25
Every incident in the film is a time-bidding maneuver, completely and unimaginatively untethered from logic.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
60
As in director Alexandre Aja’s Horns, the action alternates reality/fantasy to middling effect.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Kate Taylor
The result is an intriguing but uneven thriller that doesn’t fully establish the tone and style that would be needed for an audience to accept its supernatural plot.
30
The New York Times by Neil Genzlinger
It’s not clear whether The 9th Life of Louis Drax is deliberately inconsistent or merely an example of confused filmmaking. One thing is certain, however: It sure leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.
25
Unfortunately, this film’s dark premise is drowned in whimsy and a forced childlike wonder.
60
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
The result is a supernatural mystery thriller, slightly overcooked and tonally odd – and uncertain if its juvenile lead is supposed to be cute or sinister. But it is watchable and even intriguing in its weird way.
30
Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele
It’s an off-putting mix of matters whimsical and disturbing, more obvious and ludicrous than chilling.
30
The Hollywood Reporter by Sheri Linden
By the time director Alexandre Aja brings together the pieces with an illuminating pang of emotion, most viewers’ confusion will have given way to indifference.
75
The Seattle Times by Soren Andersen
The picture is like an onion. There are layers here, and beneath them more layers. Peeling them back with surgical skill, director Alexandre Aja reveals complicated family dynamics.
75
Philadelphia Inquirer by Tirdad Derakhshani
With its clever structure and pacing, its range of emotional notes, and its remarkable use of magic realism, The 9th Life of Louis Drax makes for an absorbing and memorable mystery.