The Postman
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: December 25, 1997 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
29
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
0
Mixed:
6
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Although The Postman conveys a thoroughly imagined vision of a future society, its basic concerns are actually far from those of traditional sci-fi, as it quickly comes to feel more like a Western than anything else. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
If you take The Postman at face value - that it's a straightforward, post- apocalyptic adventure tale, then it could seem like one of the worst movies of the year, if not of all time. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
It's tempting to accuse director and star Kevin Costner of taking the idea of vanity production to a new level in this frontier adventure based on a book by David Brin. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleRussell Smith
Regrettably, The Postman is just one more reminder of what a nonfactor sincerity often is in terms of artistic merit. Read full review
40
Film ThreatTom Meek
The Postman isn't as atrocious as the inane trailers and media hype have indicated, but like "Waterworld" a lot of the prerelease scrutiny is well warranted. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Costner's ponderous post-apocalyptic morality tale feels every minute of its nearly three hours. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
There are those who will no doubt call The Postman the worst film of the year, but it's too good-hearted for that. Read full review
30
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
But since Costner canít save his movie, it's something of a stretch to think he might be able to save the world. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Goofy and gee-whiz when it isn't being post-apocalyptic glum, it is such an earnest hodgepodge that only by imagining "Mad Max" directed by Frank Capra can you get even an inkling of what it's like. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
The dragging pace is one of several agonizing defects in this bloated sci-fi action drama. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The story takes place in 2013, but you'd hardly know it from the age-old clichés Kevin Costner purloins to tell this overblown action yarn, which relies so heavily on ideas borrowed from John Ford westerns that the Hollywood giant should have been credited as codirector; too bad Costner can't invest them with Ford's kind of life and originality, though. Read full review
25
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
What willful streak of perversity inspired Kevin Costner to take on this wacky tale of a letter carrier-turned-postapocalyptic hero? Read full review
20
Washington PostRita Kempley
Director-star Kevin Costner falls head over heels in love with himself in this nihilistic, post-apocalyptic clunker about a loner who becomes a reluctant sperm donor, role model and inevitably a godsend to what's left of America. Read full review
10
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Every truly awful movie epic has a point of no return, a moment when the accumulated bad lines and bogus sentimentality become so cloying that the best defense against a mounting queasiness is an awed amusement. The Postman, offers a new opportunity for levity every few minutes after its first hour. Read full review
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