--- title: "Gallipoli: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/gallipoli/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/gallipoli" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 12 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." --- # Gallipoli (1981): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 12 reviews: 11 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. With only 5 reviews in so far, most critics praise Peter Weir’s moving account of young Australians going to war, particularly the friendship between its leads. The contrast between the sunlit opening and the trenches draws praise, as does the film’s treatment of comradeship and sacrifice. Reservations concern its historical perspective and pacing: The Telegraph objects to an anti-British bias in the portrayal of command decisions, while Time Out finds the Egypt training section sluggish and its humour crude. The latter is notably cooler than the other reviews, despite admiring the battle photography. ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating A. 19 January 2006. The film follows young Australian soldiers from enlistment through training to the trenches, where their initial sense of adventure gives way to inevitable slaughter. Weir honors the patriotic sacrifice while underscoring the futility, with the unforgettable final freeze-frame singled out as especially powerful. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/gallipoli-1798201366) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls it a haunting and moving tribute to the Australians who sacrificed their lives at Gallipoli, presenting the tragic loss of innocence in a more affecting way than similar films. Weir is praised for portraying the strange calling of war as an intimate elegy through the comradeship and bond between the two leads, contrasted with the Outback and trenches. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/gallipoli-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Daniel Joyaux Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2022. The critic calls “Gallipoli” the purest distillation of Weir’s recurring theme of people finding themselves in the wrong place. He singles out the film’s final five minutes as the most singularly devastating ending in film history. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/features/this-must-not-be-the-place-the-films-of-peter-weir) ## The Guardian Rating A–. 22 January 2009. The critic praises Peter Weir's 1981 film as a magisterial portrait of the Gallipoli campaign and its historical settings. It singles out the moving climax at the Battle of the Nek for its emotional impact while noting some minor historical liberties. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/22/reel-history-gallipoli) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 4/5. This landmark Australian film focuses on the spirit of competition and camaraderie rather than overt pacifism or Anzac pride. Weir effectively contrasts the trenches' chaos with the sunlit opening scenes while centering on the responses of the two young leads. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-swb34t/gallipoli/) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 1981. The film follows young Australian runners into the catastrophic WWI battle at Gallipoli, approaching war obliquely through its beauty and emotional power rather than as a conventional war movie. Weir's delicate style yields uncommon warmth, immediacy and striking images, such as the underwater shot of soldiers in reddening water. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/28/movies/australian-gallipoli.html) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 April 2016. The review calls the film heartbreaking and haunting, praising its depiction of young athletes turned soldiers and the tragic climax at the Nek. It complains about historical inaccuracies, particularly an anti-British bias in the portrayal of command decisions. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11521723/Gallipoli-film-review-heartbreaking.html) ## The Times — Brian Schofield Rating Four stars. 2 April 2006. The critic highlights Gallipoli's beauty and fury as standing out in a Peter Weir DVD collection, crediting the director's Australian sensibility to light and space along with disciplined, compelling storytelling that elevates the leading man. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-dvds-686lbz8t0md) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1980. Weir has fashioned an intimate epic that focuses closely on the relationship between two young Australian runners and how it is affected by events on the Gallipoli battlefield. The film tackles a central Australian legend in human terms and emerges as a highly entertaining drama accessible to all. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1980/film/reviews/gallipoli-1200424980/) ## Time Out — TM Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The film is Australia's answer to Chariots of Fire, buoyed by nationalistic fervour as two sprinters head to the WWI battlefront. The Gallipoli battle reconstructions are handsomely shot and convey the waste of war, but the Egypt training section drags with crass buddy antics and crude caricatures. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gallipoli-1) ## /Film — Rob Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2022. The critic praises the film's portrayal of the collision between youthful idealism and the harsh realities of war, highlighting the strong performances by Mark Lee and Mel Gibson, and the personal story of friendship amid the tragedy of battle. The final freeze-frame is particularly impactful. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1144434/every-peter-weir-movie-ranked-worst-to-best/) ## Collider — Luc Haasbroek Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 December 2023. The review notes that the film brings the Gallipoli campaign to life vividly rather than as a dry history lesson, emphasizing its urgency and how it places the viewer in the soldiers' shoes, contrasting youthful enthusiasm with the horrors of war. [Read the review](https://collider.com/peter-weir-movies-imdb/) --- © 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/gallipoli.md