Seeking Mavis Beacon
Neon | Release Date: August 30, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleSep 7, 2024
There are some cringeworthy moments watching the pair win at detective work while losing as vulnerable fangirls. But like any soulful quest worth its salt, Seeking Mavis Beacon makes the lows as meaningful as the highs, endorsing a wild web world in which mystery and exposure can peacefully coexist. Read full review
83
Original-CinLiz BraunSep 27, 2024
Seeking Mavis Beacon starts off as one thing and then becomes another, overall a chaotic but intriguing journey about art, identity and history in cyberspace … where everything lasts forever. Read full review
83
ConsequenceLiz Shannon MillerJan 31, 2024
While the filmmaker is very much the protagonist of this story, the personal touches included don’t overwhelm the story — and in fact add a certain sweetness, especially as both women face setbacks in their quest, and their friendship grows deeper. Read full review
83
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJan 21, 2024
This journey is more than just worthwhile. It’s powerful and it’s a joy. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesSep 12, 2024
Seeking Mavis Beacon is a dizzying product of our digital age. In its look and energy, which uses a desktop screen as an aesthetic and organizational device, the zigzagging film can have the feel of too many browser tabs open, emblematic of its wide-ranging but sometimes under-explored topics of interest. Read full review
75
Washington PostJen YamatoSep 13, 2024
When the pair’s natural curiosity and humor seep into the film, their scrappy enthusiasm is infectious. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonAug 30, 2024
Seeking Mavis Beacon is utterly creative, a documentary that reflects the state of the Internet as it stands, and as it turns a mirror on its makers. Read full review
75
The PlaylistCharles BarfieldFeb 2, 2024
Seeking Mavis Beacon is one of the most interesting and thoughtful docs you’ll likely see all year. It also feels a bit scattershot and unfocused at times. However, the experience of watching Jones and Ross grow and change as artists and people throughout the investigation is worth the price of admission alone. Read full review
70
Little White LiesThomas BoydMay 9, 2025
Seeking Mavis Beacon is the debut film of two young Black women, carving out their own place for themselves within the historical record. It’s not flawless, or free of blemishes and glitches, but neither should it be. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanAug 29, 2024
Seeking Mavis Beacon still goes down smoothly, at least until its conclusion; while other films tie up too neatly, this one could use a bow at all. It helps that Jones and Ross are clever and likable guides. Read full review
60
The GuardianPhuong LeMay 6, 2025
The resulting documentary is anything but conventional. Read full review
60
ColliderTaylor GatesFeb 7, 2024
There’s a lot to like about Seeking Mavis Beacon, and the documentary is at its best when it feels like a celebration and tribute to the technology and its elusive cover model. Overwhelming and chaotic editing choices, however, detract from its overall impact, and what makes the film authentic and special threatens to get drowned out. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJustin ClarkJan 31, 2024
The film proves itself incapable of or unwilling to follow through on its ideas to an ultimate conclusion. Read full review
42
The Film StageLena WilsonJan 31, 2024
Seeking Mavis Beacon quickly becomes less about what this software and its spokeswoman represent, more about what Jones and Ross are thinking or doing at any given time––even if it distracts from the film’s mission. Read full review
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