--- title: "The First Slam Dunk: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-first-slam-dunk/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-first-slam-dunk" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 10 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 First Slam Dunk (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 10 reviews: 7 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The First Slam Dunk, with praise centred on the animation and the clarity, speed and physical force of its basketball sequences. The action gives the characters’ feelings a convincing physical expression, making the match matter beyond the score. Several reviews find the drama affecting despite its familiar sports-story formulas, and admire how the choreography makes a complicated game readable and exciting. The reservations concern pacing, accessibility and the interruptions to the match. Some critics find the basketball strategy demanding or feel the film assumes prior knowledge; others note repetition and the strain of fitting numerous character stories into one film. The spread is fairly broad, though positive reviews predominate. The Skinny is the clearest dissenter, finding that clashing animation styles and sporadic flashbacks weaken the tension. The AV Club remains favourable but also flags racist tropes. ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 28 July 2023. Ehrlich calls the film a thrilling, emotionally layered crowd-pleaser. He especially praises how its detailed depiction of basketball turns the game into an expansive source of human drama. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-first-slam-dunk-movie-review-1234889359/) ## Little White Lies — Esther Rosenfield Rating 3/4/4. 30 August 2023. Rosenfield finds the film thrilling and calls it a total slam dunk. She particularly praises the clarity and exhilarating choreography of the basketball action. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-first-slam-dunk) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 29 August 2023. The critic praises the film as kinetic, poetic anime. They single out its supercharged basketball drama and motion. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-first-slam-dunk-2023) ## The AV Club — Jacob Oller Rating 7.8. 28 July 2023. Oller finds the film an ambitious, effective balance of familiar sports-anime storytelling and visual innovation. He especially praises the kinetic animation and heart-stopping finale, while noting that the film can feel repetitive and retains racist tropes. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-first-slam-dunk-review) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2023. The critic finds the film an exhilarating, emotionally grounded sports anime, even though its story relies on familiar formulas. They single out the fluid, tactile animation for capturing the speed and physicality of basketball. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/first-slam-dunk-inoue-takehikos-scintillating-basketball-anime-captures-thrill-competitive-sport) ## Slant Magazine — Ross McIndoe Rating 3/4. 23 July 2023. McIndoe finds the film exhilarating despite its difficulty fitting the manga’s many stories into two hours. He praises the vivid, inventive animation and the way the basketball game gives characters’ inner lives physical expression. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-first-slam-dunk-review-inoue-takehiko/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 27 July 2023. The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be verified from the provided text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/27/movies/the-first-slam-dunk-review-style-points.html) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Rating 3/5. 3 September 2023. Ide finds the film dynamic and unexpectedly affecting, while noting that its basketball strategy can feel overcomplicated. She praises its sparse, handsome animation and springy nonlinear structure for refreshing the sports-movie genre. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/sep/03/the-first-slam-dunk-review-dynamic-basketball-anime-takehiko-inoue) ## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2023. Festival review. Robertson finds the film’s long, difficult pacing ultimately pays off in suspense. He praises the kinetic basketball sequences and inventive animation, while noting that the film assumes familiarity with basketball. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-first-slam-dunk-2022-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) ## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn Rating ★★. 17 August 2023. The review finds the film an uneven blend of heartfelt drama and a meat-headed sports movie. It criticises the jarring animation styles and the sporadic flashbacks, which undermine the match’s tension. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-first-slam-dunk) --- © 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-first-slam-dunk.md