Evil Genius

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: May 11, 2018
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30

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User Reviews

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  1. JVolps16
    May 24, 2018
    6
    Documentary left a lot in the open at the end of the movie. Felt like documentary could have been 45-60 mins long. Not four 1 hour episodes. Just ok.
  2. EludiumQ36
    May 31, 2018
    4
    This is a 3-hr story over 4 episodes and you don't get all the answers, you don't get closure so this can't be a 9 or 10, it's a 7 at best. I give a 4 because with better editing this should've been a 1 hr event. There's WAY too much background about the players involved that really leads nowhere; they're basically white trash scum who lived in their own filth. Also WAY too much time spentThis is a 3-hr story over 4 episodes and you don't get all the answers, you don't get closure so this can't be a 9 or 10, it's a 7 at best. I give a 4 because with better editing this should've been a 1 hr event. There's WAY too much background about the players involved that really leads nowhere; they're basically white trash scum who lived in their own filth. Also WAY too much time spent on Marjorie and Bill leading police down rabbit holes, that could all just be summed up in a few minutes. It did once again show the public, though, how incompetent FBI and local police investigations can be and how white trash idiots still got away with murder! Two murders! They were only convicted of bank robbery and one prior-convict got full immunity! Pathetic, not the film's fault but this could've and should've been told within an hour's span. You just don't string people along for unsatisfying conclusions.… Expand
  3. DonKnottsGhost
    May 17, 2018
    10
    Gripping documentary from beginning to end. One of the most disturbing true crime films I have watched. Reminded me a bit of the Jinx, which was also fantastic.
  4. erolsabadosh
    May 17, 2018
    10
    I didn't know anything about this incident before watching this and I was riveted. It was very disturbing yet engrossing; even though it was tough going I had to watch it all in one night as the film really gets you invested in uncovering the truth. If you're into crime stories definitely check this out.
  5. YoureMrLebowski
    May 19, 2018
    10
    Wow. I’m not rushing to judgement but this could be... Love? Best storytelling ever? I’ve never felt this before. It’s really really good.
  6. OlivierPiel
    May 15, 2018
    6
    The Duplass brothers have excellent editing and writing skills. This is very apparent in the riveting first episode. However it can't sustain a story and characters that are not as compelling as their last Netflix project on the Indian guru. By the middle of episode 2 you already start tired of the two main protagonists.
  7. Jercwe
    May 17, 2018
    8
    Once I got over the initial shock of the video of the bank robbery suspect in the first episode, "Evil Genius" became a fascinating glimpse into mental illness and true evil. I made sure not to read up on the true story as I continued watching the episodes and I am glad I waited until after. Fiction writers could not have come up with a better plot. The documentary was well done andOnce I got over the initial shock of the video of the bank robbery suspect in the first episode, "Evil Genius" became a fascinating glimpse into mental illness and true evil. I made sure not to read up on the true story as I continued watching the episodes and I am glad I waited until after. Fiction writers could not have come up with a better plot. The documentary was well done and structured. It kept me questioning who did what and why until the very end.… Expand
  8. Scraper
    May 18, 2018
    7
    Reminiscent of the Aileen Wuornos documentary of 2003. After the initial introduction of Diehl-Armstrong, along with her nefarious cohorts, the feeling never shakes that she is rotten to the core. The bizarreness of the crime(s) and uprooting of facts surrounding these head-sick villains will keep you gripped to the story. But once it becomes obvious that the story's main character is aReminiscent of the Aileen Wuornos documentary of 2003. After the initial introduction of Diehl-Armstrong, along with her nefarious cohorts, the feeling never shakes that she is rotten to the core. The bizarreness of the crime(s) and uprooting of facts surrounding these head-sick villains will keep you gripped to the story. But once it becomes obvious that the story's main character is a lying sociopath, no amount of her dialogue can offer any twists - the surrounding normal humans connected with the crime(s) offered those up in a rational, if not stupid, way. Good fact-hunting, interview gathering by the film's creator. Quality documentary.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Daniel Fienberg
    May 14, 2018
    70
    Borzillieri's commitment and the access he obtains make these episodes intense and uncomfortable, showcasing a parade of scuzzy and unreliable narrators. Borzillieri's crusading intensity is also the most frustrating part of Evil Genius, because it confuses the authorship and focus of the entire series.
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  2. CNN
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    May 11, 2018
    80
    The full title is certainly a mouthful, but this is one of those docu-series that doesn't feel like it's laboring, or forcing the issue, to create compelling drama. And in a genre often steeped in hype, for once even the "diabolical" label doesn't feel like hyperbole.
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  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Katie Rife
    May 11, 2018
    75
    In short, Evil Genius is the kind of documentary that lives and dies by its story. Luckily, it’s a compelling one.
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