The Dead Lands
Magnet Releasing | Release Date: April 17, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
EmpireDamon WiseMay 26, 2015
Neatly balances a folkloric coming-of-age tale with violent action thrills. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungApr 16, 2015
It’s a remarkable film experience in several ways. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirApr 16, 2015
Once you get past an awkward and artificial beginning and roll with the movie’s crazy rhythm, The Dead Lands is also a blast, and one that delivers an unexpected emotional wallop along with gore, thrills and spectacular scenery. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriApr 20, 2015
Most of The Dead Lands, in fact, adheres to a fairly simple action film template. But the dynamic between the characters works because Fraser keeps it tough. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis HarveyApr 16, 2015
While the primal you-killed-my-family-now-I-kill-you story smacks of old Westerns (and newer Liam Neeson movies), the pic rises somewhat above formula due in large part to its being acted out in this particular historic cultural context. Depictions of pre-colonialist Maori life are rare enough onscreen, let alone in this kind of muscular genre effort. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 15, 2015
An unblinkingly fierce and bloody tale of slaughter and revenge. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJordan HoffmanApr 16, 2015
National Geographic meets the WWE in this brutal, brawling revenge tale set in pre-Colonial New Zealand, mixing insight into indigenous Maori culture with barked dialogue and vicious arterial sprays, making for a simple but exciting adventure. Read full review
60
The DissolveNoel MurrayApr 14, 2015
It’s a mash-up of familiar genre elements—too familiar, frankly—given a welcome sense of scope and shading by the location. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyApr 15, 2015
The problem with this kind of universal narrative is that, like the cult of the golden ratio, it emphasizes formulas at the expense of those expressive qualities that actually make art and entertainment. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsApr 17, 2015
The Dead Lands doesn't add up to much, but it is always on the verge of becoming more than just a bed time story for guys that wish "Braveheart" had a biceps-kissing baby with "Ong Bak." Read full review
50
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldApr 16, 2015
As it dives into this infrequently depicted culture, Mr. Fraser’s film is caught shuttling uneasily between speeches and action. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAaron HillisApr 14, 2015
The film is undeniably elevated by its exotic milieu. It's a shame, then, that it's stuck with such a familiar coming-of-age call to adventure. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesMartin TsaiApr 16, 2015
The only aspects of the tale that seem uniquely Maori are the action sequences featuring the martial art of mau rakau. Aside from intermittent dream sequences in which Hongi communicates with his late grandmother (Rena Owen), the storytelling is Westernized. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineCarson LundApr 12, 2015
A phony collection of storytelling clichés held under the banner of archetype and lent a modicum of weight by the splendor of the landscape. Read full review
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