Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILDMovie Reviews
Drama about a six-year-old girl and her ailing father who live among the impoverished people of the Louisiana Delta, where they co-exist with nature and face a devastating storm. Cast:Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Jonshel Alexander, Marilyn Barbarin, Kaliana Brower, Joseph Brown, Nicholas Clark, Henry D. Coleman, Levy Easterly, Pamela Harper, Kendra Harris, Jovan Hathaway, Amber Henry, Hannah Holby, Lowell LandesDirector:Benh ZeitlinRelease Date:June 27, 2012DVD Release:December 4, 2012From:Fox SearchlightRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 31 min
DECEMBER 4, 2012
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Exceptional Reviews, Mixed National
Beasts of the Southern Wild played in national release to exceptional reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "Sometimes miraculous films come into being, made by people you've never heard of, starring unknown faces, blindsiding you with creative genius." • And Ann Hornaday wrote in the Washington Post, "...a dilettantish piece of cultural tourism." More Reviews Below...
Beasts of the Southern Wild Positive Reviews (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Freshman director Benh Zeitlin keeps us gloriously bewildered, open to wild possibilities.... Please, seek out 'Beasts.' It's worth the hunt."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 140 words, 07/05/12
Richard Corliss, Time: OUTSTANDING "A movie not of propulsive story power but of atmospheric vignettes... navigates its narrative with a child's intense and wandering attention.... a perfect storm of a film..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,321 words, 05/18/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...sheer poetry on screen: an explosion of joy in the midst of startling squalor and one of the most visceral, original films to come along in a while."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 630 words, 06/28/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...extraordinary... The wonder is, the whole movie resists categorization. A feat of homemade, collaborative filmmaking... a thing of beauty and originality..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 202 words, 06/29/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Quvenzhané Wallis -- remember the name, she's flat-out amazement... a tribute to the people who stay rooted to home against flood and forced evacuation..."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 06/22/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "It's unlikely there will be a film as visually stunning or poetic this year -- or perhaps any year -- to rival 'Beasts of the Southern Wild.' "(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 06/27/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Sometimes miraculous films come into being, made by people you've never heard of, starring unknown faces, blindsiding you with creative genius."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 735 words, 07/06/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...each scene mixes naturalism and the otherworldly in a way that one thought was barely possible anymore.... striking and affecting in all kinds of ways."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 826 words, 06/25/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...comes across as a collection of competing themes and ideas that collide more often than complement one another and never fully gel."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 906 words, 06/27/12
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...a passionate and unruly explosion of Americana... winks at skepticism, laughs at sober analysis and stares down criticism.... boisterous, thrilling..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,015 words, 06/29/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...an extraordinary drama whose fierceness, like its 6-year-old heroine Hushpuppy, grabs on and won't let go.... a remarkably skilled first feature..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,076 words, 06/29/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...once in a great while, something as utterly distinctive and captivating as Benh Zeitlin's 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' comes along like a breath of fresh air."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 06/29/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...looks pretty amazing for its budget... Zeitlin comes from a perspective of great empathy and considerable skill. But he's a pile driver as a dramatist."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 476 words, 07/06/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "An ode to joy in the face of tragedy... a rare treat: harrowing, hilarious and uplifting all at once... Wallis and Henry are astonishing together..."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 344 words, 07/13/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD "...a mythic odyssey suffused with modern eco-anxiety, captured in a free-form, image-driven narrative that recalls the work of Terrence Malick."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 793 words, 07/02/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Sometimes miraculous films come into being, made by people you've never heard of, starring unknown faces, blindsiding you with creative genius."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 735 words, 07/06/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...in trying through incessant narration to make a six-year-old a prolix sage, Benh Zeitlin can't avoid falling into sticky sentimentality."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 681 words, 06/27/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...you won't see anything like 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' in this or any other year, or any actress as naively sublime as Quvenzhané Wallis."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 925 words, 07/13/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "As a piece of filmmaking, it remains so satisfyingly bizarre, it makes its detractors seem imaginatively stunted while leaving even its admirers guessing."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 07/13/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "I haven't seen many movies as vivid - or as infuriating... think about what you're watching for even two seconds and the whole thing collapses."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 07/12/12
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...plays less like a grounded, human-scaled story than a dilettantish piece of cultural tourism.... it's impossible not to be moved by the final scenes..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 07/06/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...fills the screen with visual poetry that plays like intimate documentary. The sheer primal force of its imagery is intoxicating yet never precious."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 726 words, 07/13/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a mixture of magical realism, Southern gothic, coming-of-age movie, star turn for first-timers, disaster story and out-and-out strangeness.... unlike any film you've seen."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 741 words, 07/13/12
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a miracle... I'm not sure how anything in this movie came to be... it is the first movie in a long time to feel like the first movie ever made."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 921 words, 07/06/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...has trouble interpreting its own dreams or realizing what its magical realism actually reveals.... There's an unconscious but still distasteful condescension..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 06/27/12
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Regarding Wallis' performance as Hushpuppy: it isn't one. It's a fact.... The film is its own beast, and it's a rare one."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 07/06/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...stays with you long after you've watched it, like a vaguely troubling but beautiful dream. The whole thing feels dreamlike..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 512 words, 07/13/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...dreamlike and poetic and symphonic and magical... the world as seen and felt by a curious, apt, precocious, and intuitive young child."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 977 words, 07/13/12
