The Unforeseen
Cinema Guild | Release Date: February 29, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Dunn's elegant, full-length debut presents a frightening and powerful argument against the kind of reckless, profit-driven land development that not only threatens natural resources, but life itself. Read full review
100
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
One of the most extraordinary accomplishments in recent American nonfiction filmmaking. It hits hard as to facts, and opens its eyes to inexpressible mysteries. It strikes a clear moral and philosophical stance, and then -- as part of that philosophical stance, actually -- reveals its villain as a tragic and sympathetic figure. Read full review
90
VarietyRobert Koehler
Observing locally and thinking globally, Laura Dunn's astonishing debut doc feature The Unforeseen is the kind of transformative viewing experience that has made the current period a golden age for nonfiction film. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubSam Adams
Although the parts of The Unforeseen dealing with the anti-development movement are pure go-team agitprop, Dunn lends the movie a lyrical cast by combining aerial shots of the transformed countryside with the voice of Wendell Berry, reading from his poem "Sabbaths." Read full review
80
Film ThreatSally Foster
Dunn does an incredible job of condensing this extremely complex battle into a story that is simple and understandable, as well as extremely compelling. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJim Ridley
Making her first feature, Austin filmmaker Dunn no doubt included some unnecessary detours for star power's sake (like the inessential footage of Redford and Nelson). But it's ultimately the movie's glacial pace and willingness to let its mind and eye wander that produces its spiritual and intellectual heft--not to mention its atypical visual splendor. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Director Laura Dunn presents a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of Bradley, but her advocacy is clear enough in the primal images of natural beauty and her subjects' heartfelt statements of respect for the landscape. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Add The Unforeseen to the catalog of artfully produced nonfiction films that show how humans are screwing up the planet. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
What's unforeseen in Unforeseen, a superior documentary by Laura Dunn, are the consequences of a certain mind-set about mankind's relationship to the world and, finally, to itself. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Hideously depressing but also enraging documentary. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
An unusually poetic and meditative eco-themed documentary, Laura Dunn's The Unforeseen is as beautiful as it is ultimately depressing. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Though The Unforeseen has a few too many clips of Robert Redford, its environmentalist executive producer, its strength is its realization that these unforeseen developments are making few people happy. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
The result is an expansive and ambivalent testament to human ingenuity, human intransigence, and nature’s endangered yet enduring power to move. Read full review
More From This Movie

76 Critic Reviews

8.0 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL