50
Metascore
43 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Boxoffice MagazineAmy NicholsonBoxoffice MagazineAmy NicholsonWhy is Emmerich elbowing his way into the conversation about Shakespearean authorship? Because the debate is explosive - and he can't resist packing on a few more pounds of dynamite on his confident drama of incest, greed and beheadings.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe film grabs at historical facts, mangles them into a plot worthy of a John le Carré spy novel and takes the viewer on a breathtaking ride through ye olde London.
- 70VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerThe film as a whole isn't quite as interesting, though it is noteworthy that action specialist Emmerich has clearly decided to change course here from anything he's previously made. Although this is primarily a writer's film, with John Orloff's screenplay (and dialogue) placed front and center, Anonymous surprises with how classical, staid and traditional Emmerich's mise-en-scene is, never straying from tried-and-true costumer standards.
- 67Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallTampa Bay TimesSteve PersallThe most succinct evidence that Shakespeare was a fraud is offered by Derek Jacobi in prologue and epilogue, alone on a Broadway stage before a rapt audience. As usual in matters of the Bard, the play's the thing.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichOther than ludicrously pulpy fun, Anonymous, true to its title, ultimately signifies nothing.
- 50The New YorkerDavid DenbyThe New YorkerDavid DenbyThe Oxford theory is ridiculous, yet the filmmakers go all the way with it, producing endless scenes of indecipherable court intrigue in dark, smoky rooms, and a fashion show of ruffs, farthingales, and halberds. The more far-fetched the idea, it seems, the more strenuous the effort to pass it off as authentic.
- 50Village VoiceNick PinkertonVillage VoiceNick PinkertonEmmerich's movie is sporadically enjoyable trash with better performances than it has any right to: Hogg's verminous villain leaves a trail of cold, oozing hisses.
- 40EmpirePhil de SemlyenEmpirePhil de SemlyenA curveball from the man who made "2012" and "Independence Day" and probably only a brief respite for the world's major cities.It's more of an interesting curio to a blockbuster career but there's fun to be had here if you look hard enough.
- 30New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinA well-polished cowpat that will confuse and bore those who know nothing about Shakespeare and incense those who know almost anything.