53
Metascore
23 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The DissolveNoel MurrayThe DissolveNoel MurrayDo the undeniably Malick-derived qualities of The Better Angels work against it, or is the film all the more special for being, essentially, a bonus Malick picture? To be fair to Edwards, a lot about The Better Angels sets it apart from Malick.
- 60TheWrapJames RocchiTheWrapJames RocchiMr. Edwards has given his film a strong narrative spine — depicting years in the life of young Abraham Lincoln as his family suffers and strives to succeed in Indiana — with such committed actors bringing life to the tale that the audience can't help but be engaged even as the staid, stark visuals keep viewers at arm's length.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierIf you succumb to The Better Angels, the effect is like falling into a gorgeous photograph, but that also means the narrative in this arthouse film is oblique and sketchy.
- 58The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloAs an impression of a Terrence Malick film, The Better Angels is technically faultless, unimprovable. All that’s missing is the soul.
- 50New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithRendering the life of young Abraham Lincoln as a tone poem, The Better Angels sags under the weight of its own resolute earnestness.
- 50Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenLos Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenIn the absence of a more conventional storytelling approach, this series of brief, fragmented glimpses of the harsh challenges that shaped Lincoln's early life never allows you to get sufficiently close to its celebrated subject.
- 40Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThe main flaw — twirling farm girls and grunting oxen aside — is an utter lack of insight into the future leader’s character.
- 40The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisThe sense of predestination hangs heavily over the movie, but not a sense of life.
- 38Slant MagazineJames LattimerSlant MagazineJames LattimerEven taking into consideration the fact the A.J. Edwards edited To the Wonder, it's hard to recall a film so immensely and reductively in thrall to the work of another director.
- 30Village VoiceAbby GarnettVillage VoiceAbby GarnettKruger and Clarke do their best to look steadfast with a camera swooping around them like a wounded bird, but there's no rescuing this imprecise family portrait from its own impulses toward obscurity.