Armageddon Time (2022)

Date	User	Rating
Jan 23	thatyoungm	85 _33rd
The cast really shines and I do appreciate that the story doesn't try to put a nice fairytale ending on its plot, which largely views class systems and systematic prejudices through the eyes of a young boy. At times, a little too on the nose, but there are some really great scenes here that will wrench your heart, particularly the relationship between the two boys.
Dec 30, 2022	Neonman	67 _29th
Less of a "don't be racist!" movie than the trailer lets on, but it falls into a common place between woke and edifying that a lot of modern movies find themselves in -- unsure. In terms of evoking the '70s, all the dressing is there and it looks great, but it still feels like 2022, and it doesn't have much to say about this decade or that one (aside from some grumblings about Regan). Enjoyable enough to see the two boys misbehaving in their antics, but ultimately doesn't have a real conclusion.
Dec 26, 2022	Ofterdingen	76 _88th
Great cast (Hopkins, Hathaway, Strong) and mood. But read the other mini-reviews that are way better than mine.
Dec 08, 2022	War Machine	65 _39th
NY80+iwannakillhisdadlol+startedniceandfriendshipwascoolthentrailedoff
Nov 28, 2022	P u l p	24 _11th
"I prefer not to speak... if I speak I am in big trouble." (Jose Mourinho)
Nov 24, 2022	mandy	6 _44th
Nicely put together with a classy cast but I wasn’t sure what to take from this film, it all seemed a bit bleak with its underlying theme that life is unfair.
Nov 23, 2022	Bown	81 _58th
A very evocative tale of a young boy’s first experiences with privilege and discrimination that excels when it focuses on this instead of the more generic coming-of-age elements. A truly excellent cast, many of whom get their deserved standout moments, and great production design.
Nov 18, 2022	stuie299	80 _61st
This is a movie that could very easily be mawkish and heavy handed, and while it still is to some extent Gray uses his trademark subtleness to tone those qualities down a lot. Everyone puts in a great performance. The cinematography is very much on point. I guess what holds it back for me is that it feels like a movie that would take place in the late 60's/early 70's. I think I just personally lack the context to know what is true to 1980 versus what gray is specifically imparting onto the film.
Nov 17, 2022	Seethruskin	4 _52nd
I wouldn’t call it all that piercing or unflinching, but it at least lacks the sentimentality or nostalgia for an era in the directors past or childhood that a lesser director might fall prey to. Because of the is it actually does feel pretty lived in and authentic. Kind of a mess politically or maybe just a bit limp?
Nov 13, 2022	moraesfelipe	70 _72nd
Exactly what you could expect from a 80s set Gray coming of age film: somber, classy and somewhat disturbing portrait of working-class America.
Nov 08, 2022	Icarus	85 _79th
The subtle shades of racism and privilege criss cross this story of family, friendship, and loss of innocence. Gray communicates a real sense of the world opening up to Paul, only for him to realize with disappointment that it isn't everything he might have hoped as a child. Gray manages to weave together not just Paul's personal experience, but also the social and political realities that swirl around him as well.
Nov 05, 2022	JLFM	81 _83rd
In the recent swath of semi-autobiographical films inspired by the lives of their respective directors, Armageddon Time feels refreshingly unaffectionate for the time period it's reviving. Not that James Gray doesn't occasionally use a means of nostalgic pop culture to flavor the picture, but he refuses to look at this childhood retrospective with rose-colored glasses. Gray handles this potentially mawkish material with sensitivity and intelligence and I really loved it.
Nov 03, 2022	The_Rveal	40 _81st
Through the hazy filtered light of ace cinematographer Darius Khondji’s lens, the exterior and interior of Public School 173 in Queens, New York in 1980 makes James Gray’s new film Armageddon Time look like Radio Days, a warm nostalgia piece that looks fondly and irreverently a few decades into the past. But Armageddon Time is not the uplifting story of a bond that transcends racial barriers, but an honest and self-lacerating memoir about white privilege and its devastating side effects.

Average Percentile 52.89% from 120 Ratings