Quentin Tarantino has called The Rover “the best post-apocalyptic movie since the original Mad Max”.

You may recall I posted a handful or more of reviews about The Rover back in July and updated a few more in August.  I decided to go back and have a look at overall reviews.  For those who follow our sister site, Robert Pattinson Australia, you’ll know that I’ve done this for reviews about Robert’s performance.  So naturally I decided to go back and read all the reviews about David.  To be fair, I’m posting the good and the not so good (pfft), but I won’t be posting foreign reviews because google translate just isn’t reliable enough and I think it will get lost in translation.  I’ll also put a link to this post over at The Rover page under the “Feature Films” tab.   So here it goes … you’ll see the pros far outweigh the cons *happyclaps*

THE COOL

2SER.FM (Miles Martignoni):  “The Rover creates an atmosphere of hopelessness, punctuated by sharp, sudden violence.   …  The cinematography is stunning, the sound design sets the perfect mood and the acting is brilliant. The breathtaking shots of deserts, mountains and towns make the setting as important a character as any of the actors.”

28DaysLaterAnalysis:  “Michôd’s latest is a compelling feature, few will forget.”

5 Sec Review:  “It’s a great apocalyptic movie, but it’s no walk in the park.”

7M Pictures:  ” “The Rover” is a film that’s worth seeing mostly because it’s different than much of the other options out there.”

Ain’t It Cool:  “For those who have already grown tired of the way most summer releases blaze through plot and character development like so many lines on the highway during a high-speed chase, allow THE ROVER to take you through its paces at something more akin to a brisk walk. It’s an exceptionally well acted work, with enough intrigue and nasty undertones to keep it interesting and suspenseful.”

A Sliver of Film: “I feel there will be no middle ground when it comes to enjoying this film. I love being taken on new journeys especially if the Australian flavour is original with a sense of mystery. I enjoyed The Rover; for those who prefer not to be unnerved by their films, leave this one alone.”

AfroFilmViewer: “Visually stark and with a hard edged tone that is difficult to shake off, The Rover doesn’t bring everything together with the same completeness as other desolate features … although The Rover slips at fully taking us into the world as those two examples did. That doesn’t mean The Rover can’t stand on its own two feet. It just means it holds good company.

And So It Begins:  “The Rover is, and will remain, one of the very best films of 2014. It’s a rare contemporary film that makes room for time, while also setting itself up for thrilling, unexpected moments of conflict. It’s a marvel of a movie, flawlessly designed and impeccably structured; proof that great, modern filmmaking is alive and well and, as always, waiting to be discovered. “

ArkansasOnline (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette):  “What’s important is how deftly Michod — whose Animal Kingdom was a similarly accomplished take on the crime family genre — balances black humor with tiny, near-tender moments that alert us to the residual humanity of these burnt-out souls. Things have happened to Eric and Rey, and they’ve been changed by those things. They’re still changing, albeit only a little bit.”

Arrow In the  Head/JoBlo.com:  “Thanks to those leads and the omnipresent danger and desolation presented by Michod, THE ROVER leaves a serious impression. If one major goal of a film is to make you buy into its world, THE ROVER accomplishes that with brutal efficiency. Whether or not it’s a world I’ll want to revisit is another question entirely.”

Artshub:  “Perfecting his own specific atmosphere of unease, as swirling around his own lone symbolic soul, is a talent Michôd again demonstrates..”

Austin Chronicle:  “Despite not breaking any new cinematic ground. The Rover plays like a taut spellbinder.”

Australian Associated Press:  “Repeating the feat was always bound to be difficult but 41-year-old Michod’s follow-up – a road movie from hell – is enthralling, unrelenting and superbly acted by leads Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson.”

Battleship Pretension [David Bax]:  “Michôd allows us plenty of time to study Rey’s tics and Eric’s clenched mannerisms. There’s very little ellipsis to be found in The Rover. On more than one occasion, Michôd and cinematographer, Natasha Braier, follow the characters on long walks toward fixed destinations. This builds tension for what will happen when they get where they’re going but it also illustrates a point. In this world, there are no shortcuts.”

Beboti:  “David Michod has made a career of making sand in your teeth gritty films and The Rover is no different.”

Berks-Mont Experience:  “ What “The Rover” offers, then, is a vision of life at the breaking point, and how love and hate can compel one to incredible, if unspeakable behavior. … The stunning widescreen compositions and Natasha Braier’s rustic cinematography add immeasurable beauty to this burned-out tone poem. Love it or hate it, “The Rover” is a film with teeth. “

Black Sheep Reviews [Joseph Belanger]:  “Michod, along with the assistance of of cinematographer, Natasha Braier, and art director, Tuesday Stone, create a frightening and intensely gripping future landscape …”

Blu-ray.com (DVD Review):  ” Michôd casts an almost hypnotic, even quasi-hallucinatory, spell in The Rover, where at times both Eric and Rey seem to be sleepwalking through a waking dream, doing their best to contend with the devastated world in which they find themselves as well as each other. “

Broke Horror Fan (DVD review):  “Michôd masterfully takes an unrelenting approach to a character-driven piece.”

Buzzsugar:  “The tense, gritty film, which pits Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson against each other at times — and makes them begrudging allies at others — won’t be for everyone, but it promises something powerful for those who can stomach its dismal worldview and brutal violence.”

Can’t Stop The Movies:  “One of the complaints that will be levied against The Rover is that it retraces too many steps from other, similarly western-influenced entries in the postapocalyptic vein—that’s valid. But in retracing these steps through a character for whom the possibility of redemption seems to have long past expired—and who maybe never had a chance to begin with—it asks more interesting questions about the desperation of the worlds these movies inhabit, and what that desperation can and can’t wear down.”

