The Number 23 Critic Reviews

Schlock can be fun, just not here. "23" is like spending more than 90 minutes watching somebody else complete a Sudoku puzzle. I know what you're thinking: No Sudoku puzzle should take more than 90 minutes!Read the full review

The film's assaultive shock editing holds you, and so does its mystery, which is like "The Da Vinci Code" with insanity and violence in place of highbrow signifiers.Read the full review

How bad is The Number 23? It gives "Batman & Robin" a run for its money as the worst of the director's long career.Read the full review

The movie's premise, while not brilliant, is solid and could have been used to develop an edge-of-the-seat thriller with a genuine surprise or two. As it exists, however, The Number 23 feels perfunctory and is developed in such a way that few people are likely to leave the theater satisfied.Read the full review

There's a mess of things wrong with this suspense thriller. Start with the fact that it's neither suspenseful nor thrilling.Read the full review

The movie looks terrific, and though it always keeps moving, it never feels headlong or rushed. This is a very good movie that could have been better still: Alas, the denouement is just a little off.Read the full review

Despite the undeniable conviction of the performers, the film eventually becomes more laughable than chilling.Read the full review

It's humorless save when it's laughable.Read the full review

Watching Carrey babble gibberish about the sinister nature of 23 in scene after hyperventilating scene isn't any more fun or enlightening than listening to street-corner lunatics discourse on similar topics. At least street crazies don't expect people to pay bloated movie-ticket prices for the privilege. And The Number 23 isn't worth a pocket full of loose change.Read the full review