Dora and the Lost City of Gold
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: August 9, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
6
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
IndieWireKate ErblandAug 9, 2019
Moner’s charisma keeps things pushing forward, and so does the film’s appealing spirit. If only every big screen adaptation of a beloved existing property could feel this funny and fresh, there’d be less to fear about an industry besieged by recycled material that never takes a risk. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinAug 17, 2019
Dora and the Lost City of Gold has contraptions to spare – falling platforms, lava pits, a water slide that pays homage to The Goonies – but its storytelling is commendably lean and faff-free. In the depths of summer break boredom, it’s a treasure horde of fun. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Simran HansAug 17, 2019
The result is goofily charming and a rare, age-appropriate children’s film in which the adults are silly and the kids, especially the girls, are smart. Read full review
80
The New York TimesBilge EbiriAug 8, 2019
Like a child unwittingly navigating a jungle full of booby traps and deadly creatures, the film walks a treacherously fine line without ever seeming to break a sweat. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireAug 9, 2019
I am here to tell you that you will be shockingly entertained. Dora and the Lost City of Gold manages to ride a fine line between being true to the characters and conventions of the series and affectionately skewering them. Read full review
75
IGNJenna BuschAug 8, 2019
While it may be light on logic and effects, it’s still a lovely story about being yourself, no matter what anyone thinks. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshAug 8, 2019
The action in this live-action adaptation is sanded down and decidedly safe. Bobin loses the geographical thread in the film’s climax in and around Parapata, but it’s never about the visual thrills, it’s about the girl at the center of it all. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleZaki HasanAug 8, 2019
It's so joyful and confident in its own premise that it practically dares you not to walk out of the theater with a smile on your face, strutting like a peacock. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartAug 7, 2019
Disney, take note: This is how to do a winning live-action update of a cartoon. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaAug 13, 2019
Even if you've never watched a whole episode of "Dora the Explorer," you'd have to be a grinch not to be slightly charmed by the whole thing. Read full review
70
TheWrapYolanda MachadoJul 29, 2019
The biggest challenge of an actor in any live-action update of an animated character is to make an audience that is already loyal to the original fall in love with a newer rendition. And that’s exactly what Moner does; her Dora has the DNA of everything that made the original so special while offering a fresh take for newer generations experiencing the character for the first time. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeJul 29, 2019
The most endearing quality of Nicholas Stoller and Matthew Robinson’s script — not counting the fact they didn’t try to whitewash their Latina heroine — is the way it permits Dora to remain indefatigably upbeat no matter what the situation, whether navigating treacherous Incan temples or facing an auditorium of jeering teenage peers. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesAug 13, 2019
The overall vibe is JV-squad swashbuckling, evoking "The Goonies" and the "Indiana Jones" films for a tweens-and-under demographic, and all without the exhausting quippiness of the "Lego" franchise. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerAug 5, 2019
Dora And The Lost City Of Gold, like that Nancy Drew movie, isn’t really for teenagers, any more than High School Musical is; it’s for tweenage-and-younger kids who look toward the high-school horizon with a combination of aspirational awe and chilling fear. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 5, 2019
It's still as charming as a ham-fisted Hollywood treatment of a kids' cartoon can be. I don't see why any ten year-old wouldn't adore Dora. Read full review
60
Total FilmKate StablesAug 16, 2019
Tween-appropriate action and jungle-genre gags keep this family-friendly reboot giggly rather than gripping Read full review
60
The GuardianMike McCahillAug 16, 2019
The knowing tone again feels like Hollywood confessing to trading in material few could take seriously, yet a certain sincerity is evident in Moner’s winning performance. Read full review
60
EmpireBeth WebbAug 15, 2019
A little heavy-handed with its moral messaging, this is nevertheless a self-deprecating and diverse tale of discovery. Michael Peña’s take on rave culture alone is worth your money. Read full review
60
Paste MagazineOktay Ege Kozak Aug 13, 2019
Even though it suffers from tonal and narrative inconsistencies, Dora and the Lost City of Gold deserves just enough praise for working as a gateway action/adventure exotic exploration movie for kids to eventually get into Indiana Jones, while sporting a central performance that’s effortlessly charming and instantly lovable enough to almost carry the entire project. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJul 29, 2019
In essence, every dramatic goal is achieved far too easily, every opponent is ultimately made of straw. The characters are never truly challenged, as if the filmmakers are afraid that any credible peril might prove too frightening for some little kid. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonJul 31, 2019
Not very funny and never especially touching, this Dora feels dispiritingly perfunctory — a two-hour babysitting tool that leaves little impression. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)David BerryAug 6, 2019
Kids certainly won’t learn anything here, but they’re not likely to mistake it for entertainment, either. Read full review
25
Washington PostKristen Page-KirbyAug 9, 2019
Sure, there may be a nugget or two of gold in “Lost City.” But it mostly stays lost, in this convoluted drag of a script. “Dora” should have picked a path and stayed on it. Instead, it’s a movie that is muy aburrido — boring. Read full review
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