--- title: "Sacrifice: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/sacrifice/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/sacrifice" critics_score: 50 critics_reviews: 11 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." --- # Sacrifice (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 50 from 11 reviews: 2 positive, 5 mixed, 4 negative. Most critics land in the middle on Romain Gavras’s eco-satire, and the ones who do not are more often against it than for it. What praise there is gathers in two places. The photography and the big set pieces are singled out by reviews that otherwise have little good to say, and Chris Evans’s vain action star is widely thought the best thing in it, believable even when the writing around him is not. Several reviews find the opening stretch at the gala witty and well observed. The reservations are about the satire itself. The targets are called easy and lazily drawn, the politics muddled, and the tone said to slip once the plot leaves the gala. The spread is wide: Deadline finds an emotional payoff that outlasts the jokes, while The Hollywood Reporter calls it a cluttered mess that manages neither sharp comedy nor insight. The AV Club and The Playlist go further, finding nothing under the gestures at all. ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B-. 7 September 2025. Festival review. It's a propulsive comedy that melts into a dreamlike fable, at its best poking fun at easy targets but less interested in that than in ideas about truth and performance; ultimately, it convinces of its message but gives up too much of itself. [Read the review](https://indiewire.com/criticism/movies/sacrifice-movie-review-romain-gavras-anya-taylor-joy-1235149740) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds an initially witty and well-observed satire on celebrity and performative environmentalists that loses its grip once the plot moves beyond the gala setting. Chris Evans delivers a top-tier performance as the vain actor at the centre. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/sep/08/sacrifice-review-starry-satire-pokes-fun-at-celebrity-before-falling-into-a-volcano) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2025. Festival review. The dark satire riffs energetically on celebrity and inequality but is ultimately muddled, working best in hypnotic visual sequences while making a lot of noise without saying much. It has cult potential for younger audiences despite its unfocused message. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/sacrifice-review-chris-evans-and-anya-taylor-joy-head-muddled-romain-gavras-eco-thriller/5208657.article) ## The AV Club — Natalia Keogan Rating C-. 10 September 2025. Festival review. The film attempts to critique vapid culture's inability to confront climate crisis but delivers a superficial satire relying on caricature, with muddled political insights and no coherent provocation. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/sacrifice-review) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds Romain Gavras' satire an audacious but uneven critique of virtue-signaling billionaires and ecoterrorism, where a self-centered movie star's fate becomes central to averting disaster. While noting the film's virtuosity in delivering laughs and thrills, the review highlights struggles with balancing tension and humor, questionable casting choices, and an implausible central premise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/sacrifice-review-chris-evans-1236517629/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the eco-satire overloaded with visual styles and ideas that fail to cohere, making it too slick and preening to generate real concern over accountability. The photography stands out as a highlight amid the undisciplined mix of tones. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/sacrifice-celebrity-stuffed-eco-satire-takes-aim-virtue-signalling-wealthy-elites) ## Little White Lies — Mark Asch Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2025. Festival review. The timely satire on wealthy elites and eco-activists fails to cut through despite its starry cast and flashy set pieces. Characterization remains vague and the targets too lazily drawn to make a sharp impact. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/toronto-film-festival/sacrifice-first-look-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Richard Lawson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the film a cluttered, comic cri de coeur that starts as satire but ventures into stranger territory about faith and sacrifice, praising its visual style but noting it's a mess with clichés and fails to deliver either sharp comedy or profound insight. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/sacrifice-review-chris-evans-anya-taylor-joy-romain-gavras-1236363828/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2025. Festival review. The critic describes the film as an entertaining eco-satire with a surprisingly emotional impact. It singles out the central character's journey and the unexpected emotional payoff that may outlast the jokes. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/09/sacrifice-review-romain-gavras-anya-taylor-joy-chris-evans-1236530838/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 6/10. 7 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds it a decent adventure but says it doesn't hit hard enough with its satire on celebrity and the rich. Praises the visuals and performances of Evans and Taylor-Joy. [Read the review](https://collider.com/sacrifice-review-anya-taylor-joy-chris-evans/) ## The Playlist — Chase Hutchinson Rating D+. 14 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the film profoundly glib and devoid of depth, failing to meaningfully engage with environmental themes despite gesturing towards them. Chris Evans is believable as an arrogant action star hack, though the material he is given is uninteresting. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/sacrifice-review-chris-evans-is-a-believable-action-star-hack-in-romain-gavras-glib-thriller-tiff-20250914/) --- © 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/sacrifice.md