Total Film's Scores

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For 2,045 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 61% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 35% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.8 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Movie review score: 69
Highest review score: 100 Predator: Killer of Killers
Lowest review score: 20 Sir Billi
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,054 out of 2045
  2. Mixed: 953 out of 2045
  3. Negative: 38 out of 2045
2045 movie reviews
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    • 79 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
    Not quite the intimate parable of the first movie nor a balls-to-the-wall battlefield extravaganza, Dawn is pitched somewhere in the middle, with much of its two hour-plus running time powered by the simmering, expertly sustained tension both between and within the two species.
  2. Fanny
    It’s best to sit back and luxuriate in the film’s unhurried pleasures: crisp Mediterranean settings, Alexandre Desplat’s mournful score and a clutch of likeable performances.
  3. Marius
    The material is a French classic, and Auteuil directs as such: this is cosy, undemanding heritage cinema.
  4. Archipelago
    In long, static takes, Hogg calmly exposes the gulf between polite facades and repressed resentments.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Unrelated
    If Eric Rohmer were British, this is the kind of film he’d make.
    • 44 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Postman Pat: The Movie
    Without much in the way of nudge-wink Pixar-style humour and pathos, mums and dads are less likely to be quite so enthralled.
  7. Me and You
    Script and acting are flawless – but set beside Bertolucci’s glory years (The Conformist, Last Tango In Paris, Novecento) it all feels a bit slight.
    • 55 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Fonzy
    Director Isabelle Doval’s relentlessly upbeat take is warm and fluffy, but leaves the sugary sentiments for the tear-jerking final reel.
  9. Exhibition
    Hogg humanises the set-up with ripples of warmth, but it’s her evocation of a horror-style psychodrama through hints of domestic disquiet that lingers with you.
  10. 22 Jump Street
    Bigger and better – 22 Jump Street joins the exclusive list of sequels that out-gun their originals. We’re already knocking at the door of no.23.
  11. Willow Creek
    Willow Creek is a movie to believe in.
  12. Korengal
    It’s absorbing to a point, but adds little to what’s gone before.
  13. Edge of Tomorrow
    The breakneck pace leaves little room for meaningful character development... But there’s imagination, spectacle and thrills to spare.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Wrinkles
    Its shuffling pace and basic animation all add to the heartbreak as the protagonists slowly unravel, even as they fight to keep a grip.
  15. Calvary
    Anchored by a truly sensational performance from Gleeson, this unexpected blend of passion play, detective story, rural comedy and serious inquiry into faith is destined for classic status.
  16. X-Men: Days of Future Past
    Singer has refreshed the series with blasts of his original entries’ X-factors: vim, levity, clarity and a sincere, soulful grip on the emotional stakes involved.
  17. Godzilla
    That rare breed of blockbuster that emphasises character over spectacle and slow-burn tension over relentless action sequences, Godzilla rewards patience with strong performances and sparing, spine-tingling set-pieces.
  18. The Wedding Video
    When it’s not being shrill, obvious or awkwardly wistful, Nigel Calendar Girls Cole’s comedy is quite funny.
  19. Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas
    Director Arnaud des Pallières lends a bleak austerity to the story, but with only one murky battle scene to quicken the blood it’s hardly a recipe for unbridled excitement.
  20. Neighbors
    A heated, hysterical battle between Apatow smarts and Animal House smirks. Subtlety takes a hazing, but humour emerges with honours.
  21. The Other Woman
    A few lowbrow laughs… but far too many one-note characters, performances, and plot points to make them worth showing up for.
  22. 1,000 Times Good Night
    Director Erik Poppe’s worthy intentions are nearly undone by an undisciplined screenplay. Still, he marshals two strong performances.
  23. Ilo Ilo
    As their early fights give way to growing respect, it’s a beautifully calibrated relationship, with small moments gradually building into something much bigger. A gem.
    • 41 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Pompeii
    While it offers spectacular CGI devastation and a chiselled hero, Pompeii is so soulless and empty that you won’t shed any tears when the ‘cano blows its top.
  25. Blue Ruin
    A cunning, suspenseful thriller that bears comparison to the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple, Blue Ruin is an impossible-to-ignore calling card from writer/director Jeremy Saulnier. Hollywood awaits.