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a cinematic miracle... a dreamlike experience that is nonetheless tethered to realities not often explored on the big screen."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 07/20/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "This movie -- especially Quvenzhané Wallis' stunningly natural portrayal of Hushpuppy -- brought me to tears, not of sadness but joy of discovering perfection."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 07/26/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the most visually rich and emotionally captivating film of the year, a unique and inspired work. See it. It will crawl inside of you."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 07/20/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...in a lyrical, gentle, transporting manner, 'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' argues that even in the most dire of circumstances, hope lives on."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 496 words, 07/20/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (10 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...in trying through incessant narration to make a six-year-old a prolix sage, Benh Zeitlin can't avoid falling into sticky sentimentality."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 681 words, 06/27/12
Kristy Puchko, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "...creates a fascinating world on the brink of elimination, yet lacks any sort of suspense because of a grim atmosphere and aimless plotting."(See all of Kristy Puchko's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 844 words, 06/27/12
Jake Mulligan, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "One of the most assured debuts in years... the sheer exuberance of Benh Zeitlin's most stunning visuals suggests an artistic voice far too strong to write off."(See all of Jake Mulligan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 07/05/12
Keith Phipps, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a work of cinematic poetry that benefits from feeling as scraped-together and in danger of falling apart as the world it portrays."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 894 words, 06/28/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: WEAK(cg) "...often feels less intimate than calculated.... as it insists on explaining so much, it's increasingly burdened, less allusive than literal."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 895 words, 06/27/12
Michelle Orange, Movieline: EXCELLENT(cg) "Zeitlin and cinematographer Ben Richardson create a sense of coherent near-chaos with constant, searching camerawork. They shoot from the hip, literally..."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 06/28/12
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...there's heartbreaking understanding in this child, raised bitterly yet miraculously right, standing up to all that is savage both inside and outside of her."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 815 words, 06/24/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "I haven't seen many movies as vivid - or as infuriating... think about what you're watching for even two seconds and the whole thing collapses."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 07/12/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...reopens wounds left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.... walks a fine line between fetishizing poverty and celebrating a life free of modern constraints."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 07/06/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (7 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...provokes wonderment pure and simple... Did the people who financed and created it know how magical and piercingly beautiful it would be?"(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 953 words, 06/29/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...a passionate and unruly explosion of Americana... winks at skepticism, laughs at sober analysis and stares down criticism.... boisterous, thrilling..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,015 words, 06/29/12
David Denby, New Yorker: OUTSTANDING "...the first classic of the Long Recession... it has an exciting palpability, an oxygen-sharp sense of the present tense. It's raucous and alive."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,082 words, 06/29/12
Ella Taylor, NPR: EXCELLENT "...a mesmerizing hellhole of magical realism... when the very ground you stand on is constantly subsiding, you have to come out scrapping, a warrior in white Wellies."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 725 words, 06/26/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...an extraordinary drama whose fierceness, like its 6-year-old heroine Hushpuppy, grabs on and won't let go.... a remarkably skilled first feature..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,076 words, 06/29/12
Dana Stevens, Slate: MODERATE "...nothing if not original... but Zeitlin's adoring gaze on the Bathtubbers' chaotic-yet-joyous way of life smacks of anthropological voyeurism..."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 811 words, 06/27/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...extraordinary and somewhat baffling... If on some level the film may be nonsense, it's a wonderful, imaginative and daring breed of nonsense."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,088 words, 06/29/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...a stunning debut... an emotionally wrenching if somewhat meandering parable... The magic comes in marrying the specifics of this odd regional enclave with a familiar allegorical form."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 01/20/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...a surging paean to human resilience and self-reliance... could serve as a poster child for everything American independent cinema aspires to be but so seldom is."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 861 words, 01/21/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...an extraordinary drama whose fierceness, like its 6-year-old heroine Hushpuppy, grabs on and won't let go.... a remarkably skilled first feature..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,076 words, 06/29/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Poetic without being pretentious, evocative without being nostalgic... a haunting feature about a lifestyle and characters that very few people know or are even aware of."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 424 words, 06/11/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...a passionate and unruly explosion of Americana... winks at skepticism, laughs at sober analysis and stares down criticism.... boisterous, thrilling..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,015 words, 06/29/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...provokes wonderment pure and simple... Did the people who financed and created it know how magical and piercingly beautiful it would be?"(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 953 words, 06/29/12
20.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Beasts of the Southern Wild's reviews are separated by an average 20.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (50 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Beasts of the Southern Wild's reviews cover 99.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 32,951 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 659 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Beasts of the Southern Wild Coverage, Volume & Length (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 44.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Beasts of the Southern Wild's reviews on average broke 44.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Beasts of the Southern Wild's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (50 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
