Collapse
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    I don't know when I've seen a thriller more frightening. I couldn't tear my eyes from the screen. Collapse is even entertaining, in a macabre sense. I think you owe it to yourself to see it.
  2. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Jennie Punter
    100
    Even in a season of apocalyptic films, these facts are really, really scary.
  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    100
    There are many layers to the man and the movie, and it’s hard not to leave the theater shaken.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    91
    You may want to dispute Ruppert, but more than that you'll want to hear him, because what he says -- right or wrong, prophecy or paranoia -- takes up residence in your mind.
  5. Variety
    Reviewed by: Rob Nelson
    90
    Unnervingly persuasive much of the time, and merely riveting when it's not.
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    80
    His well-rehearsed rhetoric is shockingly persuasive, and since the majority of his premises are verifiable, any weakness in his argument lies in inferences so terrifying that reasonable listeners may find themselves taking his advice and stocking up on organic seeds. (Those with no access to land can, postapocalypse, use them as currency.)
  7. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    80
    Ruppert makes a compelling argument that the world is approaching a paradigm shift unlike anything in human history.
  8. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    75
    If any of what he says makes sense to you -- and even if it’s only a small piece, it’s terrifying -- then you’ll want to invest in gold and organic seeds and friendly relations with your nearest neighbors. You know: JUST IN CASE.....
  9. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    70
    A grueling peek at a doomsday prophet's rigorous mind but in a sly way also a compassionate look at the strain Ruppert endures from knowing he has only ever been right.
  10. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Dan Kois
    63
    Think of Collapse as the anti-"2012." Not because this dour doc is any more optimistic about the future than that recent apocalyptic spectacular but because its vision of disaster is delivered not through expensive special effects but by a talking head.
  11. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: David Fear
    60
    While this totally impartial approach is admirable, it also robs Collapse of any invested sensibility. Smith has given this bull a stage on which to rage, but why the filmmaker has bothered to mount the platform in the first place is, frustratingly, anybody’s guess.
  12. NPR
    Reviewed by: Mark Jenkins
    50
    If nothing else, while watching Ruppert, you'll believe he believes this stuff.
  13. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Nicolas Rapold
    50
    Smith lets Ruppert's plainspoken autodidactic skepticism get gradually shriller until his arguments dissolve into tears of grief and frustration. There's an element of Errol Morris in the film, which implicitly psychologizes its subject and watches as he talks himself deeper and deeper into the hole.
  14. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    40
    It would have been helpful had Smith put his words into some sort of context, allowing others to assess his theories. Instead there's simply Ruppert, talking, raging and warning, as if his very life depended on it.
  15. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    25
    Boring.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. ChrisD
    7
    A film which gives a well informed audience a snap shot of a fanatic narcissist.
  2. smijatov
    4
    Collapse is, to say the least, a well filmed film, which tells us the point of view and thoughts of a sole man. The director has rather clearly shown the psychological instability of Mr.Ruppert, and that is to the credit of the film maker. However, on the other hand, it is problematic for it defeats the purpose of the film in a way - why would people want to listen to a guy who is obviously full of resentment, anger, and has some 'messiahical' ideas about his role in society (despite the fact that he disputes that in the film). Despite that he claims that he is going to live the rest of his life a "happy and free" man, one can clearly see all the anger built up in him. Be it as it may, his theories are rather interesting and something to ponder on, but they do not provide any sort of viable solutions. Basically, what he is arguing is that EVERYTHING (and I do not kid you) exists because of oil today, and there will be a huge cataclysm once we run out of oil. Yes, that is quite possible, and his argumentation seems rather plausible, except of the fact that he does not provide for any alternatives. Not that that is necessarily his job, but after watching the film one feels confused about why he wonders people see him as an "alarmist." What else could one possibly see him as? That is also problematised in the end with the director's decision to point out that by the premiere of the film, Mr.Ruppert has been largely ignored by the media and his book becoming a flop, and him fighting to keep his home since he's without money. Be it as it may, he raises interesting questions, but as the director asked him in the film why people should believe him, or even as much as listen to him - that question, after watching the entire film, remains sadly unanswered. There, really, is no point in watching the film, and that is the sad truth. Interesting idea, but ultimately failed and deeply flawed documentary.… Full Review »
  3. egovirus
    8
    Don't let the fact that Micheal Ruppert is a crackpot, semi-lunatic stop you from watching this movie. He has a lot of important things to say about things that should get more attention than they do, and he is as articulate as he is thoughtful. But do not, for one moment, forget that he is an outsider with an axe to grind, and a fully formed, uncompromising world view. I doubt very much that if he came across information that contradicted that world view, which he has cultivated over several decades, he would trust it, or consider it. He states as much when he confesses that "I won't debate with people anymore", and that's one of the problems I have with this guy. Bad science lies in forming ideas, and then cherry picking supporting data, discrediting any non supporting data that inconveniently pops up. Ruppert also happens to be a died-in-the-wool gold standard, anti-federal reserve guy. BIG RED FLAG right there. I was surprised when he didn't launch into the Bilderberger society, or the "lizard people run the world" rant. Really surprised. Ruppert is also a little self-important, touting credentials that really don't amount to much. I have a degree in Poly Sci too, and I can tell you, it doesn't qualify you to do a damn thing. I wasn't an LAPD officer, but I was in the Air Force, and I didn't get kicked out either. All that aside, this movie is totally worth more of your time than some POS romantic comedy, or other such Hollywood schlock. These are important issues that will be impacting your life soon, and in a really big way. But the world is not ending, the sky is not falling, and at the end of the day, Ruppert is an obsessed pessimistic populist who benefits from his predictions being inaccurate as well as accurate. Guess who doesn't give a **** when someone says "I was right all along about impending disaster?" Everyone who didn't make the prediction, that's who.… Full Review »
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