The Grinch
Universal Pictures | Release Date: November 9, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
14
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattNov 19, 2018
Kids could still watch the peerless 1966 original, though their blooming little cortexes will probably respond to the shiny-bright novelty here — and be newly spellbound by a tale almost as old as color television, but still evergreen. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenNov 7, 2018
What the production may have lost in a “nasty-wasty skunk” of an antagonist, it gains in an inspired voice cast (led by Benedict Cumberbatch) and a dazzlingly merry and bright visual palette. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinNov 7, 2018
If the very best animation feels like nourishment for the soul, think of this adaptation of the beloved Dr Seuss tale as the spiritual equivalent of a double helping of chocolate-flavoured breakfast cereal: not exactly clean eating, but packing an irresistible sugary kick. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comNell MinowNov 9, 2018
The smaller details are the most fun, especially when the Grinch brings on an enormous, yak-looking reindeer named Fred to pull his fake Santa sleigh. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldNov 8, 2018
While the first “Grinch” I will always adore It’s possible that there’s still room for one more. Hearing the Who’s sing their songs to the skies — It’s still movie magic, whatever the size. Read full review
75
Washington PostPat PaduaNov 8, 2018
With its charming character animation and inventive art direction, The Grinch is a vast improvement over Ron Howard’s live-action adaptation of the same story. Read full review
72
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeNov 7, 2018
Purists may balk about revisiting this tale, but The Grinch earns its laughter and its sentiment, both of which are plentiful. It’s a full-throated Fah-Who-Foraze. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNov 8, 2018
The good news is that within its own little cinematic fantasy realm, Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney’s The Grinch manages to be pleasantly moving in its treatment of Seuss’s classic solitary crank. As voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, the Grinch is a surly, sour, but ultimately wounded soul. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanNov 7, 2018
For anyone who grew up with “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” The Grinch won’t replace it, yet it’s nimble and affectionate in a way that can hook today’s children, and more than a few adults, by conjuring a feeling that comes close enough. Read full review
67
ConsequenceCaroline SiedeNov 8, 2018
While The Grinch never rises to the level of a modern Christmas classic, it’s an enjoyable enough holiday diversion with a core message that’s as lovely today as it was when Dr. Seuss first wrote it. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshNov 8, 2018
Beautiful to look at, and diverting enough. The material written to fill out the story is entertaining, but it doesn't resonate. You can't top what Seuss wrote. Read full review
63
IGNClint GageNov 7, 2018
Dr. Seuss' The Grinch is a fun and fast holiday movie, updating the classic story for the audience that made the Minions a billion-dollar industry. However, the straightforward moral of the 30-page children’s book and one of Dr. Seuss’ most memorable characters get a little handcuffed by this update. Read full review
60
EmpireAmy WestNov 12, 2018
Despite its story-telling ambition being two sizes too small (much like its hairy protagonist’s heart), The Grinch is impossibly cute, visually rich and boasts enough festive fun to satisfy young viewers. Read full review
60
Time OutDave CalhounNov 8, 2018
This new version features the voice of Pharrell Williams as the narrator, dipping in and out of Dr. Seuss’s warming rhymes. That binds to the film to its authentic source, but the gaps between the spoken verse still remind us that this is a slender story s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d into a feature. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNov 12, 2018
From time to time you’ll laugh and maybe shed a tear But this isn’t the kind of “Grinch” you’ll want to see each year. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorNov 8, 2018
A critic needs only two words to dispense with The Grinch; the first one is bah. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTom RussoNov 7, 2018
The result is a reworking that feels both unnecessary and uninspired, even if it’s too genial and visually captivating to be flat-out off-putting. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesNov 7, 2018
In The Grinch power rankings, this one trails Theodor Geisel’s original 1957 storybook and Chuck Jones’ cheeky 1966 TV special by a long mile. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubNov 7, 2018
This film is the equivalent of your third or fourth favorite present on any given holiday. It will entertain a few children in the moment, satisfy a few adults who are barely paying attention, then quickly be forgotten. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerNov 7, 2018
If anything, this is a more meager, timid iteration of Seuss’ story, starting with the characterization of its famous antihero. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 7, 2018
It’s as forgettable as the torn wrapping paper piled around the tree 15 minutes into Christmas morning. Read full review
42
IndieWireDavid EhrlichNov 7, 2018
Bad as this movie can be, there are far worse things in our world than a story about the value of love and kindness, and the joy of sharing those things with those who may never have known them before (kudos to Cumberbatch, who sells the climactic transformation). Read full review
40
The GuardianCath ClarkeNov 8, 2018
More bah-humbuggery – which is a rational response to the wall-to-wall Christmas jumpers – and less zany antics here would have done the job better. Read full review
40
Rolling StonePeter TraversNov 8, 2018
The Grinch offers a solid service to anyone with kids in need of a nap under a blanket of bland. Read full review
40
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 7, 2018
The filmmakers keep the visuals merry and popping bright. Benedict Cumberbatch, voicing the Grinch, opts not to compete with Karloff at all, which is smart, and speaks in an American accent, sounding rather like Bill Hader, which is confusing. Read full review
40
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNov 7, 2018
In this new “Grinch,” it’s hard to escape the feeling we’re being offered a serving of the same old roast beast -- and a decidedly fatty serving at that. Read full review
38
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiNov 20, 2018
In this new, totally unnecessary version of Dr. Seuss’ holiday favorite, the mean one (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) isn’t all that scary or cruel. Read full review
38
Film Journal InternationalFrank LoveceNov 8, 2018
The filmmakers believe they have better emotional beats at the end than what that hack Dr. Seuss came up with—and in the process make the Grinch pathetic and practically groveling. Read full review
30
Screen DailyTim GriersonNov 7, 2018
The filmmakers preserve Seuss’s narrative beats but strain to replicate his whimsical spirit. Read full review
25
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 8, 2018
“Hollow cash grab” is one way to describe The Grinch. Equally appropriate would be “soulless abomination.” Read full review
25
The Associated PressMark KennedyNov 8, 2018
Credit goes to the film’s visual effects folk, who made fur alive and gave texture to smoke. But retreading this story with a Cumberbatch, should send Hollywood bigwigs into the booby hatch. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonNov 8, 2018
The film’s vision of Christmas is so insipid and lifeless, it’s hard to see why the Grinch would even bother to steal it. Read full review
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