supposed to be worse than what’s in the papers, fellas. Try to keep up. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 24, 2014
Faced with a story that doesn't make much sense, the filmmakers switch gears and try for a sociological statement - something about the marginalized and the neglected. This makes for a funny last five minutes, but sad, too, because Walker was better than this, even if his movies sometimes weren't. Read full review
20
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzApr 24, 2014
If nothing else, it's consistent — consistently stupid, with things like character development and story advancement never getting in the way of another parkour stunt. Read full review
20
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierApr 24, 2014
The film is put together too choppily to appreciate the bounce-off-walls athleticism of parkour. That’s a shame, since “District 13” star Belle is known as a founder of the sport. Read full review
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