33
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 63Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanAlthough genuinely gripping — at times, uncomfortably so — the tale of Lena and Daniel’s efforts to escape from Colonia and expose its abuses suffers from a heavy-handed telling.
- 50The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakRushed and full of cinematic artifice, Gallenberger and Torsen Wenzel‘s script reveals itself to be devoid of the naturalism the leads are desperately trying to supply.
- 50Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenLos Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenThe end product is a standard-issue cult drama that nevertheless has its gripping moments thanks mainly to the presence of Emma Watson.
- 40Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaArizona RepublicRandy CordovaUnfortunately, what the filmmaker has wound up with is something that feels like it should be playing at the bottom end of a triple bill at a drive-in.
- 30VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyThe leads are given the thankless task of maintaining grim poker faces through scene after scene of high contrivance and cliche-ridden dialogue.
- The victims of notorious Chilean torture camp Colonia Dignidad suffered more than enough without Colonia adding insult to injury.
- 30The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerIt somehow manages to feel more like a Hallmark Channel romance than like a serious film.
- 25The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthWorking at cross-purposes, Colonia tries to have it both ways, wanting to be a shocking true story drama and a riveting piece of moviemaking. But it’s not intelligent enough to accumulate any emotional payoff, and it’s too generic and unsophisticated in its execution to work purely as popcorn entertainment.
- 25Slant MagazineOleg IvanovSlant MagazineOleg IvanovNothing more than leftwing exploitation cinema, a cheap thriller dressed up in the guise of a social-justice exposé.
- 20The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerThe Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerColonia marks a truly misguided attempt to fabricate a Hollywood-style thriller out of the darkest quarters of Latin American history.