Fantastic Fungi

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Fantastic Fungi
Fantastic Fungi poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Louie Schwartzberg
Written byMark Monroe
Produced by
  • Lyn Davis Lear, Louie Schwartzberg, Elease Lui Stemp
Starring
Narrated by Brie Larson
Edited by Kevin Klauber, Annie Wilkes
Music byAdam Peters
Production
company
Moving Art
Release date
  • October 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)(United States)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,672,211 [1]

Fantastic Fungi is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Louie Schwartzberg. [2] The film combines time-lapse cinematography, CGI, and interviews in an overview of the biology, environmental roles, and various uses of fungi. [3] The film features interview segments with Paul Stamets and Michael Pollan, and is narrated by Brie Larson.

Contents

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% approval rating based on 23 reviews, with an average ranking of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As visually dazzling as it is thought-provoking, Fantastic Fungi sets out to make audiences see mushrooms differently -- and brilliantly succeeds." [4] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 70 out of a 100 by 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [5]

Critics praised Schwartzberg's time-lapse cinematography. Some critics found the narration unnecessary. [6] [7]

Josh Kupecki of The Austin Chronicle said "visual affectations aside, Fantastic Fungi is an engaging look at the scope of an organism that is so much more than a pizza topping or an ingredient in beef stroganoff". [8] Andrew Pulver of The Guardian wrote "With its spectacular footage of growth and decay and impassioned speeches about the magic of mushrooms, this documentary is a treat for the eye and ear". [9] Rex Reed of The New York Observer called the documentary "charming", [10] while John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called the film an "[e]ye-opening eye candy". [6]

According to Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times "it edges a little too close to being a commercial, but that's a nitpick when the totality of Fantastic Fungi is so entertaining, informative and appealingly hopeful about the hard-working cure-all for our ailing world lying beneath our feet". [11]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Fantastic Fungi (2019)". The Numbers . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Fantastic Fungi". AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. U.S.: AFI Silver . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  3. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 10, 2019). "'Fantastic Fungi' Review: The Magic of Mushrooms". The New York Times . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Fantastic Fungi (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Fantastic Fungi (2019)". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  6. 1 2 DeFore, John (October 8, 2019). "'Fantastic Fungi': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  7. ↑ Morgenstern, Joe (October 24, 2019). "'Fantastic Fungi' Review: Magic Mushrooms". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ Kupecki, Josh (December 6, 2019). "Fantastic Fungi". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ Pulver, Andrew (November 6, 2020). "Fantastic Fungi review – how mushrooms could save the world". The Guardian . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ Reed, Rex (October 15, 2019). "Charming Documentary 'Fantastic Fungi' Explores the Miracle of Mushrooms". The New York Observer . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  11. ↑ Abele, Robert (October 24, 2019). "Review: Mushrooms are the new superheroes in documentary 'Fantastic Fungi'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 1, 2021.
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