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For 4,842 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 56% higher than the average critic
  • 3% same as the average critic
  • 41% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.6 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 67
Highest review score: 100 Days of Being Wild (re-release)
Lowest review score: 0 Oh, Ramona!
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,022 out of 4842
  2. Mixed: 1,310 out of 4842
  3. Negative: 510 out of 4842
4842 movie reviews
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  1. Thirteen Lives
    Thirteen Lives is not an exhibition of spectacle in scale or execution. It neither skirts over details too quickly nor goes too deep into technical aspects, arming the audience with enough to know how much is at stake and why. It’s an examination and dramatization of adversity and the complexity, strength, and resilience of the human spirit, which perfectly draws characterizations that avoid hammy tropes and tired stereotypes.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Under the Influence
    "Under The Influence" gets more interesting once the doc shifts focus from Dobrik’s rapid rise to fame to peel back the performative layers of his act.
  3. Story Ave
    Even if Story Ave occasionally dips into a well-worn narrative, it nevertheless features two powerful performances and acts as a showcase for its first-time director.
  4. Mothering Sunday
    A thoughtful if occasionally melodramatic reflection on the nature of grief.
  5. Moebius
    A sly dark comedy that doubles as a very impressive display of wordless storytelling.
  6. Shadow in the Cloud
    This is an excruciatingly stupid movie, and the nicest thing I can say about it is that, at 83 minutes, at least it’s over quickly.
  7. Island of Lemurs: Madagascar
    Even without an active political component, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar, on a purely visual level, is one of the more amazing things you're likely to see in a theater this year.
  8. The One I Love
    Justin Lader’s screenplay is contained but also funny, emotionally honest and nails its pivot from the conventional to something much richer.
  9. One Floor Below
    Muntean is so careful to avoid any whisper of contrivance or manipulation that he doesn't even land on any particular conclusion or moral.
  10. Young Ahmed
    Absent from Young Ahmed is the frenetic urgency that defines the directors’ greatest work, replaced here by the titular character’s unshakable tunnel vision.
  11. Husbands
    Freewheelin’ and almost similar to a long jazz riff that could have been reigned in, Husbands is occasionally fascinating and often tedious.
  12. Harriet
    Ultimately, the lack of risk-taking not only makes for a pedantic experience but ironically serves Tubman very poorly, never allowing for Erivo’s performance or the spirit of the subject to ever feel truly free.
  13. The Return
    The Return is one of the few instances where we wish for more fiery blood and guts rather than less. Even so, this is a superior rendering of a well-worn tale
  14. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
    Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes works as a movie in its own right and as a reset on the rebooted franchise. It seamlessly sets up a sequel or sequels that you are left wanting to see. See this in theaters, and we might just get them.
  15. Blood Father
    Operating for much of its running time with an equal balance between guilty pleasure grittiness and decent father/daughter drama, the film’s conclusion tips toward the latter in an unconvincing shift toward sentimentality and Life Lessons that not only is out of place, but betrays John’s own code of stoic endurance.
  16. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
    As a world-building exercise, Fantastic Beasts often succeeds. It’s charming, playful and welcoming in ways these movies haven’t been since the first two installments, and the patchiness of the plot is often forgiven because these characters are likable, rather affable, and well-cast.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Beloved Sisters
    Beloved Sisters might scratch your costume drama itch, but it’s not among the genre’s best.
  18. Thou Wast Mild and Lovely
    Alluring and captivating, Thou Wast Mild and Lovely can’t ultimately overcome its undeveloped arty tendencies, but its hazy exploration of dread and desire is still unique enough to make an impression.
  19. The Public Image Is Rotten
    Blisteringly caustic as ever, John Lydon nevertheless reveals himself as an occasionally sentimental sort in Tabbert Fiiller’s fitfully revelatory and charming documentary.
