News of the World

Name: News of the World
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Western
Released: December 25, 2020
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 73
Cast: Andy Kastelic, Annacheska Brown, Brenden Wedner, Chris Bylsma, Christopher Hagen

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 137 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 137 Ratings

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News Of The World

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: December 25, 2020 | PG-13

Starring: Andy Kastelic, Annacheska Brown, Brenden Wedner, Chris Bylsma, Christopher Hagen, Chukwudi Iwuji, Clint Obenchain, Cynthia Casaus, David Hight, Elizabeth Marvel, Francheska Bardacke, Fred Hechinger, Helena Zengel, J. Nathan Simmons, Jeff Ware, Jeffrey Ware, John Travis Johnson, Justin Tade, Mare Winningham, Michael Angelo Covino, Michelle Campbell, Neil Sandilands, Ray McKinnon, Stafford Douglas, Stephanie Hill, Steve Boyles, Thomas Francis Murphy, Tom Astor, Tom Hanks, Travis Johnson, Winsome Brown

Summary: Five years after the end of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks), a veteran of three wars, now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe. In the plains of Texas, heFive years after the end of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks), a veteran of three wars, now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe. In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with Johanna (Helena Zengel), a 10-year-old taken in by the Kiowa people six years earlier and raised as one of their own. Johanna, hostile to a world she’s never experienced, is being returned to her biological aunt and uncle against her will. Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says she belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness, the two will face tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces as they search for a place that either can call home.… Expand

Director: Paul Greengrass

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Western

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 118 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Richard Roeper

Jan 12, 2021

News of the World works at the highest levels as a story of two lost souls who find one another, and as a crackling good, blood-spattered Western. Read full review

Zaki Hasan

Dec 11, 2020

Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks have given us something truly special with their latest collaboration: a film that is engaging and challenging but also just makes you feel good. Read full review

Leah Greenblatt

Dec 11, 2020

The movie offers few surprises and even less alacrity; and yet there's a cumulative weight to World that feels, if hardly new, still worth sitting through. Read full review

Brian Truitt

Dec 11, 2020

The palpable chemistry between Hanks and Zengel helps the odd friendship to blossom on screen. Hanks exudes the vibe of steady grownup in a crisis and Zengel holds her own with a Hollywood icon by imbuing her character with a wild-child manner that ultimately cracks to show the innocence underneath. Read full review

Mark Kennedy

Jan 7, 2021

Many of the best scenes are silent, enhanced by a wonderfully wistful score by James Newton Howard. Read full review

Justin Chang

Dec 11, 2020

Greengrass can be as shrewd and skillful a storyteller as his hero, even if News of the World finally inspires something less than total belief. Read full review

Chuck Bowen

Dec 11, 2020

The film sanctimoniously suggests that ignorance or distrust of the news is nothing new, but rather the bedrock of America’s formation. Read full review

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User Reviews

KorbenX9

Jan 10, 2021

This was a fantastic story. A great western movie that doesn't rely on intense gunfights and killing to be entertaining, although it still manages to have some real tension at times. Anyone rating this movie low has poor taste is a actual good quality movie.

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

snorkiss

Jan 25, 2021

Surprisingly engaging and enjoyable old fashioned style Hollywood film that Hollywood doesn't seem to make anymore, Tom Hanks is solid and so is his child co-star in this authentic Paul Greengrass directed western - 9 stars

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

dharma

Mar 6, 2021

News of the World is a surprisingly great film from Paul Greengrass, reuniting again with Hanks on this project. It's a great post modern western that was high in drama, and provide a perspective on early 'newscasters' instead of the usual gun slingers. Worth a look.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

DogeGamer2015

Feb 13, 2021

Una nueva película con Tom Hanks; la trama está bien y se disfruta, la recomiendo.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Ralfbergs

Jul 31, 2021

It was good, but at times was a bit boring. I mean the story in general was good and had great moments, but for me for it to have higher rating it needed something more and to be more memorable

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

theredsky

Jan 15, 2021

An interesting story bogged down by repetitiveness. Tom Hanks is still great as always. He always puts a lot into each of his roles that makes each of his characters stand out from one another with this one being a reluctant father figure who chooses to help those in need. The direction byAn interesting story bogged down by repetitiveness. Tom Hanks is still great as always. He always puts a lot into each of his roles that makes each of his characters stand out from one another with this one being a reluctant father figure who chooses to help those in need. The direction by Paul Greengrass is great. I haven’t seen much of his work but I’m interested in seeing what else he can do besides this and Captain Philips. Both of which Tom Hanks starred in. Helena Zengel is good at points and weak in others so I can’t praise her performance nor can I bash it. This has an interesting concept of a Civil War Captain who travels from town to town reading the news to people stepping outside of his comfort zone to help someone in need. I think this film did a great job at showing the unrest in 1880s Texas. The film shows the tension between the people of Texas and the Union forces stationed there. It also does a good job at making you feel for some of the characters especially Hanks’ character. The cinematography is also great. Greengrass does an incredible job at showing off these great landscapes with each shot feeling a little more different than the last. My big issue with this film comes down to its repetitiveness, pacing, and slow descent into boredom. There is a cool action set piece at the beginning but after that point, the film starts to throw similar situations of peril one after the other. After a while, you start to say to yourself “Haven’t we already seen this before?” It doesn’t help that the pacing is awful at times with some scenes going on for way to long while others are cut way too short like the scene where a town is basically controlled by outlaws. We spend so little time there and it was a very interesting scenario that is cut away from. I also take issue with the resolution of the film being not great. Without spoiling the film, we see what happens and you think that that’s it but then the movie goes on for another 25-30 minutes and it’s really boring aside from one 3 minute long scene with Hanks. It should have ended where I thought it was gonna end. If you like Tom Hanks or Western movies then you might get something out of this but you can wait until it comes out on DVD, Blu-Ray, or rental to watch it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Moviewatching

Jan 2, 2021

Didn’t thing it was worth anyone’s time and it’s just so cliche. Why couldn’t this girl work? Was she completely helpless and why?

2 of 12 users found this helpful210

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