Casey Movie Mania:  “THE ROVER could have been a genre masterpiece but for all the glaring flaws that crippled the movie here, it remains a fairly intriguing little thriller to watch for.”

Chad R Schulz:  “But, it is just so well done. Wonderful western-type desert vistas, burned out buildings, a total absence of technology. Eerie quietness only punctuated by the occasional gun shot, cry, or scream. The production is great, cinematography and score are post-apocalyptic perfect. All of the acting support is fine, no distractions. Lots to like.”

Charlotte Observer:  “Writer-director David Michôd, who was overpraised four years ago for “Animal Kingdom,” will probably be underpraised for “The Rover,” a more distinctive movie that’s harder to embrace right away.”

ChaseWhale.com [Chase Whale]:  “The Rover is a slow narrative, but each shot is carefully planned to keep us hungry. Michôd hangs on to scenes long enough that the audience is begging for break in tension. When that break does come, it slices through with an explosive gunshot to someone’s face. His bravura is an intimidating reminder that he’s ahead of the audience every step of the way.”

Cinapse (DVD review): “… I did find it to be an emotionally engaging film. The concoction of poetic stillness punctuated by harsh violence isn’t a new technique, but it’s used well here and there’s a powerful sadness to the film that does elevate it, in a certain sense, above other post-apocalyptic films.”

CinemaDeviant (DVD review):  “In a film that raises a lot of questions I was hooked because there was something about the relentlessness of the main character that made me know that it was bound to come full circle at one point and it definitely did.”

Cinemalogue:  “Michod avoids predictability — with the help of an unsettling music score — and finds a balance between the dark humor and the shocking brutality of the material.”

Cinematic Addiction:  “Writer and director David Michôd meticulously crafts a powerful drama and immersive world. Except for some plot contrivances, Michôd delivers a superb and haunting film.”

Cine-Vue (Adam Lowes) / DVD Review:  “A large part of The Rover‘s appeal stems from Michôd refraining from adding anything in the way of backstory or explanation into the catastrophic chain of events which have caused the devastation. The director instead drip-feeds the audience small but revealing details about the characters and the fractured world they inhabit. He takes two well-established cinematic devices (the odd couple and the road movie) and uses them to thoughtful and nuanced effect, getting the very best from his actors.”

Cine-Vue Film Festivals (John Bleasdale):  ” Whilst not quite on the same level of his debut, Michôd’s sophomore outing is still a high quality piece of work and an original take on a glutted genre.  … In Michôd’s excellent The Rover, the nightmare is real.”

Collider.com: “Life isn’t fair.  We know this.  The Rover makes us feel it.  (Rating: A-)”.

Colourless Opinions:  “… there’s a scene where the characters are walking through the desert, Keri Hilson’s pop song Pretty Girl Rock starts playing in the background. Everyone in the cinema hall thought that there’s something wrong with the audio… until Rey starts singing to it in the scene. Well played, David Michod … Oh so slow, but oh so watchable.  “

ComicBuzz:  “This is one to watch again for me, I’ll be buying this on DVD when I can. People will make comparisons with Mad Max but that’s doing this movie a disservice.”

Complex Pop Culture:   “The Rover is Mad Max minus the shoulder pads and mohawks.”

Contact Music:  “Michod’s style of filmmaking is more interested in provoking thought than fully satisfying the audience, so scenes are packed with inconclusive twists and turns, vaguely undefined characters and situations, and elements that clearly have some sort of meaning but feel rather impenetrable.”

Craig Malpass – Writer on the Wall:  ” If I wasn’t already hooked by the premise, the fact that the event itself is not explained hooks me in even further. It says to me “The world has gone to shit. Deal with it!” and then tells us a story. “

Critical Outcast:  “The Rover is an intense film that is about very little, but has a lot of content. …  In any case, this is a movie that is beautifully shot and has a lot to offer. You could also look at is as the movie where all the protagonist want is his car. Brilliant.

Culture Fix (UK):  “The stark beauty in The Rover’s aesthetic remains interesting when the simple, unfocussed narrative of the film does not always grip our attention. However, there are several moments of well executed tension and an impressively layered performance from Guy Pearce that makes The Rover worth recommending.”

“Daily Star:  “Animal Kingdom director David Michôd crafts somev memorable scenes but this is mainly about atmosphere. It’s brutal, bleak and relentlessly grim.”

Darren’s World of Entertainment (NZ):  “Michod’s crafted together something here which hits some highs but also hits a few narrative lows …”

Dazed:  “This time, Michôd has swapped the sprawling style of his urban debut for a leaner, meaner, pared-to-the-bone narrative pitted with violence, moments of elemental beauty, and a performance by Pattinson that puts the ghost of Twilight to rest.”Derek Winnert:  “But as a thriller it’s on the slow and arty side, though nevertheless Michôd does still manage a lot of tension, fear and the trick of surprise.”

Detroit News:  “Writer-director David Michod (“Animal Kingdom”) likes his violence, but what he’s really offering here is an odd bond between two severely damaged men who have little in common beyond the damage. The film has its affectations — a domino-playing dwarf gun dealer? — but its central tension is mesmerizing.”

DigitalSpy:  “There is, by design, an overwhelming sense of futility in The Rover: its narrative is meandering and its climax is both bleak and inevitable. But it’s an evocative journey, lean and pitiless and occasionally gut-wrenching”

DirectorsCutMovies:  “Not only is it the best Australian film that’s been made in a very long time, but it’s also one of the best, if not the best film to be released in 2014 as of yet.  …  The Rover is a triumphant return of David Michôd with a fantastic screenplay, brilliant direction, successful cinematography, shocking and gruesome violence and some of the best performances of the year.”

