Ian Freer
Select another critic »For 337 reviews, this critic has graded:
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48% higher than the average critic
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4% same as the average critic
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48% lower than the average critic
On average, this critic grades 1.8 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Ian Freer's Scores
- Movies
- TV
Average review score: | 67 | |
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Highest review score: | Imitation of Life | |
Lowest review score: | Police Academy 6: City Under Siege |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 161 out of 337
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Mixed: 173 out of 337
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Negative: 3 out of 337
337
movie
reviews
- By Date
- By Critic Score
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- Ian Freer
TÁR is a masterwork. A gripping, grown-up movie superbly orchestrated by Todd Field and perfectly played by a virtuoso, career-best Cate Blanchett. 158 minutes rarely flies by so quickly.- Empire
- Posted Jan 11, 2023
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- Ian Freer
Chinonye Chukwu’s restrained approach replaces dramatic fireworks with an absorbing, slow-burning study of a broken woman’s politicisation. She is superbly served by star Danielle Deadwyler, who transforms Till from a good film into a gripping one.- Empire
- Posted Jan 4, 2023
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- Ian Freer
It might be a minor work from a major filmmaker but François Ozon’s remix of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s classic has its pleasures, chiefly strong performances across the board, especially from Isabelle Adjani and the immense Denis Ménochet, embodying the German maverick without ever descending into impersonation.- Empire
- Posted Dec 20, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Amsterdam suffers from a surfeit of story detail without the vigour to whizz you through it. It has likable leads and the craft is on point, but the result, given all the talent involved, is a tonally uneasy disappointment — a romp that fails to romp.- Empire
- Posted Oct 4, 2022
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- Ian Freer
It works better as a weird relationship movie than a murder-mystery but See How They Run is the whodunnit as hoot, with lots of laughs, oodles of style and played with verve by a quality cast. It also reconfirms Saoirse Ronan as a comedy god.- Empire
- Posted Sep 7, 2022
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- Ian Freer
If it adds little in the way of dissenting voices or a different viewpoint, Explorer tells the tale of a remarkable, stranger-than-fiction life and emerges as an affecting, entertaining portrait of a true eccentric.- Empire
- Posted Aug 31, 2022
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- Ian Freer
It’s an enjoyable, super-faithful cover version but Laal Singh Chaddha is like a box of chocolates: you know exactly what you’re gonna get.- Empire
- Posted Aug 12, 2022
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- Ian Freer
For its first half, Thirteen Lives feels like it is treading water, waiting for its big final act. Thankfully, the second half is a riveting depiction of a daring, foolhardy, inspired rescue.- Empire
- Posted Jul 25, 2022
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- Ian Freer
She Will is meditative horror, parlaying modern concerns through a thick, ancient atmosphere. It perhaps has too much on its mind, but Charlotte Colbert’s debut works as an imaginative and unsettling calling card.- Empire
- Posted Jul 21, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Filmmaker Bob Weide’s relationship with Kurt Vonnegut may detract from a more incisive critical portrait but it is sweetly etched, and the unparalleled access provides a comical, compelling profile of a singular figure in 20th-century American letters.- Empire
- Posted Jul 21, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Perhaps not as heart-warming or charming as the first film, The Railway Children Return is engaging and entertaining in different ways, winningly played by its fresh cast.- Empire
- Posted Jul 19, 2022
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- Ian Freer
The talking heads aren’t particularly revealing and there are some strange filmmaking choices. But McEnroe makes for incredibly likeable company and the tennis, as ever, remains sublime.- Empire
- Posted Jul 14, 2022
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- Ian Freer
It may have a tenuous relationship with nuance, but RRR is a bombastic delight. Making the Fast And Furious series look restrained by comparison, it hits the parts Hollywood actioners just can’t reach. Rise! Roar! Revelation!- Empire
- Posted Jul 5, 2022
