Operation Avalanche
Lionsgate | Release Date: September 16, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSep 15, 2016
There’s a headlong temerity to Mr. Johnson’s style that places the dippy thrill of moviemaking front and center, revealing a director (and a character) so high on his power to misrepresent reality that a future in politics seems all but assured. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzSep 29, 2016
For those looking for a brash new entry in the cinematic landscape, Operation Avalanche is an almost otherworldly gift. The best part of all: No one had to die. I think. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnJan 31, 2016
Compelling in a larger sense even when lingers it on its goofier ingredients (the scenes where the pair stage the moon landing drag a bit), Operation Avalanche generally manages to make its outrageous premise stick. Read full review
83
HitfixDrew McWeenyJan 31, 2016
It's impressive to see how Johnson manages tone in the film, as things go from sort of giddy and fun at the start to increasingly paranoid and then eventually taking a turn into a sort of brutal sadness. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 31, 2016
The earnest enthusiasm with which Operation Avalanche begins, and the paranoia and fear toward which it proceeds, chart the course of an entire nation. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 31, 2016
Operation Avalanche demonstrates that there’s still plenty of room left within the found-footage format to craft fresh, high-concept projects, regardless of the fact that no one’s falling for their alleged authenticity any longer. Read full review
80
The GuardianJordan HoffmanJan 31, 2016
The ending doesn’t quite land the gut punch it’s hoping for, but this is more about fun than about exposing deep, nefarious truths. At least, I think it is. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesJohn HartlSep 27, 2016
Ingeniously using his low budget to address his ambitions, Johnson has directed, co-written (and starred in) a unique science-fiction film. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleSep 15, 2016
While the movie balances a spirited celebration of America’s space race ingenuity with a satire about the cleverness of mass deceit, it’s hard to ignore the one thing Operation Avalanche understands implicitly: whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, a well-crafted image can sell anything. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJan 31, 2016
The film pulls off the action climax of this spy-vs-spy narrative quite well given its obviously limited means. But Avalanche will attract more attention for its sneaky ethic...and for its efforts at recreating a period-appropriate look. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineChuck BowenSep 12, 2016
The film attains a chilly existential quality as Matt Johnson's character discerns the weight of his actions. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyJoe McGovernSep 15, 2016
The movie’s premise has trouble sustaining a feature-length running time, getting mired in repetitive jokes and a third-act swing into harder-core suspense that never really connects. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloSep 14, 2016
Alas, while modern technology allows for impressive, convincing effects work on a comparatively tiny budget, the basic concept itself hasn’t improved with age. Clever ideas are still in short supply. Read full review
58
The Film StageDan MeccaJan 31, 2016
Operation Avalanche is a solid piece of entertainment and a formal step up from their first feature. Where it lacks is in authenticity, too often feeling like an in-joke with no punchline. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsSep 16, 2016
You know you're in trouble with a film when you're so bored by it that you wind up asking why things seem so implausible. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle SmithSep 15, 2016
A cute, spunky found-footage thriller undone by a lumpy plot and a weak ending, Operation Avalanche revisits the urban legend that the moon landing was faked, with some fresh twists. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlSep 15, 2016
It's often more The Office than le Carré, and none of it's anywhere as interesting as the great counter-historical gag at the film's heart. Read full review
50
Screen DailyAnthony KaufmanJan 31, 2016
If the humor doesn’t always hit, the film’s darker conspiratorial turns never feel genuinely suspenseful, either. Even when Johnson ups the emotional and physical stakes for his character, the bogusness of the production interferes. Read full review
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