--- title: "Empire of Light: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/empire-of-light/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/empire-of-light" critics_score: 56 critics_reviews: 28 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Empire of Light (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 56 from 28 reviews: 10 positive, 10 mixed, 8 negative. The consensus on Empire of Light is mixed, with firmer agreement on the performances and visual craft than on the story. Olivia Colman draws praise across much of the critical divide, while Micheal Ward’s warmth and the pair’s chemistry also win approval. Roger Deakins’ cinematography and the detailed cinema setting are recurring strengths, including among critics who find the drama unconvincing. Admirers respond to its tenderness and affection for cinema staff. The spread is wide: some reviews find the film moving and humane; others find it sentimental, contrived and overstuffed. Reservations cluster around storylines that fail to cohere and uneven treatment of racism and mental health. Even those subjects divide critics: Eye for Film praises the sensitive portrayal of schizophrenia, while The Wrap faults the handling of mental health and racism. Several reviews question whether the film’s affection for cinema produces the emotional force it seeks. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2022. Festival review. Bradshaw finds the film a poignant, humane revival of the cinematic love-letter genre. He particularly praises Olivia Colman’s performance and Roger Deakins’ cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/12/empire-of-light-review-olivia-colman-shines-in-sam-mendes-darkening-hymn-to-cinema) ## Evening Standard — Luke Hearfield Rating 4/5. 5 January 2023. Hearfield finds the film touching and heartwarming, though its script handles racism and mental health unevenly. He praises the electric chemistry between Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward, along with the film’s technical craft. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/empire-of-light-review-sam-mendes-micheal-ward-olivia-colman-b1025798.html) ## Radio Times — Stephen Applebaum Rating 4/5. The review presents Mendes’s film as an ambitious, personal drama. It singles out Micheal Ward’s performance for warmth and sensitivity. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7p471i/empire-of-light/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2022. Festival review. Debruge finds the film a thoughtful, warmly positive tribute to the people who bring a cinema to life, even as it tackles social issues and mental health. He especially praises Olivia Colman’s performance, while noting that the polished cinematography can feel less intimate than the story needs. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/empire-of-light-review-olivia-colman-micheal-ward-1235359331/) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2022. Festival review. The review presents the film as a sentimental, positive ode to cinema. It singles out Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward for shining in their roles. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/empire-of-light-toronto-review/5174381.article) ## The AV Club — Jack Smart Rating B-. 6 December 2022. The review finds the film visually evocative but uneven, with too many storylines that fail to cohere. It praises Olivia Colman’s performance and singles out Roger Deakins’ warm lighting and the theater’s striking production design. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/empire-of-light-movie-review-olivia-colman-sam-mendes-1849857511) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The URL identifies this as RogerEbert.com’s review of the 2022 film. The page was blocked by a browser check, so its verdict and specific praise or complaint could not be verified. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/empire-of-light-movie-review-2022) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2022. Festival review. Linden finds the film crowd-pleasing but uneven, with some contrivances that weaken its themes. She particularly praises Olivia Colman’s stirring performance and the film’s richly realized cinema setting. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/empire-of-light-olivia-colman-sam-mendes-1235207587/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2022. The article is identified as a review of the specified film, but its text is unavailable. I cannot determine the critic’s verdict or what the review singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/movies/empire-of-light-review.html) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2023. Nugent finds the film evocative and gorgeously staged, but says it does not quite cohere. He praises the cinematography and period production design while noting that the story seems confused about its aims. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-of-light/) ## Total Film — Neil Smith Rating 3/5. 12 September 2022. Smith finds Mendes’ film an elegant homage that is less moving than its direction promises. He praises Olivia Colman’s standout scenes but criticizes the film’s schematic construction and clunky metaphors. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/empire-of-light-review/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating C-. 3 September 2022. Festival review. Ehrlich finds the film clumsy and stilted, ultimately not worth seeing in a theater. He praises Micheal Ward’s warm performance and the lovingly recreated cinema, especially its meticulous details. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/empire-of-light-review-1234758188/) ## Slant Magazine — Kenji Fujishima Rating 2/4. 14 September 2022. The critic finds the film a muddled, heavy-handed tribute whose romantic and social concerns overshadow its supposed love of cinema. He praises Micheal Ward’s exuberant performance, but says the climactic moviegoing moment fails to feel transcendent. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/empire-of-light-review-olivia-colman-sam-mendes/) ## Little White Lies — Mark Asch Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. Asch finds the film mawkish and emotionally unconvincing, with Colman’s performance pushed beyond what the material can bear. He praises the gorgeous cinematography and period production design, while faulting the film’s romanticized vision of the cinema. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/empire-of-light-first-look-review) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2022. Walsh finds the film’s story too scattershot and contrived to deliver the emotional sweep it aims for. She praises Olivia Colman’s performance and Roger Deakins’ beautiful cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-12-07/review-empire-of-light-sam-medes-olivia-colman) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 October 2022. Festival review. The critic finds the film thematically shallow, with unresolved storylines and clunky dialogue. They praise its evocative cinematography and setting, as well as Olivia Colman’s performance. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/empire-light-disappointing-season-excursion) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 9 January 2023. Newland finds the film bland and fatally flawed, with themes and plotlines that never cohere. She praises its beautiful visuals, but criticizes its underdeveloped relationship and handling of racial politics. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/empire-of-light-review-cheap-undercooked-and-fatally-flawed-2072881) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. Brody finds the film’s motives and premises compelling but judges its drama and characterization unsuccessful. He praises the theatre’s distinctive architecture, while faulting the film for lacking nuance and inner life. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/empire-of-light-reviewed-sam-mendess-synthetic-paean-to-movie-magic) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 9 December 2022. Ebiri finds the film drained of life, emotionally uninvolving, and weighed down by underwritten characters. He singles out the eerie, sickly visual atmosphere, but says it cannot compensate for the film’s lack of texture or engaging storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/empire-of-light-review-somber-static-and-shallow.html) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2022. Festival review. Hammond gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it gripping and satisfying. He especially praises Olivia Colman’s emotionally commanding performance and the film’s loving attention to the old movie theatre. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2022/09/empire-of-light-telluride-review-olivia-coleman-sam-mendes-1235107299/) ## /Film — Sarah Milner Rating 8/10. 19 September 2022. Festival review. Milner finds the film an unconventional, cautiously optimistic romance, though its plot languishes and it avoids a traditional happy ending. She especially praises Olivia Colman’s nuanced performance and the chemistry between Colman and Micheal Wardis. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1015113/empire-of-light-review-sam-mendes-challenges-convention-with-a-unique-love-story-tiff/) ## Paste — Aurora Amidon Rating 7.2/10. 8 December 2022. Amidon finds the film overly sentimental, arguing that its reverence for cinema leads to an unconvincing resolution of serious struggles. She praises Olivia Colman’s nuanced performance and notes Michael Ward’s softness and emotional honesty as a strong complement. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sam-mendes/empire-of-light-review) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 January 2023. Kermode finds the film limited in scope but worthwhile, with its characters gaining depth as the story develops. She particularly praises the sensitive, nonsensational portrayal of schizophrenia and Roger Deakins’s absorbing cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/empire-of-light-2022-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The critic finds the film moving and visually beautiful, but says it falls short of its potential. Roger Deakins’s cinematography and Olivia Colman’s performance are singled out for praise, while the racism subplot and cinema theme feel underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/empire-of-light-review/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2022. Festival review. The available page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no details about what the critic praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/olivia-colman-sam-mendes-empire-of-light-telluride-review-20220903/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating C+. 14 September 2022. Festival review. Bonaime finds the film fragmented and aimless, with too many ideas to form a compelling story. He praises the theater employees’ camaraderie and the cinematography, especially a striking rooftop fireworks scene. [Read the review](https://collider.com/empire-of-light-review-sam-mendes-olivia-colman/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2022. Festival review. The critic finds the film an uneven, unfocused drama that often fails to make its love of cinema resonate. They praise Olivia Colman’s performance and the charm of Hilary and Stephen’s developing relationship, while faulting the handling of mental health and racism. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/empire-of-light-film-review-sam-mendes-olivia-colman-micheal-ward/) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film beautifully made but weighed down by a clumsy, overstuffed script. They praise Roger Deakins’ cinematography and the performances, while faulting the story’s sentimental treatment of its themes. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/empire-of-light-review-sam-mendes-misty-eyed-homage-to-the-movies-3377219) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/empire-of-light.md