--- title: "Leave the World Behind: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/leave-the-world-behind/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/leave-the-world-behind" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 13 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." --- # Leave the World Behind (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 13 reviews: 9 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics like it, but the spread is wide. The praise settles on the cast: Julia Roberts is named again and again, with The Telegraph calling this her strongest cinema role in years, and Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke are singled out nearly as often. The reviews also agree that Esmail builds tension well in the first half, when two families are shut in a luxury house with the internet gone, and several note the off-kilter camerawork. The reservations gather around what happens once the crisis widens. The New York Times finds the film less effective the more explicit it becomes, Vulture finds the characters thin and the disaster sequences half-finished, and Empire says it never settles on a target. Several middling reviews complain that the politics are heavy-handed and that the ending withholds too much. The keenest supporters say the vagueness is the point; the doubters say it is a shrug dressed as profundity. ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2023. Festival review. With Hitchcockian flair, it's a confident, entertaining thriller with excellent performances and superb escalation of tension; singles out Julia Roberts' commanding turn and the ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/leave-the-world-behind-afi-fest-review/5187264.article) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 26 November 2023. The critic describes the film as a cracking apocalyptic thriller that is sharp-witted, bracingly bleak and immensely enjoyable. They single out the superb performances by Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali along with the film's big-hitting ambition and spectacle tempered by humour. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/26/leave-the-world-behind-review-julia-roberts-mahershala-ali-sam-esmail-obama-rumaan-alam) ## The Telegraph — Chief Film Critic Rating 4/5. 8 December 2023. The critic praises the film as an enthralling thriller in which Julia Roberts delivers her best cinema role in years. They highlight the recognisable human behaviour driving the story and the way it plays on social tensions without becoming preachy. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/leave-the-world-behind-review-julia-roberts-ethan-hawke/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2023. Festival review. Esmail delivers an intriguing, slow-burn thriller focused on human behavior and prejudice under pressure, with strong character work and a satisfying final scene. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/leave-the-world-behind-review-julia-roberts-1235768826/) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 3/5. The critic finds it a fitfully engaging apocalypse drama with some spectacular sequences like the oil tanker but others like the deer herd that don't work; praises Julia Roberts' performance and the funny Friends subplot, notes it might suit TV better. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ue99g4/leave-the-world-behind/) ## RogerEbert.com — Robert Daniels Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2023. The film understands post-apocalyptic mechanics and features strong performances and dynamic camerawork but fails to generate meaningful stakes or emotional depth. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/leave-the-world-behind-movie-review-2023) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2023. The adaptation turns the novel’s ambiguity into something more explicit and less effective, going awry once the larger crisis is revealed. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/07/movies/leave-the-world-behind-review.html) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2023. The critic finds the adaptation unconvincing as an apocalyptic thriller, with cardboard-cutout characters that the film shows little interest in and half-assed disaster sequences that fail to cohere. It piles on weird events without delivering compelling or terrifying visions of the end times. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-netflixs-leave-the-world-behind.html) ## Empire — Lillian Crawford 7 December 2023. The apocalyptic thriller collapses on itself despite a starry cast and suspenseful filmmaking. Esmail's adaptation fails to commit to any clear target amid hackneyed themes, poor CGI, and a baffling conclusion. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/leave-the-world-behind/) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★★☆. 23 November 2023. The critic finds the film an addictive parlour game and chewy treatise on human behaviour that upends archetypes in an Airbnb apocalypse scenario. They single out the way the characters' flawed, recognisable reactions and social frictions drive the story. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/1586b561-36f4-4e72-9faf-7dd23df3fed0) ## IndieWire — Christian Zilko 26 October 2023. Festival review. The critic describes the film as a messy, well-meaning ode to staying human amid chaos that contains more ideas than it can address in two hours. It is an apocalyptic chamber piece that ultimately feels unfocused despite its strong cast. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/leave-the-world-behind-review-1234920296/) ## Slant Magazine — Steven Scaife Rating 6. 8 December 2023. The critic finds the film an apocalypse thriller that thinks it is smarter than it is, content to blandly shrug in the direction of an amorphous societal chaos. It reaches for a profundity that it fails to achieve after losing its edge once initial tensions dissipate. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/leave-the-world-behind-review-julia-roberts-sam-esmail/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Farber 26 October 2023. Festival review. The critic finds the film sometimes effective as a nightmarish suspense drama about everyday life disintegrating but heavy-handed and unsurprising on its political themes of racial suspicion and environmental catastrophe. Fine performances bolster a problematic picture that offers a few jolts but little fresh insight. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/leave-the-world-behind-review-julia-roberts-mahershala-ali-sam-esmail-1235628482/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 24 November 2023. The critic calls the film a riveting thriller and social satire that combines survivalist drama with pointed commentary on post-pandemic paranoia. They single out the flawless performances and sensational shooting style. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/leave-the-world-behind-film-review-7m2k0cnzc) ## Total Film — Kate Stables 7 December 2023. Esmail delivers a glossy but uneven dystopian drama that cranks up suspense effectively at times but feels torn between racial tensions and CGI disasters. The bickering characters ultimately limit emotional investment in the plausible chaos. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/leave-the-world-behind-review/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating B+. 4 December 2023. Esmail adapts the novel into a tense, small-scale end-of-the-world drama focused on two families trapped in a luxury home amid a cyberattack and blackout. The film excels due to strong performances, especially from Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Mahershala Ali, along with unsettling camerawork that heightens the sense of helplessness. [Read the review](https://collider.com/leave-the-world-behind-movie-review/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2023. The critic calls it one of Netflix's best movies of the year and a gripping, intense apocalyptic thriller adapted by Sam Esmail. It features excellent performances, a distinct offbeat style and tone that keeps viewers hooked despite offering no easy answers to its mysteries. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a46026276/leave-the-world-behind-review-netflix/) ## Paste — Brianna Zigler Rating 7.5/10. 7 December 2023. Esmail delivers a surprisingly light and adventurous take on apocalypse that feels like old-school sci-fi blockbusters, with strong tension, atmosphere, and charismatic star performances. The film creates gripping momentum and wonder even as it explores themes of mistrust and difference in crisis, though the ideas are not always as tightly executed as the execution. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/netflix/leave-the-world-behind-review) ## Polygon — Oli Welsh Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2023. Esmail stages a gripping view of apocalypse from inside a wealthy bubble, using surreal imagery and interpersonal tension between the two families to explore fragility and shared privilege. The film is most assured in its mysterious, bottle-episode setup and strong casting, though it struggles to land on deeper answers about identity or society. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23992542/netflix-leave-the-world-behind-review/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 7/10. 7 December 2023. The critic finds the film a quirky, bleak, weird, and funny apocalyptic story that works despite its deliberate vagueness and lack of answers. They single out the off-kilter cinematography and the film's unflinching hopelessness as refreshing. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1465049/leave-the-world-behind-review/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond 26 October 2023. Festival review. The critic calls the film a riveting and entertaining social thriller that offers a warning to humanity about technology and control, with strong performances especially from Mahershala Ali and Julia Roberts. It stands out for blending disaster elements with paranoia and social commentary rather than relying on typical spectacle. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/10/leave-the-world-behind-review-julia-roberts-ethan-hawke-mahershala-disaster-movie-afi-fest-1235583424/) ## The Wrap 26 October 2023. The critic praises the film as one of the year’s best for its taut, terrifying descent into chaos that feels all too real, anchored by Mahershala Ali’s empathetic performance. It singles out the script’s exploration of racism, misinformation, and loss of control as particularly compelling amid strong ensemble work. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/leave-the-world-behind-review-sam-esmail-netflix/) --- © 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/leave-the-world-behind.md