Slay the Dragon
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date (Streaming): April 3, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
VarietyOwen GleibermanApr 2, 2020
Slay the Dragon is an incisively made and morally suspenseful film, at once chilling and stirring. Read full review
90
Film ThreatChuck FosterApr 2, 2020
Ultimately, Slay the Dragon emphatically proves that no matter how rigged the system is and how high the opposition is stacked against you, it is possible to make changes if you’re passionate and articulate enough to convince your neighbors that something has to be done. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowApr 3, 2020
They hold our attention with skillful use of animation and other visuals, touches of wry humor, and brisk pacing, but it is the heroine at the heart of the film who gives us hope and perhaps inspiration to try some town halls, petitions, and lawsuits of our own to protect the voting rights that are essential for a just and trustworthy government. Read full review
80
VoxAlissa WilkinsonApr 3, 2020
Slay the Dragon isn’t a glorified PowerPoint presentation about the history of voting. It’s an unabashed activist documentary aimed at convincing viewers they can fight gerrymandering in their home states. Read full review
80
CNNBrian LowryApr 3, 2020
Slay the Dragon does an extraordinarily good job of taking a complex issue and connecting the dots, which seems particularly appropriate for a documentary about gerrymandering. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinApr 2, 2020
A compelling and instructive look at the political practice of gerrymandering. It’s also an infuriating watch on several levels, which is entirely the point of this call-to-action portrait. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerApr 7, 2020
This is the best primer on political gerrymandering imaginable, and should be mandatory viewing in grad school public policy symposiums and high school civics classes alike. Slay the Dragon is simultaneously an education and an urgent wake-up call, and you better pay attention for both. Read full review
75
The Film StageJared MobarakApr 2, 2020
It means something to see activists in Wisconsin band together and dig for the truth even if the damage has already done its job. Dashed hope is still hope after all. Every example—failed or not—reminds us that we can fight again. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJake CoyleApr 2, 2020
May not be the most heartening portrait of our political system. But it’s a vital one and it provides reasons for optimism, too. Read full review
75
TheWrapElizabeth WeitzmanApr 2, 2020
The film is structured so we come away with two competing, and yet complementary, impressions. First, that our political system has become infected with a rampant and deadly corruption that has spread out of control. And second, that there is a communal cure. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzApr 1, 2020
A fascinating, frequently angry and occasionally darkly funny documentary. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 31, 2020
Slay the Dragon became the rallying cry of the Michigan and now national grassroots campaign to end this partisan practice. But as hopeful as the movie wants to be, it can’t help but make obvious how many steps “the people” are behind those Project RedMap masterminds. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergApr 2, 2020
Slay the Dragon is not short on outrage, and just because some of this material is not new doesn’t mean it’s not worth repeating. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineDerek SmithMar 9, 2020
The film is suitably direct, clear-eyed, and exhaustive in documenting the massive impacts that gerrymandering has, particularly on communities of color. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMar 17, 2020
Most will learn something here, in a film that both follows the practice to its natural, dire conclusions and champions the ordinary citizens who have stepped up to fight against it. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMar 31, 2020
Slaying The Dragon is meant as an urgent call to action ahead of this year’s elections, and it is here that it really falters. Read full review
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