Metacritic reviews

James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander make a photogenic pair in this sometimes sweepingly romantic film, the most roundly satisfying fiction feature Wenders has made since, well, that first one about the angel so in love he gives up immortality.

Wim Wenders’ latest is a handsome production which, although it is rich with symbolism, is ultimately not quite as satisfying as it should be.

Choked by overwrought trappings and suffocated by an unforgiving narrative structure, Wim Wenders’ “Submergence” is only bolstered by a pair of sterling performances from stars Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy, both of whom somehow rise above the lackluster film they’re sunk into.

There are moments when the film has the ability to absorb us, however fleetingly.

Submergence is a soapy, melodramatic romance in quiet greys and limp emotions.

An objectively bad movie, paradoxically ponderous and pointless.

There’s something to be admired about a film that can gracefully defy simple genre categorization but Submergence feels like a clumsy melange, a confused adaptation made by people who don’t seem quite sure what they have on their hands.

Dabbling in topical themes like climate change and terrorism, all while attempting to execute a Bond-esque, star-crossed lovers narrative. Submergence’s commentary ultimately conveys a whole lot of nothing.

Earnestly aiming to land with the weight of an Important Film married with Big Ideas, the more Submergence tries and strains to find connections to contemporary issues, the more those beats ring hollow. “Submergence” not only leaves the talent involved underwater, but the audience also longs for anything of significance to cling to.

Submergence's globetrotting only succeeds at exposing the hollowness of the characters at the film's center.