Never Let Go
Lionsgate Films | Release Date: September 20, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
85
SlashfilmBill BriaSep 17, 2024
If you meet the film halfway, "Never Let Go" becomes enjoyably compelling and eerie. Yes, there are a good amount of scares to be had here, as Aja has only perfected his sense of jumpscare timing as well as his knack for finding collaborators who can conjure up some truly unsettling demonic zombie creatures. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNatalia KeoganSep 19, 2024
As recent horror offerings disproportionately lean toward disappointing remakes and tepid commentary on our modern way of life, it’s refreshing to encounter genre fare that is equal parts original and entertaining. Read full review
80
Total FilmNeil SmithSep 25, 2024
As impressive as [Berry] is, though, it’s the kids who shine brightest in a drama whose iron hold on the audience’s attention can withstand the odd dip into credulity-stretching implausibility. Read full review
80
VarietyCourtney HowardSep 17, 2024
Though not all of its clever ideas come together efficiently in the finale, its thematic ruminations on grief, sanity, rebellion and redemption are intrinsically intertwined to harrowing, claustrophobic effect, heightening the hallucinatory horrors and dread-soaked atmospheric pull. Read full review
75
IndieWireChristian ZilkoSep 17, 2024
Certain twists will remain unspoiled, but “Never Let Go” should resonate with both horror junkies seeking fall escapism and parents looking to see their struggles visualized. Read full review
70
ColliderJeff EwingSep 20, 2024
The finale could use a little honing (greater context, a little more clarity, some tighter thematic context and background information), but it's still full of enough twists, tension, and surprises to have a solid time at the theater that audiences will be thinking about afterward. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerSep 17, 2024
The movie’s lack of a clearly defined villain might alienate some genre fans; so might the lack of an easily trackable metaphor. Others will find it a relief. Never Let Go is a horror movie more interested in what it can evoke than what it can state or even imply. Read full review
60
EmpireHelen O'HaraSep 30, 2024
As with many high-concept horrors, it falls apart as it grasps for an ending, but there's still enough dread, and three great central performances, to just about carry it through. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeSep 29, 2024
This kind of horror storytelling is only as successful as its final act. And, unfortunately, Never Let Go drops the ball, along with the bloodstained machete, just when it should be ramping up the tension. Read full review
60
Time OutIan FreerSep 24, 2024
A mid-way twist seems like it’s going to up the ante but the film ultimately drops the ball in the final act, where there is a lot of huff and puff (Fire! Demons! Body horror!) but little in the way of a satisfying conclusion. Ironically, Never Let Go becomes less interesting the more untethered it gets. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 19, 2024
[Aja's] never quite sure if he wants to trick us with a jump scare or make us ponder weightier issues and, unable to do both efficiently, the film becomes lost in the murk in-between. Berry is, as ever, a strong anchor but by the time the credits roll, we’re ready to let go. Read full review
60
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiSep 17, 2024
The horror film has an engrossing premise that remains engaging even in its lulls. Read full review
55
The Daily BeastNick SchagerSep 17, 2024
What’s missing, however, is a payoff worthy of his set-up, resulting in a diverting thriller that drags its way to an underwhelming finale. Read full review
54
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiSep 17, 2024
It may freak you out a little bit, and that may be enough for some people, but it only briefly grabs hold of something significant. Then it lets go. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshSep 20, 2024
Never Let Go becomes an unpleasant slog for much of its runtime. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoSep 20, 2024
Just as you wrap your arms around what “Never Let Go” is saying or thematically symbolizes, it slips through your fingers. A hodgepodge of mental illness, trauma, overprotection, the existence of evil, and what feels like COVID allegories, “Never Let Go” fails by virtue of its competing ideas. It leaves too little to hold on to. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithSep 19, 2024
Bolstered by a spooky musical score, credited to the musician Rob, a tightly wound performance by Ms. Berry, and creepy unexpected appearances by beings who may or may not be manifestations of the Evil, Mr. Aja makes the most of an uninspired script. In this type of film, however, everything depends on the third-act resolution. It doesn’t deliver. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneySep 17, 2024
Fun is banished from Aja’s latest, which starts out mildly intriguing and chalks up a few bracing jump scares before running out of juice. Read full review
40
The New York TimesGlenn KennySep 19, 2024
Berry is drained of glamour for her role here, and she performs with fierceness; the two boys are also stalwart, but what the movie asks these child performers to do doesn’t add up to effective horror — it’s just opportunistic and gross. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineDerek SmithSep 17, 2024
As the film goes on, it stretches its own internal logic and, following a genuinely shocking third-act twist, renders the world that it’s created virtually incoherent merely in a ploy to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Read full review
25
ObserverRex ReedSep 30, 2024
Never Let Go never manages to answer any of a number of recurring questions adequately, and the movie makes no more sense than one of those head-scratchers by M. Night Shyamalan, which it annoyingly resembles. Read full review
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