RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Ben X
Ben X

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Ben X (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
57 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:7

Fresh:4

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.1/10

Consensus: Thoughtful and provocative Dutch film concerned with autism, online gaming and bullying, though loses steam in the final act.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Oct 24, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: Ben is different and his life is a universe all unto itself. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism that prevents normal communication, and while he is a courageous hero—BEN X—in the... Ben is different and his life is a universe all unto itself. He has Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism that prevents normal communication, and while he is a courageous hero—BEN X—in the fantasy on-line gaming world that consumes him, in his daily life Ben is tormented by bullies and ignored by apathetic teachers. As the bullies’ relentless attacks push him over the edge and out of control, his on-line dream girl, Scarlite, appears to him and helps him devise a perfect plan to confront the bullies and make them pay for their torment. Director Nic Balthazar’s dazzling debut blends fantasy and harsh social realism. Based on a true story, Balthazar brings us an utterly original and important film. --© Film Movement [More]

Starring: Greg Timmermans, Marijke Pinoy, Laura Verlinden, Greg Goossen

Starring: Greg Timmermans, Marijke Pinoy, Laura Verlinden, Greg Goossen, Titus De Voogdt, Maarten Claeyssens, Jakob Beks, Gilles De Schryver

Director: Nic Balthazar

Director: Nic Balthazar
Screenwriter: Nic Balthazar, Lou Berghmans
Producer: Peter Bouckaert, Erwin Provoost
Composer: Philippe Ravoet
Studio: Film Movement

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Games vs. Reality
    >
    Trailer
    >
1 - 2 of 2

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Mar 10, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen

Audio:

  • (unspecified) English
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Ben X

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 7 (sorted by date)
Text View
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The film is harrowing, if maybe a bit melodramatic, until it crashes and burns in a feel-good ending.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
12/29/08
Walter V. Addiego
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A provocative, exultant stunner.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/05/08
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's not a moment of warmth or ease in Ben X, Nic Balthazar's punishingly cacophonous debut.

comment Comment
10/24/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The best movie I've seen about teen angst since Donnie Darko comes from Belgium?

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
10/22/08
Brian Miller
Brian Miller
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What leads off like a docudrama of the social ills accompanying a misunderstood condition merges into fantasy until, in very clever ways, director Nic Balthazar turns the medium into the message.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
04/18/08
Susan Walker
Susan Walker
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's not the overarching naturalism of the performance that stands out but the conceptual breakdown of the portrayal into smaller, loosely connected segments.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/18/08
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[Director Nic] Balthazar's determination to draw a positive message from a negative situation doesn't quite fit.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
12/05/07
Richard James Havis
Richard James Havis
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 7 (sorted by date)
Text View
See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Avatar

Avatar

Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video!

RT on DVD

RT on DVD

Find the latest DVD and Blu-ray releases!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin

Learn to train like a ninja in this clip!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
14
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
108
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
  • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
20
  • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
26
  • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
51
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
165
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
129
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
97
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
75
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
56
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
54
  • Five Favorite Films with Werner Herzog
50
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
16
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
7
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
7
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
8
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
19
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Ben X at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Ben X at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

New Moon Portraits
New Moon Portraits External Link

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Unsexiest Men Alive
Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.