Doctor of Movies:  “The Rover is a confrontingly violent film. This is not a reflection on the quantity of violence, but rather the coldness with which Michôd presents it. This world evidences a complete disregard for the sanctity of life. The first killing is quite shocking, because at that point we have not been prepared for the cutthroat way in which this society operates, but from there on it is a challenging, merciless film.   There have been numerous films in this dystopian wasteland genre, but none quite as nihilistic as this one. An unsettling but engrossing picture, in Michôd’s mind The Rover is a more hopeful film than Animal Kingdom. I would be surprised if audiences agree with him.”

Dustin Putman:  “… but Michôd is such an adept craftsman at stripped-down action set-pieces and quietly stirring showdowns that it works all the same. And, even if the third act doesn’t quite add up to what the viewer hopes or expects, the final scene does provide a logical, smartly revealed little payoff. Special kudos for one of the most unexpected, unorthodox soundtrack cuts of the year. In the midst of a tone favoring the bleak, the savage, and the tough-as-nails, who could have anticipated the use of Keri Hilson’s “Pretty Girl Rock” as one of the few poignant lifelines to a modern, buzzing world that, for Eric and Rey, no longer exists?”

DVD Sleuth:  “Kudos to Michod for two things.  First of all, for taking a chance and making a movie this hyper-focused … The Rover is shorn down to the bare bones.  Secondly, the violence here is very effective … Michod doesn’t pull any punches wit the gunplay here and we often don’t see it coming.”

DVD Verdict:  “The other reason to watch is director David Michôd’s faith in cinema. At every turn he demonstrates that we don’t always need lots of backstory and elaborate character motivation to make a compelling film. His Australia is almost empty and the people who inhabit it are struggling to survive, but they’re presented to us without comment. The world is as the world is in the film, and the film seems to compel our interest precisely because it’s going to move, like Eric, relentlessly forward whether we join it or not. This “take it or leave it” attitude makes the film surprisingly compelling.”

Empire Online:  “As anyone who’s seen Animal Kingdom will know, the squeamish need not apply: there are shocks, but not in a gimmicky way. This is about communicating the horrors of a desperate, barren world – something we’ve seen before, of course, but Michôd gives it his own spin. Characters are well-drawn, despite long swathes without dialogue – Pearce is as strong as he’s ever been and Pattinson shows more range than many might expect.”

Entertainment Fuse:  “Michod, who has only directed two movies thus far, has established himself as a talent to watch. He has a unique and clear vision that may not come together 100 percent, but whose ambition should be admired.”

Examiner.com [Travis Hopson]:  “Michod paints a terrifying picture of a hopeless world.”

Examiner.com [Brooke Wylie]:   “The Rover is fascinating in both what it tells us and what it doesn’t.”

Fashcam:  “The Rover, directed by David Michôd, is one of the most ambitious, well-crafted and compelling films I have seen.”

Film4: “The Rover won’t be to everyone’s tastes: it’s a bold and subversive film that requires investment and more than a little patience from the viewer. But its message, however bleak, is an important one told with a fascinating directorial voice, and the film intrigues enough to leave us hungry for Michôd’s next.”

Filmblerg:  “… the two central performances, along with the assured overall direction, make The Rover a solid addition to Michod’s burgeoning filmography … he Rover is worthwhile for its duet of fine performances and the chance to see a Michod refine his emerging directorial style.”

Film Comment (Cannes Review):  ” I think it’s an impressive second film by David Michôd, who did Animal Kingdom. And I think that it’s a bit surprising that it was placed at midnight, because even though it’s sort of nominally a genre film, it’s probably not what people will be expecting if they’re told it’s a post-apocalyptic movie screening at midnight. It’s a kind of measured, contemplative movie, and I think it’s vastly better than several of the films that are in competition, and I think it’s very surprising after the reception of Animal Kingdom, and the fact that Michôd as a director was part of the Cinéfondation at Cannes, that this film was given this kind of slightly déclassé slot here.”

Film Dispenser:  “The Rover, stands head and foot above the rest.”

Film Forward:  “Despite the use of familiar cinematic tropes of rootless post-civilization, the grim and violent emphasis of desolation and destruction make this a thrilling road trip through the outback of the near future.”

Film Fracture:  “The plot moves slowly and deliberately, and the film concentrates heavily on the characters.  … There are lulls in the story and holes in the plot, but the relationship between the two men patches everything up – the audience is still with them, even if they’re lost themselves. Its takes a bit of patience to get through, but The Rover delivers some great acting in a story that hasn’t been told to death.”

Film Grouch:  “Michod keeps the picture moving at a steady, if somewhat slow, pace, though the film is never boring, and the way silence is used is downright unsettling. The dialogue is sparse and the emotions are muted, however, the entire cast shines.”

Film Pulse:  “The patience one needs to enjoy this stoic journey through brutality is made easier by the fact that a number of aspects in the film are delivered with superlative quality. … The Rover is abundantly littered with stunning photography, graceful camera movements and brilliant framing choices; there’s a beautiful frame at nearly every turn while the musical choices perfectly fill-in the gaps, emotion-wise, left by the general lack of dialogue; especially, the generous use of Colin Stetson’s experimental sounds of various woodwinds.”

Film School Rejects [William Goss]: “… on its own, from scene to scene, moment to moment, it’s an enthralling watch, guided by implicit purpose and crafted with consistent personality”

Film Threat:  “The Rover is a slow narrative, but each shot is carefully planned to keep us hungry. Michôd hangs on to scenes long enough that the audience is begging for a break in tension. When that break does come, it slices through with an explosive gunshot to someone’s face. His bravura is an intimidating reminder that he’s ahead of the audience every step of the way.”

