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Ben Affleck's 'Animals' Premieres With Mixed Reviews
Confirmed
In Short: Ben Affleck's political thriller 'Animals' premiered in select theaters and on Netflix, receiving mixed reviews.
Ben Affleck's political thriller 'Animals' premiered in select theaters and on Netflix on October 9, drawing a mixed reception from critics.
The film, which Affleck directed, co-wrote, and stars in, follows Mark Kimball, an independent candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, whose campaign is disrupted by a kidnapping plot.
Affleck plays Kimball, a wealthy lawyer running for mayor, who faces a ransom demand of $7 million for the safe return of a kidnapped individual.
Critics noted that the film's premise is reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's 'High and Low,' with Collider pointing out that Affleck's film shares a similar plot but lacks the depth and originality of Spike Lee's remake, 'Highest 2 Lowest.'
Despite the film's ambitious setup, many critics found it underwhelming. ScreenRant described 'Animals' as a movie that tries to be too many things but fails to deliver on any front.
IndieWire criticized the film's visual style, noting that it consists of 'pure coverage' and is 'blocked and framed to fit a TV or phone screen for idle, listless viewing.'
SlashFilm highlighted Affleck's use of AI in the production, which added a layer of controversy to the film's reception. The reviewer noted that the technology's use cast a 'pall' over the movie, even if most viewers might not notice.
Collider noted that the film's twists and turns, while initially promising, fail to cohere into a compelling narrative. The reviewer commented that Affleck is 'unable to weave the movie's various mission statements together in a way that proves entertaining.'
IGN offered a more positive take, praising the film for its moral questions and twists that spice up the kidnapping thriller formula.
The Hollywood Reporter pointed out that 'Animals' lifts most of its foundational plot elements directly from 'High and Low,' suggesting a lack of originality.
The Guardian observed that while the film has all the ingredients for a high-toned thriller, it ultimately fails to deliver on its promise.
Affleck's use of AI in the production process was a point of contention, with some critics questioning its necessity and impact on the film's authenticity.
Background
Ben Affleck's political thriller 'Animals' premiered in select theaters and on Netflix, receiving mixed reviews.
Ben Affleck, the two-time Oscar winner, revealed that he used artificial intelligence (AI) for 'lots of things' in the making of his latest Netflix film, 'Animals,' which premieres Oct. 9 in select theaters and on the streaming platform.
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms belonging to the biological kingdom Animalia. Animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have muscle cells, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development.
What's confirmed
- “Animals” opens in select theaters and starts streaming on Netflix on Friday, October 9.
- In "Animals," Affleck plays Mark Kimball, a wealthy lawyer running (as an independent!) to become Mayor of Los Angeles.
What's still developing
- RELATED: Ben Affleck Campaigned For Mayor In LA As ‘Animals’ Character: “Do Not Vote For Me!” It is also crystal clear his marriage isn’t all that rosy these days as there is friction with his wife who is unhappy but holding it all in for the sake of the campaign, even as she is completely detached from it all.
- I did see Animals in a packed theater at its premiere and can tell you this is the kind of crowd-pleaser that plays best that way.
- Despite perfunctory theatrical play in Netflix partner venues, “Animals” is a movie meant to live and die on the streaming platform, without the gloss of the streamer’s most insipid serial fare, but without any stylistic brio or creative vision to justify a big-screen presentation.
- In trying to be too many things, Animals is nothing much of anything.
- His last movie, Air, was a critical success, but go back to 2016, and Live By Night was pretty openly panned, and the fact that he initially got cold feet about making Netflix's new political crime thriller Animals was a little alarming.
- In a recent interview, Ben Affleck revealed that while making his new Netflix movie "Animals," he used AI "for lots of things," adding: "we did use it. And in fact, I thought it was a good example because it's a very human movie. It's not in space, it doesn't have visual effects, but it allowed us to move in some cases more quickly, really mostly in post-production, to do things that otherwise we wouldn't have been able to do."
- But knowing this immediately casts a pall over "Animals," not just because it's a bummer that Affleck used AI, but also because as I watched the movie I found myself constantly wondering how many shots were created with the tech (there are several establishing shots of LA locations that I'm 99.9% sure were created via AI, but I have no confirmation on that).
- Even if you can overlook the AI detail (and to be fair, I'm sure most people half-watching this on Netflix as they use the Fanduel Casino app on their phone won't even notice), "Animals" is still a disappointment.
- (Though he has never been nominated for a best director Oscar, his film Argo won best picture in 2013.) His new movie Animals appears perfectly situated within his wheelhouse: it’s a Los Angeles-based crime-and-politics thriller to match his earlier east coast work.
- All the ingredients – starry cast; ticking clock; complicated dilemmas centered on money, power, and ambition – are in place for a high-toned thriller, even if it is on Netflix with a few stray theatrical engagements.
- And then, once Affleck gets his ducks in a row … very little.
- Animals The Bottom Line Too rarely shows its teeth.