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Touching the Void Review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 5.0
    82

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Universal acclaim
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 100

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    The most harrowing movie about mountain climbing I have seen, or can imagine.

    Read Full Review

  • 100

    out of 100

    Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

    An absolutely thrilling recreation, in documentary style, of a now-legendary story.

  • 60

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

    It's a nervy, quasi-documentary scheme that's often successful, perhaps more so than you'd expect for this kind of a hybrid endeavor. But Macdonald's technique eventually turns out to be as distancing as it is involving, paradoxically undercutting the reality as often as it enhances it.

    Read Full Review

  • 60

    out of 100

    The New York Times Dave Kehr

    This is compelling stuff, but there is something deeply distracting in the use of recreated material.

    Read Full Review

  • 83

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The story itself is so powerful and troubling, the moral geometry so vertiginous, and the photography so big that anything other than the natural sounds of snowfall and footfall is a Flat Earth Society intrusion.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    Variety Todd McCarthy

    Uses first-person on-camera accounts of the adventure by Simpson and fellow climber Simon Yates to backdrop newly shot you-are-there footage that brings home the awesome and harrowing aspects of their feat.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

    Factoring in Mike Eley's breathtakingly vivid photography and a virtuoso sound mix that completely envelops the viewer, it's enough to make you never again want to poke your head into the freezer.

    Read Full Review

  • See all Touching the Void reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 14+

Excruciatingly tense story of a terrible accident.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie is extremely tense, with characters in the direst peril imaginable. They use some very strong language, completely understandable in the circumstances.

  • Families can talk about Simpson's statement that the important thing was to act, even if the decision was the wrong one. What made Simpson refuse to give up?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: Not an issue

What to watch for
  • violence false5

    Violence: Extreme peril, exceptionally tense danger.

  • sex false0

    Sex: Not an issue

  • language false3

    Language: Some strong language.

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue

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© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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