Slumberland
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): November 18, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
8
Negative:
7
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
PolygonSusana PoloNov 18, 2022
The true pleasure of watching Slumberland isn’t in its inventiveness or originality — it’s a B on both those fronts — but in the delight of simple themes performed well by talented players, harmonizing to greater resonance. Read full review
58
The PlaylistNick AllenNov 17, 2022
Lawrence’s latest is fine for its don’t-over-think-it standards, and while it’s glossier than it is deep, it’s at least charted through with a roller coaster’s engineering. There’s something comforting about a movie that has the true ease of a fantastical dream, and for “Slumberland” that fleeting excitement may be enough. Read full review
58
ColliderMarco Vito OddoNov 10, 2022
Where Slumberland truly shines is with its cast. While Slumberland is one of Barkley’s first feature credits, along with Spirited, the young actress already shows she can deal with a huge range of emotions. And while Slumberland’s story can feel bloated, Barkley’s Nemo is the emotional anchor that holds everything together. The biggest surprise of Slumberland, though, is Momoa, who embraces a dad energy we didn’t know he had. Read full review
52
Paste MagazineJacob OllerNov 17, 2022
Orienteering from an unsure script, Slumberland’s uninventive visual language dithers around in unreality while leaving its feet firmly planted in the saddest parts of the real world. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonNov 23, 2022
Ms. Barkley comes across as a kid rather than a studio creation. Mr. Momoa gives the kind of unhinged performance of which few would have thought him capable. His prancing about at moments of joy are, in fact, joyous. Read full review
50
The Associated PressLindsey BahrNov 16, 2022
Slumberland is not a terrible movie and it may very well spark your imagination or tug at your heartstrings (though sweet kids crying over dead parents is about as low-hanging as the fruit can get). But it also could have been so much more had it not gotten so bogged down in its own superfluous flash, which, by the end, just feels exhausting. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubCourtney HowardNov 16, 2022
Playing like an amalgam of Monsters, Inc. and Inception, this family-friendly fantasy thankfully doesn’t put audiences to sleep, but neither does it draw us into its dreamy sensation. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeNov 10, 2022
For all the surface wildness of Lawrence’s Slumberland, it’s about as rule-following a family pic as you can find. Read full review
50
IndieWireDavid EhrlichNov 10, 2022
Slumberland is nothing if not an exhausting roller-coaster of missed opportunities, virtually all of which stem from the film’s lack of a solid emotional foundation. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineJake ColeNov 30, 2022
Slumberland lacks the sense of danger that Winsor McCay liberally infused into his stories. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 18, 2022
At least Momoa is fun. Find him a comedy, somebody. He’s got Joe Manganiello’s build, and enough of his comic chops to handle a a movie that doesn’t require him to play a biker, a barbarian or a deep sea beefcake. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiNov 18, 2022
In the end, the biggest problem with Slumberland is its utter innocuousness. Because it is bright, noisy, and things are constantly happening, little kids might like it as a momentary distraction—but it certainly won’t inspire them to check out McCay’s original work for themselves. Read full review
30
CNNBrian LowryNov 18, 2022
Most notable as a vehicle for Jason Momoa, this wannabe spectacle from “The Hunger Games” director Francis Lawrence serves up lots of special effects desperately in search of a story. Read full review
30
VarietyPeter DebrugeNov 10, 2022
Slumberland is stronger at conjuring elaborate dream worlds than it is at crafting a satisfying emotional foundation, which is generally true of Lawrence’s past projects as well. Read full review
25
SlashfilmMike ShuttNov 10, 2022
No one ever captured the hearts and minds of children without taking some big swings. Francis Lawrence doesn't make incompetent movies, but his work rarely feels inspired. "Slumberland" is no different. Uninspired. And when your film is about dreams, uninspired is the last thing you want to be. Read full review
20
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 17, 2022
Overall this remarkably glum, logy, convoluted and unengaging movie has only a vestigial relation to McCay’s work. McCay fans should beware. So should everyone else. Read full review
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