Sounds like it's a tough film to parse -- one that will require several viewings and a set of Cliff's Notes.
David Poland says, "This is probably PTA’s least accessible movie for general audiences. But it is also his most mature work as a filmmaker."
Todd McCarthy, at The Hollywood Reporter, says "Paul Thomas Anderson's
The Master is masterful for sure, as well as enthralling and perplexing. But an argument that will endure for as long as people feel like seeing and talking about the film is whether it adds up to the sum of its many brilliant parts." In
Variety,
Justin Chang writes, "even when the narrative drifts into increasingly ambiguous waters, the sheer brilliance of the filmmaking holds one rapt."
Still, great notices all around. Five stars apiece from
Xan Brooks and
Peter Bradshaw at
The Guardian.
Robbie Collin, in his five-star review at The Telegraph says, "After one viewing,
The Master already feels like a landmark American movie. It makes words like ‘bold’ and ‘extraordinary’ seem utterly inadequate."
