Magellan

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Magellan

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2h 36m

Biography

Drama

History

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88%

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48 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

16th century. Magellan, a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator, rebels against the power of the King, who doesn't support his dream of discovering the world. He persuades the Spanish Crown to fund his bold expedition to the fabled lands of the East. The voyage is exhausting beyond expectations, with hunger and mutiny pushing the crew to their limits. Upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan's mind changes. He becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion, which sparks violent uprisings beyond his control. This is not the myth of Magellan, but the truth of his journey.

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Critics Consensus

Magellan blends Lav Diaz's slow cinema rigor with the biopic form to create a visually hypnotic, deliberately paced historical epic that immerses viewers in a spiritually charged meditation on power, mythology, and colonial ambition.

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Michael Andor Brodeur

Washington Post

Jan 27

4/4

The scale of the film remains resolutely epic, in part because Diaz is patient and in part because he’s insistent on telling this story of conquest and domination on his terms.

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Sergio Burstein

Los Angeles Times

Jan 21

Both true film buffs and admirers of García Bernal should know that this is an absolutely outstanding work, brilliantly filmed and eminently contemplative. [Full review in Spanish]

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Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

Jan 9

3/5

Gael García Bernal fully inhabits the titular conquistador in a performance both present and potent, on a quest that began with optimism but ended in dire straits.

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Peter Keough

Arts Fuse

Feb 11

Magellan proffers a nightmarish vision of history as tragedy, farce, and prophecy.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Feb 9

What it may lack in excitement and character intimacy, however, the film makes up for in sheer beauty -- it’s best to let the images cast their hypnotic spell, en route soaking up a creditable amount of insight about the clash between cultures.

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Oscar Goff

Cambridge Day

Feb 8

3.5/4

Diaz captures the lush scenery with a painterly eye, slaughter in the foreground, natural beauty behind it.

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Andrei D

3d

Barely a movie, limited acting, uninterested in narrative, impressionistic in the worst way

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Y.t Z

@Tinaz Feb 15

The most needed reflection during this epoch of globalization ! Artistic! Stunning! Not for the masses though.

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Jed B

@Fisisist Feb 5

Eventually I zoned out until I heard the sparse dialog, then read the sub titles and watched 20 seconds of palm trees blowing in the wind. Hot knowing the history of Magellan's voyage, I looked at a map of the Philippines and couldn't figure out how they got to Cebu without sighting land. I'll watch it again when it streams so I can fast forward through the rain scenes.

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Ramon L

@Ramonelle Feb 2

Unless you know history, I don't think you will understand what is happening. This work is like a war epic with the battle scenes edited out. So sorry I had to waste three hours for this.

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Jose

@Rogelio443 Feb 2

This is the most boring film I have seen in recent memory. Acting is subpar even for Gael and Joonee. The shots are long with no creative angles. And this is probably the first film I saw with no musical score.

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Lucia S

@Love-movies Jan 15

Terrible film - director’s ego is the elephant in the film. Acting is wooden - but there’s nothing for them to do - just stare into the camera and utter some wooden dialogue while the audience is beaten over the head with an anticolonial message - which I get, but it’s a one-note drone. Nothing redeeming here. Nothing to watch.

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Lav Diaz

Director

Gael García Bernal

Actor

Ângela Azevedo

Actor

Amado Arjay Babon

Actor

Ronnie Lazaro

Actor

Hazel Orencio

Actor

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Synopsis

16th century. Magellan, a young and ambitious Portuguese navigator, rebels against the power of the King, who doesn't support his dream of discovering the world. He persuades the Spanish Crown to fund his bold expedition to the fabled lands of the East. The voyage is exhausting beyond expectations, with hunger and mutiny pushing the crew to their limits. Upon reaching the islands of the Malayan Archipelago, Magellan's mind changes. He becomes obsessed with conquest and conversion, which sparks violent uprisings beyond his control. This is not the myth of Magellan, but the truth of his journey.

Director: Lav Diaz
Screenwriter: Lav Diaz
Distributor: Janus Films
Production Co: Rosa Filmes, Andergraun Films, Lib Films, Black Cap Pictures
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Original Language: Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 9, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 2h 36m