--- title: "The Tree of Life: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-tree-of-life/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-tree-of-life" critics_score: 85 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." --- # The Tree of Life (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 11 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The Tree of Life, praising Malick’s attempt to connect remembered family life with the origins of existence. The strongest agreement concerns the imagery and the evocation of childhood: small domestic encounters carry emotional weight even alongside the cosmic sequences. The reviews also praise the music and performances, with Brad Pitt singled out for his contribution to the family drama. For many, the film’s scale feels justified by how closely it observes ordinary lives. Reservations centre on repetition, grandiosity and whether the cosmic passages deepen the family story. Time Out admires the images but finds the ideas simplistic, while Sight and Sound praises the boyhood scenes and objects to the self-importance elsewhere. Enthusiasm dominates, though there is a substantial gap between those who find the philosophical scope moving and those who find it ponderous. Even the more doubtful reviews acknowledge the visual achievement. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 11 June 2011. The critic praises the film's vast ambition to encompass all of existence through personal lives and its deep humility. He singles out its uncanny evocation of mid-century American childhood, family dynamics, and cosmic wonder for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-tree-of-life-2011) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 4/4. 18 May 2011. The film is an overwhelming, gorgeous kaleidoscope of light and color that can feel like a prison, but it is Malick’s most personal work revealing his philosophical outlook. It excels in its rapturously poetic imagery and personal vision of grace versus nature, though prone to redundancy. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-tree-of-life-5524/) ## Film Comment — Kent Jones Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2011. Malick crafts a transformative vision of one man's life that expands into a grand meditation on existence, origins, and the glory of life itself. The critic singles out the film's dynamic aesthetic intelligence and its evocation of childhood experience under the aspect of eternity. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/light-years-kent-jones-tree-of-life-review/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2011. The critic hails the film's awe-inspiring contemplation of human existence from the standpoint of eternity and its blend of cosmic history with intimate family drama. He singles out its visual beauty, musical integration, and graceful performances for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/movies/the-tree-of-life-from-terrence-malick-review.html) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 3/5. 5 July 2011. The critic finds the film a heartfelt but flawed grand folly full of brilliant imagery and big questions that ultimately deal in platitudes, praising its breathtaking visuals and ambition while noting it feels repetitive and simplistic. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-tree-of-life-2) ## Empire — Ian Nathan 27 June 2011. The critic praises the film as a sublime, profound and magical evocation of family life and the universe, a confirmation that cinema can aspire to art. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/tree-life-review/) ## Evening Standard 10 April 2012. The critic was initially unconvincing on first viewing but found it enrapturing on second viewing, describing it as film-making as prayer and a major event worth seeing more than once. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-tree-of-life-review-7425700.html) ## Sight and Sound — Michael Atkinson 1 August 2011. The critic views the film as an ambitious but self-indulgent Rorschach test that divides viewers, praising its lyrical boyhood scenes and visuals while criticizing the pretentious cosmic sequences and grandiosity as narcissistic. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/6361) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 7 July 2011. Bradshaw calls the film a magnificent, toweringly ambitious and visionary work, passionately felt and deeply serious. He singles out its colossal Kubrickian symphony of cosmic and stellar images that place human family trauma in a vast, indifferent natural and universal perspective. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jul/07/the-tree-of-life-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy 16 May 2011. Festival review. The film is a singular, beauteous metaphysical inquiry into mankind’s place in the universe that provokes expansive philosophical musings. It balances cosmic spectacle with intimate family drama through impressionistic style and strong performances, especially Brad Pitt's. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/tree-life-cannes-review-188564/) ## The Independent 7 July 2011. The critic finds it absorbing, intriguing and visually delightful but ultimately not quite satisfying or finished due to loose ends and cosmic portentousness, though still vital and sensuous. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-tree-of-life-terrence-malick-138-mins-12a-2308464.html) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2011. The critic calls it a stunning film and Malick's greatest work to date. She praises the performances of Chastain and Pitt, the masterful editing of childhood vignettes against cosmic imagery, the stunning visuals and music, and the film's rare ability to evoke awe. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-tree-of-life-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## The Wrap — Sasha Stone Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2011. Festival review. The critic finds 'The Tree of Life' mysteriously beautiful and compares it favorably to '2001: A Space Odyssey,' arguing that it makes mystery itself the explanation for life's meaning. She singles out the film's cosmic and subconscious sequences for their subtlety and saturation with beauty. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/cannes-review-tree-life-saturated-beauty-27431/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4/5. 22 June 2011. The film is a philosophical exploration of birth, death and suffering that rewards the viewer's patience with moments of genuine beauty. The critic singles out its ambitious contrast between personal family drama and epic cosmic sequences, including dinosaurs. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-tree-of-life-review/) ## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael Rating 4/5. 5 July 2011. Malick distils the essence of life and death in an epic yet intimate family portrait that conveys the human need to find meaning in the bigger picture. The critic singles out the strikingly beautiful imagery and the accessible structure provided by the son's teenage rebellion. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a328383/the-tree-of-life/) ## The Skinny — Philip Concannon Rating 4/5. 4 July 2011. Simultaneously the most ambitious and intimate work of Malick's career, the film links scenes through memories and emotions rather than conventional narrative. The critic singles out Malick's ability to capture serendipitous moments and elicit flawless performances amid awe-inspiring cosmic sequences. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-tree-of-life) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B-. 27 May 2011. The critic finds the film slow, ponderous, and overreaching in its cosmic scope but credits its ambition and visual majesty, likening it to 2001: A Space Odyssey while faulting its failure to cohesively blend the family drama with grander themes. Malick's reach exceeds his grasp despite worthwhile ideas. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-tree-of-life-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-tree-of-life.md