The Lure
Janus Films | Release Date: February 1, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerJan 31, 2016
The Lure somehow manages to seamlessly assemble a film equal parts hilarious, affecting, and grisly while trading and warping aesthetics and tones by the scene. Read full review
90
Village VoiceOdie HendersonJan 31, 2017
The film's messages are cleverly wrapped in Smoczynska's entertaining, original vision. It's sexy, fearless, fun, and unrepentantly nasty. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJul 25, 2016
Dare to peek under the scales of this wholly original and ominously enchanting nightmare, and you’ll find a simple story about the things that society forces a girl to give up if she wants to be part of our world. Read full review
83
The PlaylistRuss FischerFeb 11, 2016
Crafted as a kaleidoscope of color and nightclub sparkle, The Lure's glitter does not distract from the fact that this is a technically confident and often quite accomplished piece of filmmaking, with a rare ability to dance intuitively between linear plotting and phantasmagoric fantasy. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoFeb 2, 2017
The Lure is powerful enough to cast an obsessive spell on anyone watching. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottFeb 1, 2017
We are not exactly in the present and not precisely in the past, but in a dreamy cinematic space where distinctions of genre and tone are pleasantly (and sometimes shockingly) blurred. Read full review
80
CineVueEd FranklJan 31, 2017
A luscious, strangely enchanting watch and terrific fun for those who'll launch themselves into it. Read full review
80
VarietyGuy LodgeJan 31, 2017
This kooky-monster escapade is never less than arresting, and sometimes even a riot. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovApr 19, 2017
This is one fish tale that’s well nigh guaranteed to linger in the viewers’ midnight memories long after its cinematic nocturnal emissions have unspooled. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMar 16, 2017
The result is hallucinatory and puzzling, but never anything less than captivating. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeFeb 1, 2017
For her debut feature, The Lure, Smoczyńska has very loosely adapted Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story — so loosely, you might not realize that’s what she’s doing until halfway through — into a genre-defying film that blends elements of musicals, horror, romance, and fantasy into a contemporary fairy tale that celebrates the animalistic, the feminine, and the intimate intersections between the two. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineDiego SemereneJan 31, 2017
Agnieszka Smoczynska's film is most poignant when it simply stares at its own strangeness. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleMar 2, 2017
The Lure may not be everybody’s siren song, but as debut features go, it counts as a splash. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweJan 31, 2016
The filmmakers’ enthusiasm for their characters and the vanished period setting is palpable, asserting a certain fatalistic charm of its own. Read full review
67
The Film StageDan MeccaJan 31, 2016
Despite the creativity on display, the character choices and fatal decisions feel cliched. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsFeb 1, 2017
Watching The Lure is a bit like having manic depression—the thrilling high points are just as relentless as the crushing low-tide ebbs. Read full review
60
Screen DailyWendy IdeJan 31, 2016
The early potency of this macabre fairytale becomes increasingly diluted however, as the film progresses and the story broadens. Read full review
60
The GuardianLanre BakareJan 31, 2016
The Lure’s premise alone will turn heads but once the novelty wears off the question will remain: where’s the story? Read full review
50
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMar 9, 2017
There is no continuity in narrative or character and it’s all shot in an elliptical, heavily stylized, gaudily lit (much of it looks like it’s shot through an algae-filmed aquarium) collage. Read full review
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