--- title: "Sharp Objects: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/sharp-objects/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/sharp-objects" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 13 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." --- # Sharp Objects (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 13 reviews: 13 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. All thirteen reviews are positive, and nearly all of them say the same thing first: this belongs to Amy Adams. Her Camille is described as wounded, restrained and against type, and several critics rank it among the strongest work she has done. Patricia Clarkson’s mother draws the next cluster of praise. Behind the camera, Jean-Marc Vallée’s direction and editing are credited with folding past into present, and most critics treat the result as a study of trauma and self-harm, not a murder mystery. The reservations are mild and mostly about pace. The Telegraph finds the opening episodes slow-moving, and Radio Times and Empire note that the crime itself recedes so far it barely registers as a plot. Several call it bleak, which is meant as description rather than complaint. The spread is narrow, from good to excellent, and nobody dissents from the general approval. ## The Guardian — Lucy Mangan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2018. The series is much better than a mere follow-up to Big Little Lies, with a pedigree production that exceeds the sum of its parts. The critic singles out Amy Adams' mesmerising, career-best performance as Camille for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jul/09/sharp-objects-review-the-new-big-little-lies-its-much-better-than-that) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 2018. HBO's adaptation is riveting prestige-pulp that functions as a fascinating fake-out, with tension arising from unraveling the heroine rather than the crime. It is made haunting by Amy Adams' ferociously wounded lead performance and Jean-Marc Vallée's confident visual language and direction. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/sharp-objects-review-1120547/) ## The Times — Carol Midgley Rating ★★★★☆. 24 July 2018. Adams is mesmerically good and the series elevates beyond typical crime drama thanks to its focus on Camille's body as the window to her soul. Patricia Clarkson also stands out as the Southern belle horror-mother. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/tv-review-inside-the-american-embassy-sharpobjects-fnl2dmxkf) ## Vulture — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2018. The series transcends a standard murder mystery to explore psychological trauma, female self-harm, and small-town dynamics through nonlinear storytelling and strong performances, especially by Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson. Vallée's direction and editing create a cinematic, Proustian effect that blends memory and present in a compelling way. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/07/sharp-objects-hbo-review.html) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 10 July 2018. The psychological thriller lives up to its title with a finely tuned sense of unease and Adams's compelling performance. It is set to be the show of the summer despite the first episodes being a little slow-moving. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2018/06/19/sharp-objects-thriller-set-show-summer-first-look-review/) ## Empire — Amy West Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2018. The series is a bleak, slow-paced character study rather than a conventional murder mystery, centered on Amy Adams' superb performance as a journalist confronting trauma in her hometown. It delivers a hard-hitting, realistic exploration of mental health and unresolved scars. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/sharp-objects-review/) ## Radio Times — Ben Allen Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2018. Sharp Objects is primarily a raw, affecting study of self-harm and personal trauma rather than a murder mystery, with the mystery fading into the background. It benefits from brilliant performances, especially from Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, and Eliza Scanlen, and Vallée's dreamlike direction. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/sharp-objects-sky-atlantic-review-drama-amy-adams/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2018. The episode has a muted, patient and sombre feel like a bleak crime mystery, but departs from the formula with its honest portrayal of the protagonist's depression. The critic highlights the talent in front of and behind the camera, including Vallée's auteurist direction. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/sharp-objects-s01e01-review-hbo-sky-atlantic-amy-adams-a8439001.html) ## Den of Geek — Aliya Whiteley Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2018. The miniseries offers an intense, shocking, and moving character portrait of Camille while effectively showing how the past influences the present, with strong writing and acting that promise gripping twists. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, it mixes psychological discomfort with dysfunctional family drama in an evocative and atmospheric package. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/sharp-objects-review-an-intense-gripping-mystery-thriller/) ## Digital Spy — Morgan Jeffery Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2018. Amy Adams delivers a powerful, restrained performance as the troubled journalist Camille in this bleak, atmospheric adaptation that surpasses Gone Girl in emotional depth and style. Vallée's direction and the naturalistic script create a rewarding slow-burn thriller focused on trauma, family secrets, and small-town misery. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a860995/sharp-objects-hbo-tv-review-episode-1/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2018. The critic calls the adaptation a haunting, brilliantly constructed Southern Gothic miniseries with Vallée deftly blending past and present. Amy Adams gives one of the best performances of her career as the damaged lead in this hypnotic character study. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/559374/sharp-objects-review/) ## Collider — Allison Keene Rating ★★★★. 5 July 2018. The critic finds the HBO miniseries a dark, twisted tale of abuse and murder that belongs entirely to Amy Adams as Camille. Jean-Marc Vallée's direction creates an immersive, oppressive Southern Gothic atmosphere centered on the lead performance. [Read the review](https://collider.com/sharp-objects-review/) ## The Ringer — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2018. The critic finds Sharp Objects a successful dark turn for prestige limited series, with Amy Adams delivering a strong performance against type as the haunted reporter Camille. Vallée’s direction pairs effectively with the material to explore toxic family legacies and internalized pain. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/07/09/tv/sharp-objects-movie-star-tv) --- © 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/tv/sharp-objects.md