Filmmaking Review:  “Writer/director David Michod‘s debut, Animal Kingdom, received near-unanimous praise. His sophomore effort, fresh off of a bow at Cannes, has proven more divisive, and not without reason. … The Rover blends elements from multiple genres, and defies obvious categorization, despite some obvious major influences. And, while it’s not the resounding success that Animal Kingdom was, The Rover still demonstrates Michod’s gifts as a stylist and storyteller, even if the results are less traditionally satisfying this time around.”

FirstShowing.net [Alex Billington]:   “While the film and its experience is fresh in my mind, the more I begin to think about it and process it even as I begin writing about it, the more I realize how much Michôd has hidden in the silence, in the quietness and dialogue-free moments. In turn, this makes every last word spoken that much more important. Pearce, similar to Ryan Gosling in Drive, carefully chooses every word, every twitch, every muscle in his body to deliver a performance that speaks volumes while actually saying very little. Even Robert Pattinson, giving one of his best fidgety, aloof performances to date, has so much more to say between every word he speaks.”

Flickering Myth:  “David Michôd commands his audience and never lets them take their eyes off the screen. … But it needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.”

Fliks (Giles Hardie):  “Two films into what promises to be an extraordinary career, the body count is high, the survival rate low. Yet, like some cinematic ying to Quentin Tarantino’s yang, there is meaning and purpose to every act of violence in Michôd’s work. … It entrances for the duration, surprises with its inevitability, and will linger in the mind long after the final bullet finds its target.”

For the Love of Celluloid:  “I have yet to see ANIMAL KINGDOM, but judging from THE ROVER, I can safely say that David Michod likely has a future making fantastic cinema. This is far from a perfect film and certain elements were not well executed. However, the sheer force of talent on display in most areas showcase an Australian filmmaker with a penchant for crafting interesting stories.”

FT.com:  “Michôd is expert at cranking tension, assured enough to follow it with a meditative pause, or even a wave of sugary pop music. This future is so messed up you can’t even depend on getting shot. “

Giant Freaking Robot:   “If you have any interest in post-apocalyptic stories, or just strong speculative drama with a grim, bitter edge, The Rover should immediately jump to the top of your must see list. Stunning in its own right, this is another illustration that David Michod is one of most exciting young filmmakers working today, and this has a spot the list of my favorite movies of the year.”

Good Efficient Butchery:  “Michod, cinematographer Natasha Breier, and the chillingly minimalist score by Antony Partos work together to create an atmosphere of suffocating hopelessness. … THE ROVER is one of 2014’s best films.”

Gotchya Movies:  “The plot is very straightforward, but it’s in the performances, the little moments, and Michod’s reluctance to adhere to conventions that make The Rover a complex and fascinating film.”

Graffitti With Punctuation [Blake Howard]:  “[F]or the most part Michôd’s direction is motivated by maximising tension.  … It’s also abundantly clear that Michôd is able to craft incredible performances from his players.”

Grantland:  “The truth is that not addressing the matter of the cars permits Michôd to make a fashionable movie in which Pearce and Pattinson go on a violent spree whose means justify the bloodshed.”

HeyUGuys [Jo-Ann Titmarsh]:  “Like most films set in the future, Michod’s The Rover is a damning indictment of our society and a warning of the price we might pay for our behaviour.”

HitFix: “There is something very straightforward about the way Michod lays out his plot, which is pretty much the least important part of the film to him. He seems far more interested in the unspoken, the chemistry between Pearce and Pattinson, and the way violence is used in place of conversation in a land where everything is this desperate, where nothing is easy.”

Hollywood & Fine:  “There’s no small talk in this film, virtually no exposition either. These characters exist in this fly-blown landscape of heat and dust with no backstory and no apparent future, other than the next person one of them shoots. Pearce is an intense presence and Pattinson, who I long ago wrote off as a poser rather than an actor, shows depth I previously was unconvinced he possessed.”

Indiewire [Eric Kohn]:  “Pearce’s scowling appearance and relentless ability to force others to meet his demands—particularly in a sudden burst of violence when he seeks out a firearm—marks his strongest role since “Animal Kingdom,” while Pattinson finally moves beyond wooden mannerisms to give his awkward character a pathetic, creepy demeanor.”

It’s Just Movies:  “David Michôd ups the ante and hauls in a big one in this Aussie thriller set in the desolate outback 10 years after the collapse.”

It’s Your Newsfeed:  “Michôd’s script—from a story by himself and Joel Edgerton—is painfully lazy in its attempts to infuse the story with some sort of philosophical meaning.”

JoBlo.com [Chris Bumbray]:  “Guy Peace has perfected the stoic killer … Robert Pattinson is a revelation.  … Thanks to those leads and the omnipresent danger and desolation presented by Michod, THE ROVER leaves a serious impression. If one major goal of a film is to make you buy into its world, THE ROVER accomplishes that with brutal efficiency. Whether or not it’s a world I’ll want to revisit is another question entirely.”

Krankie.ie:  “Gritty, tense and unnerving (but in the best possible way) The Rover is compelling viewing which will not fail to entertain.”

LA Times [Kenneth Turan]:  “The Rover” is a bleak work, and an uncompromisingly violent one, but it’s been made with so much skill that it’s hard to get it out of your mind.”

Larsen on Film:  “David Michod creates suspense not by heightening genre conventions, but by slowing them down, subverting our expectations and creating an atmosphere in which anything (especially bad things) can happen.”

ListFilm: “Michôd’s second film stands out due to its striking cinematography, storming performances, and mysterious and suspenseful ambience.”

