Critic Reviews

Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006) Rank 4 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006) a score of 3.1541 out of 4

based on (34) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(12)

Very Good

(20)

Good

(2)

Fair

(0)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

San Francisco Chronicle (G. Allen Johnson)

One of the year's most important documentaries, a real must-see. ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (G. Allen Johnson)

Entertainment Insiders (Warren Curry)

Late in Stanley Nelson's riveting documentary, "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple," a sign hanging in the pavilion of Jim Jones' religious community can be clearly seen. It reads: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at Entertainment Insiders (Warren Curry)

Reel.com

The Reverend Jim Jones did not pilot a plane into the World Trade Center. He did not leave a Ryder truck parked outside a federal building in Oklahoma City. He did not plant a bomb at the Atlanta Olympic games. He had nothing to do with any of the ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at Reel.com

Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)

A riveting and impeccably researched documentary. ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)

Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)

Don't drink the kool-aid has become part of the American lexicon. It's horrifying origin might be unknown to a younger generation. For those of us old enough to recall November 18, 1978 I doubt you could forget the nightmare of the worst mass suicide in ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)

Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)

This calm and thorough film has just the right attitude and tone to deal with a most incendiary story. ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)

TV Guide (Maitland McDonagh)

Nelson's film eschews sensationalism, and knowing how the story ends in no way diminishes its visceral impact. ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at TV Guide (Maitland McDonagh)

Premiere (Aaron Hillis)

A conventional but genuinely heartrending exposÃ© of the Indiana boy who grew to be a powerful religious cult leader, director Stanley Nelson's thoroughly researched doc is not a posthumous character assassination, which would be all too easy and ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at Premiere (Aaron Hillis)

New York Post (Kyle Smith)

Five people did escape, and they contribute their stories to the spellbinding documentary. ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at New York Post (Kyle Smith)

Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

What happens when religious zealotry blinds a church to the darkest impulses of a revered leader? There's no more shocking example than 1978's Jonestown massacre, the largest murder/suicide in modern history. After following their leader from California ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

Boston Globe

"Nobody joins a cult -- you just join people you really like," says one of the survivors in Stanley Nelson's documentary "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple." Harrowing ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at Boston Globe

filmcritic.com (Chris Barsanti)

One can make plenty of cases for the moment when the '60s died. Some claim Altamont, while others go with the Manson murders. But even though it came well after the decade was dead and buried, the 1978 mass suicide in Guyana by almost the entire ...read the complete Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple movie review at filmcritic.com (Chris Barsanti)