The Wonder
Netflix | Release Date: November 2, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
31
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonNov 17, 2022
The performers—not just the miraculous Ms. Pugh but Ms. Cassidy; her mother, Elaine Cassidy (who plays Anna’s mother); and Tom Burke, as the journalist-love interest Will Byrne—give memorably complex portrayals in a tale where elements theological, maternal, political and pictorial are transformed alchemically into narrative gold. Read full review
92
TheWrapTomris LafflySep 3, 2022
In the end, Lelio earns the powerful close of The Wonder with every temperate turn. His film, a career-best, departs like a birdsong, with an optimistic finale as perfect and revelatory as they come. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberSep 3, 2022
Nothing would work quite as well without the performance by Pugh. She commands the screen from her very first appearance, and we never have doubts that anyone who tries to interfere with her will be facing a formidable adversary. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubJack SmartNov 3, 2022
Thanks to a typically mesmerizing leading turn from Florence Pugh, it’s a film that can hold up a mirror to believers and nonbelievers alike as the best stories of faith do. Read full review
80
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyNov 17, 2022
Pugh is very much at home in this kind of role, but it’s no less arresting in its familiarity. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawNov 2, 2022
Pugh’s pure force carries everything, and conveys the central paradox: to unlock this mystery, Lib is going to have to surrender to it, to believe in it, in order to gain Anna’s confidence and learn the child’s own awful secret. The wonder reverberates with the pangs of hunger and fear. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Mark KermodeOct 30, 2022
Few will remain unmoved by this intriguingly adventurous and thought-provoking drama. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredMartin CarrOct 17, 2022
Surrounded by a solid ensemble of cast iron characters actors, The Wonder tries to address some serious issues beneath the guise of a beguiling period piece. What audiences are ultimately left with equates to a moral fable with female empowerment holding things together. Read full review
80
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 15, 2022
A film about the danger of believing without questioning that turns us into full-throated believers in whatever Lelio and Pugh can do. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangSep 6, 2022
Lelio and his co-writers have made a smart, subtle disquisition on the necessity of both skepticism and faith, with a particularly keen understanding of religion’s uses and abuses. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 16, 2022
It’s a parable of Catholic Ireland given a mod, fourth-wall breaking framework by Chilean director Sebastián Lelio, who gave us “Gloria.” He and his players make it not just vividly period-real, but bracing entertainment as well. Read full review
75
Original-CinLiam LaceyNov 14, 2022
Once again, [Pugh] brings a determined energy to her performance that almost compensates for the often unpersuasive, sometimes stilted, film built around her. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJosh WiseNov 10, 2022
The Wonder coheres as a powerful study of the way in which people are cloistered by their own stories. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattNov 4, 2022
Wonder's spare, muted intrigue hangs mostly on Pugh and atmosphere, an elusive minor-key mystery. Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiNov 3, 2022
The supremely talented Florence Pugh has rapidly rebounded from the “Don’t Worry Darling” debacle with The Wonder, a creepy new Netflix drama that’s unusually strong for the streaming service. For once, it’s the characters who endure hardship — not the audience. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoNov 2, 2022
A drama this ambitious demands a fearless performer like Pugh, who knows exactly the tightrope to walk when it comes to the story’s delicate balance between realism and melodrama. Read full review
75
The Associated PressLindsey BahrNov 2, 2022
Science and belief clashes aside, The Wonder is a transfixing, transportive film, anchored by the incomparable Pugh. Read full review
75
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 2, 2022
Impressive as it is that The Wonder is able to squeeze so much from its spartan trappings, the film still feels clipped at 110 minutes; there may not be a lot to chew on, but there’s almost too much to savor. Read full review
70
PolygonKatie RifeNov 18, 2022
It’s true that Lib smashing against the brick wall of blind faith is an essential part of the story, but at some point, The Wonder crosses a line between eerie ambiguity and aimless floundering. Read full review
70
Screen RantGraeme GuttmannNov 18, 2022
There may be few miracles in The Wonder, but it's clear that Pugh is one unto herself. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisNov 17, 2022
