Metascore
87 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 35
  2. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Brilliant, poetic, and utterly unique.
  2. Werner Herzog's magnificent tragedy, Grizzly Man, a Shakespearean character study that packs the sheer terror of "The Blair Witch Project."
  3. Reviewed by: Glenn Kenny
    100
    Herzog not only tells an incredible story but implies a dark metaphysic of the natural world that makes this film unsettlingly larger than its human subject.
  4. 100
    The documentary is an uncommon meeting between Treadwell's loony idealism, and Herzog's bleak worldview.
  5. Reviewed by: Dan Jolin
    100
    A complex, unique and engrossing journey into the murky recesses of an unhinged mind. It really needs to be seen to be believed.
  6. It's Treadwell's contradictions and controversies that fascinate Herzog the filmmaker, inspiring him to create this enthralling documentary portrait, his best film in years.
  7. Mr. Herzog is also no ordinary filmmaker. It is the rare documentary like Grizzly Man, which has beauty and passion often lacking in any type of film, that makes you want to grab its maker and head off to the nearest bar to discuss man's domination of nature and how Disney's cute critters reflect our profound alienation from the natural order.
  8. Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    100
    A brilliant portrait of adventure, activism, obsession and potential madness that ranks among helmer Werner Herzog's strongest work.
  9. 100
    A small masterpiece of a documentary that takes us into the heart of a complex darkness.
  10. 100
    A brilliant documentary about an American saint and fool--a man who understands everything about nature except death.
  11. A mesmerizing work of disturbing power and unease.
  12. For many the question remains about how Treadwell's eventual death should be regarded--as a tragedy, as a fool's fate, or as comeuppance for daring to humanize wild predators and habituating them to human presence. Herzog's perspective is, of course, scrupulously nonjudgmental.
  13. Shows and tells an astonishing story, a disturbing and provocative tale of obsession, bravado and self-invention that leaves you open-mouthed for all kinds of reasons.
  14. Reviewed by: Jim Fusilli
    90
    Mr. Herzog's perspective is an invaluable balance to Mr. Treadwell's as the animal advocate approaches what seems like madness.
  15. 88
    Herzog conducts his own expedition into knowing the unknowable -- the true task of any filmmaker. Herzog makes it an art.
  16. 88
    Herzog himself is one of the great lunatic directors of our century, a mad genius who repeatedly attempts to challenge nature and the gods in his own films.
  17. 88
    Herzog tries to make sense out of the blond-haired young man, who looked an awful lot like Kinski.
  18. Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    88
    A haunting and fascinating portrait of so much that is worth exploring: the implacability of nature, the hubris of human endeavor and the line between supreme dedication and madness.
  19. Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    88
    Timothy Treadwell was killed, along with his girlfriend, by a rogue bear in October 2003.
  20. 88
    Actually three movies in one: a wildlife film about how grizzly bears behave in their natural habitat, a character study of an eccentric environmentalist, and a chilling, voyeuristic narrative of how death stalks that man.
  21. There's an element of the nature film to Grizzly Man, and those passages are truly stunning, offering an up-close look at these magnificent animals.
  22. 80
    Herzog wants us to see a deluded nobility in this quest. Treadwell's flawed dreams were, in the end, all too human.
  23. 80
    Herzog is still the only person who could have made Grizzly Man. His admiration for Treadwell has its limits, but he understands, better than most directors, what it means to follow dreams into the belly of the beast.
  24. Herzog is primarily interested in Treadwell the filmmaker, but you'll likely be fascinated with him as a human being.
  25. Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    80
    Makes for quite an emotional roller-coaster ride. You don't know whether to celebrate or mock, to laugh or weep.
  26. Reviewed by: Joshua Katzman
    80
    This is an engrossing look at obsessive behavior gone terribly awry.
  27. The movie here is Treadwell's footage--some of it beautiful, much of it difficult to watch.
  28. Though some see Treadwell as an idealistic martyr who made the ultimate sacrifice for his passion, others vilify him as an arrogant fool who courted his own end.
  29. This is the heart-rending true story of a man with a seemingly benign preoccupation that turned into something close to madness and brought him to a terrible end.
  30. 70
    A rapt fascination with transcendent lunacy runs through Herzog's work, both fiction and documentary; while disdaining Treadwell's rhapsodically anthropomorphized vision of nature.
  31. 70
    The results are by turns fascinating, horrifying, and maddening.
  32. 70
    While Grizzly Man is never less than a fascinating portrait of a troubled Peter Pan who couldn't function in human society and tried to remake the animal kingdom into his own private Hanna-Barbera cartoon, it fails to establish Treadwell as much more than a serious headcase, let alone a titanic figure.
  33. The film is repetitious. Herzog has varied the original footage with some interviews that he conducted with a former Treadwell girlfriend and some other friends and observers. Still, an hour of it would have been more effective than the present feature length.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 103 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 61
  2. Negative: 16 out of 61
  1. 7
    Almost a guaranteed hit story here to start with lol.... Guy goes out to remote bear infested place, stays there for months for 3yrs, gets 15mins of fame, then gets eaten by bear .... along with being slightly nuts and a borderline social outcast ?? Come on how can you lose. Well.... Herzog's commentary was hit and miss and some holes for sure but I was entertained solid 7 PS - background music was interesting also Full Review »
  2. JoelK.
    3
    This documentary is the biggest waste of time. I'm 15 and honestly i think that Timothy Treadwell wasted those 13 years of his life, which eventually ended up in his death. What was the point of him going into a protected environment or government reserve to protect bears? They don't need protection. In my view all the drugs and alcohol he part took in resulted in him coming out of the situation being as one of the pilots described him 'mentally retarded' Full Review »
  3. Selina
    10
    Undoubtly, this film was AMAZING. Grizzly Man shows the ideal footage of a man whose courage and determination got him his calling. He proved that bears are not killers, and brought some brilliant footage in the making. This truly is a beautiful nature film, and I recommend it for any nature lover. Although, yes, Timothy was somewhat loony, but I respect his decision in life. I know that there's a one and a million chance that someone will survive thirteen years without weapons among one of the most dangerous animals on this planet. I enjoyed this film and admired Treadwell's skill, devotion, and humor. This film is truly a masterpiece. The stuff he captured is simply wonderful. HOWEVER, I do not respect Herzog. I think he twisted it around a bit. Some directors do that. He probably made Tim look more than he was. We don't care about his opinion- at least I don't. I wish that this movie was more about the nature and beauty Treadwell captured rather than the stupid opinions of Herzog. Full Review »