54
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70VarietyJohn AndersonVarietyJohn AndersonSome parts of the film are drily academic, but much of it is quite beautiful and artfully put together by the director.
- 67The A.V. ClubBen KenigsbergThe A.V. ClubBen KenigsbergThe most counterintuitive enviro-doc of the year, Pandora’s Promise makes the case that nuclear power may be the closest thing Earth has to a sustainable, realistic supply of energy.
- An amazing argument no matter which side of the debate you favor, Stone’s film manages to restock and bring a fresh voice to an old controversy. The documentary is well-made and articulately argued, although that doesn't mean it isn't going to have as many adversaries as champions.
- 63McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreRobert Stone directed the wonderful environmental movement history documentary “Earth Days,” and that earns him the benefit of the doubt for his latest, Pandora’s Promise. He needs that benefit, because what he sets out to do in 87 minutes is upend 50 years of green movement anti-nuclear power dogma.
- 63Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanIn the end, its somewhat equivocal message — that nuclear power might just be the lesser of several evils — is more convincing than you’d think.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweThe film’s restricted scope of analysis and limited selection of sources threatens to undermine its conclusions.
- 60Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerThe proceedings, no matter how logical their contentions, come off as merely one side of the debate.
- 50Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenLos Angeles TimesSheri LindenA challenge to eco-orthodoxy, Pandora's Promise subscribes to its own dogma. The lack of opposing voices diminishes the film, even as Stone raises issues that shouldn't be discounted out of hand.
- 40Time OutTime OutWhy Stone also chooses to characterize those on his side as feeble-brained hippie protestors is a mystery, but in its attempts to debunk the feasibility of massive energy reduction, Pandora’s Promise at least brings some measure of rhetorical skill to its arguments.
- 40The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisMr. Stone builds his case seamlessly but leaves no room for dissent, much less a drop of doubt.