2046
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
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  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    Filmed to perfection by the great Christopher Doyle and others.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: G. Allen Johnson
    100
    A rare, sumptuous movie treat.
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    100
    The new film lives up to expectations and, indeed, pushes past them into virtually unmapped territory.
  4. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Glenn Kenny
    100
    I'm glad that 2046 is different from "Mood" even while being strangely of a piece with it. Like "Mood," it’s a movie of utter wonder and ravishment. But the key here is different.
  5. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    100
    A riot of sight and sound that, however baffling, has an irresistible, elemental pull.
  6. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    100
    The result is rich, lush -- simply exquisite.
  7. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    100
    Like Hitchcock, Mr. Wong is at once a voyeur and fetishist par excellence.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    91
    There are many places a visitor may go astray in 2046 -- places where the filmmaker appears to be a bit at loose ends too. Still, Wong's invitation -- ''Let's get lost'' -- is irresistible.
  9. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    91
    One of those undeniably beautiful things. The film is, in fact, an encyclopedia of beauty -- the beauty of desire, the beauty of nostalgia, the beauty of music and clothing and smoke and pain, and, chiefly, the beauty of women.
  10. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    90
    You may feel lost or bewildered at times in 2046 (and I certainly did), and you may feel that Chow is suffering from self-inflicted wounds. But every new adventure with every new girl vibrates with possibility, and the filmmaking is so stunning that you may not care that this is less a movie with a plot and characters than a hermetically sealed universe of romantic regret.
  11. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    90
    Mood is everything, trumped up by a score so rich with pop songs, bossa nova drama, and symphonic mournfulness it's almost a movie on its own. 2046 may be a Chinese box of style geysers and earnest meta-irony, but that should not suggest there aren't bleeding humans at the center of it.
  12. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Jean Oppenheimer
    90
    It's the best thing Wong has done in years--perhaps ever.
  13. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Carina Chocano
    90
    Wong brilliantly blends musical styles and eras to create an intoxicating mood.
  14. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    88
    iIt's a film for art- and foreign-movie devotees. But it's also a movie for audiences who simply want to get turned on.
  15. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    88
    2046 is a bit overlong and not for all tastes, but fans of "In the Mood for Love" will relish this second helping, which is more emotionally substantial than the first.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 65 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 31
  3. Negative: 9 out of 31
  1. GlennL
    10
    2046 has so much truth in it, that hit hits almost to close to home for many people. For first time viewers, the plot with Wong Kar-wai is easier to follow if you realizes he has 2 (some might argue 4) stories running together. So that is a lot of "plot" to keep track of unless you really pay attention (it took several viewings or me to grasp it all). One story (the main one) is with Faye Wong, and the Japanese boyfriend; the second is with Zhang Ziyi. The third is Maggie Cheun (link to In the Mood for Love), and the fourth is with In the Days of Being Wild, Carina Lau. In fact the sequel to Days of Being Wild (which was never done) is quickly recapped using Carina's characters. So that is a lot to follow. This a wonderfully filmed with just outstanding music .. the soundtrack is extremely good, I recommend it. It is also noteworthy to not see 2046 as a sequel to the movies it's obviously linked too -- but more an "echo" as Wong Kar-wai has said. Also, all the stories DO come together at the end very nicely.… Full Review »
  2. MadC.
    8
    Giving it low points just because of the legth is annoying. Then LOTR should also deserve a 1 for being so long. Well, lucky there's subtitles, I'm Chinese but I dont understand the language.. I loved this movie a lot, its beautiful. The visuals were something and Zhang Ziyi was just amazing. Faye Wong's part as the girl (not the robot) was really good, I loved the cast. The futuristic parts make no sense to me though, thankfully they're short. Really romantic movie, excellent.… Full Review »
  3. carlaymout
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. the WORST, TERRIBLE AND DONE NOTHING MOVIE! I just saw the actor talking and talking and done nothing. If I were the director, i'll rewrite and recolor 'em. This movie talk nonsense and nothing just nothing blank. Just like a rotten egg without yolk, the other foreign people wouldn't understand what're they talking about, But I knew Chinese, i know this movie talking about nothing. if i were the critic, i Gave 'em an 'F' negative 100. Go to Hell.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… Full Review »
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