Radioactive
Amazon Studios | Release Date (Streaming): July 24, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
16
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJul 23, 2020
She is intensely, almost palpably, radiant. I call this star power, coupled with the intelligence and verve Ms. Pike always brings to her roles. She’s brilliant in this one, a plausible vision of a singular visionary in the history of science. If the film around her is unstable to the point of screwiness, it is not for lack of ambition. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJun 15, 2020
The movie partly follows the classic period-biopic template with the story extending in flashback from Marie being wheeled into hospital with her final illness. But the narrative is more unusual and ambitious – with its stylised flashforward sequences showing the consequences of Marie’s discovery, occurring like dream-premonitions. Read full review
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 10, 2019
Though sometimes disappointingly broad, Radioactive nonetheless possesses a thoughtfulness that gives the film its stubborn spark. Read full review
58
The PlaylistRobert DanielsDec 3, 2019
If Radioactive spent more significant time with Curie’s eccentricities . . . we might have arrived at a real character study. Instead, the biopic’s strained narrative bonds dissolve, awash in a series of disconnected events. Read full review
55
CNNBrian LowryJul 24, 2020
Neither film is especially memorable, which is too bad, squandering Rosamund Pike as Marie Curie and Ethan Hawke, very intense and brooding as Nikola Tesla. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 29, 2020
Although it does an adequate job of illustrating the reasons why history remembers Curie, it feels more like a Victorian/Edwardian era soap opera than the chronicle of a scientific pioneer. Read full review
50
TheWrapSteve PondJul 24, 2020
This is a movie that shows the Curies’ work changing the world, but then has Marie say, “I can feel our work … changing the world.” Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJul 23, 2020
With Radioactive, Satrapi eschews traditional biopic notions in favor of a more daring approach. But the execution is frustratingly inconsistent, with a time-hopping structure that’s more jarring than thrilling. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayJul 22, 2020
Alternately fascinating and disappointing biopic about French scientist Marie ­Curie. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshJul 22, 2020
Despite the talent involved, and the incredible subject matter, the irritating tendency to over-explain to the audience means there’s very little spark to be found in the enervating Radioactive. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrJul 22, 2020
Pike understands the woman she’s playing was a genius and that genius is rarely likable; her performance bristles with charismatic impatience. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChris BarsantiJul 20, 2020
Marjane Satrapi’s film could have benefited from the tangy humor and cynicism of her graphic novels. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorSep 10, 2019
The problem is not so much Satrapi’s theatrical approach to the subject, which veers wildly from the overwrought to the dramatically compelling, as it is Jack Thorne’s abysmal script, full of clunky exposition about isolating elements, curing cancer and refusing sexism. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJul 22, 2020
The problem with films like Radioactive is that they neither fulfill the biography’s basic duty of elucidating the life and times of the subject nor offer a compelling artistic vision or drama as a substitute for the hard facts. Read full review
40
CineVueTom DugginsMar 26, 2020
Sadly, Radioactive is as lifeless and inert as a rock, badly let down by a dismal script, and carrying all the half-life of an unfinished fish dinner. Read full review
40
EmpireElla KempMar 20, 2020
The vital story of a singular trailblazer is brought to life with surprising ambition and a committed Rosamund Pike, but such inventive methods confuse the crux of Marie Curie’s intelligence, with alienating storytelling rendering her humanity impenetrable. Read full review
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