  26. The Bachelor Weekend
    It’s impossible to hate a film where the cast is so game, but you may struggle to remember it the morning after.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Last Passenger
    Some overripe dialogue and a well-worn plot are tempered by an admirable reluctance to humanise the terrorist.
  28. The Players
    Greater female input might have alleviated the film’s tiresome chauvinism.
    • 54 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Sea
    It’s impossible to escape the sense that Banville’s work is best experienced on paper.
  30. The Love Punch
    The Love Punch makes a virtue of its leads’ considerable charm and gorgeous French locations but is tonally wonky, comedically creaky and confuses light-as-a-soufflé with just plain silly.
  31. Magic Magic
    It ebbs away at the climax, but there’s 45 minutes where it sings loud and strange.
  32. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
    Bright, punchy and earnest, Webb’s affable sequel is tough to dislike despite its tonal whiplash and clumsy script, which is redeemed by Garfield, Stone and DeHaan’s powerhouse trio.
  33. Half of a Yellow Sun
    Bandele’s keen handling of cast and domestic conflict makes for a nuanced historical epic, but he’s less sure on the big stuff.
  34. Pioneer
    Pioneer features underwater sequences so breathless they’ll thrill even James Cameron (director Erik Skjoldbjærg made the original Insomnia) but Petter’s truth-chasing is at times too frantic and melodramatic.
  35. Divergent
    Loyal to the novel, but welcoming enough for newbies, Divergent does a decent if not jawdropping job of bringing its dystopian world to life.
  36. The Lunchbox
    First-time writer/director Ritesh Batra deserves credit for mining gently captivating drama from a pitch that could have just ended with passive-aggressive Post-its left on the office fridge.
  37. The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears
    The result is a love letter to the giallo genre spelled out in cut-up ransom-note writing – striking, but impossible to read.
  38. The Quiet Ones
    There’s creepy dolls, cameras tipped on their side, blasts of white noise and a horny teenage Scooby gang helping Jared Harris’ Oxford prof stir up a poltergeist in the mind of a moody emo girl (Olivia Cooke).
    • 46 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Last Days on Mars
    A taut, tense yet hugely indebted debut, Ruairí Robinson’s survival horror manages to break free from its low-budget limitations but is hamstrung by its own love of the genre.
  40. Rio 2
    The predictable plot gets an enjoyably venomous boost from Jemaine Clement’s revenge-obsessed cockatoo Nigel.
  41. Young & Beautiful
    Ozon keeps the melodrama at bay to deliver a typically subversive study of growing pains. And in Vacth he’s found a real star-in-waiting.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Noah
    Aronofsky’s first bona-fide blockbuster is a sweat-stained labour of love. Audacious and uncompromising, it’s a legitimate epic.
  43. Tom at the Farm
    It’s wildly melodramatic, typified by the ear-assaulting score. But there’s something compelling about Dolan’s supreme self-confidence, even when misplaced. He takes risks – and that’s attractive.
  44. Dom Hemingway
    Shepard’s film is fun but forgettable in the first hour, then disappointing in the final third. But Law’s raucous turn keeps you watching.
  45. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
    With a string of gratifying action sequences, and a breakneck pace leavened by a frequently witty script, The Winter Soldier stands alone as a solidly entertaining blockbuster.
  46. The Machine
    Despite some striking imagery and sterling FX work, Welsh writer/director Caradog W James’ expert use of limited resources doesn’t stretch as far as the subtlety-averse script.
  47. Yves Saint Laurent
    Jalil Lespert’s film treats its hero with a high seriousness that not even Niney’s uncanny portrayal of YSL’s artistry and mental fragility can justify.
  48. A Long Way Down
    At best, this is a cringey stab at black comedy redeemed by charismatic stars; at worst it’s a glib and manipulative punt on a subject that deserves more care.
  49. Starred Up
    The details ring true and the performances smart in Mackenzie’s prison movie. You wouldn’t meet Jack O’Connell’s tasty glare in a boozer, but try taking your eyes off him here.
  50. Muppets Most Wanted
    Smartly spoofy rather than sweetly nostalgic, this distractingly star-studded jaunt is fast and funny, but short on emotional punch.