  20. Steve
    Mielants and Porter end the film in a manner that is almost offensive to the audience. This isn’t about providing a spotlight for kids with behavioral issues or the professionals who commit their lives to them; it’s melodrama for melodrama’s sake, with an awkward attempt at a “happy ending” that is borderline cringe.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 83 Critic Score
    Deadpool 2
    Deadpool 2, while extremely thin on plot, is gleefully impish, entertaining and often laugh-out-loud funny. Almost everything that felt forced, crass and hamfisted in the original film now feels organic and effortless; a constant breezy stream of gags, quips and expertly choreographed action. Deadpool 2 is filthier, funnier and ferociously manic.
  22. The Way Back
    A movie about deep regrets, taking them head-on, forgiving oneself and more, The Way Back, on paper, has so much potential for clichés about demons in a bottle. Instead, and triumphantly earned, this affecting path to redemption is a piercing portrait of man and actor who, when the clock’s winding down, can drain the shot that matters most.
  23. Puzzle
    Turtletaub does have a hard time finding a way to conclude Agnes’ story, but he ends Puzzle on such a delightful note of simplicity, that this near-perfect movie nevertheless stuns.
  24. I Care a Lot
    It’s not that anyone else in the movie isn’t good. But no one ever quite matches the unrivaled brilliance of Pike when given a clear runway to strut her skills. Seeing her in peak form nimbly navigating the tonal minefield of this late stage capitalism critique is an absolute delight.
  25. The Infiltrator
    The Infiltrator is ultimately a solid, if not exceptional, Scorsese takeoff, one that has just enough spunk and wit to make up for its often-apparent shortcomings.
  26. Pitch Perfect
    The script finishes up exactly where you think it will, but along the way, there are enough surprises and perfectly delivered lines to make it a blast.
  27. Mary Poppins Returns
    The greatest pitfall of Mary Poppins Returns isn’t the familiarity; it’s the cohesion, specifically the lack thereof. The narrative tissue is merely an excuse to set up each extravagant musical number, but the best musicals don’t forget to make the non-musical moments count.
  28. The Idol
    For all its safe choices and standard narrative, The Idol succeeds in communicating its message that the Palestinian people deserve a voice and representation. Its most powerful images somehow aren’t shots of Muhammad’s wonderful singing; instead, it’s the reactions of the Palestinians to those performances and cheering on one of their own.
  29. Félix And Meira
    Giroux’s film is a quietly moving drama that can be a little too quiet and slow at times, but it deserves credit for never jumping into melodrama.
  30. 6 Balloons
    As striking as some of these performances are, 6 Balloons is not without its problems. At a barebones 74 minute running time that doesn’t dive into the emotional texture as much as it could, 6 Balloons at times, feels slight.
  31. Last Passenger
    Last Passenger is a good antithesis to the overloaded and cluttered action Hollywood seems to love nowadays. If you're not feeling especially picky on plot or character, you won't go wrong with this compelling and stylish train thriller.
  32. You're Next
    Barrett and Wingard are clever filmmakers, but unlike many modern day horror directors, their cleverness never gets in the way. There's an earnestness to the entertainment in You're Next that is truly admirable, and at the end of the day it's a super enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half.
  33. The Toxic Avenger
    Low rent, CGI splatter effects by the bucket-full honor the Troma roots of this property, while practical costume, make-up, and production design speak to the reverence of the same. It ain’t pretty, sure: but that was never the Toxic Avenger’s style. Blair and company understand this, and the movie (world?) is better for it.
  34. In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis
    "In Viaggio” is far from a puff piece disguised as an unbiased account. The power dynamics at play are ever-present, the same interactions that bring the Pope closer to his subjects denouncing the hypocrisy of sanctifying a man who preaches for equality.
  35. Radical Wolfe
    Unlike its subject, Radical Wolfe would rather be liked than start something.
  36. They Call Us Monsters
    They Call Us Monsters is restrained, sensitive and quietly heartbreaking.
  37. The Rivals of Amziah King
    Patterson’s latest film sees him painting on a broader canvas with such boundless care and unwavering confidence that it becomes beautiful to witness him spreading his wings as fully as he does here.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 58 Critic Score
    Prince
    It wants to be cute, it wants to cool, and it also wants to be thoughtful and engaging, but Sam de Jong is unable to make the story feel tight and focused enough to allow it to succeed on all those levels.
