Soul Power
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 10, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Philadelphia InquirerDan DeLuca
Explosively exciting film. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Soul Power, as aptly and succinctly titled a movie as I have ever seen, takes you to a place where the discipline that produces great popular art is indistinguishable from the ecstasy that art creates. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
A vibrant and joyous new documentary. Read full review
90
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Explodes in a burst of energy, musical chops and an eerie political prescience that makes it feel like something beamed from some past-is-future time warp. Read full review
88
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
Soul Power is both a funk-tastic time capsule and a timeless celebration of the human spirit. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
James Brown, B.B. King, and a dazzling array of top African, Afro-Cuban, and African-American talent finally gets its own solo spotlight in Soul Power. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Levy-Hinte has said that a great deal more concert footage exists. I can't wait for the expanded version DVD. Read full review
80
EmpirePhilip Wilding
A real treat for fans of Ali and music alike. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Period pieces can be marvelous or musty, depending on the period, as well as the piece. Soul Power is marvelous. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Anyone awed by 1996's "When We Were Kings" - and really, that should be anyone who's seen it - will consider this vivid companion piece essential viewing. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
What's infectious in Soul Power is the almost shocking optimism of its America-meets-Africa '70s world-beat vibe. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The idea is to share with us that this show happened. But gluttons for these artists and for music festivals in general might wonder, as I have, whether there's any way the filmmakers might share more of the remaining 123 1/2 hours. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)James Adams
Pretty much a non-stop head-bobbing knee-bouncer. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
It's best seen as a breezy entertainment and a reminder of how potent some of these performers -- many of whom are dead -- were in their primes. Read full review
70
VarietyEddie Cockrell
Joyously funky documentary. Read full review
70
Village VoiceErnest Hardy
Takes too long to get to the meat of its matter, but captivates once it does. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleThomas Fawcett
Artfully stitched together sans narration, Soul Power stands alongside "Wattstax" as a critical concert film of the Black Power era. Read full review
65
NPRMark Jenkins
Delightfully, Kinshasa's streets are alive with music, and snippets of sidewalk performances are integrated into the movie. The musicians are unidentified, alas, but then after 35 years, the filmmakers probably don't know who they are. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The concert footage is mesmerizing; the planning leading up to the show is pedestrian. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
For a documentary about a music festival, Soul Power doesn't include nearly enough music. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterNeil Young
While there's an awful lot to like about this infectious celebration of a remarkable event featuring some superb, larger-than-life performers at the top of their game, the enterprise comes across as a bit of a missed opportunity. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
As the record of a cultural event, Soul Power is a hit-and-miss affair. Read full review
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