1984

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1984

R

Released Dec 14, 1984

1h 55m

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

75%

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32 Reviews

71%

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50,000+ Ratings

A man loses his identity while living under a repressive regime. In a story based on George Orwell's classic novel, Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country's leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship -- and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.

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Critics Consensus

1984 doesn't fully emerge from the shadow of its source material, but still proves a solid, suitably discomfiting adaptation of a classic dystopian tale.

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

Nodding to the movie's bleak mood, Burton bleakens himself; robbed of the pleasures of the grand, show-offy way he could use his voice, the mischievous twinkle of his eye, you feel cheated.

Jan 2, 2018

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Michael Radford's brilliant film of Orwell's vision does a good job of finding that line between the "future" world of 1984 and the grim postwar world in which Orwell wrote.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

Frequently and incorrectly labeled as “sci-fi,” “1984” is pure New World Order dystopia, a situation that sadly is finding renewed interest among many of the globe’s current two-legged, all-compliant sheep.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jun 18, 2024

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Quentin Crisp

Christopher Street

The film is faultlessly acted by the entire cast and the settings are perfectly photographed in the kind of lighting that prevails on Waterloo or any of the main-line railway stations in London.

May 7, 2024

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

‘…the word Orwellian is now misused to mean any future that doesn’t reflect the speaker’s own wishes, but that’s not the highly specific message of the book or film, and in terms of predicting the feel of the future Orwell and Radford got it dead right.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 21, 2024

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

While Radford never fully captures the devastating ordeal of mental and physical torture of Orwell’s novel, it is an admirable effort and a fine film in its own right...

Apr 14, 2023

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Chris H

For me, this is the definitive film adaptation of Orwell's novel. Stunning performances by John Hurt and Richard Burton glue you to the screen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/15/25

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Caleb C

The film nails the bleak, oppressive feel of Orwell’s world—cold, gray, and lifeless. Visually, it’s spot-on. But where the book pulls you deep into Winston’s thoughts, the movie keeps you at arm’s length. It’s slow, emotionally distant, and hard to connect with. A few moments land, but most of it feels like you’re just watching people go through the motions in a world designed to be empty. It’s not terrible, just underwhelming. The message is there—but the impact doesn’t hit like it does in the book.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

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Isaiah Y

Impossible to get all the depth from the book, nevertheless a faithful adaptation of a classic novel featuring great performances from John Hurt and Richard Burton in his final film role

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/08/25

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Yash B

I read "1984" for the first time just a few years ago, and thought it was a thought-provoking classic novel. I decided to check out one of the movie adaptations and felt the film version from 1984 felt fitting. This movie is really bleak, like the source material, and often mundane. However, I think the mundane feeling is by design and think the movie does the best job it could to portray this dystopian tale. I feel the story is best suited for the book medium, and can't imagine a movie or television series ever matching the quality of it. A lot of the themes are what make this a timeless story and a necessary cautionary tale. Overall, I don't think it is a movie anyone would seek out for entertainment value, but like the novel it is based on, it does leave a considerable impact and raises a lot of topics worth discussing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

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Connor E

It is essentially just 1:1 with the original book by George Orwell. I think the movie could have captured the “dystopian” world and society a little more, and sometimes the music choice felt a little odd, it has a really “80’s” music feel (which I guess 1984 is the name of the title) but I feel as though orchestral scores would suit this movie better.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/20/24

Full Review

Hasno R

this is literally 1984

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/20/24

Full Review

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Michael Radford

Director

John Hurt

Winston Smith

Richard Burton

O'Brien

Suzanna Hamilton

Julia

Cyril Cusack

Charrington

Gregor Fisher

Parsons

1984: Official Clip - It Creeps Up on You

2:13

1984: Official Clip - O'Brien Tortures Winston

2:13

1984: Official Clip - Your Kind is Extinct

2:11

1984: Official Clip - Corrupt to the Core

2:12

1984: Official Clip - Victory is Not Possible

2:54

1984: Official Clip - Caught in the Bedroom

0:57

1984: Official Clip - Vision of the Future

2:55

1984: Official Clip - Two Minutes Hate

2:13

1984: Official Clip - Winston is Tested

2:11

1984: Official Clip - A Small Effort of Will

2:13

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1984: Teaser Trailer

1:11

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Synopsis

A man loses his identity while living under a repressive regime. In a story based on George Orwell's classic novel, Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country's leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship -- and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.

Director: Michael Radford
Producer: Simon Perry
Screenwriter: George Orwell, Michael Radford
Distributor: Atlantic Releasing Corp.
Production Co: Paramount, MGM
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1984, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 6, 2013
Runtime: 1h 55m

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