Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
JOHN DIES AT THE ENDMovie Reviews
Science fiction horror comedy about the effects of a hallucinogenic drug called Soy Sauce that leaves some users no longer human. Cast:Paul Giamatti, Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones, Daniel Roebuck, Fabianne Therese, Jonny Weston, Jimmy Wong, Tai Bennett, Allison Weissman, Angus Scrimm, Riley Rose Critchlow, Jerry DrozDirector:Don CoscarelliRelease Date:January 25, 2013DVD Release:April 2, 2013From:MagnoliaRating:RLength:1 hr 39 min
John Dies at the End played in key cities to mixed reviews. • James Berardinelli called the film for Reel Views, "...an interesting failure..." • And Dana Stevens wrote for Slate, "...gleefully crummy... confidently whisking the viewer to a place where the question 'Well, did he die or didn't he?' seems hopelessly un-nuanced and square." More Reviews Below...
John Dies at the End Positive Reviews (33 Reviews, reviews below)
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...this stoner 'Ghostbusters,' an altered state disguised as a movie, may add up to a hot cult item if silliness doesn't sabotage the scares."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 01/18/13
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...lively, darkly funny... if you're not a horror fan, it's hard to find a reason to keep up. If you are a horror fan, and one with a sense of humor, you'll likely be diverted..."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 01/23/13
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "...problematical... I was never bored but neither was I invested in the narrative... an interesting failure that's almost worth seeing for that reason alone. Kind of. Not really."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 01/24/13
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...loony, oddball, trippy, clumsy, illogical, outlandish, gory... with distant echoes of 'Brazil,' 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,' 'Naked Lunch'.... Age 17."(See all of Jeffrey M. Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 471 words, 02/07/13
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 (8 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "It's a ridiculous, preposterous, sometimes maddening experience, but also kind of a blast... it just might restore your faith in absurdity."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 02/01/13
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...really the kind of movie that was made to be watched in a haze after midnight, at which point it would all, no doubt, make perfect sense."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 02/01/13
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...surreal... has the vibe of a shaggy dog story, which works both for and against it... the movie lives in a frisky otherworld of willful incoherence all its own."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 01/25/13
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...frighteningly lacking in wit.... in its randomness, its vulgarity and its level of humor, it's more like the collected writings on the walls of a roadside men's room."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 188 words, 02/01/13
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "The movie dies closer to the beginning, before writer-director Don Coscarelli's adaptation of the book of the same name has reached minute 20."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 364 words, 02/08/13
Charlie Schmidlin, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...assumes a winking, self-aware attitude toward narrative and genre that beckons you to question your expectations... glides on the charming fusion of ideas and goofy fun..."(See all of Charlie Schmidlin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 708 words, 02/08/13
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...a product of a parallel universe where slacker flippancy never got old -- and, oh, it is terrible.... groans with the strain of attempting to heave a cult object into being."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 01/23/13
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...even those who are able to appreciate its satire of/homage to genre movies may tire of its broad approach, which is less a skewering than a shotgun blast to the head."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 419 words, 03/15/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Even if you're stone sober (not the recommended viewing condition), this movie will make you feel like you're in the final rounds of the Beer Pong Olympics."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 03/08/13
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...loopy... so intent on playing with your head that it doesn't care about making sense. Which doesn't stop the film from being a pretty good bad time."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 02/22/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "...incredibly gory.... if you like your comedy black, your horrors crimson and your movies twisted just slightly off their axis, then this is the movie for you."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 02/01/13
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...peculiarly engaging (if occasionally nauseating)... a viewer is encouraged to just let go and take the ride. The risk is worth it."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 02/22/13
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an instant cult classic involving dimension-hopping, sentient drugs and the perils of infinite knowledge. It's pretty funny too."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 333 words, 02/08/13
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a marvel of mid-priced special effects, but the gore is leavened with a soupçon of sinister wit and a bucket full of brains."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 340 words, 02/08/13
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Director Don Coscarelli isn't especially smooth or coherent, and he leans on weird for weird's sake. The question is: Do you want to taste the soy sauce?"(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 318 words, 03/08/13
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Coscarelli is clearly having fun.... Despite its astronomical body count, the movie never takes itself seriously, and neither should you."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 03/15/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "...a product of a parallel universe where slacker flippancy never got old -- and, oh, it is terrible.... groans with the strain of attempting to heave a cult object into being."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 01/23/13
Jake Mulligan, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The conspiracy-laden plot, told with fetishistic devotion in numerous expository conversations, becomes so convoluted that it morphs into sci-fi satire."(See all of Jake Mulligan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 161 words, 02/21/13
Noel Murray, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a willfully weird story, rendered by Don Coscarelli in a way that's meant to appeal to people who are either chemically altered or sleep-deprived."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 01/24/13
Chris Cabin, Slant: POOR(cg) "...it all comes out atonal.... Coscarelli seems to take the story's dark absurdist randomness as an invitation to make a sloppy, surprisingly uninventive film..."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 393 words, 01/21/13
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...deserves a midnight-movie following... an authentic oddity with enough inventive set pieces and dorm-room philosophy to compensate for its low budget."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 02/28/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...manages, in the absence of a coherent plot, to be so funny and engaging until, somewhere around the midpoint, it goes as flat as a stepped-on creepy-crawly."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 01/25/13
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "It's a ridiculous, preposterous, sometimes maddening experience, but also kind of a blast... it just might restore your faith in absurdity."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 02/01/13
Scott Tobias, NPR: MODERATE "...seeks to keep viewers disoriented from the start, but doesn't do enough to reorient them by the finish... gets off to a thrilling start... the film gets convoluted and loud..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 560 words, 01/24/13
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...surreal... has the vibe of a shaggy dog story, which works both for and against it... the movie lives in a frisky otherworld of willful incoherence all its own."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 01/25/13
Dana Stevens, Slate: VERY GOOD "...gleefully crummy... confidently whisking the viewer to a place where the question 'Well, did he die or didn't he?' seems hopelessly un-nuanced and square."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 404 words, 01/24/13
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...crazily inventive... an 'indie' film with a deliberately messed-up chronology and an ambitious narrative you'll appreciate even more the second time through..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,181 words, 01/24/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Variety: EXCELLENT "...a thoroughly unpredictable horror-comedy -- and an immensely entertaining one, too.... a gonzo gorefest... Canine thesp Bark Lee is brilliant."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 191 words, 02/05/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...mixes horror-tinged mayhem with smart-alec laughs but loses momentum early and gets bogged down in exposition.... The movie's look is appealingly garish..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 318 words, 01/25/12
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...surreal... has the vibe of a shaggy dog story, which works both for and against it... the movie lives in a frisky otherworld of willful incoherence all its own."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 01/25/13
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "It's a ridiculous, preposterous, sometimes maddening experience, but also kind of a blast... it just might restore your faith in absurdity."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 02/01/13
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...manages, in the absence of a coherent plot, to be so funny and engaging until, somewhere around the midpoint, it goes as flat as a stepped-on creepy-crawly."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 01/25/13
19.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
John Dies at the End's reviews are separated by an average 19.7 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.
John Dies at the End (33 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:John Dies at the End's reviews cover 39.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 13,361 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 405 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
John Dies at the End Coverage, Volume & Length (33 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 59.9 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
John Dies at the End's reviews on average broke 59.9 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 John Dies at the End's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
John Dies at the End (33 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...
