Side by SideMovie Reviews

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    It's a lesson in character to hear directors from David Lynch (digital believer) to Christopher Nolan (celluloid diehard) spout off. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    No true movie junkie is going to want to miss Side by Side. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Tracing the rise of digital movies via a wealth of charts, clips and candid testimonies, this Keanu Reeves-produced and narrated investigation offers a thorough analysis of what's very likely the most important cinematic development since the advent of sound. Read full review

  • 80
    Arizona Republic | Bill Goodykoontz

    It's this simple: If you like movies, you need to see Side by Side. Read full review

  • 80
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    Film enthusiasts especially will appreciate this wonky but fascinating documentary about the process of making movies. Read full review

  • 80
    Wall Street Journal | John Anderson

    The situation is fascinating, and given an illuminating investigation here. Read full review

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    The directors and distributors can't rely on us. They should be implored to watch their movies in the same theaters we do. It's the only way for them to understand that a crime is being committed. Read full review

  • 75
    New York Post | Lou Lumenick

    Side by Side is an eye-opening, comprehensive look at the biggest technological revolution in Hollywood history. One huge irony is that digital formats are evolving so rapidly that the only foolproof way to archive and preserve a movie shot on video for future generations is . . . to transfer it to film. Read full review

  • 63
    Slant Magazine | Bill Weber

    A serviceable primer on the digital-celluloid divide in commercial cinema, if a bit unwieldy in scope and in danger of being made obsolete by the next version of the RED camera. Read full review

  • 50
    USA Today | Scott Bowles

    Alas, if you're someone who enjoys movies as, say, a two-hour escape, you may find this documentary on the death of film at digital's hands a bit too inside baseball. Read full review

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