Metacritic reviews

This period drama may be a bit slow during some scenes, but the devious dark plot is such a pleasant surprise the payoff is worth it. On top of that, The Critic has a beautiful score, excellent set design, and great cinematography.

A film filled with intensity, this is a worthwhile, deliciously vile watch.

The movie leans into the melodrama, taking its time and milking the situation for all its worth.

Theater critic as tyrant is a juicy premise; “The Critic” just can’t live up to the promise.

The fizz of the first half might not go completely flat in the second but that’s only because of McKellen, who relishes another devious character to sink his teeth into, devouring every scene, a deliciously caustic turn that will provide him with nothing but the finest notices.

The elegant tone undercuts the material’s inherent bite, ultimately defanging a picture that eventually shifts into a twisty thriller.

Visually, The Critic is polished enough, despite some splashes of apparent digital lacquer. But Marber hasn’t supplied an incontrovertible motive to bind Nina to Jimmy. And there is something arguably troubling about the way McKellen’s character has been conceived.

To say Farber’s screenplay is plot-heavy is an understatement.

In its quest to surprise audiences, The Critic jumps down too many rabbit holes, progressively losing all semblance of plausibility or insight it might’ve otherwise yielded.

It should hurt to watch such a relentlessly ruthless piece of work. Yet its savagery feels blunted when nearly every character but Jimmy feels underwritten and nearly every relationship built on plot contrivance.