79
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittA riveting new documentary about the Arab-run Al Jazeera network, reminds us that news programming can vary so widely from place to place that journalistic myths of "objectivity" and "impartiality" seem more naive than ever.
- 90Film ThreatTim MerrillFilm ThreatTim MerrillIn the end, the greatest achievement of Control Room may be to simply remind us, as Americans, that in this age of mega-corporate U.S. news media there are other perspectives on world events besides those of Fox, CNN, MSNBC-ABCBS and whoever else feeds us our information.
- 80The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensWhatever your opinions about the war, the conduct of the journalists who covered it and the role of Al Jazeera in that coverage, you are likely to emerge from Control Room touched, exhilarated and a little off-balance, with your certainties scrambled and your assumptions shaken.
- 80The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinRemarkable and timely film.
- 80Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanThis absorbing, significant, and shamelessly entertaining movie not only goes through the looking glass but, no less significantly, turns the mirror back on us.
- 75New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanIf her (Noujaim's) movie teaches us anything, it's that no reality remains unspun.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckScenes of dark humor abound as well, like the episode in which the gathered journalists react in fury when they are not provided with pictures of the infamous deck of playing cards depicting the "50 Most Wanted" Iraqi figures.
- 70The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneThere is no narrator; rather, we are invited to eavesdrop on--or to get an earful from--such figures as Hassan Ibrahim, a jovial reporter with Al Jazeera, and Samir Khader, one of the network’s senior producers. [24 May 2004, p. 97]
- 67Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumAnxiety-provoking documentary.