  51. Suzanne
    Quillévéré’s elliptical plot isn’t always spot-on, skipping years to a near maddening degree. But treading a fine line between poetry and realism, it’s still heartfelt and harrowing.
    • 66 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Himizu
    It offers a surreal slant on post-Fukushima Japan where aggression lurks in every scene - even the romantic ones between high-schooler Yuichi (Shôta Sometani) and his stalker classmate, Keiko (Fumi Nikaidô).
  53. The Rocket
    This strikingly original feelgood fable is artfully balanced between director Kim Mordaunt’s roots in documentary and a spellbinding magic realism.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Invisible War
    Directed with straightforward economy, The Invisible War sheds much-needed light on a very dark secret.
  55. The Zero Theorem
    The future as candy-coloured paranoid nightmare: not quite Gilliam’s best, but still the most satisfying movie he’s made for years.
  56. Under the Skin
    You may not be sure what you've seen, but you've sure seen something. With neither a petticoat nor a wideboy in sight, this is one of the most original and exciting British movies in some time.
    • 62 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Veronica Mars
    An emotionally rewarding reunion tour for established fans and a taut, sharp-tongued, character-driven thriller for all, Veronica Mars makes a compelling case for its heroine’s continued existence.
  58. Need For Speed
    The cars are hot, the action is decent, but the characters and plot need a serious tune-up.
  59. Guilty of Romance
    Filmed in garish colours like an explosion in a paint factory, it’s more style than content, but diverting all the same.
  60. 300: Rise of an Empire
    Just as bloody yet much more conventional, 300 #2 offers splashy thrills aplenty but fails to make a watertight case for its own existence. Green, however, ensures it stays afloat.
  61. Mr. Peabody & Sherman
    Despite top-notch visuals and versatile voice-work from Ty Burrell’s (Modern Family) doting doggy dad and Alison Janney’s monstrous social worker, it lacks the "Up"-style warmth to be best in show.
  62. Non-Stop
    A nifty lift-off and a tense first hour lead us, disappointingly, to a very bumpy landing. While Neeson and co. do their best, the script just doesn’t deliver where it really matters.
  63. As the Palaces Burn
    As The Palaces Burn ends up as gripping and unexpectedly moving as anything John Grisham’s ever scribbled.
    • 49 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Stalingrad
    A solid enough war flick, but Spielberg doesn’t have too much to worry about yet.
  65. The Monuments Men
    An amazing story and an amazing cast don’t always make an amazing film. Too light for drama, not funny enough for comedy; it’s unlikely anyone will ever risk their lives for this.
  66. Love Is in the Air
    Sagnier is appealing in her first real romantic role and there’s Gallic charm galore.
  67. Stranger by the Lake
    Sun, sex, psychosis, skinny-dipping: it sounds like genre tat, but Guiraudie’s dark, droll study of a risky attraction upends expectations. It plays by stealth, but its sly grip is sure.
  68. Only Lovers Left Alive
    A loving, very funny valentine to undead pleasures, with Swinton and Hiddleston on top form.
  69. Nymphomaniac: Volume II
    Thought-provoking rather than arousing, both films explore the director’s ideas about love, sexuality and loneliness. The organ he seeks to stimulate most is your brain.
  70. Nymphomaniac: Volume I
    With explicit sex and penetrating philosophy, this erotic odyssey requires close attention and an open mind.
    • 88 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Wes Anderson’s eighth feature has a heft beneath its icing, heart behind its artifice. Check in, and you won’t want to leave.
  72. A World Not Ours
    Offering a fascinating window into a world often distorted and oversimplified, this is informative, stimulating and moving stuff.
  73. Charlie Countryman
    Mostly, this is empty, ugly and pretentious.
  74. Dallas Buyers Club
    If not wholly convincing as an ‘issues’ movie, this memoir is a triumph as an actors’ showcase; with McConaughey and Leto giving the performances of their careers.
  75. Bastards
    Denis’ sparse story delivers details on a need-to-know basis, right up to the finale. Strong on atmos, thanks to Tindersticks’ score, it’ll chill you to the core.
