War DanceMovie Reviews

Poster art for "War/Dance."

Gifts + Promos

The Vow Free Gift

Buy tickets & receive a FREE 3-Month Love Forecast from Astrology.com!

Fandango Bucks

Send your sweetheart the gift of movies this Valentine’s Day!

Journey Sweeps

Enter for a chance to win a trip for 2 to Nicaragua!

Interactive Oscar Ballot

Who's taking home the Oscar? Cast your vote & challenge your friends on Facebook!

Need Help?
Go
Avg. Critic Score: 68 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

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

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    Beautifully filmed. Read full review

  • 88
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    This War/Dance is among the most affecting films I've seen all year; it cuts to the core of being and gives individual faces to sorrow and to hope. Read full review

  • 80
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    This is documentary-making at its best, not pretending to be journalism, but still playing a crucial role in telling stories that otherwise wouldn't make the front page. Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    An enormously emotional and spirit-raising documentary. Read full review

  • 75
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    Overly polished, but deeply affecting, documentary. Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    Documents the emotional and spiritual journey of three orphans. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    War/Dance, in spite of its slickness, is an honorable, sometimes inspiring exploration of the primal healing power of music and dance in an African tribal culture. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    A refreshingly upbeat film that finds its roots in some seriously sobering events. Read full review

  • 50
    Salon.com | Andrew O'Hehir

    It's the film's reassuring, almost hypnotic visual rhythms, along with its Hollywood-like narrative structure -- which is closer to "Drumline" or "Bring It On" than to most documentaries -- that make it bearable. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety |

    While the pic may be targeting Westerners who want to feel less awful about genocide and global negligence, it's hard to imagine War Dance appealing to that crowd -- or any other. Read full review

View more reviews for War Dance on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Riveting story of pain and beauty in Uganda.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that though this film is uplifting, some of the stories told by the children in this movie depict graphic horrors of war. Some speak of murder, some speak of abduction. The film takes place in a refugee camp in Northern Uganda where evidence of poverty can be overwhelming. But the Acholi tribe acts with dignity, which is a lesson in itself.
  • Families can talk about how the children of the Acholi tribe survive. How is their life different from yours? Can you imagine living without electricity? How does music change Dominic's life? What makes Rose happy?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: Touching examples of how young people care for their siblings when parents aren't available.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Children talk about the brutality of war; how they saw parents and others killed and abducted, and how some were forced to be child soldiers.
  • sex false0 Sex: Not an issue
  • language false0 Language: Not an issue
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: The children of the Acholi tribe have no access to electricity or running water. Going to the big city blows them away.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… they sing and dance, and you end up crying. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook