- 8
The film grabs at historical facts, mangles them into a plot worthy of a John le Carré spy novel and takes the viewer on a breathtaking ride through ye olde London.
—Kirk Honeycutt Hollywood Reporter
- 8
Because of the ingenious screenplay by John Orloff, precise direction by Roland Emmerich and the casting of memorable British actors, you can walk into the theater as a blank slate, follow and enjoy the story, and leave convinced - if of nothing else - that Shakespeare was a figure of compelling interest.
—Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
- 7
William Shakespeare - whoever he was - I think would probably be at least a little amused by Anonymous. For amusing it is - along with bawdy, brazen, politically outrageous, plausible enough and occasionally graced with something close to Shakespearean cleverness in an absurdist sort of way.
—Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times
- 7
...surprises with how classical, staid and traditional Emmerich's mise-en-scene is, never straying from tried-and-true costumer standards.
—Robert Koehler Variety
- 6
... a vulgar prank on the English literary tradition, a travesty of British history and a brutal insult to the human imagination. Apart from that, it's not bad.
—A. O. Scott New York Times
- 6
...aims to be epic but is closer to stately soap opera.
—Claudia Puig USA Today
- 6
...sells its political conspiracy theories by weight and by volume. But dull, it's not.
—Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune
- 6
...bends history in classic Hollywood fashion.
—Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor
- 5
Emmerich's movie is sporadically enjoyable trash with better performances than it has any right to: Hogg's verminous villain leaves a trail of cold, oozing hisses.
—Nick Pinkerton Village Voice
- 5
Say this for Emmerich, he's not stuffy. And he lucks out big-time with his cast.
—Peter Travers Rolling Stone
- 5
...a beautiful bit of BS and, if you let it, a half-decent way to spend two hours.
—Anthony Benigno filmcritic.com
- 4
...leaves one bereft of any meaningful knowledge of these personages or the theatrical energy of their age, and earns the obscurity it figures to acquire even if the war between Team Edward and Team William blazes on.
—Bill Weber Slant Magazine
- 4
...a thumpingly silly yet self-serious period-piece what-if...
—Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
- 3
It's as dull as it is brainless, the work of creators who've spent far more time concocting silly stories about Shakespeare than learning from him.
—Keith Phipps Onion AV Club