Vox Lux Reviews
October 2, 2020
Despite some unneeded narration by Willem Dafoe that gives the film some slight pretension, Vox Lux still manages to be an ambitious masterpiece.
August 9, 2020
It should be great, and indeed from promotional art and trailers it looks great, but the final production is a crushing disappointment.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/10
July 30, 2020
Corbet abandons the nuanced development of Celeste for a Lady Gaga-Katy Perry mashup, by way of Jersey Shore.
July 26, 2020
Trauma is the new ennui. That may sound cynical, but Vox Lux is too amoral to be cynical. It's cold and cruel -- maybe even bitter -- but not cynical.
July 23, 2020
Not even Portman's solid performance as the pop diva can sustain the unbalanced narrative. [Full review in Spanish]
Full Review
| Original Score: 6/10
July 18, 2020
It's all a bit of a mess, but that's part of the point: tragedy and entertainment are intertwined, and the media ruthlessly exploits suffering for eye-grabbing headlines.
Full Review
| Original Score: 7/10
July 1, 2020
And as a character study, the film should've let Portman improvise and riff on a predetermined set of topics for each scene.
June 26, 2020
Natalie Portman sings Sia's songs in this boldly stylised and intellectually ambitious film about pop music.
June 19, 2020
Fascinating and daring, isolating small bursts of consolation in a deeply upsetting time while asking how enduring joy can exist for kids brought up on relentless heartache.
Full Review
| Original Score: A
May 29, 2020
Vox Lux is an exquisite pop-infused masterpiece that solidifies Portman's status as one of the most daring actors currently working.
February 21, 2020
Music is beside the point here. Vox Lux is concerned with the desensitizing powers of idol worship, with all its relevant connections. It understands the lure of escape and questions the effects of that desire.
February 13, 2020
...there is much to congratulate Brady Corbet's second feature on. These varying grand ambitions, however, never quite harmonise to full effect, leaving VOX LUX feeling more diminuendo than crescendo as it progresses.
February 1, 2020
A difficult at times to watch film, especially the scenes of violence in the school and on the beach resort, used probably as only context, still seem really fresh in everyone's minds which might put some viewers off.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
October 23, 2019
A work of great style, sharp observations and unexpected tonal shifts... It confirms Corbet as a vital and genuinely special voice in filmmaking.
September 25, 2019
By the time his heroine is belting out her third-rate songs in a sequined jumpsuit, you can't help but wish you'd stayed home.
August 29, 2019
The entire film rests on Natalie Portman. There's no question about her commitment to this role, but we think that it's too over the top and becomes tedious, especially with it's abrupt end which left us in stunned silence.
August 6, 2019
Great performances and the director's determination to plunge us into uncomfortable territory make it an experience you are unlikely to forget.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
August 1, 2019
Vox Lux has too many ideas it's trying to grapple with that it ends up not having any ideas.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/5
July 24, 2019
The movie asks good questions but fails to answer them in an interesting way. What makes an ordinary person seek out superstardom and why is the public so obsessed with taking it away from them?
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
July 17, 2019
Vox Lux begins with fierce momentum, but ultimately succumbs to its own crushing weight, failing to make good on its vast potential.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.25/5