Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away
Metascore
51 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 16
  3. Negative: 3 out of 16
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  1. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    Jan 2, 2013
    40
    Fine to look at, but good luck feeling anything.
  2. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Loren King
    Dec 20, 2012
    63
    It's better to see it on the stage... a moderately enjoyable film that lacks the awe-inspiring visual and aural aplomb of Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil's live shows.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    Dec 20, 2012
    50
    If one is interested in seeing a Cirque du Soleil show, there are many to choose from. "Worlds Away" functions solely as some sort of bargain sampler platter appetizer, never proving it has a real reason of its own to exist.
  4. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Howard Cohen
    Dec 20, 2012
    63
    The technically well-made movie simply can't replicate the live experience of a Cirque show, and at just over 90 minutes, Worlds Away still feels long.
  5. Movie Nation
    Reviewed by: Roger Moore
    Jan 30, 2013
    63
    It's all quite lovely, mesmerizing – and right on the edge of sleep-inducing.
  6. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Miriam Bale
    Dec 20, 2012
    40
    The real stunner of Worlds Away is how it could afford to use so many Beatles songs.
  7. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Sara Stewart
    Dec 20, 2012
    63
    In a movie season - and a month - filled with so much gunfire, bloodshed and human despair, it's refreshing to sit back and bask in the sheer joy with which these brightly costumed, stunningly agile performers navigate fire, water and air.
  8. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    Dec 20, 2012
    63
    At its best, Worlds Away is a parade of mostly attractive acrobats performing physically improbable feats. At its worst, it has the humorlessness of Ridley Scott plumbing the deeper meanings of an Esther Williams water ballet.
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Hartlaub
    Dec 20, 2012
    25
    The film Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away highlights both the strains of the franchise and the willingness to promote the brand at any cost - including a coherent narrative. It's a big promo reel, and not a carefully disguised one.
  10. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: R. Kurt Osenlund
    Dec 20, 2012
    38
    The movie is something of a compositional nightmare, worlds away, one might say, from the artistry so associated with Cirque.
  11. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Stuart Heritage
    Feb 3, 2013
    20
    A tedious, misjudged marriage of Olympic opening ceremony, Eurovision half-time show and most recorded nightmares, Worlds Away is set in a mysterious land of make-believe.
  12. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Megan Lehmann
    Dec 19, 2012
    80
    The world's most famous acrobatic troupe delivers a feast of surreal beauty and moments of breath-catching wonder in the skilfully staged 3D film Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.
  13. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    Dec 20, 2012
    60
    While the bodies of the performers do amazing things, the hectic editing and frequent use of slow motion distract from their physical artistry rather than enhance it. The 3-D, on the other hand, gives some sense of the scale of a Cirque du Soleil performance, and even if the film is no substitute for the real thing, it is at least an effective advertisement.
  14. Variety
    Reviewed by: Rob Nelson
    Dec 19, 2012
    70
    A bona fide high-wire act, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away delivers towering thrills through its candy-colored 3D ode to the titular outfit's astounding acrobatics.
  15. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Alan Scherstuhl
    Dec 19, 2012
    70
    The ravishing and kitschy Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away is the rare movie whose title serves as an accurate indicator of whether you will enjoy seeing it.
  16. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    Dec 20, 2012
    50
    Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away has plenty of eye candy... What the movie lacks, unfortunately, is coherence.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. donnelbr
    6
    As stated in an earlier review, at worst, this is a long advert for Cirque du Soleil. For those who haven't seen it live though, this is a good substitute. I took a group of kids (5-11 yo) who had never seen Cirque before and they enjoyed it. As an aside, I doubt this film is aimed primarily at an American audience, as it seems the expectation of the producers is a much greater appreciation for the artistic creativity in Cirque than can be expected from the average American. Regardless, I don't regret the time or money spent on it, despite it bordering on boring at times.… Full Review »
  2. TheGeographer52
    5
    Weird movie.
  3. tucson
    1
    Why didn't someone tell me this is just a hodgepodge of the various Vegas Cirque shows!!! I've seen all those shows....I don't need to pay MORE money to see it on film. Geez....maybe if they had some cool camera angles or something for example when they filmed under water...ok..that was neat hence the 2 rating but I just wasted $24 on this junk and realized 10 minutes into it I was watching a 90 minute commercial for Cirque in Vegas. You can usually catch the same thing for free in your hotel room albeit it lasts 5 minutes. Good lordy...$24 for a 3D film...man I got swindled and to make things worse now I can't afford anything to eat...and it's CHRISTMAS!!! THANKS MR CAMERON for ruining my Christmas. Maybe I can go sift through the trash and see if there are any half eaten boxes of popcorn. You want to see Cirque in 3D? Go to Vegas and watch them. This film doesn't do them justice.… Full Review »
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