The Empire
Kino Lorber | Release Date: March 7, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The New YorkerRichard BrodyMar 11, 2025
Dumont doesn’t stint on the Lucas-like dialectics, and he works wonders with wryly blunt yet nonetheless spectacular effects-driven action scenes. But, most exquisitely, he delights in visions of earthly, natural majesty. Read full review
75
Film ThreatEthan PadgettMar 7, 2025
With its eclectic cast, unconventional visuals, and clever reimagining of mythological elements, Bruno Dumont’s film brings audiences on a peculiar adventure! Read full review
75
The Film StageRory O'ConnorFeb 24, 2024
Dumont’s space oddity might not always land on the right side of its jokes and provocations, but every now and then it takes the breath away. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comJustine SmithMar 7, 2025
The overall experience of “The Empire” is one that is consistently surprising and rarely dull. That being said, it’s not necessarily successful as a comedy. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerFeb 24, 2024
Like his other recent films, this one isn’t easy to sit through, though it’s definitely original and, per custom, impeccably made. You can accuse Dumont of many things, including testing the viewer’s patience, but at least he hasn’t sold out yet and gone over to the dark side. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineWilliam RepassMar 4, 2025
Notable as it is for evoking a kind of cosmic banality, writer-director Bruno Dumont’s anti-space opera The Empire runs into same the pitfall as many parodies of its kind. Read full review
50
Screen DailyJonathan RomneyFeb 24, 2024
It is hard to decide whether Dumont is treating his genre borrowings with belittling contempt, or getting a kick out of the possibilities offered; it seems safe to assume both. And while the overall weirdness has charm and shock effect, once you’ve got over the surprise of Dumont being this flippantly outre the pleasure wears thin. Read full review
50
VarietyJessica KiangFeb 24, 2024
Despite fun trappings . . . the actual conflict in the film boils down to a series of very simplistic binaries: good and evil, sacred and secular, female and male, one and zero, being and nothingness. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 6, 2025
This sci-fi twaddle, soothingly framed by rolling sand dunes and a slash of crystal coastline (dreamily photographed by David Chambille), eventually tests our patience. Read full review
More From This Movie

54 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL