Good Night Oppy
Amazon Studios | Release Date: November 4, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenNov 2, 2022
“Oppy” is a salute to the best of what humans are capable when they unite in a common purpose to expand their knowledge of matters beyond the realm of the known. Read full review
81
Paste MagazineAurora AmidonNov 2, 2022
White takes care to illustrate that this isn’t just a riveting mission, emphasizing that—cushioned between spellbinding footage of a rocket piercing the atmosphere—real, emotional stories effectively double the film’s stakes by turning a story filled with science and space into something distinctly human and relatable. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithNov 4, 2022
Once the two rovers landed, three weeks apart, problems that had never been confronted before in the history of humanity started to become routine occurrences. So did solving them, and the documentary is a warm and well-earned tribute to the brilliant scientists and engineers who did so. Read full review
80
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergNov 4, 2022
By the end of Good Night Oppy, Opportunity and Spirit have become no less lovable as characters than R2-D2 or Wall-E. It’s tough not to feel for their loss. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 17, 2022
For large segments of its running time, Good Night Oppy is more than just a documentary; it’s an animated film as well — and a hugely entertaining one at that. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergSep 17, 2022
Good Night Oppy is a lively celebration of unabashed nerdiness and enthusiastic problem-solving, the sort of movie that feels designed to attract Wall-E-loving children, who can then be shaped into the engineers and astrophysicists of the future. Read full review
75
ColliderEmily BernardDec 8, 2022
Oppy’s origin story and her adorable, human-like qualities will surely attract a wide audience, but the vulnerability and passion of the engineers are what makes this documentary special. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonNov 21, 2022
White structures the documentary as an absorbing adventure tale, and that it is. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshNov 4, 2022
Despite the somewhat bland nature of the storytelling — it’s not like this documentary is pushing the boundaries of the form — it’s an incredible true story told with care and skill. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzNov 4, 2022
Good Night Oppy may be especially resonant for younger viewers who are interested in science but might not yet realize that there's more to it than crunching numbers and drawing charts. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneK. Austin CollinsNov 7, 2022
If anything, Good Night Oppy could be nerdier, a little more in the weeds of the science that makes all of this possible. That’d prove a little less lightly entertaining, for some. But it’d also be true to what the movie is already about. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 17, 2022
Despite the film’s slightness and unexplored themes, White caters to our shared wonder about the solar system and our penchant to seek connection — even if it’s with our robot rovers. Those basic human drives are potent enough to make this trip worthwhile. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanNov 2, 2022
NASA aficionados and connoisseurs of space exploration are the groups most likely to get a kick out of Good Night Oppy, a warmly charming, if far from essential, documentary that takes a look back at the robotic Martian rover Opportunity. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChris BarsantiOct 31, 2022
Ryan White’s documentary is cute to a fault and filled with a rapturously uncomplicated glee about the joys of exploration. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 17, 2022
While depicting a landmark moment in humanity’s efforts to understand our place in the universe, Good Night Oppy renders the rovers’ journeys with such oppressive sentimentality terms that it can be hard to feel the full weight of the awe and wonder the movie drops into your lap. Read full review
50
Original-CinLiam LaceyNov 23, 2022
The documentary, Goodnight Oppy, is the sort of film you expect to see at your local museum or science center for school-age children. It’s a real-life Wall-E story, that’s easy to follow, full of emotion and Hollywood budget, and intended to elicit wonder and admiration for the National Aeronautics and Space Association. Read full review
50
Little White LiesDavid JenkinsNov 5, 2022
Director Ryan White delivers an entertaining, albeit highly selective account of this project, brushing over any details that might lend this story a modicum of existential weight. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfNov 2, 2022
Emotional investment is what makes any film work, and Good Night Oppy’s main issue is that it’s too focused on accurately portraying the history of the project over bringing together the people who poured their lives into making it a success. Read full review
40
The GuardianLauren MechlingNov 3, 2022
White’s decision to focus on human emotion comes at the expense of some loftier concepts bound up in the story. Read full review
40
TheWrapSimon AbramsSep 17, 2022
Recreated footage of the rovers flying to, landing on, and carefully exploring the red planet tend to be the most engrossing material in White’s scattershot documentary, which too often tries to humanize the rovers’ handlers by playing up their emotions instead of their accomplishments. Read full review
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