Surge is worthwhile viewing for the state of tension it can inspire in an audience...anyone who enjoys the manic formula the Safdie’s have perfected will likely find much to like here.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Apr 26, 2024

‘Surge’ is honest, and just like its title, the movie rushes and pours the emotions of a man that wants to be set free of the mundane world that he lives in into the mental and physical uneasiness of his perspective.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 20, 2023

Fuelled by an incredible performance from Whishaw, this is an unrelenting and exhausting experience. One that grabs a hold of you and forces you to witness the birth of a major new talent in British filmmaking.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 12, 2022

Unlike the overrated and overhyped Joker, however, Surge doesnt try to tie itself to an existing property in the name of financial exploitation. It also features more nuanced characters, a more credible story and a better leading performance.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 13, 2022

An exciting calling card for a new filmmaker, Surge won't be the best choice if you've had a tough day behind a desk but will delight you if you like cinema that raises your heartrate.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 2, 2022

There is one reason, and one reason alone, to watch "Surge": Ben Whishaw.

Full Review | Nov 19, 2021

Calling it difficult to watch is an understatement. Nevertheless, it's worth watching to see Whishaw in action in this challenging film.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Oct 7, 2021

None of this can be viewed as fun. Surge is a downer from start to finish. But it is also hugely effective.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Oct 1, 2021

Surge does not raise further questions for the viewer, it feels like a straight-ahead story about a man who is suffering from a mental health collapse.

Full Review | Sep 30, 2021

It crosses the line between the anxiety-inducing and the merely irritating in sticking us with a hero whose nervous breakdown is showy but meaningless.

Full Review | Sep 30, 2021

It's gripping, even if we're already worn out halfway in.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 30, 2021

Offers an unflinching look at the rapid mental deterioration of a man without providing much insight or context.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Sep 30, 2021

Heavy on atmosphere and often surreal, the film hinges on the performance of Ben Whishaw.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 29, 2021

An intense and engaging film from its first shaky, shaky frames.

Full Review | Sep 29, 2021

The intensity of Surge's scattered, myopic realism isn't for naught. Even with its familiar visual and dramatic approach, the movie packs an odd little punch.

Full Review | Sep 28, 2021

Surge is a thrilling first-person rush, one that takes us head-first into the chaotic state of mind of someone who's finally reached their breaking point.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 28, 2021

Ben Whishaw makes for an ideal portrait of a mild-mannered bundle of frustration, but there is an urgency missing from this story that would have effectively put us within the mindset of someone who has finally lost it.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Sep 27, 2021

What Surge achieves most impressively of all is how it pulls us into the sensory experience of being completely overwhelmed to the point where it untethers Joseph from reality entirely

Full Review | Sep 27, 2021

Some audience members may very well be looking for this brand of sadism (Joker fans, I suppose), but most will find it grating. There's nothing edifying or satisfying about Joseph's crime spree... and there's really no point at all.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Sep 27, 2021

Some might find catharsis in this depiction of middle-class rebellion, but it lacks a method to the madness.

Full Review | Sep 24, 2021