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Screamers
Maya Entertainment

Screamers reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 55 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.1 out of 10
based on 15 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring John Dolmayan, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian, and Serj Tankian

This documentary feature examines why genocides keep occurring -- from the Armenian genocide in 1915, to the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda and now Darfur -- through the eyes and music of the Grammy award-winning rock band "System of a Down," based in Los Angeles, whose members are all grandchildren of genocide survivors. (Maya Releasing)


GENRE(S): Documentary  |  Foreign  
DIRECTED BY: Carla Garapedian  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: June 26, 2007 
Theatrical: December 8, 2006 
RUNNING TIME: 89 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: UK 
LANGUAGE(S): Armenian / English 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
TV Guide Ken Fox
The Armenian-American quartet have taken it upon themselves to teach their fans about what happened to their families in that now-forgotten time, a deeply personal mission that has proven effective in politicizing their audiences.
Read Full Review
75
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Fans are, obviously, most likely to appreciate the concert footage that's woven throughout the film. But the most powerful moments come offstage, when we see young audience members burn with the fresh outrage of the newly enlightened.
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75
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
The film offers true insight into the patterns of war crimes, even if the songs sound disquietingly close to a call to violence.
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70
LA Weekly Luke Y. Thompson
So many documentaries about genocides play art-house theaters that it can be easy to get jaded, but combining one with tour footage from the most innovative metal band in the world is genius, banging the viewer's head before he realizes it's being filled with awareness too.
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70
Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona
The piece is intelligently made, although the director often doesn't establish place or time, leaving the viewer unmoored.
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70
Washington Post Richard Leiby
The film paraphrases a quote from Hitler before he invaded Poland in 1939 (a quote still in hot dispute): "Who still speaks nowadays of the extermination of the Armenians?" This documentary does. Whatever its flaws, that alone makes it worth seeing.
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63
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
This film has provocations to spare; it just hasn't been made provocatively. It's a mess, actually.
Read Full Review
60
The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
Part rockumentary, part howl of outrage, Screamers would have benefited from less concert film and more historical background.
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60
The Hollywood Reporter Richard James Havis
A committed piece of agit-prop, which benefits from the passion of its protagonists. Followers of the band will need no introduction to the subject matter, which is referenced in their musical repertoire. The film also should play well with those interested in liberal causes.
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50
The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
The band is sincere, and many of its followers are just as sincere, but there's always a danger that too much "screaming" can turn a meaningful statement into an inarticulate din.
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50
Variety Peter Debruge
A noble cause does not a good movie make. Pic repeatedly drowns its impassioned message with music, creating an awkward hybrid between history lesson and concert documentary.
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50
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
A commendably brave piece, but less focused and powerful than you'd like. In the end, Garapedian might have been better off concentrating her energy on the 1915 Armenian story--which has been told on film various times (for example, in "Forty Days of Musa Dagh" and Atom Egoyan's "Ararat"), but never with the power of, say, "The Pianist" or "Schindler's List."
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50
Chicago Reader Peter Margasak
Most of the screen time goes to American-Armenian hard rock band System of a Down, whose grating concert footage trivializes Garapedian's message.
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50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole
If this sounds intriguing, we should add that System of a Down is a lousy live band. And director Garapedian, for all her public-minded zeal, isn't capable of corralling her interviews and opinions into a coherent polemic.
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12
New York Post Kyle Smith
Screamers, one of the most bizarre documentaries you'll ever not see.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Greg K. gave it a9:
An important topic for a documentary, but not a Rockumentary. While I suppose that this is an effective vehicle for reaching System of a Down fans, it is so colloquial that is fails to build necessary bridges to a MAINSTREAM audience. The incessant use of the F-bomb make the film not family friendly and not Christian friendly. The juvenalian style makes it unappealing for grown-ups. The Leftist slant will make it hard to digest for political moderates and conservatives (which should be the greatest natural allies of the Genocide Recognition cause). And finally, the movie has to focus on GENOCIDE, not System of a Down. Had the move edit been down slightly differently, the film would have been a smash hit, appealing to everyone, offending no one (except perhaps the Turkish government), promoting the band, and ringing up box office sales. Almost, but not quite. I rate this one a 9 (which is being charitable).

Gerry B. gave it a10:
Everyone needs to see this eye-opening film. Genocide can and must be stopped. We can see how history repeats itself...from the Armenian Genocide to Darfur. We must be Screamers!

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