--- title: "Islands: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/islands/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/islands" critics_score: 74 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." --- # Islands (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 12 reviews: 7 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics approve and none is hostile: seven positive notices, five mixed. The praise clusters on Sam Riley, whose weary, dissolute Tom is named in half the reviews as the film’s anchor, with Stacy Martin and Jack Farthing cited alongside him. The Fuerteventura setting draws comment too, both for its widescreen isolation and for its seedy picture of the package holiday, and several reviews admire the film’s subtle, unresolved handling of its central mystery. The reservations cluster on length and shape. More than one review finds the second act overlong and the tension slackening towards the close, and the mixed notices agree that the film is stronger as a portrait of Tom’s discontent than as a thriller, with the investigation called anticlimactic and the final reveal underwhelming. The spread is moderate rather than wide; the outlier is the Evening Standard, which awards full marks and finds a sizzling Hitchcockian mystery where others see a slow burn. ## Evening Standard — Nick Howells Rating 5/5. 10 September 2025. Howells praises the film as a sizzling, slow-burning mystery that becomes a distinctive European arthouse piece. He singles out its atmospheric soundtrack, Hitchcockian imagery and a jaw-dropping camel scene. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/islands-review-sam-riley-stacy-martin-hitchcockian-b1246794.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 16 February 2025. Debruge finds the film a compelling, existential thriller about people trapped in lives of their own making. He praises Fuerteventura’s widescreen imagery for reinforcing the characters’ isolation. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/islands-review-sam-riley-1236309734/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 18 February 2025. Festival review. Ehrlich finds the film gripping, hypnotic, and unexpectedly hopeful. He singles out the tense, languid interplay between Tom’s possible future and the mystery of Dave’s disappearance. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/islands-movie-review-sam-riley-stacy-martin-1235096571/) ## Little White Lies — Emily Maskell Rating 3/4/3. 9 September 2025. Maskell finds the thriller tantalising but says its pacing falters, especially in the overlong second act. She praises the film’s subtle ambiguity, seductive atmosphere and the lead performances. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/islands) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2025. The review finds the film absorbing and inventive, though too ponderous and reserved to work as a thriller. It particularly praises Sam Riley’s nuanced performance and the film’s subtle, unresolved paternity mystery. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/islands-sam-riley-superb-burned-out-tennis-pro-this-slippery-summer-noir) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 February 2025. Festival review. Rooney finds the film absorbing and well-acted, though overlong and weakened by tension that slackens in its closing stretch. He especially praises Sam Riley and Stacy Martin’s compelling performances and the atmospheric island setting. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/islands-review-sam-riley-stacy-martin-jack-farthing-1236138327/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 16 February 2025. Bradshaw finds the film smart and intriguing, though its dramatic shape and emotional focus could be sharper. He praises its subtle approach to the mystery and the strong performances, especially from Sam Riley, Stacy Martin and Jack Farthing. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/16/islands-review-sexual-tension-and-dangerously-polite-encounters) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 16 February 2025. Screen Daily identifies this as a review of Jan Ole Gerster’s 2025 film. The review’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint are unavailable in the paywall shell. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/islands-review-sam-riley-stacy-martin-scorch-in-canary-islands-suspense/5202038.article) ## Slant Magazine — Taylor Williams Rating 2.5/4. 25 January 2026. Williams finds the film most compelling as a portrait of Tom’s existential malaise, but says its crime plot pushes him toward an unearned epiphany. He praises the hypnotic attention to Tom’s routine and the film’s subtle treatment of class, while faulting its anticlimactic investigation. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/islands-review-sam-riley/) ## Deadline — Nicolas Rapold Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 February 2025. Festival review. Rapold finds the slow-burn drama’s portrait of ordinary discontent quietly affecting, though its languid romantic tension can feel underplayed. He particularly praises Sam Riley’s weary yet diligent performance, while noting Stacy Martin could bring more urgency. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/02/islands-review-jan-ole-gerster-sa-riley-stacy-martin-slow-burn-drama-1236291477/) ## Eye for Film — Richard Mowe Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 August 2025. Mowe finds the thriller accomplished but overlong, with a final reveal that feels underwhelming. He praises the actors’ skill, especially Sam Riley’s portrayal of the dissolute Tom. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/islands-2025-film-review-by-richard-mowe) ## The Skinny — Carmen Paddock Rating ★★★. 18 August 2025. Festival review. The review finds the central mystery disappointing, though the film works better as a study of people trapped in the liminal world of package holidays. It praises Sam Riley’s portrayal of Tom’s frustration and the film’s depiction of the holidays’ seedy underbelly. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/eiff-2025-islands) --- © 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/islands.md