---
title: "The Neon Demon: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-neon-demon/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-neon-demon"
critics_score: 61
critics_reviews: 28
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 Neon Demon (2016): what the critics said

Critics' score 61 from 28 reviews: 11 positive, 11 mixed, 6 negative.

The reviews lean towards qualified admiration, with praise and mixed verdicts equally common and a substantial minority unconvinced. The clearest agreement concerns the imagery: even detractors admire Refn’s saturated colours, carefully arranged fashion settings and sinister vision of Los Angeles, while Cliff Martinez’s electronic score draws repeated praise. Elle Fanning and Jena Malone receive particular attention from supporters, who find menace, black comedy and a pointed critique of beauty worship beneath the polished surfaces.

The spread is wide, and the central dispute is whether that polish serves anything substantial. Reservations cluster around slow pacing, thin characterisation, stilted dialogue and shocks that some find excessive rather than disturbing. Den of Geek embraces the film as a dark fairy tale and provocative black comedy; the Evening Standard finds it self-indulgent and pompous. Even favourable reviews sometimes question the screenplay, so admiration for the craft does not necessarily mean the drama convinces.

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 June 2016. 

Chang finds the film a hypnotically beautiful, corrosive fashion-world nightmare, and says Refn’s style finally serves its subject. He especially praises the lavish visuals and the sharp interplay among the women, while noting the finale’s deliberately extreme imagery.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-neon-demon-review-20160620-snap-story.html)

## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward

Rating 5/4/5. 19 May 2016. 

The critic calls it Refn’s best film yet, a gorgeous and unsettling work that critiques image-obsessed culture. Elle Fanning’s transformative performance is singled out as the film’s lifeblood.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-neon-demon)

## The Guardian — Mark Kermode

Rating 4/5. 10 July 2016. 

Kermode finds the film a provocative, lurid fable whose guilty pleasures make it both alluring and excessive. He singles out Jena Malone’s fearless performance as its dark heart.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/10/the-neon-demon-review-nicholas-winding-refn)

## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab

Rating 4/5. 6 July 2016. 

Macnab finds the film stylish, jarring, and sharply satirical, though its shifts between elegance and juvenile shock are striking. He singles out its eerie transformation of familiar Los Angeles settings, heightened by Cliff Martinez’s hypnotic score.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-neon-demon-review-a-wonderfully-stylish-and-stylised-movie-a7123616.html)

## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd

Rating B. 23 June 2016. 

Dowd finds the film’s visual style and atmosphere mesmerizing, but argues that they overwhelm substance. The praise centers on its opulent, dreamlike mood and depiction of Los Angeles as a seductive, predatory force.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-neon-demon-is-another-dreamy-l-a-thriller-from-the-1798188204)

## IndieWire — Eric Kohn

Rating B-. 19 May 2016. Festival review. 

Kohn finds the film an amusingly twisted, visually assured ride, though its stilted dialogue and superficial gestures keep it from fully coming together. He praises Refn’s striking visuals and shock-driven third act.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/cannes-review-the-neon-demon-is-a-twisted-ride-of-sex-blood-and-necrophilia-290169/)

## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2016. Festival review. 

The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is hidden behind a paywall. The accessible text does not reveal what the critic praised or criticized.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-neon-demon-cannes-review/5104214.article)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 June 2016. 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be verified from the supplied page text.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/24/movies/the-neon-demon-review-elle-fanning.html)

## Radio Times — Damon Wise

Rating 3/5. 

Wise suggests viewers who prefer Refn’s earlier realism may want to skip the film, while fans of his recent style will find much to engage with. He singles out its graphic, gothic-psychological style as the main appeal.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-0trppn/the-neon-demon/)

## Time Out — Dave Calhoun

Rating 3/5. 19 May 2016. 

The three-star rating suggests a mixed verdict on Refn’s fashion-world horror story. The available description singles out its neon-soaked atmosphere, while faulting its emotional substance.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-neon-demon)

## Total Film — Jamie Graham

Rating 3/5. 4 July 2016. 

The review finds the film visually striking but shallow, slow, and ultimately uninvolving. It praises the cinematography and Cliff Martinez’s pulsing score, while noting the film works best as a horror-comedy.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-neon-demon-review/)

## Empire — Ian Freer

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 4 July 2016. 

Freer finds the film both tedious and visually dazzling, with its strengths and frustrations making for a mixed verdict. He praises Refn’s striking visual style, while faulting the glacial pacing and lack of character depth.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/neon-demon-review/)

## Slant Magazine — Sam C. Mac

Rating 2/4. 2 June 2016. 

The critic finds the film stylish but ultimately undermined by its exploitative, fetishistic approach. They praise its striking imagery and tense visual set pieces, especially in the first half.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-neon-demon/)

## Sight and Sound — Catherine Bray

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2016. Festival review. 

Bray finds the film stylish and intermittently effective, but ultimately lacking staying power. She particularly praises its saturated colours, striking costumes and attention to texture, while faulting its horror for feeling too clean and deodorised.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/neon-demon-first-look)

## Variety — Owen Gleiberman

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2016. Festival review. 

Gleiberman finds the film visually hypnotic but ultimately underpowered and tonally inconsistent. He praises the motel manager’s knife scene as its most effective moment, while faulting the film’s slipshod storytelling.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/cannes-the-neon-demon-nicolas-winding-refn-elle-fanning-1201778544/)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 2016. 

Lane finds the film visually sumptuous but ultimately shallow and excessive. He singles out its lavish style while objecting to its reliance on graphic, grotesque shocks.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/27/wiener-dog-and-the-neon-demon-reviews)

## Evening Standard — David Sexton

Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2016. Festival review. 

Sexton finds the film self-indulgent, slow and pompous, despite its striking visual style. He singles out its sumptuous colours and designs as the main virtue.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/cannes-2016-the-neon-demon-film-review-excruciatingly-pompous-about-its-perviness-a3253231.html)

## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie

Rating 5/5. 1 July 2016. 

Lambie finds the film a dark, unforgettable fairy tale that succeeds as provocative black comedy. He especially praises the performances of Elle Fanning and Jena Malone, along with Refn’s vivid staging and imagery.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-neon-demon-review-2/)

## Consequence — Michael Roffman

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 June 2016. 

Roffman finds the film a cruel, cynical, and absolutely beautiful thriller, with its tension making Refn’s deliberate pacing worthwhile. He especially praises Elle Fanning’s nuanced performance and the film’s striking visual style.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/06/film-review-the-neon-demon/)

## The Skinny — Jamie Dunn

Rating ★★★★. 8 July 2016. 

Dunn finds the film visually ravishing but ultimately self-indulgent, with a screenplay too thin to match its style. He singles out Cliff Martinez’s score and Natasha Braier’s photography as its strongest elements.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-neon-demon)

## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 October 2016. 

Kermode finds the film’s brutal, visually indulgent take on beauty and the fashion industry compelling. She especially praises Cliff Martinez’s pulsing electronic score and the film’s striking visual beauty.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-neon-demon-2016-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)

## Collider — Talia Soghomonian

Rating B-. 24 June 2016. Festival review. 

Soghomonian finds the film visually mesmerizing but ultimately self-indulgent, with its horror plot arriving too late. She especially praises the cinematography, score, and meticulously crafted fashion-world imagery.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/the-neon-demon-review/)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 June 2016. 

Hammond finds the film stylish and striking, though its plot is not especially complex. He praises its vivid visual design and Elle Fanning’s fitting performance, while noting that the final act delivers an unpredictable horror turn.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/06/the-neon-demon-review-nicolas-winding-refn-elle-fanning-christina-hendricks-1201775994/)

## /Film — Slashfilmcast

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2016. 

The page labels a segment about the film as a featured review, but gives no verdict. It does not identify any specific praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/545303/filmcast-ep-374-the-neon-demon-guest-britt-hayes-from-screencrush/)

## Paste — Michael Snydel

Rating 6.4/10. 23 June 2016. 

Snydel finds the film visually striking but ultimately unfocused and flat. He praises its singular imagery and Cliff Martinez’s score, while faulting its indecisive story and lack of focus.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-neon-demon)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaints cannot be verified. No review details are available beyond the URL identifying it as a Cannes review of The Neon Demon.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/cannes-review-nicolas-winding-refns-neon-demon-elle-fanning-20160519/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 23 June 2016. 

The critic finds the film visually captivating but ultimately shallow and unprovocative. They praise its dazzling imagery while faulting the dialogue and static, self-conscious scenes.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-neon-demon-review/)

## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

Titmarsh finds the film hugely disappointing despite its moments of visual brilliance. She praises Refn’s striking use of colour and light, but faults the storytelling and its treatment of women.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-neon-demon-review/)

---
© 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-neon-demon.md