By the time its body-horror finale comes, it’s hard not to feel dejected by squandered potential. It’s impossible to care about the characters when even the filmmaker seems trapped between a malevolent and ambivalent gaze.

| Apr 13, 2025

The film is too long for its one concept.

| Mar 4, 2025

The gallons of blood, refreshingly aggressive symbolism and sensational turns from [Demi] Moore and Margaret Qualley all make [Coralie] Fargeat's body-swap romp one of the delightfully unexpected Best Picture nominees of all time.

| Feb 28, 2025

A new body-horror masterpiece. Pump it up: the sci-fi concept; the stunning command of sound, vision and tone; the savagery and smarts; the gonzo willingness to keep pushing and parodying; the gore; and the career-reviving performance from Demi Moore

| Feb 25, 2025

Despite its supposed feminist credentials, The Substance doesn’t exactly walk the walk.

| Original Score: C+ | Feb 19, 2025

For all the things The Substance does right,...the film is so detached viewers may have a hard time getting emotionally invested. It’s more like watching an alien nature documentary about the lengths humans would go to remain forever young.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 15, 2025

It's encouraging to see horror such as this earn worthy appreciation.

| Feb 10, 2025

For its first hour, at least, The Substance is riveting stuff, a mashup of social commentary, a vicious satire of showbiz duplicity, an angry examination of feminine angst and a staggering truckload of Cronenberg-level body horror.

| Original Score: B | Feb 8, 2025

Excellent for its first two hours, before it drags on for another 20 minutes.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 5, 2025

The Substance goes so hard for so many different reasons, resulting in something that is completely bonkers, while also being astute and thoughtful.

| Feb 5, 2025

It’s the most squirm-inducing movie in many a moon – a grotesque, crude and erratic picture as bonkers as a Troma Entertainment feature. It’s also one of 2024’s best films.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 4, 2025

The Substance is a real stomach-churner - in a beautifully told, shot and performed way.

| Feb 3, 2025

“Fargeat has spoken about letting her film create alternate worlds and universes, and The Substance does just that.”

| Original Score: 8/10 | Feb 2, 2025

Ultimately, while The Substance got off to an intriguing start, the majority of the film and especially its goofy ending was mostly cheap shock value and amateurish satire built on the flimsiest premise imaginable.

| Jan 18, 2025

Unlike its dual protagonists, The Substance is utterly unafraid of being wholly, unapologetically itself. We should all be so lucky.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 17, 2025

...a workable premise that’s employed to hopelessly (and relentlessly) unwatchable effect by Fargeat...

| Original Score: .5/4 | Jan 11, 2025

It's one of the best body horrors we've gotten in a hot minute.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 8, 2025

Here is a whole lot of movie with some very poignant ideas about culture. "The Substance" explodes with wit, heart, soul, and a whole lot of blood and guts. What fun!

| Original Score: FIVE STARS | Jan 6, 2025

...the train-wreck ending of "The Substance" doesn't take away from it being the one film that will stick in my head LONG after 2024 has come to a close.

| Original Score: A- | Dec 31, 2024

Writer/director Coralie Fargeat gives Demi Moore arguably the most go-for-broke, layered role of her career as a fading star pushing on that one button even the most desperate souls shouldn’t. The result is bold but not for the squeamish.

| Dec 29, 2024