  76. The Book Thief
    It’s hard not to be moved by the story, but it’s only a handful of great performances that save it from underwhelming. Steal the book instead.
  77. Cuban Fury
    A great big bear-hug of a Britcom, with rhinestones on its shirt, salsa in its heart and dick jokes up its sleeve. Something for everyone, then.
    • 52 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    RoboCop
    Taking the original and successfully transplanting it into an ambitious new world, José Padilha’s english-language debut is an exciting, pacey and thoughtful sci-fi actioner.
  79. The LEGO Movie
    Ridiculously funny and meticulously detailed, The LEGO Movie is far better than a toy tie-in movie has any right to be. Despite a couple of dips, you’ll be grinning throughout.
  80. Lone Survivor
    The direction pummels and the cast impress, yet Berg’s war movie promises more than it delivers. Memories of Battleship are sunk, but that Oscar buzz may be a bit premature.
  81. Out of the Furnace
    Christian Bale’s earnest, emotional turn sustains a thriller that throws a few mean jabs but staggers towards a punch-drunk resolution.
  82. The Armstrong Lie
    A master docu-maker gets the inside dope on a master dissembler. It requires stamina, but its charismatic subject exerts genuine magnetism.
  83. May I Kill U?
    It’s poorly made and in poorer taste.
  84. That Awkward Moment
    Gormican’s script is the film’s big strength; the dialogue fizzes while the set-pieces pay off handsomely.
  85. Devil's Due
    The Devil may have all the best tunes, but this really is the worst sort of cinematic karaoke.
  86. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
    A solid outing for a re-Bourne hero that could, with a few key tweaks, generate another round of vehicles for the Clancy cash cow.
  87. Her
    For all its techno-focus, a very human love story about our need for connection. Strange, witty, honest and curiously comforting.
    • 35 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Grudge Match
    Rather than getting us on the ropes and landing some telling blows, Grudge Match keeps its distance and tosses meek jabs. Cheap sentimentality can’t disguise the crashing cynicism on display.
  89. Inside Llewyn Davis
    The Coen brothers on top sardonic form with a winning tale of an incorrigible loser. Hits the right note on every level, from period vibe to performance (human and feline).
  90. A Coffee In Berlin
    Jan Ole Gerster’s deceptively slender character study has a complex undertow, subtly linking its wallflower anti-hero’s acceptance of his failings with his country’s wider atonement for its World War II past.
  91. Teenage
    A haunting, hypnotic collage of archive footage and period recreations charting the pre-history of the teenager.
  92. U Want Me 2 Kill Him?
    Massively unlikely, but compelling to the last, it makes a decent fist of conveying the strength of internet attachments, even if filtering the unfolding drama through endless computer screens becomes a well-worn device.
  93. 12 Years a Slave
    Visceral, vital and anchored by its earnest performances, this is a potent portrait of a shameful historical truth.
  94. August: Osage County
    This classy adap of a much-garlanded stage play will appeal to discerning audiences who can tolerate unpleasant characters with potty mouths if they're played by Oscar winners.
  95. The Missing Picture
    Panh’s commentary – spoken in French by Randal Douc – searingly sets the context.
  96. Like Father, Like Son
    Although a bit over-neat in its contrasts between the respective families, Like Father, Like Son remains an affecting film, thanks to Fukuyama’s understated turn and Koreeda’s typically graceful visual storytelling.
  97. 47 Ronin
    “I will search for you through 1,000 worlds and 10,000 lifetimes!” Reeves promises his beloved. Anyone who sits all the way through this glossy folly will know exactly how that feels.
  98. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
    Like most daydreams, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is funny, sad, weird and corny all at once – and you’ll probably only remember the good bits as soon as it’s finished. But it’s still a lot better than real life.
  99. All Is Lost
    With no 3D, no friends and no hope, Redford and Chandor show how survivalist instincts can stoke thrilling, thoughtful cinema. If Gravity grabbed you, hop aboard and hold tight.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    The Wolf of Wall Street
    A touch too long, yet never slack, at three hours, TWOWS benefits from independent funding, Scorsese’s brass balls and an A-grade cast’s turbulent improvisations to emerge as an epic, boldly broad screwball comedy about the state of America, then and now.
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