Thirteen Lives

"When not in the caves with the divers, Howard is content to tell this story in such a drab, ho-hum, overly respectful fashion that it starts to drag."

"(A) decent retelling of an amazing true-life story..."

"Claustrophobically intense and captivating..."

"A profoundly passionless exploration of a mission that is readymade for thrills, spills and handkerchiefs..."

"If anything, Howard’s film is so afraid of making this into Stanton and Volanthen’s story that it nearly flattens them into non-characters..."

"This movie is so well made that it’s a challenge to watch..."

"Mortensen steals the show as the cave diving guru only too ready with a voice-of-doom aside..."

"It’s more than a little frustrating that, in a movie that runs almost two and half hours, Howard and screenwriter William Nicholson... fail to deliver properly developed characters."

"Ron Howard creates a film that is visually arresting by recreating the dives with as much authenticity as possible."

"I do wonder whether all this soberness has prevented a good film from being an extraordinary one."

"An extraordinary story of nerve-wracking heroism gets an appealingly straightforward, propulsive retelling..."

"Farrell's Volanthen is a real highlight..."

"Low-key but ultimately engaging..."

"It... quietly counters a Hollywood history besotted with lone rangers and mavericks. Everyone matters."

"The suspense inherent in planning and executing the rescue stimulates a sleepy story..."