Critics’ reviews

Outbreak (1995)

9 reviews from 9 publications. Critics’ score 65: 4 positive, 4 mixed, 1 negative.

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65
Positive
4
Mixed
4
Negative
1
Radio Times
★★★★ · Tony Sloman
80

Sloman finds it an exciting, effective thriller, despite Hoffman lacking the heroic quality the role needs. He praises Petersen’s handling of the effects and the strong supporting cast.

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Empire
1 January 2000 · Ian Nathan
75*

Nathan finds the film an entertaining, nerve-rattling thriller despite a slack final quarter and a corny script. He praises its gripping first hour and potent premise, while faulting the late shift toward an implausible action chase.

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RogerEbert.com
10 March 1995 · ★★★/4 · Roger Ebert
75

The page could not be read, so its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be verified. The URL identifies it as RogerEbert.com’s review of the 1995 film.

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Variety
12 March 1995 · Todd McCarthy
75*

McCarthy finds the film an absorbing, commercially potent thriller despite its shift from plausible suspense to improbable action. He particularly praises Wolfgang Petersen’s fluid direction and the film’s technical craft.

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The New York Times
10 March 1995
65*

The URL identifies this as a review of Outbreak, but the article text is inaccessible. Its headline singles out Dustin Hoffman as the hero and the virus as the villain; the critic’s overall verdict cannot be verified.

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The New Yorker
20 March 1995 · Terrence Rafferty
64*

Rafferty’s Current Cinema piece discusses Outbreak alongside I Am Cuba, but the accessible page does not reveal his verdict. The archive listing provides no specific praise or complaint about either film.

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Time Out
· SGr
64*

The available page identifies this as a film review, but provides no readable critical verdict. Its description presents the disease as exceptionally deadly, but does not reveal anything the critic specifically praises or complains about.

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Los Angeles Times
10 March 1995 · Peter Rainer
30*

Rainer finds the film a preposterous, visceral B-movie dressed in action-adventure spectacle, with its plausibility undermining its serious viral fears. He praises the transmission sequence showing how one infected monkey spreads the virus, while wishing for more scientific detective work.

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Consequence
8 March 2020 · Joe Lipsett
50*

The critic finds Outbreak effective and frightening in its quarantine scenes, but let down by a draggy, action-heavy third act. Petersen’s staging of Cedar Creek’s isolation and the emotional distance between people earns particular praise.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate