Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
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  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    100
    The sunny, funny, toe-tapping Lagaan is the answer to those who ask why they don't make movies like they used to: They do, but in India.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    100
    Rippingly good, old-fashioned movie epic.
  3. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    100
    A movie that amply delivers on the epic promise of its title, entertaining, enlightening, and emboldening viewers with its deceptively simple premise and execution.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    91
    The unlikeliest enthralling movie to be released so far this year.
  5. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: F. X. Feeney
    90
    It works its magic with such exuberance and passion that the film's length becomes a part of its fun.
  6. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Gregory Weinkauf
    90
    An inspiring effort, lavishly lensed and featuring a spicy (if occasionally synthy) score from A.R. Rahman. Best of all, it's also something of a musical, as the characters are not above breaking into song and dance to serve their emotions.
  7. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    An enormously entertaining movie, like nothing we've ever seen before, and yet completely familiar.
  8. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Monica Eng
    88
    Features colorful song-and-dance numbers that look and sound best in surround sound and on a huge screen.
  9. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    83
    Think of this corrective to Kipling as "The Longest Yard" meets "The Seven Samurai" with cricket bats, choreographed dance numbers, romantic triangles and a rousing call to solidarity.
  10. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    80
    Gowariker's stunningly choreographed, four-hour spectacle (reportedly one of the most expensive films in the industry's history) is a fascinating mix of Hollywood genres and tropes.
  11. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Chris Baker
    80
    Not only the best I've ever seen, but also the Indian film that'd be most accessible to a Western audience.
  12. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    80
    If you've never experienced a Bollywood musical before, seeing Lagaan will be like watching "Gone With the Wind" without ever having seen a Hollywood movie.
  13. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    80
    By the time Lagaan climaxes with 90 minutes of remarkably riveting cricket, the stakes and the effects on the players have taken on a vivid clarity, and what might have started out as corny clichés have become the stuff of classic movie entertainment.
  14. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ed Halter
    80
    Confident and brash, Lagaan may be high-concept New Bollywood, but it plays like well-crafted Old Hollywood.
  15. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    80
    Raises it to the level of an art film with fully drawn characters, a serious underlying theme, and a sophisticated style and point of view.
  16. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    80
    Lagaan may look naïve; it is anything but. This is a movie that knows its business — pleasing a broad, popular audience -- and goes about it with savvy professionalism and genuine flair.
  17. Variety
    Reviewed by: Derek Elley
    80
    Neither pure masala musical nor pure masala meller, Lagaan is an involving, easily digestible hunk of pure entertainment that could be the trigger for Bollywood's long-awaited crossover to non-ethnic markets.
  18. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Aseem Chhabra
    75
    An epic film in every respect.
  19. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    75
    A wild, self-indulgent but completely captivating extravagance.
  20. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Mark Peranson
    70
    Isn't as lavish or flashy as the typical Bollywood product, and cricket aside, there's little to distinguish the plotting and wide-screen visuals from more traditional Hollywood musicals--though few recent American musicals are this fluid or engaging.
  21. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Foreman
    63
    If you've never seen a "masala" musical, you may find Lagaan hilariously bad. Cartoony acting, dreadful dialogue, obvious dubbing, and meandering but ultrapredictable plots are simply part of the Bollywood package, along with six musical numbers and a bizarre mixture of romance, comedy and melodrama.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Annoymous1
    10
    The best Indian movie by Amir Khan and well deserving. This movie should have already won a Oscar! The start is funny and during the play all those dramatic moments are great! This tale is about courage and teamwork and must be watched and even though it is 3 hours it is definetly worth it.… Full Review »
  2. amara
    8
    Lagaan is a great movie and even surprised to know that it has cracked my GMAT Examination as well. I had joined Climb First for GMAT preparation and I met Mr. Vinod there who has cleared his examination. He advised me to prepare strategy plan as per Lagaan movie. At Climb first, Vinod advised me that to crack GMAT Examination, 11 things are very important, same like 11 members in a team. 1. Quant, 2. English, 3. Analytical Writing Assessment,
    4. Level of Difficulty 1 & 2, 5. Keep in Mind about different range of questions, 6. Time Management, 7. Stress Management, 8. Shortlisting of Universities, 9. Tips for Interview, 10. I should justify why I want to do MBA, 11. Where I see myself after MBA. These are the 11 things. If we can coordinate and club all these 11, then we can make it as a team and can hit the goal. I really appreciate Vinod whom I met at Climb First to give these tips I applied and cleared my GMAT. I got a score of 730 in GMAT.    … Full Review »
  3. SidP.
    10
    One of the finest movies ever produced in India.
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