Citizenfour received widespread critical acclaim. It has an approval rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 145 reviews, with an average score of 8.26/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Part real-life thriller, part sobering examination of 21st century civil liberties, Citizenfour transcends ideology to offer riveting, must-see cinema."[36] Metacritic gave the film a score of 88 out of 100 based on 38 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[37]
Ronnie Scheib of Variety wrote:
No amount of familiarity with whistleblower Edward Snowden and his shocking revelations of the U.S. government's wholesale spying on its own citizens can prepare one for the impact of Laura Poitras's extraordinary documentary Citizenfour... far from reconstructing or analyzing a fait accompli, the film tersely records the deed in real time, as Poitras and fellow journalist Glenn Greenwald meet Snowden over an eight-day period in a Hong Kong hotel room to plot how and when they will unleash the bombshell that shook the world. Adapting the cold language of data encryption to recount a dramatic saga of abuse of power and justified paranoia, Poitras brilliantly demonstrates that information is a weapon that cuts both ways.[38]
Spencer Ackerman writes in The Guardian:
Citizenfour must have been a maddening documentary to film. Its subject is pervasive global surveillance, an enveloping digital act that spreads without visibility, so its scenes unfold in courtrooms, hearing chambers and hotels. