--- title: "Queer: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/queer/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/queer" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 19 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." --- # Queer (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 19 reviews: 15 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics agree on one thing: Daniel Craig. Almost every review, positive or not, singles out his performance as William Lee, calling it committed, vulnerable and free of vanity, and several rate it among his best. Praise also gathers around the first half, the chemistry with Drew Starkey and the studio-built recreation of 1950s Mexico City. The reservations are just as consistent: the extended jungle and ayahuasca stretch is called repetitive and dragging, the final act wayward, and the epilogue unsatisfying. The spread is wide. Fifteen of nineteen reviews are positive, but the dissent is sharp rather than mild. The Guardian finds the manicured production design at odds with Burroughs’s grime, the Times calls the film dramatically inert despite its looks, and the Evening Standard says it needs to be dirtier and slides into pretentiousness. Vulture’s complaint is different: the film is emotionally sealed off, its style more engaging than its story. ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critics Pick. 4 September 2024. Festival review. The critic highlights Daniel Craig's bold, funny, and vulnerable performance as the younger Burroughs figure, infusing the character with wit and romantic longing. It singles out the luscious first half as a barbed comedy of liberation and the film's daring, if uneven, psychedelic turn. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/queer-review-daniel-craig-luca-guadagnino-1236127541/) ## Film Comment — José Teodoro Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2024. Festival review. The critic praises Guadagnino’s adaptation for its tender exploration of longing and connection, highlighting Daniel Craig’s revelatory performance as the vulnerable, eccentric Bill Lee amid counterintuitive casting choices. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/love-and-death-tiff-2024/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/4/4. 11 December 2024. The review is highly positive, calling the film dreamy, dark and delicious with Craig at his best and Starkey a remarkable foil. Chemistry between the leads and flashes of aching loneliness are praised, though the repetitive ayahuasca trip section is noted as a weaker point. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/queer) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2024. The critic lauds Daniel Craig's fantastic, body-and-soul-baring performance as the lonely expat and notes the film's messy yet poignant exploration of yearning and erotic desire. It singles out the achingly memorable images and the embarrassment of an all-consuming crush. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-11-27/queer-review-daniel-craig-luca-guadagnino-william-burroughs-a24) ## Financial Times — Raphael Abraham Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2024. Festival review. The trippy adaptation allows Daniel Craig to deliver his best-ever performance as a sweaty, predatory expat; the film mixes seedy and suave elements effectively but becomes wayward in its final act. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/f22811ee-ac42-4a2e-91c6-696864425cc5) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2024. A rewarding film about the vast beauty and sadness a fleeting love affair can provide, even if messier than Challengers. Craig is fantastic as the love-starved hero in this heady, explicit adaptation. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/daniel-craig-rejects-bond-machismo-once-again-queer-3422318) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 November 2024. A feverish, quietly sad exploration of longing and infatuation that may not be Guadagnino's best film but is arguably the most him. Daniel Craig delivers a phenomenal, vulnerable performance as William Lee. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/queer/) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 3/5. 3 September 2024. Craig is fully committed with fine support from the cast, and the film is technically well-crafted in evoking 1950s Latin America. The meandering narrative, overly long trip sequence and unsatisfying epilogue are criticized for failing to hold attention. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/queer-review-daniel-craig/) ## Time Out — Sophie Monks Kaufman Rating 3/5. 3 September 2024. Craig gives a phenomenal, full-bodied performance as the seedy lead, and the film has steamy moments worth the trip. The critic singles out Guadagnino's overly aesthetic and coy approach to desire, plus the unconvincing and dragging jungle sequence, as drawbacks. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/queer-review-2024) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2024. The critic praises Daniel Craig’s committed, vanity-free performance as William Lee but criticizes the film’s overly artificial, manicured production design that undermines the gritty realism of Burroughs’s world, along with an overlong and baggy second half. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/15/queer-review-daniel-craig-luca-guadagnino-artificial-looking-william-s-burroughs-adaptation) ## Evening Standard — Jo-Ann Titmarsh Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2024. Festival review. Despite Daniel Craig’s superb performance, the film fails to soar and needs to be dirtier. The highly choreographed sequences bore and drag it into pretentiousness, though there are some great moments and performances. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/queer-venice-film-festival-review-review-daniel-craig-luca-guadagnino-b1179853.html) ## Screen Daily 3 September 2024. Festival review. The review highlights the oddness of the adaptation and strong push-and-pull performances from Craig and Starkey in the central relationship. The studio backlots are praised for enhancing the 1950s atmosphere, while noting the film delivers provocation without the haunting power of other Burroughs adaptations. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/queer-venice-review/5196707.article) ## Sight and Sound 21 October 2024. The critic praises Guadagnino's poetic reinvention of Burroughs' story as a tragic fantasy about unreciprocated gay love and loneliness, transformed from its grimy source material. Daniel Craig delivers a brilliant, needy performance as the lead, with striking visual interpretations of desire singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/queer-luca-guadagnino-finds-romance-william-s-burroughs-story-obsession-squalor) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 3 September 2024. Festival review. Guadagnino meets Burroughs on his own slippery terms in a mesmerizing adaptation that drifts hypnotically between realism and hallucination. Daniel Craig delivers a transfixing performance as the magnetic yet vulnerable William Lee, fueled by sensuality, loneliness and unrequited desire. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/queer-review-daniel-craig-luca-guadagninos-1235986089/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic’s Pick. 27 November 2024. The critic praises Daniel Craig's seductive and damaged performance as the dissolute American expat in this handsome adaptation. It highlights the film's focus on desire and the protagonist's feverish, predatory presence. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/27/movies/queer-review-daniel-craig-luca-guadagnino.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★☆☆☆. 13 December 2024. Daniel Craig delivers a dazzling performance as the gay hedonist, but the film is ultimately boring, empty, ill-disciplined and dramatically inert despite its visual appeal. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/queer-review-daniel-craig-movie-fzcmznmb3) ## Vulture 3 September 2024. Festival review. The film is emotionally sealed off despite its erotic heat, with stylistic choices more engaging than the central story. Guadagnino's personal connection to the material is appreciated, but the gap between the outline and the filmmaker's ambitions leaves viewers on the outside. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-luca-guadagninos-queer-is-a-challenging-movie.html) ## /Film — Jeremy Mathai Rating 8.5/10. 7 October 2024. Daniel Craig gives a sensational, transformative performance as the lead in this must-see odyssey that mixes lust, love, and self-loathing. The film features explicit scenes that live up to the hype and builds to a discomfiting, interpretive ending. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1682033/queer-review-daniel-craig-luca-guadagnino-movie/) ## Consequence Rating B+. 28 March 2025. The critic praises Craig's dynamic, versatile performance and Guadagnino's ability to capture place and atmosphere, while noting the film rambles at times with a narrative that lacks a stronger spine. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2025/03/queer-review-luca-guadagnino-daniel-craig/) ## NME — Matthew Turner Rating 4/5. 4 September 2024. The critic calls it a sweaty, sexy, and horny adaptation where Craig delivers one of his best performances, with strong chemistry and memorable supporting turns that make the film both touching and weird. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/queer-review-daniel-craig-james-bond-3790461) ## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn Rating 4/5. 9 December 2024. The review hails it as a trippy and compassionate adaptation with Craig brilliant as the rakish, vulnerable Lee, praising the stylized study of unrequited desire while noting a slight falter in the surreal final stretch. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/queer-luca-guadagnino) ## The Playlist — Marshall Shaffer Rating B. 3 September 2024. Festival review. The review finds the film fascinating but unsettled and inconsistent, with strong visual flair and standout performances from Craig and Starkey that capture elusive intimacy and desire. Narrative lulls and a somewhat flimsy structure prevent it from fully cohering despite its sensory strengths. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/queer-review-luca-guadagninos-burroughs-adaptation-with-daniel-craig-is-fascinating-but-unsettled-venice-20240903/) ## Digital Spy — David Opie Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2024. The review emphasizes that Queer is about far more than its graphic sex scenes, celebrating its exploration of connection, longing, and loss through a moving central performance and emotional depth. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a63159554/queer-daniel-craig-sex/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2024. Festival review. The critic praises the transportive recreation of mid-century Mexico City and Craig's performance of longing and unmet desire, with the film finding ecstasy in the wait rather than the act. The extended coda and third chapter feel frustrating after a strong build. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/queer-daniel-craig-review/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 7/10. 13 September 2024. Festival review. The critic calls it an audacious adaptation that fits Guadagnino's oeuvre, praising Craig's captivating performance and the film's vibe and themes of addictive love while noting the final third feels somewhat disconnected. [Read the review](https://collider.com/queer-movie-review-daniel-craig/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise 3 September 2024. Festival review. The critic calls the film a superb literary adaptation in which Daniel Craig nails Burroughs' sardonic spirit. Guadagnino humanizes the writer through an insightful focus on love, loss, yearning and the final journal entry equating love with the most natural painkiller. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/09/queer-review-luca-guadagnino-daniel-craig-venice-film-festival-1236076219/) ## Film Stories — James Harvey 13 December 2024. The critic describes it as a slightly depressing romance that's hard to watch at times, centering on obsession and the ugliness beneath desire in a bleak Mexico City setting. Craig delivers a brilliantly contradictory lead performance, but the film feels frustratingly plot-lite and bleak overall. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/queer-review-a-tequila-soaked-tale-of-obsession/) ## Paste — Luke Hicks Rating 5.0. 11 October 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the adaptation heavy-handed, overbaked, and sluggish, falling short of Burroughs' novella with too much length and messy metatext, though some early stylistic flourishes and performances stand out. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/luca-guadagnino/queer-2024-review-luca-guadagnino-adaptation-burroughs-problems) --- © 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/queer.md