Guava Island's biggest surprise may be that it doesn't play with tension as thoroughly as Atlanta or Gambino videos, instead choosing to dig for something more earnest and tentatively hopeful that matches Glover's Coachella speech.

| Apr 19, 2021

No one could say it overstays its welcome ... [but] I wish they'd indulged themselves a little more.

| Feb 8, 2021

Had [Guava Island] embraced more of the mysticism introduced in its prologue, it may have been the kind of oddity it's striving to be.

| Jul 30, 2020

"Guava Island" is a nice enough place to visit, but an hour there is more than enough.

| Mar 17, 2020

In many ways, Guava Island accomplishes exactly what it set out: create a fun, colorful, anti-capitalist romp that leaves viewers smiling.

| Feb 25, 2020

Guava Island is a great first push into feature work, from the team that brings us the show Atlanta, and it whets the appetite for more film work from all of them.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Jan 10, 2020

In just under an hour we get a tight and surprisingly dark plot with a powerful message about the evils of capitalism, charismatic performances from all involved, and some pleasing visuals of the island.

| Original Score: B+ | Jan 8, 2020

A surprise genre-defying release from Donald Glover, featuring a subtly great performance from Rihanna.

| Dec 6, 2019

It is easy to say that even though it's a casually charming collective of ferociously stiched notes, the overall experience that you get out of this half-baked allegory is also half-amusing.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 25, 2019

Glover and Murai assemble a magnetic cast who are, quite simply, a joy to watch.

| Sep 10, 2019

Guava Island's most damning sin is that it's unconvincing -- both aesthetically and in its assertion of Deni as a selfless, romantic, revolutionary hero.

| Aug 26, 2019

The cartoon sections of Guava Island are dazzlingly colourful. Glover's voice shines. And Rihanna turns what could have felt like a bit-part perfume ad acting role into a showcase for her natural, sparkling charisma.

| Jul 10, 2019

Guava Island in all, is a brilliant idea with decent execution, but there is no denying that this could have been better.

| Jun 7, 2019

Donald Glover and Rihanna bring us a dark, disturbing Caribbean fairytale that sits somewhere between musical feature film and long-form music video.

| May 23, 2019

Visually it has interesting moments. [Full review in Spanish]

| Apr 29, 2019

Odd, and at times feels like a goof. But it encapsulates the filmmaking style of Glover, Murai and Co., and I was entertained throughout (Philadelphia Weekly)

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 29, 2019

Stripping away the island's identity inadvertently taps into the idea that the Caribbean islands - and Latin America or African countries, in general - are all just the same.

| Apr 24, 2019

It is quite paradoxical that something that wants to be anti-capitalist has "product placement" everywhere. [Full review in Spanish]

| Apr 22, 2019

It never fully works as a film that believes art can topple tyranny, but is nevertheless charming, musically festive and visually soothing.

| Original Score: B- | Apr 22, 2019

A vibrating interpretation that celebrates class consciousness. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 19, 2019