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Empire of Light

Empire of Light

2022

Sam Mendes

Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones ...

6.4

2,943

Drama. Romance Described as a love story set in and around a beautiful old cinema on the South Coast of England in the 1980s.

Premiere at TIFF 2022

	Media	Author	Review
		Peter Debruge Variety	"Do yourself a favor and see Sam Mendes’ ode to movies on the big screen (...) In the era when content is king, Sam Mendes still believes in moving pictures. 'Empire of Light' is the proof."
		Ross Bonaime Collider	"[It] ultimately becomes a confusing mixture of ideas that never congeal into one solid narrative. Yet Mendes’ film does have the tiniest slivers of magic poking through the seams, proving his thesis about the beauty of film"
		Leah Greenblatt Entertainment Weekly	"'Empire' can seem like a minor work for the director of two Bond movies (...) But Colman, her eyes darting between hope and devastation, is so lit-up and specific that she lifts nearly every scene."
		David Ehrlich IndieWire	"It's wonderful that Mendes spent the pandemic making a movie about the irreplaceable vitality of movie theaters... It would have been even better if he spent the pandemic making a movie worth seeing in one"
		Sheri Linden The Hollywood Reporter	"A crowd-pleasing, at times contrived showcase (...) Nothing in the film has a fraction of the dramatic impact of the emotional roller-coaster Colman's performance embodies"
		Pete Hammond Deadline	"The visual look and style of the film is gorgeous, the Empire shot with the tender loving care of a master (...) Movie and movie theatre lovers should not miss it."
		Tomris Laffly The Wrap	"For a movie that’s supposed to be a love letter to cinema, among other things, it’s surprising how little the magic of movies genuinely registers (...) a frustratingly uneven and often meandering period drama"
		Tim Robey Telegraph	"'The magic of cinema', as a closing statement, is unfortunately about as banal a destination as it sounds like it would be here (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Gregory Ellwood The Playlist	"There are moments, especially in the second act, where the film could simply use a bit more energy. Luckily, for Mendes, Colman provides it soon after and when the movie needs it most.
		Kenji Fujishima Slant	"If this film is what Mendes considers a 'love letter to cinema', then this is a rather strange, if visually lush, tribute to the medium (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Olivia Colman shines (...) poignant, wonderfully acted drama about love, life and films (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Justin Chang Los Angeles Times	"It’s a reminder that we do not, in fact, need more ostentatious love letters to the movies. A good movie that respects the audience’s intelligence is love letter enough."
		C.J. Prince The Film Stage	"It’s a lot of elements Mendes wants to balance out with the escapism of movies as a sort of benevolent constant when it all adds up to a well-crafted but unsatisfying mish-mash of ideas"
		Sarah Milner SlashFilm	"Colman gives an unforgettable performance as Hillary — possibly a career-best, and that's saying something (...) Wardis is very attractive on screen, but his performance is what really makes 'Empire of Light' something special"
		Neil Smith Total Film	"Mendes' direction is superior to his script in an elegant homage to the movies that doesn't quite manage to move (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Brittany Witherspoon Screen Rant	"Colman and Ward are stellar in Sam Mendes' bland film (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Chris Bumbray JoBlo	"It struck a sour note and felt highly uneven, with perhaps too much story packed into a 2-hour movie. It would have probably fared better as a limited series where the changes in tone would be a little less jarring"
		M.N. Miller Ready Steady Cut	"Colman gives one of the year’s best performances, but 'Empire of Light' fails to connect a turbulent time and why cinema offers one salvation (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 5)"
		Richard Lawson Vanity Fair	"The director’s most delicate (...) It’s an achingly lovely film—the best Mendes has yet made"
		Paul Bradshaw NME	"It's beautifully shot, but the director's first film since '1917' lacks a story to match (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Bilge Ebiri Vulture	"Somber, static, and shallow"
		Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"A film that works in its minor character beats but fumbles enough of the major ones to push viewers out of the very spell it's trying to cast"
		Siddhant Adlakha IGN	"One of the worst, most soulless prestige pictures in years, Sam Mendes’ 'Empire of Light' is a dull movie about nothing in particular"
		Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle	"Despite these narrative pitfalls, it has much to recommend it. Olivia Colman can do just about anything, and Toby Jones is perfect as the theatre’s projectionist (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Fionnuala Halligan Screendaily	"Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward shine (...) Its message of love, tolerance and finding family wherever you can should make an impact in darkened rooms wherever it plays"
		David Katz Cineuropa	"When the movies have provided so many indelible sequences of movie-theatre attendance, it's perverse that this film almost exclusively set in one can only sheepishly conjure the wonders they contain"

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