Little White Lies:  “As Eric and Rey make their way across the deathly plains of some misc Aussie dustbowl towards the film’s delightful pay-off, Michôd makes it feel like there is all the time in the world. He has a talent for the self-contained set piece..”

Lotta Reviews:  “Working at a snail’s pace, The Rover is excellent in developing Eric and Rey’s dependence upon one another.”

Malone on Movies:  “There is no doubt that The Rover is going to be a divisive film.  Some will question the point and purpose of it all, but for others, the journey is more important than the destination. And if you decide to go, you will be rewarded with a renewed belief in the human spirit told through this dystopian tale of dedication and determination.”

Mark Reviews Movies: “Writer/director David Michôd’s film is a dive into a pit of despair. Despair is a law here, like gravity. It keeps pulling these characters further and further down, and along the way, they get a tour of the worst humanity has to offer itself.”

Marvin Brown:  “But you’ll wonder how, despite so much violence, death and a short runtime that it still feels like you’ve lived hours drifting in this dusty, dirty, sweaty, sticky off-beat film. I wanted to take a shower afterward. See it.”

Matt’s Movie Reviews [Matthew Pejkovic]:  “Filled with a thick, tense atmosphere, The Rover is the work of a director in control of all facets of his vision. Where Animal Kingdom has a script that was as potent as it vision, The Rover relies heavily on mood to drive its narrative that although seems straight forward on the surface, wrestles with many emotions underneath its sun cracked veneer.”

Media Mike:  “The Rover is a great example of filmmaking that says you can be deep without having to be elaborate. I would be extremely surprised if this film receives a major release and does great business, since it’s too raw for most audiences; but it is fantastic. It is worth watching just for the performances. A pure example of great acting.”

Mercury News (San Jose): “The futuristic mind-messer “The Rover” cements director-writer David Michod’s reputation as one of our most daring new filmmakers.“

Metro UK:  “[Michôd] directs his story, co-written with actor Joel Edgerton, with meticulous visual flair, crafting some beautifully composed shots. The violence comes in short, sharp bursts puncturing the quiet air of despair.”

Monsters and Critics:  “David Michôd ups the ante and hauls in a big one in this Aussie thriller set in the desolate outback ten year after the collapse.”

Moria (NZ):  “You are taken aback at what David Michôd does with the film.”

Mountain Express: “Strangely, and in large part due to a few peculiar touches like a strange old woman, misplaced circus performers, people crucified on telephone poles, and Pattinson’s performance, the whole thing manages to be compellingly watchable.”

Movie Guide Me:  “The use of sound is by the way very important: the almost ubiquitous silences are succeeded by an anxious soundtrack composed by one or two notes, very loud gun shots and Thai pop music. Michôd has indeed an original sound and image style.”

Movie Metropolis:  “It’s good to see that Michod wasn’t hit with the sophomore slump. “The Rover” is a better film than his debut picture with Michod effectively using minimalism interspersed with bursts of violence.”

Movie Pilot:  “The director does hark back to some of his stronger points though with counterpointed pop music interspersed in a rousing, almost adventurous avantgarde score. Most impressively of all, the director draws a remarkably against-type performance from his Twilight star.  Pattinson pulls off nervous twitching, shoddy posture and general writhing to great effect; his character’s a classic fool and he plays it so.”

Movie Quotes & More:  “My score for the film is 87%. Lowest mark for pacing, highest for direction. It forced my eyes to be glued to the screen by creating a believable post-apocalyptic world in which a bad situation occurs. A definite must-see in this year of great dramatic films …”

Monsters & Critics:  “The dystopian future of “Rover” is much the same as that hideous hiding place. In fact, one of the most fascinating parts of this brooding story is that it could just as well been set in the current time. Everything in the screenplay could have been placed in the present day.”

Movie Review (Ian Taylor):  “Michôd’s script, from a story co-written by him and Joel Edgerton, will be a bit too enigmatic for many viewers and his vision a bit too gloomy. Be that as it may, there’s a lot to like about this movie.”

Movie Web:  “Michod and cinematographer Natasha Braier succeed in portraying a time beyond desperation. It’s unnerving to say the least.”

New Statesmen:  “The thieves crash their own wheels in a sequence that proves the director David Michôd can create spectacle through frugal editing. The sight of the vehicle cartwheeling past the window as Eric drinks obliviously in a deserted bar is a miracle of comic timing. (Michôd can generate the same magic with sound, too. The second moment of genius in The Rover hinges on the incongruous use of “Pretty Girl Rock” by the R’n’B singer Keri Hilson.).”

New York Times (A O Scott):  “This time, he demonstrates once again that he has a knack for violence and suspense. (The sound design in particular is brilliantly sinister.) “

Next Projection:  “Though thematically similar to Mad Max, another Australian dystopian roadmovie, The Rover is an interesting take on a future dystopia with compelling performances by Pearce and Pattinson, with the latter succeeding in getting rid of his Twilight-image.”

NME: “Forging a believable dynamic the two actors are swallowed by a brooding landscape and as we follow their perilous path it makes you wonder how far you’d go in a quest for survival.”

NZMoviesYahoo! [James Robin]:  “Director David Michod exercises a firm hand that dips into surreal black humour and bouts of extreme brutality. The script (written by Michod and actor Joel Edgerton) is bare-bones and punctuates bouts of distraught silence.”

Oregon Live:  “The Rover” is bleak and gorgeous and has a soulful center thanks to Pearce. It’s not “Animal Kingdom” but it’s not “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” either.”

Outlaw Vern:  I hope this isn’t the only direction Michod will be headed in, but it’s another strong showing from the up and coming Australian. I look forward to seeing what he does next.”

