50
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 67The A.V. ClubKatie RifeThe A.V. ClubKatie RifeIn the end, though, it’s the very concepts that make The Night Eats The World sound insufferably pretentious on paper — namely, its high-minded ideas and emphasis on small moments — that tip the film toward intriguing rather than, well, zombifying.
- 67The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakThe Night Eats the World gazes upon what’s left of society through a lens of pragmatism. It acknowledges that humanity is barely beating back its own extinction, that survivors are the minority and therefore minutes from oblivion if they cannot adapt.
- 63Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenDominique Rocher reinvigorates the zombie film only to succumb to the strictures of the coming-of-age romance.
- 60Village VoiceSimon AbramsVillage VoiceSimon AbramsUnfortunately, the best and worst thing about director Dominique Rocher and his two co-writers’ scenario is its familiarity.
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreWhile the setting is striking, a Paris “28 Days Later/Rammbock/I Am Legend” dark and silent after the end of civilization, genre fans may find this passive narrative slow and largely devoid of action, despite the odd burst of menace. Because it is. Slow.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerThe Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerThe problem is that The Night Eats the World steers so far into the quotidian of its hero that it can become quite frustrating, and even rather dull, to sit through. The threat of death doesn't become as tangible as it should, and the suspense wears itself too thin.
- 40VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThe very definition of a well-made movie that nonetheless really needn’t have been made at all, Rocher’s entry into the canon will attract a few zombie completists, but provide little fun for the average genre buff and underwhelming reward for art-house audiences.
- 30The New York TimesJason ZinomanThe New York TimesJason ZinomanThe makeup design and chase scenes are rote, and the little dramatic conflict — arguments over where to hide — traffic in the oldest clichés in the genre.
- 30Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayNo matter how spare and arty The Night Eats the World is, there’s nothing here that hasn’t been done before.