--- title: "The City of Lost Children: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-city-of-lost-children/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-city-of-lost-children" critics_score: 73 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." --- # The City of Lost Children (1995): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 9 reviews: 6 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The City of Lost Children, with praise concentrated on its surreal imagery, imaginative design and sinister fairytale world. The reviews repeatedly admire the blend of dreams, grotesque humour and Gothic fantasy, finding plenty of invention even when the storytelling proves less satisfying. Performances also draw praise for giving the elaborate surroundings a human centre, particularly through the relationship between the strongman and the orphan thief. The main disagreement concerns how much emotional weight the story carries. Empire finds the central partnership touching and the plot involving, while RogerEbert.com admires the images but finds less reason to care about the narrative. Other reservations concern disjointed storytelling, visual gimmickry and a sense that the many ideas never quite come together. The spread runs from enthusiastic approval to mixed responses rather than outright rejection: critics largely agree on the visual imagination, but differ over whether it sustains a whole film. ## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 1995. The City of Lost Children is a stunningly surreal fantasy and one of the most audacious, original films of the year, with brilliantly realized world-building and strong performances that balance its dazzle. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-22-ca-16731-story.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 August 2014. The critic describes the film as a hugely inventive blend of dream, fairytale and myth set in a strange, sinister world with its own crazy logic. They single out the extraordinary visual and narrative inventiveness of Jeunet and Caro. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-city-of-lost-children) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film is a worthy successor to Delicatessen, with a more expansive though no less weird picture set in a fantastical alternate world. It succeeds through its touching team-up between a strongman and orphan thief and an involving, moving plot that supports the astonishing visuals. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/city-lost-children-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 1995. The film excels in its astonishing visuals and imaginative design but falls short as a narrative, functioning more as a visual exercise than a story one cares about. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/city-of-lost-children-1995) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 1995. The film captures a child's fevered nightmare with intense surreal imagery but becomes overly enamored with visual gimmickry, resulting in a disjointed and emotionally chilly story. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/15/movies/film-review-out-of-the-fever-dreams-of-a-child.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 1 January 1995. A vibrant, grotesque adult fairy tale full of breathtaking effects and in-your-face imagery that hits sensory highs but too rarely engages deeper emotions. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/the-city-of-lost-children-1200440307/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2006. The critic describes the film as a work of originality without precedent that is unique and unsafe, enriched by grotesque imagery, labyrinthine sub-plots, desperate romanticism, black-blooded humour, a cornucopia of ideas and dazzling brilliance. They single out its dangerous, imaginative power and Gothic absurdity for praise. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=11985) ## /Film — Witney Seibold Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2026. The critic calls the film a visually striking steampunk oddity and a glorious nightmare for kids, blending Tim Burton's Gothic impulses with Terry Gilliam's chaotic storytelling. They single out its dazzling, expressionistic visuals and unique fairy-tale narrative for praise while noting its cult appeal despite narrative complexity. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/2095061/ron-perlman-1995-sci-fi-fantasy-movie-the-city-of-lost-children/) ## The Skinny — Michael Jaconelli Rating ★★★. 16 March 2016. The critic finds the film a strange, inventive blend of fairy tale, dreams and steampunk that is a visual treat but never fully coalesces into a whole. They single out the eye-catching costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier and atmospheric score by Angelo Badalamenti for praise amid the grisly underworld and influences from Verne, Dickens and Gilliam. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/the-city-of-lost-children) --- © 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/the-city-of-lost-children.md