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Apt Pupil
Metascore
51 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 21
  3. Negative: 3 out of 21
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  1. Empire
    Reviewed by: Kim Newman
    80
    Not all the plot developments ring true, but moments carry a real chill - even in a coma, McKellen can terrify a fellow patient almost to death - and it has more than enough thought-provoking material to command your interest.
  2. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Jean Oppenheimer
    80
    This brutal film borders on the brilliant. Beautifully structured and edited, with a chilling central performance by Ian McKellen and an exceptional score by John Ottman, who also edited the picture, it churns up emotions and leaves the viewer feeling stunned and depleted.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    Brought off with such skill and commitment that there isn't any time to snicker at its obviousness.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    75
    It's scariest as a parable about the evil that exists in the hearts of adolescent boys.
  5. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    70
    Both actors play their roles so trickily that tensions escalate until the horror grows unimaginatively gothic.
  6. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Lisa Alspector
    70
    Largely free of generic horror-movie elements, such as exploitative torture and murder scenes. Those it does contain draw attention to the difference between the conventions of psychological drama and those of pulp horror.
  7. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    67
    It's not perfect King, but it is jarringly close, which these days remains pretty much all one could hope for.
  8. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    60
    Do director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Brandon Boyce really mean to suggest that the roots of genocide lie in homosexual desire?
  9. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    60
    Despite the riveting performances of Renfro and McKellen, we're left with classic horror-movie sociopaths, evil-doers without conscience, or much to say about the nature of evil.
  10. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    60
    A creepy, well-acted story of contagious evil, Apt Pupil has more than enough chilling dramatic scenes to rivet the attention but suffers from some hokey contrivances and underlying insufficiencies of motivation.
  11. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    50
    When bodies are buried in cellars and cats are thrown into lighted ovens, the film reveals itself as unworthy of its subject matter.
  12. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    This sensationalistic tale doesn't delve very far into the issues it raises.
  13. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    50
    Perhaps the most disappointing thing about Apt Pupil is the lack of sustained tension generated by director Bryan Singer.
  14. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    50
    No matter how you judge it -- as a strict morality play or simply a psychological thriller -- Apt Pupil just doesn't make the grade.
  15. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Merle Bertrand
    50
    A creepy, if disjointed exploration of the nature of evil. But compared to its predecessor, it's also a bit of a disappointment.
  16. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    50
    In the end, artifice overwhelms art. Apt Pupil is too serious to work as a genre movie, and too contrived to be taken seriously. [12 October 1998]
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  17. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    50
    Scares, to be sure, which is certainly one promise on which it delivers. But the film offers little insight into what it seems to be saying is essentially a mundane fact of life: When one devil leaves the world, there is always another one waiting just outside the door.
  18. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    40
    Ultimately the movie disintegrates due to its own clumsiness. It's far too coincidence-driven to be believable.
  19. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    30
    Heartless piece of ill will.
  20. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    30
    McKellen is fine, of course, but the film as a whole offers about as much insight into evil as Ming The Merciless in a “Flash Gordon” serial.
  21. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: David Denby
    30
    Overwrought and unpleasant nonsense.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. MargretH.
    5
    Worst novella turned book ever.
  2. RDalvi
    8
    Under-appreciated gem by Singer. McKellen is very nice and Renfro is surprisingly good. Very taut and brilliantly done thriller.
See all user reviews »