--- title: "Small Axe: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/small-axe/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/small-axe" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 15 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." --- # Small Axe (2020): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 15 reviews: 15 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. All fifteen reviews are positive, and most treat Steve McQueen’s five-part anthology as the overdue dramatisation of British-Caribbean history it sets out to be. The praise splits along the two films most critics chose to write about. Mangrove is admired as a courtroom drama that builds patiently to its trial, with Letitia Wright, Malachi Kirby and Shaun Parkes singled out. Lovers Rock draws the warmest notices: the long takes on the dance floor, the lighting and the unaccompanied singing of Silly Games are mentioned again and again, and several critics call it the standout of the series. The spread is narrow and nobody is hostile. Such reservations as exist cluster around plot. The Times finds Lovers Rock light on story and dialogue while enjoying it, a point The Independent also makes without minding, and The i Paper thinks Alex Wheatle offers only a glimpse of its subject. The later instalments attract fewer and cooler notices than the first two. ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2020. Festival review. The review hails Lovers Rock as a galvanizing party movie with one of the best dance parties ever filmed, delivering a sensual, loose, and joyful portrait of Black Londoners at a 1980 house party. It singles out the vibrant dance floor sequences, music, and atmosphere for praise as the standout element of the Small Axe series. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/lovers-rock-review-steve-mcqueen-small-axe-1234587070/) ## The AV Club — Shannon Miller Rating A-. 19 November 2020. The review praises Mangrove as an essential, galvanizing start to the Small Axe anthology, handling its story of the Mangrove Nine with complexity and specificity while avoiding inspiration porn. It singles out the strong performances, particularly Letitia Wright and Malachi Kirby, and McQueen's careful mapping of the road to the courtroom climax for praise. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/steve-mcqueen-s-small-axe-anthology-begins-with-the-ess-1845557566) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2020. The critic praises Steve McQueen's five-part anthology for finally dramatizing overlooked histories of Britain's Caribbean community with luminous performances and nuanced representation. They single out the Mangrove episode's tense courtroom drama and the series' celebration of British-Caribbean culture and music. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/nov/15/small-axe-review-steve-mcqueen-triumphs-with-tales-of-britains-caribbean-history) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critic's Pick. 25 September 2020. Festival review. The critic commends the film as a powerful response to institutional racism, noting its focus on Black activists' resistance and victory in a landmark trial while providing historical context for the anthology series. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/mangrove-review-steve-mcqueen-small-axe-1234784156/) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2020. The review calls Small Axe (especially Lovers Rock) a revelation and one of the year's best films, celebrating its transfixing evocation of Black joy, community, and the human body in motion at a house party. It singles out the stunning party sequences, lighting, and a cappella singing of 'Silly Games' for particular praise while contrasting it with the more historical Mangrove. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/small-axe-movie-review-lovers-rock-is-one-of-2020s-best.html) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2020. The second film in McQueen’s Small Axe sequence is almost plotless but its world is so convincingly realised through rich detail and texture that viewers feel they were present at the 1980 house party. Songs drive the film in long roaming takes, highlighting the party as a haven and the redemptive power of music and community. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/lovers-rock-review-small-axe-steve-mcqueen-b1759906.html) ## Empire — Jimi Famurewa Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2020. The critic praises McQueen's unhurried yet propulsive storytelling in this courtroom drama and community portrait, highlighting strong performances especially from Shaun Parkes and the film's ability to balance buoyant community moments with visceral depictions of racism. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mangrove/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 September 2020. Festival review. The critic calls it a blistering indictment of sanctioned racism, praising the gripping account of the Mangrove Nine trial and its timely relevance to police discrimination. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/mangrove-film-review-nyff-review-4066936/) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 13 December 2020. McQueen concludes his five-part anthology with a focused, economical story of a dyslexic West Indian boy struggling in the school system, drawn from the director's own childhood. The film captures period detail vividly and ends on a note of uplift and hope. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2020/12/13/small-axe-education-review-steve-mcqueen-ends-tremendous-anthology/) ## The i Paper Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2020. The final instalment of McQueen’s Small Axe anthology is a warm, intimate portrayal of novelist Alex Wheatle’s early life, from a brutal children’s home to finding his identity in Brixton amid riots and imprisonment. It is rich and compelling with a thread of humour, though it feels like only a glimpse at the subject’s life. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/small-axe-alex-wheatle-bbc-one-review-steve-mcqueen-film-warm-intimate-784139) ## The Times — Carol Midgley Rating ★★★★☆. 23 November 2020. Lovers Rock, the second instalment of the Small Axe anthology, creates an immersive, sensual experience of an 1980s West Indian house party with long takes of dancing and an impeccable soundtrack. It lacks much plot or dialogue but succeeds as an intoxicating study of human behaviour and culture. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/small-axe-lovers-rock-review-an-evocative-and-intoxicating-eighties-romance-vt6m2pgvc) ## NME — Amon Warmann Rating 5/5. 8 October 2020. The critic calls Mangrove a brilliantly directed and superbly performed courtroom drama that powerfully resonates with today's climate of racial injustice. They praise McQueen's ability to bring little-known historical stories to vivid, relevant life. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/mangrove-review-steve-mcqueen-2776563) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 9.0/10. 30 November 2020. The critic hails Lovers Rock as an exhilarating triumph and a textured, warm portrait of Black experience and joy in a 1980s house party setting. They single out the silky camerawork and the film's multifaceted depiction of community, romance, and implied structural threats for praise. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/amazon-prime/small-axe-lovers-rock-review) ## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui Rating 8/10. 17 September 2020. Festival review. The review describes Lovers Rock as an exuberant, swooning mood piece that seduces with waves of joy, sensuality, and fervor during a single-night reggae house party. It singles out the rich tapestry of characters and the film's cinematic tone and atmosphere for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/576641/lovers-rock-review/) ## The Ringer — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2020. The critic finds Small Axe an absorbing portrait of the West Indian British experience that collapses the personal and the political. She singles out its visual beauty and the way apolitical interludes like Lovers Rock add nuance and stakes to the larger historical stories. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2020/11/23/tv/small-axe-steve-mcqueen-bbc-limited-series) --- © 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/small-axe.md