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- Ian Freer
If it doesn’t hit the Top Gun: Maverick heights of legacy sequels, Jurassic World Dominion is scattershot but entertaining, delivering fun, familiar set pieces. Come for the delight in seeing Neill, Dern and Goldblum together again, stay for the bit where a bloke on a scooter gets eaten.- Empire
- Posted Jun 8, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Just missing out on top-tier Hansen-Løve, Bergman Island is beautifully played — especially by Krieps and Wasikowska — and retains all the hallmarks of her best work; an intelligent, personal, heartfelt treat.- Empire
- Posted Jun 6, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Avoiding the danger zone of mere retread, Kosinski and co deliver all the Top Gun feels and then some: slick visuals, crew camaraderie, thrilling aerial action, a surprising emotional wallop and, in Tom Cruise, a magnetic movie-star performance as comforting as an old leather jacket. Punching the air is mandatory.- Empire
- Posted May 12, 2022
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- Ian Freer
It says little that is new and lacks heat, but Wilson and Burke inhabit a compelling mismatched couple, with Wootliff finding cinematic ways to get under their skin. A flawed but admirable attempt to take the temperature of a dark, modern relationship.- Empire
- Posted Mar 29, 2022
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- Ian Freer
What The Phantom Of The Open lacks in ambition or dramatic oomph, it makes up for in easy-going appeal. Anchored by an impish Mark Rylance, it takes its cue from the story’s hero: a bit ramshackle, very amiable, always watchable.- Empire
- Posted Mar 15, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Joe Wright brings fun and imagination to an oft-told tale, even if the story beats offer few surprises. Still worth seeing for a compelling Peter Dinklage turn.- Empire
- Posted Feb 23, 2022
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- Ian Freer
By turns impressive and oppressive, Petrov’s Flu combines technical razzle-dazzle with obtuse storytelling. Bravura and baffling in equal measure.- Empire
- Posted Feb 14, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Joanna Hogg delivers an object lesson in how to deliver a follow-up: deeper, funnier, more imaginative than its predecessor, The Souvenir Part II is a filmmaker working at the peak of her powers.- Empire
- Posted Feb 4, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Almodóvar juggles comedy and drama to terrifically entertaining ends, aided by a tip-top Penélope Cruz. It’s hard to think of a more exciting actor-director partnership working today.- Empire
- Posted Jan 21, 2022
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- Ian Freer
Belfast is exactly the kind of film that wins an audience award at a festival — highly entertaining and beautifully done without ever being innovative or challenging, finding the universal in the specific, the upbeat in dire circumstances. Slight but winning.- Empire
- Posted Jan 20, 2022
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- Ian Freer
An enjoyable World War II spy flick, Munich: The Edge Of War scores with strong performances and filmmaking craft, but is let down by a lack of dramatic heft. A Father’s Day watch in waiting.- Empire
- Posted Jan 6, 2022
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- Ian Freer
What The Tender Bar lacks in dramatic heft and originality, it makes up for in warmth, geniality and a clutch of great performances — chiefly Ben Affleck, who turns a stock uncle character into a memorable mentor.- Empire
- Posted Dec 14, 2021
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- Ian Freer
Perhaps the most ironic title of 2021, Hope isn’t filmmaking to set the pulses racing. Instead it’s a quiet, nuanced study of how a couple who have drifted apart deal with the direst of circumstances, perfectly played by Andrea Bræin Hovig and Stellan Skarsgård.- Empire
- Posted Dec 10, 2021
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- Ian Freer
Centred by a committed, affecting performance by Noomi Rapace, Lamb gets over its longueurs and missteps with interesting ideas, filmmaking craft and a unique tone of voice. Also includes some of the best animal acting of the year.- Empire
- Posted Dec 9, 2021
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- Ian Freer
Don’t Look Up takes the pulse of contemporary life and finds it crazy, scary and, most of all, funny. It doesn’t all land but enough does to make it a sharp, bold, star-studded treat.- Empire
- Posted Dec 7, 2021
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- Ian Freer
After an unsatisfying start as a comedy, Silent Night finds its feet as an ambitious, thoughtful chamber piece about what it means to peer into the abyss. Merry Christmas, everyone!- Empire
- Posted Nov 30, 2021
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