The Eagle Huntress
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: November 2, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
New York Daily NewsAriel ScottiNov 2, 2016
The Eagle Huntress is all at once an inspiring story for children of all ages to believe that they can do anything, a reflection of the unfairness of gender roles and a rare and unique look at a remote part of the world. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranNov 2, 2016
As unlikely as it is enchanting, The Eagle Huntress tells its documentary story with such sureness that falling under its sway is all but inevitable. Read full review
88
Washington PostAnn HornadayNov 10, 2016
For every misgiving The Eagle Huntress invites, it offers inspiration in equal measure, taking the audience on a beautiful, thrilling journey to a part of the world that is still largely inaccessible. And it introduces them to a young woman who gives bravery a bracing, unforgettable face. Read full review
83
IndieWireKate ErblandNov 2, 2016
A soaring, sweet documentary that welcomes its audience into an unexpected new arena, The Eagle Huntress offers up a movie-perfect story with a leading lady who has something to share with everyone. Read full review
83
The Film StageJordan RaupAug 5, 2016
Along with Aisholpan’s enduring spirit, The Eagle Huntress excels in portraying the beauty and respect the people here have for both the animals and environment. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredDavid JamesJan 24, 2017
Feminist by nature rather than design and consistently visually dazzling, The Eagle Huntress is top flight documentary cinema. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeDec 13, 2016
You want to know more about what Aisholpan is thinking behind that shy determined smile. But that’s not her way. You can imagine her as the gutsy heroine of a Disney animation. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghNov 10, 2016
Bell lets the action onscreen tell a story that’s every bit as rousing as a Disney adventure. Read full review
80
The GuardianJordan HoffmanNov 2, 2016
Even if Aisholpan’s training – which includes hoodwinking, responding to calls, dragging dead foxes and other hallmarks of falconry – is for the camera, it doesn’t make it any less extraordinary. Especially in this remarkable environment, captured in breathtakingly crisp digital video. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottNov 2, 2016
Viewers jaded by daily doses of digital dazzlement might not fully register the reality of the wonders they are witnessing. But that doesn’t, in the end, make The Eagle Huntress any less wonderful. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanNov 30, 2016
This is an extremely simple but likeable film. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesJohn HartlNov 21, 2016
If The Eagle Huntress sounds familiar, that’s because the outline of a modern feminist epic is always there in the background. What’s surprising is how fresh and charming the movie manages to be. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversNov 3, 2016
Simon Niblett's cinematography, utilizing drones to catch impossible scenes of flight, is extraordinary, especially in the winter hunting sequences that end the film. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaNov 2, 2016
Does it matter that the trajectory of The Eagle Huntress feels scripted at times and the actions we witness are sometimes staged or even manipulated? Somewhat. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubEsther ZuckermanNov 2, 2016
Director Otto Bell has found himself in awe-inspiring territory. Aisholpan is a remarkable person interacting with majestic creatures, surrounded by staggering natural beauty. It’s easy to become entranced. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerOct 28, 2016
The film, some of which looks staged, is too slick, and its feminist emphasis, complete with Australian performer Sia singing “You can do anything” on the soundtrack, grates. But Aisholpan triumphs over these excesses. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyJoey NolfiOct 27, 2016
The movie’s restrained second half stuns, ranking as one of the most magical stretches of nonfiction filmmaking in recent years. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineOleg IvanovOct 23, 2016
Aisholpan’s liberation is a harbinger of the growing pressure that the outside world exerts on a once isolated community. Read full review
70
Screen DailyAllan HunterNov 2, 2016
A stunning location and a winning character are cannily deployed to create a likeable film in which audiences will need little persuasion to cheer the triumph of the underdog. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 29, 2016
A striking if predictable and plainly-staged docudrama set in one of the world’s most forbidding landscapes. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorNov 3, 2016
This carefully massaged doc, with its spectacular aerial views of the landscape and the hunt, is a heartwarming story about perseverance and talent – if you believe it. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyDec 15, 2016
More skilful docs get away with more ingenious cheats than this, which doggedly insists that Aisholpan is proving herself to everyone, and dangles proofs it doesn’t even need. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternNov 3, 2016
This genuinely affecting film amps up its feelgoodism with spasms of glib dramatics and shamelessly soupy music. Read full review
60
VarietyDennis HarveyAug 5, 2016
Like Disney’s “True-Life Adventures” of yore, it educates while deploying some likely sleight-of-hand, and doesn’t really invite the kind of methodological scrutiny a more verite-style documentary would. Read full review
50
Boston GlobePeter KeoughNov 10, 2016
An opportunity to capture on film a unique cultural enclave is reduced to a Hollywood pastiche. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijAug 5, 2016
Visually, the results are quite often striking, and they are also sharply cut together. But there’s a nagging suspicion throughout that there’s been more preparation for especially the set-pieces than would normally be the case on a documentary. Read full review
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