72
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88The Globe and Mail (Toronto)James AdamsThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)James AdamsThe Great Invisible is a dense, disturbing look at the effects (personal, political, economic, ecological, macro, micro) of the disaster.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeA powerful documentary that reminds those of us who've moved on to other worries that this one is far from finished -- and that a government that proclaimed outrage during the summer of 2010 has seemingly done little to prevent or prepare for another such catastrophe.
- 80VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangA uniquely thought-provoking chronicle of an event that, in the absence of any real preventive action taken by oil companies or the U.S. government, calls out for further cinematic and journalistic attention.
- 75Slant MagazineNick PriggeSlant MagazineNick PriggeIt effectively demonstrates how the systemic cause of the Deepwater Horizon explosion was tied as much to society's staggering dependence on fossil fuels as to the oil industry's greed.
- 75RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyRogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyThe Great Invisible is strongest when it focuses on the micro rather than the macro. How the spill impacted individuals in the region is the real story of The Great Invisible.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenMargaret Brown’s quietly infuriating documentary film about the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, includes depressing information that many would probably be happier not knowing.
- 70Los Angeles TimesMartin TsaiLos Angeles TimesMartin TsaiThe Great Invisible gives voice to many of the previously nameless and faceless victims of the disaster. Some worked on the oil rig that fateful day; others have suffered its environmental and economic consequences.
- 60The DissolveScott TobiasThe DissolveScott TobiasThe film is righteous but propagandistic, gearing its considerable insight into the Deepwater disaster and its aftermath into a narrow, prodding call to arms. For a documentary wide-ranging to the point of being diffuse, the last-ditch rallying cry seems entirely out of place. It undermines its own complexity.
- 58The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloIt does put a human face on the suffering of those who lost jobs and/or loved ones, which has some value, but anyone hoping for a more nuanced take than “corporations are bad and regular folks are good” will be disappointed.
- 50Village VoiceErnest HardyVillage VoiceErnest HardyUnfortunately, given both its content and the media's collective failure to fully report the (ongoing) story, the film only intermittently has a pulse.