Anchored by Lelio’s intelligent filmmaking — and by Pugh’s beautifully calibrated mix of physical vigor and temperamental astringency — Lib embodies the story’s arguments, themes and power with vivid clarity. There’s no denying her or her ravenous hunger for life. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneDavid FearNov 15, 2022
No one would blame you if you prefer your gothic-lit tales straight with no meta-chaser. Yet, largely thanks to Pugh, Leilo’s semi-experimental attempt at blending an old-fashioned melodrama with Media Studies 101 commentary never makes you feel like you’re watching something created in a dorm-session smokeout. Read full review
70
Vanity FairRichard LawsonNov 9, 2022
Lelio’s haughty piece of flair doesn’t diminish the impression made by Pugh, who fluidly projects compassion tinged with the faintest hint of menace. Read full review
70
Little White LiesLillian CrawfordNov 5, 2022
It’s a refreshing return to naturalistic form for Pugh following her recent blockbuster run, relishing in the multi-layered gowns designed by Odile Dicks-Mireaux. But The Wonder is most captivating in its look. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleNov 3, 2022
The Wonder undeniably resonates in these confounding times concerning belief, fact and manipulation. Read full review
67
ConsequenceVanessa ArmstrongNov 16, 2022
The Wonder is… fine. Just fine. The movie’s exploration of big issues like religion, and how stories are more important to us than the reality we live in, will cause many to think and reflect, and that’s not a bad thing. Without getting into spoilers, the ending’s expected turn twists a tale that could be a dirge into one that inspires hope. Read full review
67
ColliderChase HutchinsonSep 15, 2022
It is by no means a perfectly constructed work, but there is something more immense in its thematic aspiration that provides plenty for Pugh to play around with. All that makes it unwieldy also makes The Wonder mesmerizing so that, even when the spell is broken, you can’t shake it from your mind. Read full review
67
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodSep 3, 2022
As always, Lelio has a way with his actors. Nothing will ever feel forced. Even the most melodramatic stakes will feel grounded. And yet, despite a pointless framing device the film simply does not need, it’s missing some of the visual magic of his earlier films. Read full review
65
Film ThreatSumner ForbesDec 1, 2022
The drama is a mostly compelling watch, but we’re left wanting more from a film with such an impressive assemblage of individual pieces. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 15, 2022
n the one hand, The Wonder is a fascinating examination of the war between the sacred and the scientific. On the other hand, despite its strong sense of atmosphere and an intense performance by lead actress Florence Pugh, it’s strangely uninvolving. Read full review
62
Paste MagazineNatalia KeoganNov 15, 2022
Even without the inclusion of Pugh’s character’s prejudiced thoughts, the film oozes a tangible distaste for the very people whose “story” we are following. These small-town Irish folk are depicted as barbaric yokels, prone to inbreeding, dim-witted fanaticism and senseless cruelty. As a whole, The Wonder conjures the abject horror of watching a rodent devour its newborn litter. Read full review
60
EmpireElla KempNov 2, 2022
A darker turn for the sensitive Sebastián Lelio, and yet more proof that Florence Pugh is among our greatest treasures. Plenty of food for thought among the emptier moments. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesTara BradyOct 28, 2022
Pugh’s emblematic, muddy-hemmed blue dress — designed by Odile Dicks-Mireaux — marks her out against the windswept exteriors. Not for the first time this year, she’s the standout in a film that, given the remarkable personnel involved, really ought to pack a greater punch. Read full review
50
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaNov 11, 2022
It’s a rare misfire from director Sebastián Lelio, whose approach to his tale of a 19th century English nurse (Florence Pugh) investigating an Irish miracle is far too plain to be mysterious or stirring. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 31, 2022
The Wonder is no fun at all. It’s not even fun in the way it’s not fun. Even for a movie about starvation, it’s not a nourishing experience. The more the audience finds out about what’s actually going on, the less compelling the movie becomes. Read full review
50
The Film StageC.J. PrinceSep 15, 2022
Pugh’s performance is more adequate than impressive, a result of her character having background and motivations laid out so there’s little else to take from what’s onscreen. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 3, 2022
An evenhanded but ultimately preposterous adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s novel, co-written by the author herself (with an assist from Alice Birch). Read full review
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