Power and Terror: Noam Chomsky in Our Times
First Run Features | Release Date: November 22, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
Watch Now
Buy on

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
At 73, Chomsky seems to understand everything about power and aggression -- except, that is, its centrality to human nature. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
With Chomsky as its star, this documentary cannot go far wrong, even though filmmaker John Junkerman intersperses Chomsky footage with some really bad Japanese pop music. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDana Stevens
A searching and wide-ranging debate has unfolded about America's response to terrorism and, more broadly, about the history and future of its role in the world. Mr. Junkerman's film is best understood as a necessary, if partisan, text in that continuing argument. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeJanice Page
Would have benefited from putting a wider lens on the man and his detractors. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyMarc Cooper
Plays more like a disjointed radio show with pictures -- The power of Chomsky's intellect and message are poorly served when pigeonholed by the hagiography of some of his supporters. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Anyone unfamiliar with Chomsky's work may be unsettled by his unblinking critique of the U.S. policy at a time when patriotism is the order of the day, and while he fails to offer any real solutions, his conscientious perspectives on the questions remain invaluable. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Chomsky deserves a more thoughtful documentary than Power and Terror, and in fact he got it in 1993's "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media" --The film's main flaw is the absence of other voices -- From a cinematic point of view, two sides of an issue are always better than one. Read full review
50
VarietyRonnie Scheib
Offers a lively introduction to the highly articulate political dissident and to his controversial views on 9/11. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Michael Moore makes many of the same points, with far more impact, in "Bowling for Columbine." Read full review
40
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Bumrushed onto American screens like late-breaking news, the Japanese TV doc Power and Terror: Noam Chomsky in Our Times is a relatively thin slice of Chomskiana -- a chapter from any of the man's many interview volumes, or even an hour of his C-SPAN dialogues, has more political substance. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Doesn't aspire to do much more than disseminate Chomsky's ideas. On that level, it's a success, but on every other level, it's downright snooze-inducing. Read full review
20
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Its important if inflammatory message will bore all but Chomsky's fellow travelers to death. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Dull and meandering documentary. Read full review
More From This Movie

48 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL