Most critics respond positively to For Those in Peril, with praise clustering around its performances and its attempts to give grief a visible form. George MacKay receives repeated approval for an understated, emotionally forceful performance, while the coastal setting and inventive imagery help establish the film’s unsettling atmosphere. The more enthusiastic reviews find that its blend of myth and realism deepens the emotion, rather than merely decorating an account of trauma.
Reservations concern how consistently those choices work. Several critics find the film uneven or not entirely convincing, with complaints about cliché, competing ideas and uncertain dramatic momentum. Empire praises MacKay but finds the results only occasionally powerful; The Skinny admires the boldness while questioning the stylistic excesses and muddy metaphors. The spread runs from strong enthusiasm to qualified appreciation, with no outright negative verdicts, though agreement on the acting is firmer than agreement on the storytelling.