--- title: "Scott Walker: 30 Century Man: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/scott-walker-30-century-man/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/scott-walker-30-century-man" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 9 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." --- # Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2007): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 9 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics like Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, and the praise clusters in the same places: the access Kijak gets to a famously private musician, the archival performances, and the sequences in which fellow musicians listen to Walker’s records and react with open astonishment. Several reviewers see it as an affectionate tribute that will please longtime fans and send newcomers to the albums, and the animated interpretations of the songs are picked out as the film’s most distinctive touch. The spread is wide. Two reviews pull hard against the rest: The Guardian finds the film painfully reverent, with a rock-nerd feel its graphics cannot disguise, while The Hollywood Reporter struggles to take it seriously and suggests its treatment of Walker’s perfectionism tips into absurdity. Even one of the admirers has doubts about Walker’s later music and some of the film’s choices. The reviews lean positive, but the dissenters are not mild. ## Time Out — Trevor Johnston Rating 5/5. 24 April 2007. The review calls the film a definitive portrait of an elusive musician and says it has nearly everything one could want from a music documentary. It singles out the breadth of the film’s coverage as a strength. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/scott-walker-30-century-man-3) ## Empire — empire Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2007. Empire calls the documentary captivating, especially for fans of Scott Walker or music more broadly. It praises the access to Walker and highlights a sequence where musicians listen to his albums in astonishment. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/scott-walker-30th-century-man-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Mark Olsen Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 February 2009. Olsen presents the documentary as an engaging tribute to Scott Walker and his unconventional musical path. He particularly praises the musicians’ reactions to Walker’s recordings, which convey their surprise and delight. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-walker27-2009feb27-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — N.P. Thompson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2008. Thompson sees the documentary as an affecting tribute, despite criticizing Walker’s later music and some of the film’s choices. The review especially praises the archival performances and Kijak’s sensitive, evocative visual presentation. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/spaceage-love-songs-scott-walker-30-century-man/) ## Variety — Eddie Cockrell Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 March 2007. Festival review. Cockrell finds the documentary absorbing and expects it to delight Walker’s longtime fans while attracting new listeners. He singles out the animated interpretations of Walker’s songs as the film’s most interesting touch. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2007/film/markets-festivals/scott-walker-30-century-man-1200509880/) ## Screen Daily — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 5 November 2006. The page identifies this as a review, but its paywall prevents access to the critic’s verdict. The visible text does not reveal what the critic singled out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/scott-walker-30-century-man/4029464.article) ## The Guardian — Andrew Pulver Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 27 April 2007. Pulver finds the documentary painfully reverent, with a rock-nerd feel that its graphics cannot overcome. He singles out Walker performing Jacques Brel on The Frankie Howerd Show as its most striking moment. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/apr/27/musicdocumentary) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Ray Bennett Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 February 2007. Festival review. The critic finds the documentary difficult to take seriously, though it may appeal to pop ironists as parody. He singles out the film’s treatment of Walker’s perfectionism as especially absurd. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/scott-walker-30-century-man-159350/) ## Eye for Film — Leanne McGrath Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 July 2007. The critic calls the documentary an affectionate, thoroughly enjoyable tribute and recommends it to music fans. She praises its entertaining account of Walker’s career and access to his unusual recording process. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/scott-walker-30-century-man-film-review-by-leanne-mcgrath) --- © 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/scott-walker-30-century-man.md