  39. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
    Rogue One is a very good “Star Wars” film, frustratingly though, it falls short of being a truly great one.
  40. Summer of 85
    Summer of ’85 is ultimately not entirely successful, because its disparate tones don’t always mesh. But more than that, the carefree, romantic stuff is so enjoyable, and so sincere, that in retrospect, one wishes the entire film had lived there – both in that flush of first love (or at least lust), and in reckoning afterward with the complexities of that emotion.
  41. Widow Clicquot
    In the end, Widow Clicquot is a drama about turning heartbreak and tragedy into something brighter, richer, and spilling over into good fortune. And it’s tastefully made too.
  42. A United Kingdom
    The filmmaker has a real gift for getting into the political context of her stories while never neglecting the personal, and seeing the Khamas gradually win over his people, while still battling the British establishment, is gripping, rewarding and eventually moving.
  43. Last Night in Soho
    Given all that it’s got going for it – and it has Taylor-Joy descending a night club staircase in a pink halterneck swing-hem dress and sashaying across a dancefloor while Cilla Black croons “You’re my World,” which is not nothing – why the hell isn’t it more fun?
  44. White Girl
    It’s exciting as a raw, provocative, and vividly realized cinema of sensation. Wood doesn’t invite us to observe White Girl so much as she invites us to involve ourselves in its drama.
  45. Camille Claudel 1915
    The film makes distant what surely should be vital and alive.
  46. The Royal Road
    What keeps The Royal Road from feeling like its trapped in amber is the genuine heartbreak that Olson clearly feels, the rawness of her emotions and her dedicated willingness to share.
  47. Spinning Plates
    Spinning Plates navigates an industry that is more diverse and challenging than ever, but with this simple, fulfilling sampling, we learn that those behind the stove aim for the same kinds of rewards, accomplishments and satisfaction as their predecessors did.
  48. Paddington In Peru
    It won’t be remembered as the best Paddington film by any stretch of the imagination, but that’s okay, as that’s a high bar to clear. It still proves to be a trip worth writing home about, and when the traveling companions are as charming as these, it is one you’d happily take again.
  49. Staying Vertical
    It’s less a convincing, involving narrative than an episodic picaresque that rambles loose-jointedly from absurdist encounter to vaguely fable-like incident.
  50. Ismael's Ghosts
    The first two acts of “Ismael” are satisfying enough to excuse its shark-jumping third. While Desplechin’s new film isn’t great by a long stretch, it does manage to thoroughly scratch a very particular Franco-cine-phile itch. And this hardly needs to be said, but for longtime fans of Desplechin, Ismael’s Ghosts is a must-see.
  51. Stars at Noon
    When you’re this good, the weakest entry in your filmography can still be largely inoffensive, far from fiasco territory. Even so, there’s only one person doing it like Claire Denis, and now we must wait even longer to be taken once more to the heights of insight, emotion, and style only she can reach.
  52. Lee Daniels' The Butler
    Lee Daniels’ The Butler could be an important film that comes at a time where race is still a challenging topic for America, but it succeeds less as a film than as a history lesson.
  53. The End We Start From
    This may feel like familiar territory to another U.K.-set disaster film, “Children of Men,” or the recent mini-series “Station Eleven,” but Bellow has crafted something singular here. And you won’t forget it.
  54. The Dirties
    The message, like the filmmaking, seems fuzzy and unfocused.
  55. Mr. Malcolm's List
    With a script this sharp and performances this game, it’s a shame that the basic filmmaking doesn’t do anything visually to elevate the film further.
  56. The Good Lie
    The Good Lie is so manufactured around a particular dramatic blueprint that any sense of spontaneity, surprise and engagement are sucked right out of the picture.
  57. The Bay
    Levinson is interested in humanity, in the small moments that make us who we are, and it's these moments that make The Bay so chilling.
  58. For Lucio
    Even with the notable gaps in Dalla’s story and slight storytelling, For Lucio works as a professional, if not precisely personal, introduction to the renowned musician, showcasing how his songs reflected a country that was grappling with class struggles and an identity crisis during the 1970s.
  59. Bill & Ted Face the Music
    The conclusion of Bill & Ted Face the Music is pure corn, and by that point, they’ve earned it. It’s a film that’s somehow both offhand and meticulous, shaggy yet crisp, and the apparent joy of its creation is infectious. I laughed through a lot of it, and smiled through the rest. What a treat this movie is.
  60. Manos Sucias
    Though Manos Sucias, like the compelling local songs used to supplement the melancholic mood, often feels like fragments of a picture glued together by a temporary adhesive, the experience will leave you believing that you've just witnessed something very real and, even with its all-too-short running time, still manages to pack quite a punch.
  61. The Boy and the Beast
    There are elements of The Boy And The Beast that undoubtedly reinforce the promise that Hosoda holds: it’s a treat to look at, is inventive in spots, and will probably be eaten up by younger viewers. But it ultimately proves both narratively unsatisfying and emotionally lacking.
  62. American Made
    There’s no shortage of “Goodfellas” wannabes out there, but American Made is a serviceably entertaining one with consistent action and hearty chuckles along the way.
  63. Not Fade Away
    Though not a poor effort per se -- David Chase's Not Fade Away does authentically captures the heart and soul of the music of the era and the intoxicating/naive dream of making it big -- the picture isn't exactly a remarkable one either.
  64. Drunk Bus
    If nothing else, Drunk Bus succeeds in capturing that period of juvenile transition, like many of the Apatow-era late 2000s comedies did.
  65. Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
    While Bening is incredible playing a fading Hollywood starlet in Paul McGuigan’s Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, it’s her co-star, Jamie Bell, who might be the film’s real secret weapon.
  66. Axolotl Overkill
    Hegeman’s brash picture burns brightly to the very end. If “Axolotl Overkill” ever overdoses on its dreamy, feverish style, it’s trainwreck-y, can’t-turn-away qualities ultimately rise and consumes you like a blaze of youth in revolt.
  67. Plainclothes
    What truly elevates Plainclothes in this genre are the contributions from Tovey and Blyth.
  68. Last Flag Flying
    In its deeply affecting final moments, where Linklater beautifully folds the movie’s threads and themes, Last Flag Flying coalesces into a poignant portrait of honor, the bonds of brotherhood and coming to terms with mortality.
  69. Crater
    Everyone knows what a Disney+ movie like this can and can’t do with its young characters, but Alvarez and team push the limits just enough, giving “Crater” a sense of gravity that might just surprise viewers of all ages.
  70. The Conjuring 2
    As it fritters away character work and ideas about faith and devotion, this is a film clever enough to scare us but not smart enough to accomplish anything more.
  71. Faust
    If there are strokes of genius in this film, they are buried deep under the grime of the aesthetics and the unrelenting dialogue that never seems to stop for air.
  72. Vengeance
    Some of Novak’s camera sense, particularly early on, betrays his sitcom roots, and he commits the classic rookie mistake of going on three or so scenes too long, tying up inconsequential loose ends. But he crafts a good mystery, consistently engaging and entertaining, and the thoughtful turns of the last confrontation are sly, smart, and knowing.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Roar
    There almost certainly will never be anything like Roar again, and that’s reason enough to check it out.
  74. Swan Song
    The pacing is wobbly – it runs a too-flabby 105 minutes – and some of the filmmaking is pretty rickety . . . . But Swan Song is about its performers, and they shine.
  75. Caught Stealing
    If you’re seeking an escapist popcorn-like thriller, Caught Stealing should do the trick. But if you’re yearning for something more substantive, you may end up feeling slightly swindled. Still, credit Aronofsky for picking your pocket with a deft touch, and stealing a base with style.
