Empire's Scores

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For 6,819 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 54% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 43% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.9 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 66
Highest review score: 100 Oppenheimer
Lowest review score: 20 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,007 out of 6819
  2. Mixed: 3,654 out of 6819
  3. Negative: 158 out of 6819
6819 movie reviews
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  1. The Third Man
    The Third Man finally endures because it offers a simple thing that so many modern films neglect: the power of story...Revolutionary film noir with a clutch of stunning central turns.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
    The collapse of the Cold War may have left Kubrick's satire on mutually assured destruction less relevant than it was, but it still features Peter Sellers' finest three performances as well as proving that the supposedly humourless Kubrick was up for a laugh.
  3. Quo Vadis, Aida?
    This study in chaos and calculation not only makes for harrowingly compelling viewing, but it also exposes the apathy of an international community that simply turned the other way.
  4. Psycho
    Timeless classic. Superb performances and the infamous shower scene make this the perfect nightmare.
  5. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
    Tense, kinetic, intelligent and real – as if Paul Greengrass had remade Vera Drake.
  6. Parasite
    A miracle of a film. It feels like Bong Joon-ho’s already extraordinary career has been building to this: a riotous social satire that’s as gloriously entertaining as it is deeply sardonic.
  7. Battleship Potemkin
    If you only ever see one silent film, this is the one it should be. A masterpiece.
  8. A Streetcar Named Desire
    Epic performances in a movie that seethes with atmosphere.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Maltese Falcon
    The Maltese Falcon is an unassailable triumph of script, casting, direction and editing.
    • 97 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    American Graffiti
    A funny-serious movie with gorgeous cars and colours and an amazing feel for the artefacts of an instantly vanished era.
  11. 12 Angry Men
    Sidney Lumet's dazzling debut, based on Reginald Rose's teleplay, delivers a masterclass in the pure dynamism of acting, as Henry Fonda's reasonable doubt gradually sways the 11 other jurors from their various prejudices.
  12. Dumbo
    With its genuinely cute hero and appealing storyline, Dumbo's exactly right for younger children but not too milk-soppy for anyone over eight. Indispensible.
  13. Roma
    Pairing thrilling technical prowess with profound artistic vision, Alfonso Cuarón has made a masterpiece, at once understated and otherworldly. We need more filmmakers like him.
  14. Man with a Movie Camera
    Silent stunner.
  15. Spirited Away
    The fact that Miyazaki and his team hand-draw the images before they're digitally coloured and animated gives them an artistry that has been woefully lacking from so many recent American features.
  16. Toy Story
    Just perfect. Script, character, animation....this manages to break free of the yoke of 'children's movie' to simply be one of the best movies of the 90's, full-stop.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
    Sonically flawless, authentically textured and deep-rooted in cultural significance, Summer Of Soul succeeds magnificently in capturing the scale, spiritual resonance and, yes, soul of the Harlem Cultural Festival. It will not be forgotten this time.
  18. The Shop Around the Corner
    Nostalgic and charming romance with special moments in the extra-narrative action.
  19. 12 Years a Slave
    Falling between the twin pillars of the art house and prestige period flick, 12 Years A Slave is history lesson as horror film, powerful, visceral and affecting. And after years of being great in everything, Chiwetel Ejiofor shines in a lead worthy of his immense talent.
  20. Manchester by the Sea
    Masterfully told and beautifully acted, Manchester By The Sea is a shattering yet graceful elegy of loss and grief.
  21. The Battle of Algiers
    Has a vigour, a commitment and an intelligence that is absent from too much modern cinema.
  22. A Hard Day's Night
    Make a date to catch this on the big screen and be rewarded with pure magic.
  23. Nashville
    One of the most accomplished, influential and enjoyable films of the '70s.
  24. Red River
    Beautifully directed with a lovely visual lyricism, this film packs a western punch with perfect performances and a fine script.
  25. Rosemary's Baby
    It's that smile playing on Rosemary's lips, suggesting that her maternal instinct and the conspirators' hold on this vapid baby doll have prevailed, that provides the biggest chill.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Philadelphia Story
    Excellent casting, a great storyline and a shrp script mean that this remains a classic of the genre and one of Katherine Hepburn's best roles.
  27. Sansho the Bailiff
    Moving and atmospheric, this quest tale is among the best of its kind.
  28. Ratatouille
    That feeling you have as you leave the cinema - that buzzing in the fingers and lightness in the heart - is called joy.
    • 96 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Grapes of Wrath
    Gregg Toland captures the open spaces and big skies of rural America, while the normally conservative Ford puts forward a sympathetic but radical plea for workers' rights and freedom for the people.
  30. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
    This animated treatment does it absolute justice too. The spooky bits are suitably scarey - the production dates back to a time before anybody worried about mentally scarring the little mites, thus the "Have a bite, dearie" scene means a lot of excited peeping through fingers - the slapstick humour content is high and it contains none of the period references that crept into later Disney cartoons, thus doesn't appear to have dated. But largely it succeeds because it really is a great deal of fun.
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