Review Roundup For Ari Aster's New Movie, Beau Is Afraid, Starring Joaquin Phoenix

After the success of Hereditary and Midsummer, writer-director Ari Astaire returns this month with Beau Is Afraid, a new film starring Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix. Reviews of the film started appearing on the net. Here we compile review scores and excerpts to help you decide if the film is worth your time and money.

The Jewish Lord of the Rings stars Phoenix as Bo, a man who is motivated to leave after discovering his mother is "caught in the chandelier." The story involves Bo's journey home to his mother, and the trailers hint that this will be a real nightmare.

In addition to Phoenix, Bow of Fear stars Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Patti LuPone, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Richard Kind and Parker Posey. You can watch the latest trailer below along with a summary of the review findings. For more on Beau Is Fraid's critical response, visit GameSpot's sister site Metacritic and more scores at Rotten Tomatoes.

• Director: Ari Aster
• Author: Ari Esther
• With Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Ryan, Parker Posey, Nathan Lane, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Richard Kind, Patti LuPone
• Duration: 179 minutes
• Level: a
• Release Date: April 21 (cinemas only)

IGN - 9/10

"Writer/director Ari Astaire's three-hour carnage delves into anxiety, Beau Is Afraid is a deeply personal horror comedy." - Siddhant Adlaka [Full Review]

Edge: no point

Beau Is Afraid is so different from Esther's other films that it ends on a very happy note, attracting many people to the unexpected. But it is raising more questions than ever as it has been on the rise as of late. He is interested in the answer. There is a magical, magical quality to Astaire's vision that makes it hard not to be drawn to the unusual. - Charles Pulliam Moore [Full Review]

Different - no point

"A24 Darling's latest release, with an extended three-hour runtime and holiday-free release style, reflects what happens when a technically gifted artist is given too much creative freedom." - Peter Debrugge [Full Review]

The Hollywood Reporter - It doesn't make any sense

It's Phoenix who takes it as full, insanely busy as he's been given in the long, sometimes heavy, performance of the film. When a character brings more depression than emotional input, it's more about the outcome. Dimension Aster's surrealist approach is sorely lacking in Phoenix's crude and terrifying character. If you have a mothering issue, watching Boomer Humiliation will bring it up for you. David Rooney [full review]

Caregiver - 2/5

"In this three-hour tale of Oedipus' woes, the phoenix appears uncharacteristically weak and finally plunges into absurdity." - Peter Bradshaw [Full Review]

Movie scene - Dr

Undoubtedly, Astaire's last will, like his last, will create division among the people. However, Beau Is Afraid proves that his path is far more brutal than tasteless beheadings or bodies exploding on rocks: his latest exercise explores the destruction of a romantic moment. - Fran Hopfner [Full Review]