Whilst Riddle of Fire struggles to justify its near two hour runtime, Razooli's film is as joyful, endearing, and heartfelt as any other release this year.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 3, 2024

I haven’t had more fun at the movies in 2024. ... If you are old enough to remember using shoulder-mount video cameras or primitive handicams to make shaky fake action movies with your friends, you’ll probably love this.

| Original Score: B+ | Jul 23, 2024

A lot of ideas have been thrown together in creating Riddle of Fire and, while some work better than others, the result is an underwhelming fairytale outing.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 9, 2024

[Riddle of Fire] is gleefully impertinent, capturing the perspective of children needing to escape, and the off-kilter amateurism of the film lends itself to coming from the shoddy malleability of juvenile brains

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 4, 2024

The twisty caper has a remarkably deadpan sense of humour, and young viewers will enjoy the way the film never talks down to them. Although parents might worry that its messages aren't designed for kids.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 11, 2024

This is the work of a film-maker whose skill doesn’t yet match his bold vision. But with more experience, we could see great things from American writer/director Weston Razooli.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 10, 2024

The movie’s handmade look (including authentically burned-out 16mm cinematography by Jake Mitchell), and the charming, unschooled performances of the young performers, prove to be irresistible.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 10, 2024

Weston Razooli stretches out the action for close to two hours with ever more elaborate and nonsensical plot developments, cutesy folkloric narration and faux-medieval title treatments.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 4, 2024

A charming must-see for those that embrace the strange and unusual, Riddle of Fire is brilliantly unique, endearingly wholesome, and utterly awesome.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 9, 2024

The young stars are clearly enjoying themselves in a refreshingly sweet fairy tale.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 2, 2024

While the core conceit is sort of cute, Razooli really can’t direct actors who aren’t already seasoned with prior experience.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 29, 2024

Riddle of Fire will definitely deliver the fresh baked blueberry pie taste of nostalgia you need.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 25, 2024

The first thing you need to understand about Riddle of Fire and its peculiar appeal is that everything about it feels as if it were made by hand; the second is that it’s difficult to tell whether those hands belong to a human from earth.

| Apr 25, 2024

'Riddle of Fire' brings back the 1970s, fantasy-filled, Peanuts-gang-like summer vacations of bike-riding adventures with friends.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 5, 2024

Riddle of Fire is a slick experience constructed inside and out from children’s minds and aimed at the viewer’s previous selves—the inner child in us all.

| Original Score: B | Mar 28, 2024

A memorable debut by a filmmaker with a lot of promise, Riddle of Fire has all the potential to become a cult classic.

| Mar 26, 2024

This whole enterprise is a true delight, complete with a specificity that made it all the more special, and unexpected musical/dance moments that kept my eyes wide open with joy.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Mar 26, 2024

It’s a light and singular concoction of sick-ass vibes in dire need of something -- anything -- to weigh them down. I couldn’t wait for it to end, but that’s partially because I’m already so impatient to see what Razooli does next.

| Original Score: C+ | Mar 26, 2024

'Mandy' meets 'Pete's Dragon' meets 'The Bridge to Terabithia': Always stylish and often charming, but this "neo fairy tale" fails to resolve its schizoid tone into anything coherent or memorable.

| Mar 26, 2024

A dark fairy tale that blurs the line between reality and fantasy in a way recognizable to anyone who ever had a child’s active imagination, Riddle of Fire will make you feel young again in the best way possible.

| Mar 26, 2024