Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 29 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 201 Ratings

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 29
  2. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. Magnificent to look at, thrilling, ingenious, spellbinding and superbly done on every level, this is not just one of the best films of the year or the decade, but of all time.
  2. 80
    It's a mixed blessing, in some ways even richer and more atmospheric than the original version, in others attenuated and logy.
  3. Reviewed by: Allen Barra
    60
    Though it may be a much clearer picture of the director's original intent, ultimately the new "Apocalypse Now" merely brings into focus the limits and faults of Coppola's -- and Milius' -- original concept.
  4. Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    30
    Excruciatingly bad...Probably if Redux hadn't been acclaimed as a newly minted masterpiece, I wouldn't have felt so compelled to blow raspberries.

See all 29 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 54
  2. Negative: 2 out of 54
  1. 10
    Best film ever... Wonderful depiction of human psyche transmitted by making you feel the message.
  2. Well, my favorite movie of all time is Apocalypse Now. But I mean the original theatrical cut, this Redux version is okay, but all the added scenes is really pointless and they can really do without. Expand
  3. 6
    It is the best Vietnam movie. But no war movie which presents only war facts and no morality apart of the 'who won is the best' has nothing worth to see. Expand
  4. osh
    3
    Apocalypse Now was bizarre, and I didn't understand it or enjoy it. I got the feeling that it was supposed to be the skewed memories of a mentally ill soldier's experiences in the Vietnam War, and it was somewhat interesting in that light, but that aspect didn't keep me interested for the entire two-and-a-half-hour running time. It was slow, weird, and boring at parts, and at others it was too fast and saturated with ridiculous action shots. The entire thing, though, was confusing to me. Every character seemed to act so strangely with no given explanation as to why, and while this would make sense if the movie was indeed shown through the eyes of a madman (or if everyone was a madman), it was still be frustrating to watch. There were also lots of fireworks posing as rockets and gunfire, and there was a good deal of cheesy synthesizer music that didn't help the movie. I couldn't find much to actually enjoy or appreciate in Apocalypse Now. I seem to be a small minority in my opinion of this film, I do realize, but I just want to make my voice heard so new viewers don't think that this movie's supposed "universal acclaim" is actually universal. Expand

See all 54 User Reviews

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