Critic Reviews

• Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

  An undeniably provocative head-trip, laced with the most spectacular lightning-storm footage I've ever seen.

• Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

  Philosophically ripe but cinematically undercooked.

• Ronnie Scheib, Variety

  Neither filtered through nor structured around another artist's work, and suffers from the lack of a unifying vision, its parts greater than the whole.

• David Fear, Time Out New York

  The approach matches up with the metaphysical aspects astonishingly well; the force of such ambient explorations hits you, surprisingly like a bolt out of the blue.

• Ella Taylor, Village Voice

  Baichwal is the least judgmental of interviewers, which is a double-edged sword when the solemn testimony ("I had come to meet me") induces a barely resistible urge to laugh.

• John Hartl, Seattle Times

  "It changed my way of looking at the world," says one of the survivors. That's not a bad description of the movie itself.

• Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

  An alluring documentary about the shocking power and mystery of lightning in human experience.

• Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

  A mildly engaging documentary that feels somewhat incomplete without enough insight, revelations and thorough analysis. Ultimately, it doesn't quite find the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually.

• Matthew Nestel, Boxoffice Magazine

  Interlaces spectacular visuals with meaty chatter by various luminaries and laymen talking about life after being struck by lightning.

• Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine

  The wishy-washy rotation of characters strands us in the center of the film's complex topic without much aside from useless meditation on the fierce numinousness of nature to keep us company.

• S. James Wegg, JWR

  Thanks to filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier, the after effects of these 1-in-700,000-odds' strikes are brought into horrifically mesmerizing view and accompanied by a music track ... that magically reinforces the storytelling.

• Liz Braun, Jam! Movies

  Act of God fearlessly approaches the natural and the supernatural, and the result is visceral, intellectual, heartbreaking, delightful and instructive, all at once.

Read all 12 critic reviews