Audiences Are Enjoying 'Where The Crawdads Sing' A Lot More Than The Critics!
By Kristin Myers on July 16, 2022 at 1:45 PM EDT
On July 13, “Where the Crawdads Sing” finally hit theaters.
The movie was based on Delia Owens’ best-selling novel. The film, directed by Olivia Newman, stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor Jon Smith, Harris Dickinson, and Michael Hyatt, among others. The synopsis of the film reads:
“Abandoned as a girl, Kya raised herself in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the marsh girl haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, she opens herself to a new and startling world.”
“Love Story” singer Taylor Swift even created the song “Carolina” for the movie!
'Where The Crawdads Sing' Rotten Tomato Score: 36% From Critics, 95% From Audiences
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film got a 93% audience score on Friday afternoon but only a 33% score from critics. On Saturday morning, that rating has risen from 93% to 95% for audiences and 33% to 36% among critics. The critics consensus concluded:
“Daisy Edgar-Jones gives it her all, but Where the Crawdads Sing is ultimately unable to distill its source material into a tonally coherent drama.”
Although most critics seemed to praise the acting of the film's star, many critics criticized the plot, with Mel Valentin of ScreenAnarchy saying that the movie “Feels like there’s both too much story and not enough story to keep audiences fully engaged, suggesting perhaps that an adaptation of Owens' novel would have been better suited to a streaming series than a theatrical release and a limited running time.”
However, audiences are rating the film much more favorably.
Audiences Praise The Film's 'Perfect Casting' Despite What Critics Have To Say
Phillis C said that “Where the Crawdads Sing” “seems to be another movie which is going to be widely praised by the public and scorned by the critics who are so detached from what the public likes. This book was an extremely well-written book and the movie follows the format beautifully. The cinematography of this movie is so breathtaking, and whoever did all of the illustrations and artwork captured everything through Kya’s eyes.”
“Daisy Edgar Jones and David Strathairn are incredible in their roles and deserve Oscar nominations. Her costars capture Tate and Chase beautifully. Perfect casting. Not going to give away any spoilers, but if you loved the book you will love the movie,” they added. “Even the original song at the credits by Taylor Swift pulls you into the marsh. This is how they used to make movies and should continue. If you are a film critic sit down and enjoy the ride because the rest of us love it.”
A user named LMG admitted that she and her husband had not the book, "Where The Crawdads Sing," but they both enjoyed the movie. “My husband and both enjoyed this! We had not read the book and the movie held our attention I don’t know what movie the critical reviewers watched but it was not this one,” LMG wrote. “Maybe they read each other's reviews and just changed the wording. What a shame. This is a truly entertaining movie.”
Ruth Ann W. said that the movie “was very good but not as good as the book, which isn't unusual. As one review I read said, the book spends more time with Kya in the marsh and what she is learning about all the animals/insects/birds, etc. I would have liked more of that in the movie.”
Bradford S said that the “Characters were developed and believable. They kept your attention and emotions throughout. The entire theatre audience was attentive as I looked around. A feel-good movie in the end because of the outcome.”
Arthur wrote, “Loved everything about it, the storyline was real, heartfelt, engaging, beautiful and captivating to the very end. I took my wife because she wanted to see the movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and will recommend it to everyone.”
Kristen B said, “As someone who just read the book a month ago, this movie exceeded my expectations with how well it portrayed the story. Amazing movie with great acting and visuals - a must-see!”
Beverly wrote, “I loved the book, and had low expectations that the movie would be as good. I was pleasantly surprised & completely satisfied that the movie told the story very well! Highly recommend, a great story!!”
Although critics were clearly not fans of "Where the Crawdads Sing," it seems audiences - especially those who read the book - don't have enough good things to say about it!
A compilation of reviews for "Where the Crawdads Sing" can be found here.
