Jay And Silent Bob Reboot Reviews Are Up, See What Critics Are Saying
Kevin Smith began his career with a series of loosely connected films featuring recurring characters and settings dubbed the View Askewniverse. Although he has made other movies and found a second career as a professional fanboy/podcaster/YouTuber, the director has been trying to return to this fan favorite cinematic universe for some time. After failed attempts to make Clerks III (which is now happening) and a Mallrats sequel/TV series, not to mention a major real-life health scare, he’s finally back with Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
The first View Askewniverse movie since 2006’s Clerks II, finds Jay and Silent Bob (the R2-D2 and C-3PO of the View Askewniverse) returning to Hollywood to stop a reboot of the Bluntman and Chronic movie from getting made. You’ll have to see the film to find out if they’re successful or not, but for now the question is, are we glad that this movie got made or should we have went on our own quest to Hollywood to stop it?
The first reviews have dropped for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and so far, it’s looking like we can be thankful that no wayward stoners put a stop to Kevin Smith’s latest. In his 4-star review of the film, CinemaBlend’s Mike Reyes said:
That is somewhat unexpected and pleasant to hear. If you’re familiar with Kevin Smith’s work and the View Askewniverse, or if you just watched the trailer, you were probably confident Jay and Silent Bob Reboot would make you laugh. But you probably weren’t expecting it to make you think as well and that’s exactly what Mike thought it did.
Mike wasn't the only one who enjoyed the film. Although he expressed wonder as to whether Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is even perceptible to younger audiences who aren't fans of the other film's in this universe,Variety's Owen Gleiberman enjoyed it overall. In his review he wrote:
The sense that Kevin Smith is older and has matured as both a person and as a filmmaker is expressed by a few critics who found the emotion in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot pleasantly surprising. IGN's Tom Jorgensen noted this as well, while also remarking on the film's limits. He said:
So although Jay and Silent Bob Reboot might actually tug at your heartstrings a bit, fear not, it seems that it will still make you laugh with the kind of humor these characters are known for. Knowing the characters is actually a relevant point because according to some of the early reviews, familiarity with the View Askewniverse movies and characters is a big factor in how much enjoyment you'll get out of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
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Comicbook.com's Russ Burlingame is clearly a fan and gave Jay and Silent Bob Reboot a five out of five and said:
That very thing that made some critics love the film though made others less thrilled with it. IndieWire's David Ehrlich gave Jay and Silent Bob a "C" and lamented its overreliance on fan service. He said:
This point was echoed by RogerEbert.com's Simon Abrams, who gave the film 1.4 stars out of 4 and wrote:
Lastly we have ScreenRant's Sandy Schaefer, who came down in the middle with a 3-star positive review, that said:
As of now, with only nine reviews counted, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot sits at a 67% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. So thus far, it's looking to be more of a critical win that a lot of the director's more recent efforts. There are a lot of reviews to go, but based on the critical reaction so far, it seems like it really comes down to whether you are a fan of Kevin Smith and the View Askewniverse or not.
If you're excited for this movie and want to see it, it sounds like there's a good chance you'll be happy you did. If you're not excited, there are plenty of other great movies playing in theaters right now.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot opens with Fathom Events screenings on October 15 & 17 before going on a roadshow tour starting on October 19. For all of this fall's biggest movies, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.
Nick grew up in Maryland has degrees in Film Studies and Communications. His life goal is to walk the earth, meet people and get into adventures. He’s also still looking for The Adventures of Pete and Pete season 3 on DVD if anyone has a lead.