Surge
FilmRise | Release Date: September 24, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
RogerEbert.comIsaac FeldbergSep 27, 2021
Still see this film, but see it for what it is: a ferocious showcase for Whishaw, who’s never been nervier, and a promising first feature from a filmmaker with energy to spare. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 27, 2021
Surge is a penny plain concept executed with skill and acted with real verve. Read full review
67
The Film StageMatt CipollaAug 25, 2021
Karia hasn’t made a deep film or even a particularly unique one, but he’s made one that has enough to get by. It’s not just good—it’s good enough. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineWilliam RepassSep 20, 2021
More than effective in visualizing its protagonist’s disorientated state of mind, the camerawork may leave viewers feeling like they just stepped off of a merry-go-round. Read full review
60
Film ThreatAlex SavelievSep 30, 2021
Ben Whishaw’s raw central performance keeps one glued to the screen, but the cold and distancing result doesn’t quite do it justice. Shame, as Karia, displays a knack for building tension and maintaining an almost nauseatingly melancholic atmosphere. If only he dug a little deeper. Read full review
60
VarietyGuy LodgeAug 25, 2021
As an experiment in steering a potentially tight thriller entirely by one character’s irrational whims, it’s abrasively compelling, even if the go-go-go plotting doesn’t withstand closest scrutiny. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Simran HansAug 25, 2021
Whishaw’s intensity is gripping to watch but the character remains opaque; whether we’re meant to read Joseph as experiencing psychosis or simply suffering the unforgiving conditions of city life under capitalism is ambiguous. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawAug 25, 2021
Karia is a smart film-maker and this is a valuable beginning. Read full review
60
CineVueMatthew AndersonMay 27, 2021
Whishaw is utterly compelling and committed to this performance, and we watch the slow-motion car crash unfurl with mouths often agape, but Surge needs more depth to really leave a lasting mark. Read full review
50
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiSep 24, 2021
Surge captures the protagonist’s collapse but shies away from catharsis, judgment, or context. Karia’s film lives in the moment and no matter how overwhelming it may seem, the moment is fleeting. Read full review
50
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganAug 25, 2021
An uncomfortably un-restrained Whishaw, and an enhanced, aggressive sound design make Surge a raw experience and its eventual lack of any deeper insight is a little like rubbing salt into that experience. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinAug 25, 2021
Even though Whishaw is mesmeric, by the end of the 105-minute running time the whole experience starts to feel like being trapped in a broken-down subway car with a violent mental patient. Read full review
40
Time OutPhil de SemlyenMay 27, 2021
It feels a little too skin deep; a film content to get by on its vicarious thrills. And the rush eventually wears off. Read full review
25
The PlaylistAsher LubertoSep 27, 2021
Surge takes pointlessness to a whole ‘nother level: cruel, empty, airless; a glass storefront with nothing to see inside. Read full review
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