One of the most complex and powerful literary scripts in recent times.
80
VarietyDennis Harvey
VarietyDennis Harvey
Doesn’t always convince, particularly in the last lap. But it’s an engrossing, unusual, imaginatively executed bit of psychological gamesmanship nonetheless.
80
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
Curiously, one of the film's stranger effects is that it's more convincing as a meditation on desire and Hollywood than as a biographical exploration.
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Gods and Monsters is not a deep or powerful film, but it is a good-hearted one.
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A rich, multi- layered portrait of a director from Hollywood's Golden Age whose own life was as interesting as any of his movies.
70
Film.comTom Keogh
Film.comTom Keogh
Beyond the fantastic contrivances of Gods and Monsters, these performances are startlingly human.
While McKellen's sharp performance provides the main attraction, the film wouldn't work without both Fraser, who brings something extra to a character who could easily have been a mere lunk, and director Bill Condon's careful integration of larger themes.
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
As a portrait of a deliciously eccentric individual, Gods and Monsters features a vivid performance from Ian McKellen that makes you think not of James Whale but of Ian McKellen.
50
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
Lynn Redgrave is nearly incomprehensible as the housekeeper with some sort of housekeeperly accent. [Dec. 14, 1998]
30
SlateDavid Edelstein
SlateDavid Edelstein
Psychologically thin, artistically flabby, and symbolically opaque.