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THE WAY BACKMovie Reviews
Period drama about a group of convicts who escape a WW II-era gulag and then must endure a treacherous journey before attaining their freedom. Cast:Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Mark Strong, Saoirse Ronan, Ed HarrisDirector:Peter WeirRelease Date:December 29, 2010DVD Release:April 19, 2011From:Newmarket FilmsRating:PG-13Length:2 hr 13 min
The Way Back played to good not great reviews. • Shawn Levy wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "Weir is a real filmmaker, and he handles vast landscapes and delicate death scenes with equal doses of invention, vitality, dignity and taste." • And Rick Groen wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...the movie makes for quite a hike. It’s also, at times, a bit of a slog.... fascinating until it becomes an ordeal." More Reviews Below...
The Way Back Positive Reviews (38 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: GOOD "...an old fashioned venture, about a ragtag group of valiant, determined prisoners during World War II who make an almost superhuman effort to escape Siberia..."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 01/21/11
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...an exquisite example of style over substance, of vast visuals dwarfing the characters and nearly swallowing the story whole."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 01/20/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...handsome, well made, and based on a 'true' story... But the result is oddly impersonal and undifferentiated, even as some of the escapees perish along the way..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 01/21/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a riveting tale that clings bravely to the integrity of its storytelling... It's the journey that counts, and director Peter Weir makes you feel it in your bones."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 01/21/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...ricochets between inspirational and tedious.... an ambitious project. Weir meticulously researched the first-person accounts of those who made the journey."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 01/21/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...there is one area in which it seems to be lacking... How exactly did they survive death by exposure in subzero Mongolia? Why didn't some of their meat spoil?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 01/20/11
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Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "The man-versus-the-natural world story is in Weir's wheelhouse, and Harris and Farrell get into a scene-stealing duel. Worth the trek."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 153 words, 01/21/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...bracingly direct and then disconcertingly inclined toward an ill-fitting sentimentality.... in its best moments is as big as a movie can be, as big as life itself."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 12/29/10
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a big and vivid film, alive with courage and strength and silence and landscape, all of them neglected values these days at the cinema."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 672 words, 01/21/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...one suspects Peter Weir and his co-writer, Keith Clarke, were vexed by a basic storytelling question: How much hell do we put the audience through with this one?"(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 01/21/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...there is one area in which it seems to be lacking... How exactly did they survive death by exposure in subzero Mongolia? Why didn't some of their meat spoil?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 01/20/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice: FAIR "...has no shortage of scenic splendor. What it lacks is drama.... You won't complain about anything in your life after seeing this movie -- at least for the next 15 minutes."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 01/19/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...does a stellar job of putting us in the footsteps of men walking thousands of miles to freedom, but their minds remain mostly closed."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 01/21/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the movie makes for quite a hike. It's also, at times, a bit of a slog.... fascinating until it becomes an ordeal."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 01/21/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a breathtaking epic... the story Weir tells is a powerful parable of man's charge for freedom and his humbling by nature."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 01/21/11
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...there is nothing corny or effortful... Weir instills emotion in the audience, not by showing emotion, but by showing action and by holding emotion in check."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 01/21/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a gripping adventure yarn... one-ups the various survive-the-wild TV series by giving us real survival situations and showing just what human beings can endure..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 476 words, 01/21/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...mesmerizing and occasionally lyrical.... it's a tapestry of landscapes, in which the characters are dwarfed by the vastness of ever- reaching hills and never-ending forests."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 528 words, 01/21/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "Weir is a real filmmaker, and he handles vast landscapes and delicate death scenes with equal doses of invention, vitality, dignity and taste."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 247 words, 01/21/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sturdy craft... we see lots of physical suffering and some impressive panoramas... but we don't get a glimpse into the inner lives of the characters."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 381 words, 01/21/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: EXCELLENT(cg) "...goes to great lengths for authenticity... This is old-school monumental filmmaking, without CGI tricks or many soundstage comforts for a dedicated cast."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 290 words, 01/20/11
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...an impressive production and technical feat, but through most of it, I kept thinking about how difficult the filming conditions must have been, and not about the lives of the men in front of me."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 487 words, 01/21/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice: FAIR "...has no shortage of scenic splendor. What it lacks is drama.... You won't complain about anything in your life after seeing this movie -- at least for the next 15 minutes."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 01/19/11
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "...transforms the war narrative into the classic conflict of man vs. nature... Harris has never been more grizzled or more subtly commanding..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 693 words, 01/19/11
Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...benefits from Weir's talent for big-canvas moviemaking, though the result is a commendable drama rather than a great one."(See all of Betsy Sherman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 166 words, 01/20/11
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "Well-acted and artfully (though conventionally) made... a compelling story, regardless of whether it's based on truth or a fabrication."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 366 words, 01/20/11
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: MODERATE "...anyone who goes into the movie expecting to be swept away is likely to leave underwhelmed, and the images that linger are slightly too seductive to be trusted."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 996 words, 01/24/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...bracingly direct and then disconcertingly inclined toward an ill-fitting sentimentality.... in its best moments is as big as a movie can be, as big as life itself."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 12/29/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: FAIR "...focuses on the macro (stunning, David Lean-like landscapes) and the micro (countless closeups of blistered flesh) to the virtual exclusion of compelling characters."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 989 words, 09/07/10
Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...a harrowing epic... As a technical achievement, the film is astonishing, but it also showcases powerful themes that make it unexpectedly moving and resonant."(See all of Stephen Farber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 821 words, 09/06/10
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...bracingly direct and then disconcertingly inclined toward an ill-fitting sentimentality.... in its best moments is as big as a movie can be, as big as life itself."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 12/29/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "...depicts ordinary people who are subjected to extraordinary events and landscapes, which force them to reveal inner strengths they did not know they possessed."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 878 words, 12/10/10
17.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Way Back's reviews are separated by an average 17.1 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.
The Way Back (38 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Way Back's reviews cover 71.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 20,480 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 539 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Way Back Coverage, Volume & Length (38 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 20 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Way Back's reviews on average broke 20 days after 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 The Way Back's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Way Back (38 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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