X
  • 2023
  • Paramount+
  • 1 h 55 m
  • 2023
  • Paramount+
  • 1 h 55 m

Summary Superpower tells the story of how Sean Penn heads to Ukraine to learn more about comedic-actor turned president, Volodymyr Zelensky. It was to be an amusing film – it has turned into a document of history. When Penn was brought into an undisclosed bunker in the Presidential Palace, the Russian invasion had begun. Penn talked to Presiden...

Directed By: Aaron Kaufman, Sean Penn

Written By: Volodymyr Zelenskyy

  • 2023
  • Paramount+
  • 1 h 55 m
  • 2023
  • Paramount+
  • 1 h 55 m

Superpower

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
47
User Score Mixed or Average Based on 8 User Ratings
4.0
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Superpower tells the story of how Sean Penn heads to Ukraine to learn more about comedic-actor turned president, Volodymyr Zelensky. It was to be an amusing film – it has turned into a document of history. When Penn was brought into an undisclosed bunker in the Presidential Palace, the Russian invasion had begun. Penn talked to Presiden...

Directed By: Aaron Kaufman, Sean Penn

Written By: Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Self - President of Ukraine

Andrii Yermak

Self - Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine

Steven Pifer

Self - Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine

Christopher Miller

Self - Writer and Journalist

Volodymyr Jerrmolenko

Self - Editor in Chief for the Ukraine World

Alex Frishberg

Self - Ukrainian Attorney

Vitali Klitschko

Self - Mayor of Kyiv

Iryna Matviyishyn

Self - Journalist for the Ukraine World

Yulia Marushevska

Self - Activist

Nataliya Vasiltsova

Self - Widow of Vitaliy Vasiltsov

Ilya Ponomaryov

Self - Former Russian Politician

Alexander Vindman

Self - Former U.S. Security Council

Oleksiy Honcharuk

Self

Liubov Tsybulska

Self - Hybrid Warfare Expert

Leonid Ostaltsev

Self - Ukrainian Soldier and Business Owner

Oleksandr Matyash

Self - Ukrainian Soldier and Business Owner

Ihor Hordiychuk

Self - Ivan Bohun Military School

Fernando Sulichin

Self - Filmmaker

Nolan Peterson

Self - Reporter for the Daily Signal

Alan Cullison

Self - Journalist for the Wall Street Journal

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
47
18% Positive
2 Reviews
73% Mixed
8 Reviews
9% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
47
18% Positive
2 Reviews
73% Mixed
8 Reviews
9% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Feb 25, 2023
Penn and Kaufman’s film about him is sprawling and uneven but also heartfelt and inspiring. It’s informative but has an immediacy which you rarely find in conventional news reports. The documentary leaves you with admiration not only for its subject, the comedian turned wartime leader, but for the doughty Hollywood star who put himself in the eye of the storm too.
By Geoffrey Macnab FULL REVIEW
60
Sep 18, 2023
Penn scores a coup by getting an on-camera interview with Zelensky on the first day of Russia’s invasion, and he films him on two additional occasions, in a video interview and in person on a later visit.
By Ben Kenigsberg FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 8 User Ratings
4.0
38% Positive
3 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
63% Negative
5 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 8 User Ratings
4.0
38% Positive
3 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
63% Negative
5 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

60
Feb 25, 2023
If Penn’s point in visiting Ukraine, meeting Zelensky and co-directing Superpower was to make himself heard, then it’s mission accomplished.
By Jordan Mintzer FULL REVIEW
42
Feb 25, 2023
The shocking images of Superpower can move us, but the movie ends up being nothing more than a piece of propaganda. Even worse, the documentary is a wasted opportunity to give a proper voice to the people who still live and fight in Ukraine. Instead, Superpower seems more concerned about contributing to the mystification of Zelensky and the image of Penn as a lonesome and brave hero.
By Marco Vito Oddo FULL REVIEW
40
Feb 25, 2023
Too often, the film’s well-meaning reportage is muddled with needless vanity sequences of the actor-director as an on-the-ground trailblazer, as the film fashions the impression that Penn himself — as much as any news agency — is a vital courier of the horrific events around him to Western audiences.
By Guy Lodge FULL REVIEW
40
Feb 25, 2023
When [Penn] steps aside, or simply lets Zelensky talk, the film hits home as a crudely earnest plea for more principled military aid, and you can’t really fault its message. The delivery, though, leaves a lot to be desired.
By Tim Robey FULL REVIEW
25
Feb 25, 2023
Penn’s admiration for Zelensky, the people of Ukraine, and their unified commitment to democracy is sincere, but Superpower is so stupid a film it’s galling to watch.
FULL REVIEW
See All 11 Critic Reviews

Details

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Production Company Aldamisa Entertainment, Projected Picture Works, Endeavor Content, See It Now Studios, VICE News, Vice Studios
Release Date Sep 18, 2023
Duration 1 h 55 m
Genres
Tagline This film is dedicated to Major Andrii 'Juice' Pilshchykov and the other brave Ukrainians who have lost their lives in the fight for freedom.
View All Details

Awards

Berlin International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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