Free Solo
National Geographic Documentary Films | Release Date: September 28, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Seattle TimesEvan BushOct 10, 2018
Despite the gravity-defying cinematography and alpine setting, Free Solo transcends the climbing world and intimately examines something universal. How can Honnold risk pain to the people who love him in pursuit of a lofty personal goal? Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranSep 27, 2018
Both intimate and expansive, Free Solo is a documentary beautifully calculated to literally take your breath away. And it does. Read full review
100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Katherine LaidlawSep 12, 2018
Whether you care about climbing or not, you’ll appreciate this tale of passion, discipline and, ultimately, transcendence. One incredible climb for one athlete, one quantum leap for mankind. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatySep 27, 2018
In the end, the answer may be only slightly deeper than “because it’s there”, but for 100 nerve-racking minutes, Free Solo brings us one man’s suicidal quest with sympathy, grace, and a ton of adrenalin. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternSep 27, 2018
Free Solo would be an exceptional piece of filmmaking if it confined itself to the physical poetry of Mr. Honnold’s achievements. But it gets at his inner life too, and goes a long way toward answering the unspoken question of what makes — or allows — him to do what he does. Read full review
90
L.A. WeeklyAlan ScherstuhlSep 26, 2018
To watch Honnold think through each ledge of his climbs can stop the heart; to watch him navigate human emotion might melt it. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 1, 2018
The compelling reason to see it in a multiplex, however, isn’t so much the advantage of a larger screen as it is the absence of commercial breaks. The full impact of the movie relies on the gradual building of momentum and any kind of interruption could break the spell. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 18, 2018
The tensions inherent in Honnold’s singular life are many. Free Solo gives you just enough of that life on terra firma to make the heights truly dazzling. Read full review
88
Washington PostAnn HornadayOct 3, 2018
The pure athletics of Free Solo, which chronicles Honnold’s months-long training regimen as well as his subsequent attempts, would be spectacle enough to create an entertaining film. Read full review
85
Film Journal InternationalGary M. KramerSep 7, 2018
An awesome and inspiring doc from the team behind Meru. Read full review
85
Vanity FairRichard LawsonSep 3, 2018
Beyond that interesting character profile, Free Solo also operates as a sort of meta criticism of this kind of documentary filmmaking. We see Chin and his crew, most of them friends or at least affectionate admirers of Honnold’s, grapple with the difficult realities—and the potential trauma—of what they’re doing. Read full review
83
The PlaylistJordan RuimySep 16, 2018
The set-up in Free Solo can sometimes be repetitive, as the filmmakers continuously fawn over their subject’s accomplishments in the nerve-racking build-up to the main event. However, the absorbing lure of the movie, the climactic, terror-provoking Yosemite climb itself, is overwhelming and worth the wait. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 3, 2018
There’s no denying that the domestic scenes of Free Solo are more powerful because you appreciate the madness of what Honnold is trying to do, and the climbing scenes are more powerful because you appreciate the full extent of what he’s risking to do it. Read full review
80
EmpireHelen O'HaraDec 17, 2018
This is daring, dangerous and dizzying stuff, the story of a one man simultaneously in competition and cooperation with nature. Meet Tom Cruise’s hero, probably. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfDec 6, 2018
Free Solo is about getting dangerously close to the edge, where some people feel most alive. We get to experience that thrill secondhand, and that’s enough. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterKeith UhlichSep 3, 2018
This is in many ways a white-knuckle brand extension for Honnold above all else. Still, the film frequently treads into knotty territory. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisOct 10, 2018
Even the documentary crew, composed of seasoned climbers and longtime friends, can barely watch their buddy painstakingly move up the peak. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 22, 2018
Filmmakers Jimmy Chin (Honnold’s longtime cinematographer) and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi get us up close, letting the camera do what Honnnold must do — extreme closeups of the rock face, intensely hunting for that next imperfection in the smooth granite, that next crack or crag that will move him further up the 3200 hundred foot wall. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTom RussoOct 4, 2018
Go figure that the year’s most outrageously harrowing action movie turns out to be an arthouse doc from National Geographic. Read full review
75
The AtlanticDavid SimsSep 28, 2018
The result is a documentary that’s fascinated with its subject without being reverent, one that’s beautifully photographed (the way that Vasarhelyi and Chin capture the scale of Honnold’s climb is stunning) without ignoring the horrifying consequences lurking if he fails. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennySep 28, 2018
The movie does a superb job showing the mental and physical preparation and effort required. And for all that, doubt and a little bit of fear persist, souring Honnold’s first try at a climb. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubVikram MurthiSep 26, 2018
As it stands, however, Free Solo still has plenty to offer in the edge-of-your-seat department. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSep 27, 2018
Despite a somewhat soft middle section, Free Solo is an engaging study of a perfect match between passion and personality. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 3, 2018
For those who love the thrill of high-adrenaline adventure docs, National Geographic’s Free Solo will be a hard experience to top. Read full review
60
CineVueChristopher MachellSep 15, 2018
Free Solo goes some way to explaining just why someone would want to do such a thing, but is ultimately more captivated by the vicarious thrill of watching Honnold do his thing. Read full review
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