Senna
User Score
8.7 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 48 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 48
  3. Negative: 1 out of 48

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  1. Longbottom94
    Apr 29, 2013
    9
    A documentary that creates a surprising amount of tension, even though most of the audience knows the outcome. Senna is able to give an intriguing insight into the real Ayrton Senna, a man obsessed with his sport. A great documentary for fans of Formula 1 or not.
  2. dev92
    Jul 21, 2012
    10
    As great a documentary as I have ever seen, Senna pushes every button. Ayrton Senna was a racer before my time, I have grown up with Schumacher as my driving hero but watching this documentary made me wish that I had been able to watch this great sportsman drive before his untimely death (I was 1 when he passed). The insight into his life is remarkable and allowed me to understand what it was to be a driver in his age. If you haven't seen it, I could not recommend it more highly, especially if you are an avid sports fan.… Expand
  3. A_Northerner
    Jul 16, 2012
    9
    Brilliant 2010 documentary film following the racing career of three-time F1 World Champion Aryton Senna. Compiled from hours of footage of racing, family videos, interviews with the Brazilian with interviews from peers played over the top, Senna is a documentary featuring no narration or retrospective interviews and plays out more like a written film than documentary. The film tells the story of Senna's arrival in F1, his instant success on the road to his titles, his rivalry with Alain Prost and clashes with the FIA, culminating with the fateful San Marino GP in 1994.


    The film is perhaps unbalanced when it deals with the Prost Senna relationship and I share Prost's opinion that it doesn't explain how their relationship thawed before Senna's death. The fact that Prost was a pallbearer at Senna's funeral speaks volumes of this. That said, the real 'bad guy' of the story is then FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre.


    Senna comes across as highly spiritual, patriotic, committed and I'm sure racing fans of the Senna era enjoying seeing and listening to some interviews with the man just as much as the racing footage. A moving masterpiece in documentary making that will appeal to all.    … Expand
  4. gibsonlive
    Jan 16, 2012
    9
    My love of racing personified! I l wish there were more films with racing footage like this. This film puts you in the drivers seat in the art of racing. I will watch it by adding it to my library of great film that can be watched over and over.
  5. takethemicmike
    Nov 19, 2011
    10
    An amazing documentary, which you don't have to be a motoring sports' fan to enjoy. I'd give it a 9, but just to counterweight the 79 given by the so-called experts I'll give it 10. MUST WATCH.
  6. ThomasB1627
    Nov 17, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is probably the best film I have ever seen. I am a big fan of F1 and knew about Ayrton Senna 's story before I watched the film. It may just be a collection of clips, but the way that Kapadia has put them together is superb. The film grabbed me from the start and I was hooked from there. It is mainly about Senna and Prost's relationship on the track, but it also tells you about his early life and how he got to the top of F1.

    I was pleased that his death wasn't focused on too much, there were a few clips and that was pretty much it for that part of his story, it would have been too easy to focus on the events at Imola quite heavily as most people who don't know anything about F1 know thats how he died.

    A fantastic documentary film put together brilliantly. 10/10 for sure.    … Expand
  7. spielbrick90
    Oct 19, 2011
    10
    A fast and furious film that I really enjoyed but was also moving in parts, I loved it and after watching I wanted to watch it again and again. In one word, a triumph!!!
  8. NeverLift
    Aug 31, 2011
    10
    A magnificent assemblage from, I'd expect, thousands upon thousands of hours of film, from driver's meetings to home movies of the child and the man at play, at work, and in death. Be assured: You need not like, nor even know anything about, auto racing to be gripped by this film.
  9. natineptune3000
    Aug 15, 2011
    10
    I have never been an F1 fanatic, or been interested in cars, I do however possess a great passion for documentaries. For this reason I can say, without a doubt, that this is the best documentary I have ever seen.
  10. UmbrellaSpy
    Aug 12, 2011
    10
    A great movie to the best driver ever, with a awesome sense of reality, we can watch how Senna fight to be in the top, and finally when he die. The music is awesome and all the FIA material is very interesting, this movie is a must see to all the fans of the good cinema.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Roger Moore
    Sep 21, 2011
    75
    Senna himself gives it its heart. I just wish I'd gotten a better handle on who he was before the film's checkered flag falls.
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  2. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Sep 2, 2011
    100
    With such supercharged material under the hood, a magnetic man behind the wheel and a nimble director manning the pits, Senna is simply the greatest sports film I have ever seen.
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  3. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    Aug 25, 2011
    83
    In some ways, Senna is as pure and clean as the man's sport: as actor/racer Paul Newman liked to say, the winners of auto races are determined, unlike movies, by objective criteria. And although it's a subjective judgment, it's hard to see how anyone wouldn't be absorbed by this fascinating film about a formidable driver and man.
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