Luther: The Fallen Sun
Netflix | Release Date: February 24, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
18
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
NMEAli ShutlerFeb 24, 2023
If this is the end of Luther, The Fallen Sun serves as the perfect send-off. It’s surprisingly grounded considering the leap from TV (a Dover ferry is about as exotic as it gets) but constantly ambitious enough to warrant the two-hour runtime. Read full review
80
Total FilmJamie GrahamFeb 24, 2023
A propulsive thriller that’ll appeal to die-hard fans and newbies alike. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comIsaac Feldberg Feb 24, 2023
The Fallen Sun is a natural continuation for fans but also presents a way in for series newcomers, even sending the character off in a new direction that playfully acknowledges Elba’s Bond bona fides while asserting, not unconvincingly, that Luther’s world is quite enough. Read full review
75
ColliderCarly LaneFeb 24, 2023
The biggest drawback to making this story a sequel film rather than a revival season is the part where The Fallen Sun doesn't seem to have enough time to develop all of its elements, leaving many plot components either half-baked or barely established before the story demands its characters move on. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonMar 23, 2023
With enough suspense, action and violence for crime-thriller fans and enough Idris Elba for Idris Elba fans, Luther: The Fallen Sun needn’t have a message as well. But here it is: Tell Alexa to get out of your house. And take Siri with her. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckFeb 24, 2023
It definitely delivers the goods, making it fairly obvious that DCI John Luther isn’t going away anytime soon. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzFeb 24, 2023
Director Jamie Payne keeps things moving, certainly, and the action is appropriately gruesome. But you can see where a little more time to tell the story would have helped. Read full review
68
Paste MagazineRueben BaronFeb 24, 2023
Nobody watched Luther for serious social commentary or a moral compass—you watched it because Idris Elba is a beautiful man with arguably the world’s best voice ,and you got to see him catch bad guys played by other good actors. On that level, Luther: The Fallen Sun delivers. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMurtada ElfadlMar 7, 2023
The film’s effectiveness hinges on transferring the hallmarks of the series to the big screen, and to that end, Cross and Payne succeed. Read full review
65
ABC NewsPeter TraversFeb 24, 2023
The impossibly magnetic Idris Elba brings his iconic series TV character, London copper John Luther, to thunderous life on the big screen and suddenly all is right with the world. So what if the serial-killer plot can’t get a grip, Elba is pure pow. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrMar 7, 2023
You needn’t have watched all five seasons of “Luther” to take a chance on Luther: The Fallen Sun. But there’s also a chance that you may find yourself wanting to afterwards. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanFeb 24, 2023
"Luther” is not without its pleasures, assuming you have the stomach for the kind of theatrical crimes that exist only in filmdom. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperFeb 24, 2023
As the body count piles up and the action gets bigger and bigger, even the great John Luther comes perilously close to being overwhelmed by the spectacle in an increasingly ludicrous storyline that favors admittedly stunning and often gruesome visuals in favor of anything approaching plausibility. Read full review
60
Screen RantNadir SamaraMar 10, 2023
The tale is gripping, the acting is top-notch, and Luther: Fallen Sun is just plain good to miss for long-time fans of the series. Read full review
60
Time OutPhil de SemlyenMar 2, 2023
The Fallen Sun is a satisfying enough way to kick off a Luther Cinematic Universe. Read full review
60
TimeStephanie ZacharekFeb 24, 2023
The mere presence of Elba’s Luther, with his haunted gaze, his voice as plush as the finest antique Persian carpet, is enough to keep The Fallen Sun from sinking. Read full review
60
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyFeb 24, 2023
The budget’s been upped considerably. Hollywood’s own Andy Serkis and Cynthia Erivo have been air-lifted in for support. And it’s fun, in the patently ridiculous way these sorts of zhuzhed-up thrillers tend to be. Read full review
58
IndieWireSteve GreeneFeb 24, 2023
Like Luther’s latest nemesis, Luther: The Fallen Sun goes big, and not always in ways that work to its benefit. Read full review
55
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaFeb 24, 2023
Elba is his usual dependable self — the man oozes charisma, even when threatening people with violence. And Serkis is clearly having fun playing such a repulsive bad guy; the type of villain we can't wait to see get his comeuppance. This all results in a sturdy little thriller that runs a little long but mostly gives you what you want. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMar 10, 2023
"Fallen Sun” is best described as a movie-size version of a “Luther” season — which, for longtime fans, is better than no “Luther” at all. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 10, 2023
It’s never much more than a marginal vehicle for our always-gets-his-villain copper. And it goes utterly off the rails in the talk-talk-talk/escape-or-die finale. Read full review
50
The PlaylistLeslie Byron PittFeb 28, 2023
There is just enough on the film’s surface to keep the journey entertaining. Read full review
45
CNNBrian LowryFeb 24, 2023
The title, however, feels particularly apt in describing a series that burned quite brightly when it first arose, and despite the light and heat cast by its charismatic lead, gradually fizzled, faded and flamed out. Read full review
40
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaMar 10, 2023
After five great seasons, Luther’s feature film adaptation proves to be a major let down, robbing the title character and his loyal fans of the little delights that made the series work. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 9, 2023
Lacking dialogue to deepen the characters or reinforce their motivations, Luther: The Fallen Sun whooshes past in a rush of serial-killer clichés: an underground lair, a torture room, a masked maniac Read full review
40
The Irish TimesTara BradyMar 8, 2023
It seems churlish to complain that a film about a global serial killer is unnecessarily brutal and nasty. But between blackmail victims splatting on the pavements of Piccadilly Circus to bodies frozen under snowy lakes, Luther: The Fallen Sun is as distasteful as it is silly. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiFeb 27, 2023
One of the main pleasures of the TV series was how Cross and co. always had Luther caught in the crosscurrents of two conflicting agendas, and the tension of that juggling act provided much of the pleasure, especially when it all (mostly) worked out. Fallen Sun is a rote and simpleminded letdown by comparison. Read full review
40
The TelegraphRobbie CollinFeb 24, 2023
As things go on, Cross’s plot doesn’t so much thicken as coagulate into nonsense. Serkis’s evil plans don’t always make much sense, even when factoring in the whole murderous psychopath thing, while the grislier imagery is often too poseur-ish to unnerve. Read full review
40
EmpireOlly RichardsFeb 24, 2023
If you’ve never seen Luther, don’t start here. You will be completely lost. Even dedicated fans are likely to be confused by this messy revamp of a story that once felt dangerous but is now merely daft. Read full review
40
VarietyPeter DebrugeFeb 24, 2023
Paine and his crew do muster some decent action, set in places you’d hardly expect (like crowded Piccadilly Circus), but scenery only goes so far to disguise the utter preposterousness of Cross’ script. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawFeb 24, 2023
It’s all socked over with great and gruesome conviction, but there isn’t the same character-related interest as the TV series could generate. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeFeb 24, 2023
The film defaults to the most pedestrian narrative turns imaginable when it’s not just recycling bits from the series. Read full review
More From This Movie

53 Critic Reviews

4.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 71 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL