53
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88PolygonMatt PatchesPolygonMatt PatchesIt’s one of the director’s more mainstream efforts. What could easily devolve into a Crank-like exercise in hyperactivity is conducted with a steady hand and an appreciation for the details. Sono wants his audience to luxuriate in the brutal beauty of Boutella wielding a gatling gun.
- 75The PlaylistJessica KiangThe PlaylistJessica KiangIt’s not very good except sometimes when it’s fantastic.
- 70IGNSiddhant AdlakhaIGNSiddhant AdlakhaYou know exactly what brand of “weird” to expect from Nicolas Cage and Sion Sono, but what you might not expect is how much the film feels like a death dream about movies.
- 67IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichEven when nothing else in the film makes sense, the unhinged ethos of its own creation leaves a clue behind with the clarity of a body-chalk outline.
- 60Total FilmJordan FarleyTotal FilmJordan FarleyPrisoners of the Ghostland exists entirely outside the norms and conventions of moviemaking. Really there’s only one word to describe it: nuts.
- 58The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupThe actual experience of watching this gonzo dystopian samurai western is far from the shock-a-minute journey that one would expect, but even in its more banal sequences, Sono’s imaginative eye peeks through.
- 50VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeSomehow, it doesn’t actually seem surprising that Cage would partner with Sono. But the creative choices they make together, from an exploding gumball machine to endangered testicles — well, they must be seen to be believed.
- 50SlashfilmBen PearsonSlashfilmBen PearsonA maniacal whirlwind of cinematic insanity, it feels equally likely that Prisoners of the Ghostland could become a cult classic or disappear into the fog. Whether its overall inscrutability is a bug or a feature remains to be seen.
- 45TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeWhile the film far outshines most of Cage’s recent efforts (he was direct-to-VOD when direct-to-VOD wasn’t cool) in terms of art direction and fearlessly madcap storytelling, the results are nonetheless muddled and messy.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeIt alternates between too simplistic and incomprehensible, spending much of its time in between those poles in the "I understand, but I don't care" zone.