Paste Magazine [Geoff Berkshire]:  But Australian filmmaker David Michod’s The Rover proves there’s still fertile territory to mine from a suddenly overworked subgenre. His film is as bleak and unsparing as the world’s end premise demands. It’s also utterly transfixing from start to finish and elevated by the unexpectedly superb pairing of stars Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson.

Phoenix Film Festival:  ” The Rover is a lofty, beautifully desolate film, but it’s also an emotionless, unreachable enigma.”

Popcorn Addiction: “Necessarily visceral, brutal and uncompromising, The Rover also manages to be intelligent, thought-provoking and even occasionally profound. You may not always sympathise with its characters, but that doesn’t mean you can’t understand them. They’re human, often terrifyingly so.”

QuickFlix:  “Rey comments that stories don’t always need to mean something; sometimes you tell them because they’re stuck in your head. The Rover is sticking in mine.”

Qwipster:  “With its strange, intentionally off-putting electronic score and a menagerie of oddball characters, the film keeps one toe in the realm of the surreal throughout its underlying grittiness.“

Radio Times:  “… like Animal Kingdom, the film is excruciatingly intense and prone to explosions of violence. No matter how spare and uncompromising the approach, though, it still has the decency to offer a solution to its mystery.”

RantaboutFilm:  “The Rover is not a pleasant movie, not something meant to be liked or enjoyed.  Instead, it’s a film meant to be appreciated for its uncompromising look at man and the end of mankind.  It serves as a warning of a world to come if we allow it.”

Reel Film:  “David Michôd does a superb job of immediately luring the viewer into the spare narrative, as the filmmaker kicks the proceedings off with an electrifying sequence that effectively establishes the movie’s gritty atmosphere – with the captivating vibe heightened by Michôd’s striking directorial choices and Pearce’s tough, engrossing performance.”

Reeling Reviews:  “”The Rover” features two indelible performances in a brutal landscape where one never knows what’s obscured on the heat shimmered horizon.

Reviews From A Bed:  “Michôd seems to pull it off so effortlessly here with each factor contributing to a whole composition that work together brilliantly.”

Ristretto TV:  “Those intense eyes of Robert Pattinson would have been worth watching anyhow, but to photograph such great acting in such a perfect way is a gift to us viewers.”

Roboapocalypse:  “Michôd has proven himself a very smart and economical director and has shown that he’s not a one-hit wonder.  The Rover is the real deal. “

RogerEbert.com:  “Michôd finds a tonal consistency in “The Rover” that makes its repetition forgivable, and even effective. It doesn’t let up because it shouldn’t let up.”

Rolling Stone:  “All you really need to know is that The Rover is a modern Western that explodes the terms good and evil; that its desolation is brilliantly rendered by Michôd and cinematographer Natasha Braier; that Pearce and Pattinson are a blazing pair of opposites. … Michôd offers a startling vision. You’ll be hooked.”

Rope of Silicon:   “Michod says a lot with The Rover without having to directly come out and say it and he’s proven he’s one of the most exciting directors working today by doing so. If you’re a fan of cinema, you have to see this movie. Sit with it, don’t rush it, let it slowly wrap you up and tear you apart before blowing you away in the end.  GRADE: A”

Salty Popcorn:  “But what separates this effort is the almost laser like focus on the human condition rather than the post-apocalyptic surroundings. In fact one of the central questions I found myself asking was not what happened but rather how do people survive in a world where mankind has reverted to a more almost quasi-primitive existence.”

San Diego Union Tribune:  “Michôd never freely opens up as to what is going on in the larger world, opting instead to give hints and clues and allowing the audience to create its own interpretation as to why things fell to pieces.”

SBS Movies:  “With so much build-up the final showdown can’t – and doesn’t – live up to all expectations, for Eric, Rey or equally, for us. Of course, that’s precisely the point in this story of misdirected rage and misanthropy, which tries to contemplate the cost of violent retribution at the same time it dishes it out.”

Scene Stealers:  It’s not a pleasant movie, but The Rover twists genre tenets to expose the need for connective tissue that lies somewhere beneath the dark depths of men’s souls.”

Sci-Fi Now:  “The Rover is brutal and gripping, and its profound sense of loss gives it impressive emotional depth; it will stay with you long after the credits roll.”

Screen Comment:  “Despite minimalist scenery consisting of dust clouds, thorns spinning in the wind and a linear progression featuring mainly an endless spree of shootouts, not always explained, the film remains engaging throughout.”

Screendaily:  “When, for much of the central section, the film becomes effectively a moody two-header for Pattinson and Pearce, The Rover essentially flatlines. Still, there’s much here to admire, not least the casting of some formidable plug-uglies, the general grunginess and grubbiness created by designer Jo Ford, and the ominous metallic clang of Anthony Partos’s unusual score.”

Screen Invasion: “David Michôd takes full advantage of his filming locations, highlighting just how stark the landscape is and how alone everyone is in this post-apocalyptic world. While Michôd’s sure-hand is apparent in the wideshots, it’s the talent of the leading men that elevate this film.”

Screen It: “Beautifully shot and moody in its slow burn approach, “The Rover” rates as a 6 out of 10.”

Screen Jabber:  “The Rover is far from perfect – a little too much is left up in the air for the audeicne to work out for themselves – but it’s nonetheless a tense, compelling and impressive piece of filmmaking.”

ScreenRelish:  “Michod’s deliberate pace slowly sets in your bones, and you’ll long remember the two lead performances.”

Seattle Weekly:  “Michôd is playing a tricky game here: Lean too far on the abstract nature of the quest, and the movie turns into a parody of itself. Mostly he’s gotten the mix right, and The Rover cuts a strong, bloody groove.”

