Serenity
Aviron Pictures | Release Date: January 25, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
37
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
13
Negative:
19
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 25, 2019
The setting, the sexy tone, the cast and snippets of sharp dialogue tamped down my eye rolling through the film’s first half. McConaughey, who has more than his share of seaside tales, gives fair value in delivering salty lines. Read full review
38
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJan 24, 2019
Let’s just say that things aren’t always what they seem, and that there is not enough popcorn in the world to make this particular twist go down. Read full review
38
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonJan 24, 2019
The fact that it’s a Razzie contender, of course, is no reason not to see it. In fact it could be an inducement — Razzie movies can be quite fun. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJan 24, 2019
The atmosphere in Serenity, by design, imparts a slightly uneasy and hermetic feeling. In Baker Dill, who sounds like a line of gourmet pickles, Knight has the makings of a compellingly messed-up antihero. That’s a start. If movies were all start, then this one might’ve worked. Read full review
36
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJan 24, 2019
Serenity is a twist in search of a movie, a film noir in search of a purpose, and a great cast in search of better material. Read full review
30
The New YorkerAnthony LaneJan 28, 2019
Whatever they pay these movie stars to keep a straight face, it’s not enough. Read full review
30
Rolling StonePeter TraversJan 25, 2019
The batshit bonkers Serenity fails on every level, first as entertainment and then as a new-agey thumbsucker about a magical, mystical tour through the subconscious. Serenity finds new definitions of bad that almost make the damn thing worth watching for its magnificent flameout. Read full review
30
VarietyAndrew BarkerJan 24, 2019
Serenity sees a usually reliable screenwriter-turned-director take a bold swing and miss the mark completely, so intent on pulling the rug out from under you that he never notices you weren’t even standing on it. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJan 24, 2019
Like a long fishing day without a bite, Serenity invites impatience rather than excited anticipation, and the eventual payoff provokes a big “huh?” Read full review
30
The New York TimesWesley MorrisJan 24, 2019
More than half the reason I went to see this movie is because I miss “Fool’s Gold,” too. But that movie is 11 years old. And the days of low-stakes thingamabobs with some stars and even a little bit of writing are gone. Instead of a caper with Kate Hudson, McConaughey has got a mess written and directed by Steven Knight. Read full review
30
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaJan 24, 2019
When an inane ending appears out of nowhere and purports to add depth to a movie which has little? That's just maddening. And the twist in Serenity leaves you feeling both cheated and annoyed, which surely isn't the filmmaker's intention. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJan 25, 2019
Terrible and insane, and will surely end up being one of the worst films of 2019. But it’s also such a wildly ambitious roller coaster ride that it must be experienced, preferably with friends, to laugh together at its cheesy dialogue, over-the-top performances and multiple, major plot twists. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJan 24, 2019
Serenity is not just awful. It’s amazingly awful, which means that very few people will want to see it, but some probably will. People who can enjoy laughing at something made in dead earnest, who can appreciate, in a perverse way, a phenomenal, jaw-dropping mess, may find an experience close to pleasure in this strange, misbegotten, three-headed freak of a movie. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineJake ColeJan 24, 2019
The film’s twist ending exists only to retroactively justify writer-director Steven Knight’s feeble stylistic choices. Read full review
20
The TelegraphTim RobeyFeb 28, 2019
As trash pleasures go, Serenity’s too ploddingly stretched and lacking in plot curlicues to reach nirvana, but it’s capable of making a whole audience giggle at its wonderfully pretentious gracenotes. Read full review
20
Time OutJoshua RothkopfJan 24, 2019
There’s a way to make this kind of trashy noir work beautifully—was Wild Things director John McNaughton somehow not available?—but Serenity is too blandly generic to stick its snout in the muck and luxuriate, barring the occasional jail-baity line of dialogue from Hathaway (“You said I was finally old enough,” Karen whispers, reminiscing). Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesJan 24, 2019
A spectacular misfire – is a 180 from Locke’s lean brilliance, overstuffed with plot complications, overheated with bad acting and maudlin sentiment. Read full review
12
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJan 24, 2019
The twist is, yes, audacious, even daring. It’s full of risk and defiance of expectation. So half a star for that. Steven Knight, you’ve got some nerve. But none of those things mean that the movie works. Read full review
0
ObserverRex ReedJan 25, 2019
The new year is not even a month old, but a hunk of junk called Serenity already qualifies as the worst film of 2019. Both moronically written and directed with shocking, amateurish ineptitude by Stephen Knight. Read full review
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