IFC Releasing | Release Date: May 11, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
9
Negative:
3
75
Stands as a successful cinematic experiment and a gripping -- though a little too long -- study of humanity's most primitive instincts.
75
It's an excellent fusion of subject and style.
75
Forget the bug-eating, cow-spearing and one-upsmanship of TV's "Survivor." The real results of isolation and deprivation unfold in The King is Alive: madness, suicide and murder.
75
Fascinating and strangely involving piece.
63
Sinks under the weight of its ever more inescapably apparent contrivance, and its forced parallels to ''Lear.''
63
Intrigues mainly for its spare style and brittle, sweat-soaked performances.
40
A deeper problem in The King Is Alive is an almost total absence of spontaneity.
40
The prettiest Dogme film to date may be the one that has the least to say.
40
The most obvious casualty ends up being Jennifer Jason Leigh, an actress known for her fearless choices, who is literally pissed on for her trouble.