Seongyong’s Private Place:  “I like the way [Michôd] sets the atmosphere for his film at the beginning and then push it all the way under his austere direction, and the main actors carry their film well with their solid performances.”

Shelf Heroes: “Michôd effectively drags us down into his battered psyche, while simultaneously playing all the sci-fi genre cards that give us the familiar ground and enticing narrative mysteries to desire being a part of the story until the bitterest of ends.”

Silver Screen Riot:  “Michôd’s tender hand and Pattinson’s awe-inspiring performance are quietly devastating.”

Slant Magazine:  “As a political allegory, The Rover is neither here nor there; that said, Rey’s stare is almost thousand-yard enough to make the film’s sense of tragedy feel downright Greek.”

Sobriety Test Movie Reviews:  “Michôd draws compelling performances from his cast to intrigue us throughout the movie.”

Socialist Party Australia: “The film is partly an enjoyable, Mad Max-style adventure, but at its heart is a grim warning to viewers about what can happen when profit rules supreme”

SpoilerFreeMovieSleuths:  “I personally thought Robert Pattinson’s performance in Cronenberg’sCosmopolis was the performance of 2012. As he branches off into a different type of character in The Rover, he is just as good. His character feels the empathy Eric does not, supplying the audience with an emotional connection to the characters. While bumbling and seeming like he may be the one-note southern hick we expect, he is far more human than I thought possible. He is a little silly, clever at times, and completely loyal to the man who once saved his life and is willing to go anywhere for him.

Spotlight Report:  “‘There’s no harm God wants to see me come to’. The audience yearns for the two to develop a friendship and bond, for Rey’s sweetness to break down the hardened exterior of Eric. But it’s to Michôd’s credit that this never transpires as Eric never sees Rey as anything more than a means to an end.”

Straight.com:  “There’s virtually nobody to root for here. And that’s just the way director David Michôd seems to want it.”

Super Marcey:  “In fact for what it is, it’s still a really good and engaging film that once again showcases once how much a terrific talent Michod is.”

Switch:  “Michôd is also proving himself a considerable talent in eliciting great performances from his cast.  … His work so far hints at a great director in the making, and ‘The Rover’ is as impressive an artistic achievement … This is an elegant piece of filmmaking, tender and heartfelt and brutal.”

Sydney Morning Herald:  “Michod is certainly one of most exciting and inventive new Australian talents, and it’s true that a second film is difficult after a great debut. The Rover is dark and engaging, with superb use of the heart-stopping landscape around the Flinders Ranges, but it could be accused of mannerism. Michod has tried to take out everything extraneous, but he ends up with a plot that we have to construct ourselves, and a punchline finale that is more suited to a short film than a feature.”

That Film Guy:  “To say that Michod follows his debut Animal Kingdom with some style would be an understatement. …. It’s well handled and the central performances from Pearce and Pattinson are fantastic …”

The Arts Guild: “I am convinced that the magic of this film lies not in its conclusion, but rather in the carefully crafted tension each individual carries within them throughout the whole film.”

The Australian (David Stratton):  “Michod’s direction is confident and already at this early stage in his career he’s a master at creating suspense.”

The Christian Science Monitor:  “Director David Michod’s follow-up to his acclaimed debut, “Animal Kingdom,” is effective in an elemental way …”

The Denver Post:  “Michôd has stripped things down to match the slow degradation of a society. An feral menace of the type only men are capable of rules this outing. This is the end not as bang but as whimpering, wailing, dissolute times.  Michôd and his expert crew don’t rely on sci-fi to buttress this fable’s dystopian, muted misery. The setting is spooky and unyielding, mostly the latter, all parched, spiny, dusty, emptied.”

The Dissolve:  The Rover is still a showcase for two strong performances. One of the most reliable actors working today, Pearce doesn’t get much dialogue here, but says much with his body language. Weary in repose, coiled when threatened, he turns Eric into a study of what happens to a man when the world starts to leech away his humanity. (That impression is complicated by revelations later in the film.) Coming off his turn in Cosmopolis, Pattinson heads in the opposite direction of that cerebral character. He plays Rey as a pliant boy used to doing what he’s told. He’s what passes for innocent in The Rover, a kid who never had a chance and who’s only known the world as a cruel, desolate place.

The Establishing Shot: “There are many scenes from The Rover that standout for me, some because of the dark humour, some because of the striking visuals, some where music and image come together beautifully despite the dark tone …”

The Film Pie:  “Michôd’s focus is on providing an intriguing character study and in that regard, this is a movie that delivers in a huge way.”

The Film Stage:   “A bleak, spare look at justice in a desolate landscape, The Rover will most certainly not be what one expects following Animal Kingdom, but Michôd has created a frighteningly realistic apocalyptic western that’s entirely his own.”

The Focus Pull:  “The Rover” takes the genre back to the adults – back to real tragedy – for the first time since 2009’s “The Road.”

The Guardian:  “Michôd creates a good deal of ambient menace in The Rover; Pearce has a simmering presence. But I felt there was a bit of muddle, and the clean lines of conflict and tension had been blurred: the dystopian future setting doesn’t add much and hasn’t been very rigorously imagined. I even had the suspicion that the screenplay should perhaps have gone through one or two more drafts, or perhaps returned to an earlier draft, when casting was clearer. Well, Michôd certainly delivers some brain-frazzling heat and directionless despair.”

The Hollywood News (DVD Review):  “Having missed THE ROVER’s theatrical release, I’m so glad for the opportunity to review it for the home entertainment release, if only for the chance to kick off 2015 with one of the best films of the last six months.”