  76. Unexpected
    Unexpected is sweet and the portrait of the friendship is lovely, but it also feels too slight.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 67 Critic Score
    Operation Mincemeat
    When Operation Mincemeat is focusing on the nitty-gritty, the clinical elements of the operation and how these people hope to pull it off in a way that doesn’t get people killed, it can be thrilling.
  78. Return to Ithaca
    Using its characters' memories, loyalties and resentments as vehicles, Return to Ithaca gently expands our understanding of life within a society that, in contrast to our own, did not even pretend to cultivate the idea that its citizens were free.
  79. Pawn Sacrifice
    Pawn Sacrifice certainly whips up a dervish of energy, and as a piece of dramatic entertainment, it's mostly engaging, and features character actors doing very good work.
  80. Carousel
    Carousel is another entry in a run of magnificent Jenny Slate performances.
  81. Kill Your Darlings
    Well shot and well made, Kill Your Darlings is a very competently constructed effort on a whole, but there’s an emptiness and familiarity at its core that it cannot transcend.
  82. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
    Lawrence is never less than commanding in her last outing as the fiery dystopian heroine, but the most heartening liberation proffered by Part 2 is its star’s escape from this one-note fantasy series.
  83. Venus and Serena
    Venus and Serena wins points for sharing an intimate, not-always-flattering view of the sisters that isn’t PR-friendly.
  84. Naz & Maalik
    A refreshing and relevant cinematic representation, Naz & Maalik is an impressive debut for the filmmaker and actors.
  85. Saving Mr. Banks
    Even if it doesn't quite stick the landing, there's a lot to like here; it's a fundamentally decent, very well-acted and cannily written film.
  86. Beauty and the Beast
    Ultimately Beauty And The Beast feels like a cynical rehash seemingly created just to make a fiscal year sound promising to shareholders. This is a product that’s more manufactured than inspired.
  87. Ivory Tower
    Ivory Tower is compelling viewing, particularly if you feel close to the crisis.
  88. The Book of Solutions
    It is refreshing and endearing to watch as Gondry lets his protagonist, a version of himself, go to the end of his thoughts, even if they apparently lead nowhere.
  89. Alien: Covenant
    Somehow, Scott manages to balance it all: meditations on being made in god’s own image, the fan service of “Alien Origins: Xenomorphs,” and feminist agency. Balance doesn’t necessarily mean execution though. There’s friction with all these ideas fighting for airtime.
  90. Sunset
    Ultimately, the chilly Sunset recreates a version of 1913 Budapest that crackles with life but lacks spirit and emotional connection. Nemes shows viewers the smoke and then the fire but provides no reason for them to care about the world as it burns.
  91. Metro Manila
    Metro Manila is a horror story in its own unflinching way.
  92. Critical Thinking
    Critical Thinking shows that Leguizamo makes a good teacher on screen and behind the camera –he’s telling a story that is truly inspiring and educational, but also revealing its relevance and keeping it fun.
  93. Bull
    A sensitive, if occasionally orthodox, treatment of a compassionate friendship enacted in the face of societal apathy.
  94. Monsters University
    It’s easily the most enjoyable animated film so far this year, one that is visually stunning, wickedly subversive, incredibly funny (Day's character is a hoot), and (at times) lump-in-your-throat emotional.
  95. Deadpool
    It’s a film that desperately wants to upend the tropes of the comic book movie, but perhaps more shocking than anything that comes out of the mouth of its often obnoxious titular hero, is how blandly the picture sticks to the origin story playbook.
  96. The Courier
    The Courier is not about espionage—it’s about the sacrifices we make to help our country—in this patriotic, put-you-there true story.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 75 Critic Score
    Men
    In the end, Men works best as a surprising slice of cosmic horror and a showcase for Buckley in a near-constant state of emotional duress, particularly her on-screen screaming abilities.
  98. The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
    Like its signature song (which has taken up permanent residence inside my brain), The Lego Movie 2 is fun and full of energy, but unlike the original, it’s not entirely memorable. Hopefully, its kind message will stick with kids and parents, even if none of the jokes do.
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