Shadow
Well Go USA Entertainment | Release Date: May 3, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMay 2, 2019
A martial-arts movie landmark, as strong in its performances as it is spectacularly novel in its violence. Read full review
91
Original-CinLiam LaceyMay 16, 2019
While the thematic scheme may be ancient and remote, Zhang’s poetic compression and technical pizazz feel as fresh as a splash in a mountain stream. Read full review
91
The PlaylistOliver LytteltonApr 28, 2019
This is a filmmaker in total command of every visual element — his compositions more compelling than ever, the production design almost verging on steampunk, and a special mention has to go to the extraordinary costumes — but it doesn’t feel stifling or precious either. Read full review
90
TheWrapCarlos AguilarMay 3, 2019
A marvel of cinematic craftsmanship, Shadow acts curiously as both a return to form for Zhang Yimou and a perceptible departure. Not only are his characters more physically grounded, but his writing also seeks more ties to emotional reality even if the stories are still far from commonplace. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijSep 12, 2018
The real star of the show here is the strikingly gorgeous, often almost bi-chrome visual universe, inspired by the tai chi diagram — more commonly known in the West as yin-and-yang symbol — and traditional ink-brush painting, with its distinct combination of rich blacks and fluid shades of gray. Read full review
90
VarietyJessica KiangSep 12, 2018
Every supremely controlled stylistic element of Zhang Yimou’s breathtakingly beautiful Shadow is an echo of another, a motif repeated, a pattern recurring in a fractionally different way each time. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 15, 2019
The spasmodic violence creates a stomach-churning counterbalance to the quiet palace intrigues, especially through the surgically placed classical Chinese score by Loudboy – much of it carried through duets by the commander and his wife on the guqin and guzheng (paired Chinese zithers), which becomes a subtle subplot in its own right. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesTom KeoghMay 9, 2019
There’s a lot of exposition involved in making all this palace intrigue clear. But Zhang balances the talky sections with breathtaking outdoor scenes. Zhang’s trademark, preternaturally balletic fight sequences also do not disappoint. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy BurrMay 8, 2019
Shadow shows a master at the top of his game, and if you have any love at all for the movies and the places they can take you, catch this one on the biggest screen possible. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzMay 3, 2019
Once the action kicks in, though, Shadow is on rails. Zhang, co-screenwriter Li Wei, cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding, production designer Horace Ma, and costumer Chen Minzheng work in seemingly perfect harmony to create a visual scheme that the director has said is based on the brush techniques of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Read full review
85
The VergeKeith PhippsMay 6, 2019
Even without its distinctive look, Shadow would be memorable, an accomplished fusion of what Zhang does well, but the visuals take it to another plane. It becomes a kind of dark dream of the past, with unmistakable reflections of the present. Read full review
83
The Film StageLeonardo GoiSep 12, 2018
Shadow brings heart and spectacle together, and the result is a bombastic martial arts wuxia replete with duels of breath-taking beauty that will please longtime Zhang acolytes and newbies alike. Read full review
80
CineVueSucheta ChakrabortyMay 16, 2019
Drawing from the style of Chinese ink brush paintings, and aided by the rain that pours constantly, the film has a watery, fluid look and texture, each exquisite frame a moving painting. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMay 9, 2019
Shadow is a terrific film — gorgeous, violent, Byzantine, inventive, just a joy to watch. Once it gets going. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMay 2, 2019
Mr. Zhang’s film is elegant fun. Along with all the ying-yangery, there’s the governing concept of movies as entertainment. Read full review
80
Film ThreatFilipe FreitasApr 28, 2019
Shadow is a sumptuous sensory feast filled with spectacle, surprise, and madness. Read full review
80
Screen DailyDemetrios MatheouSep 12, 2018
After the disappointing martial-monster mash-up of The Great Wall, this represents a return to the majesty and emotional finesse of Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Read full review
75
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonMay 16, 2019
The movie is romantic and sexy, and its exploration of the masculine and feminine (fire and water, yin and yang) is inventive and playful. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMay 9, 2019
If "The Great Wall" felt like Yimou was turning his greatest hits into something dispassionately bland, then Shadow takes the familiar and makes it feel startlingly new. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartMay 3, 2019
At stark odds with the director’s earlier work is the color palette of this one — that is to say, the film is nearly devoid of it, a haunting wash of multilayered grays. This is one Shadow that deserves to be in the spotlight. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeMay 2, 2019
The scales ultimately tip slightly in favor of style, but when that style is this gorgeous, remembering a movie for the way it looks rather than its plot isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMay 2, 2019
Fortunately, both the film’s gorgeous look and its meticulously choreographed action sequences keep us more than occupied until the plot pieces fall into place. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 7, 2019
It’s not one of [Zhang’s] very best, not on a par with “Hero” (Jet Li’s finest hour) or “House of Flying Daggers” even. But it still becomes a rousing, stately entry in the martial arts genre. Eventually. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMay 7, 2019
In the end, Shadow suffers from a kind of shallow narcissism. Yes, it’s beautiful. Sure, it’s hard to take your eyes off it, with all the slow-motion action, enhanced by an ever-present, photogenic drizzle. But in an ironic departure from the theme of the balance, it too often emphasizes style over substance. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearMay 2, 2019
Shadow isn’t a bad epic so much as a banal one. Read full review
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