The Hollywood Reporter:  “As recycled as many of the individual images here may be — its forbidding, lifeless landscapes are populated almost entirely by bloodied, grizzled, sweaty men with guns enacting eternal violent rituals in pursuit of vengeance — Michod has nonetheless developed a very specific setting for his elemental drama.”

The Horror Club:  “The Rover is a gorgeous, bleak, and powerful film, that while giving us our fill of ultra-violent revenge, played with our emotions and made us feel a bit sad for its characters. It’s a movie that definitely deserves to be seen, and hopefully it finds itself a strong audience on VOD and Home Video. If you like gritty Thrillers, then you should definitely give this one a shot.”

The Incredible Suit:  “The Rover is thoughtful and bleak, but crucially never dull. … But David Michôd’s cinema is intelligent, heavyweight and beautifully played out, and I for one am 100% down with it. This is a fascinating second step in the journey of a director with enormous talent and potential, and whichever road he takes next, I will absolutely be along for the ride.”

The Irish Times:  “The Rover sounds a lot like the first Mad Max film. It’s slicker than that. It’s technically more accomplished … But that final surprising coda (it surprised this reviewer, anyway) goes some way towards making sense of the whole mad enterprise. Leave them feeling satisfied. Very clever.”

The Lumière Reader [Jacob Powell]:  “David Michôd’s follow-up to his intense 2010 crime thriller Animal Kingdom is anything but a repackaged Mad Max impersonator. … The Rover’s focused intensity still makes for a gripping genre experience.”

The MacGuffin [Benjamin Nason]:  “Michôd paints the apocalypse with a gritty, washed out realism that in comparison makes the Mad Max films something of a comic book hyperbole. … And yet there’s an excitement to the intensity, that coupled with the thematic emotional connection of loyalty provides for a surprisingly different summer movie experience.”

The MacGuffin [Sarah Ksiazek]:  “While the plot is simple, it is also maddening. The rest of the film will be monopolized by the thought of, “What the hell is in that car that he needs to get back so bad?” Revealing the answer will put you out of your misery as you watch it, but we should all have the same frustrating thought the entire film. Michôd obviously does this to us for a reason.”

The Movie Waffler:  “Director David Michod, who impressed critics with his 2010 debut Animal Kingdom, extracts great production value from his dusty, scorched setting, a topography that’s suitably bleak for one of the darkest portrayals of humanity we’ve seen in some time.”

The Ooh Tray: “Michôd’s paces his movie just right, punctuating long takes with emotional and violent crescendos. It’s a deeply psychological film; a story told in close ups and pained faces. It’s also the first evidence that somewhere in the world they’re growing directors from the mixed DNA of dead masters, in this case Sergio Leone and Don Siegel.”

The People’s Movies [Andrew McArthur]: “… there are several moments of well executed tension and an impressively layered performance from Guy Pearce that makes The Rover worth recommending.”

The Playlist:  “Accompanied by an eclectic score of drones and electronic pulses interrupted by some incongruous tracks (including a very funny, slightly meta use of “Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful” as hummed-along-to by Pattinson) the story Michod and Joel Edgerton came up with, all the way back before “Animal Kingdom” may not quite reach the heights of that crime saga, but it arguably fulfills another important function: it shows Michod work with other genres and textures, and still make a film that is unmistakably his, and that is how auteurs are made.”

The Telegraph (UK):  “Michôd has already proved himself a dextrous craftsman, and his film tries to regain the courage of its grim convictions, sharpening its conflicts to a deadly point by the end.”

The Washington Post:  “Into this joyless world, Michod manages to imprint his own signature, from the way he and Braier move the camera to establish figures within their larger environment, to the startling image of a car turning somersaults outside a diner window while a man obliviously huddles at the counter in the scene’s foreground.”

The Wrap (Cannes Review):  “The dark ‘n’ edgy crown really goes to “The Rover,” a brutally brilliant and brilliantly brutal post-apocalyptic road movie that crawls along creepily before periodically erupting into violence.”

Thoughts on Film:  ” The Rover, a bleak and violent tale of retribution, solidarity and redemption that proves Michôd isn’t just a one-trick pony. “

Ticket to Entertainment [Nathan Lerner]:  “The Rover” is extremely well-crafted, emotionally gripping, and dramatically satisfying. The result is another stunning tour de force by a talented young director.”

Toledo Blade:  “It’s the layers that director David Michôd (Animal Kingdom), who cowrote the script with actor Joel Edgerton, adds to the film, though, that sets The Rover apart from other post-apocalyptic movies.”

Toronto Star:  “Comparisons with Mel Gibson’s Mad Max and Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry films are obvious in Michod’s stark and striking presentation, but what resonates most is the loneliness these men are striving to overcome.”

Twitch (Cannes Review):  “It’s the steadiness of The Rover that is its most defining feature, a sense that you’re perambulating towards an inevitable showdown and just along for the ride. It’s a dessicated place to visit, but the world that Michôd and his collaborators craft is nonetheless a compelling one, if sure to be challenging for those wanting a bit more pace and a bit more plot.

Underrated & Underexposed

‘The Rover’ is another film from down under which is a cut above the rest, a common occurrence which places Australia as one of the great producers of cinema in the world – strong enough to compete with Hollywood while individual enough to be distinctively Ozzy.”

UK Screen: “There is much to enjoy in this brooding well-paced thriller, but its narrative is somewhat simplistic, … ” 

Uplateatnightagain:  “This is an excellent film, characterised by two stunning performances and a stunning setting. Highly recommended.”

Variety:  “A commercial challenge due to its mix of explicit violence, measured pacing and narrative abstractions, the pic should earn the warm embrace of discerning genre fans and further establish Michod as one of the most gifted young directors around.”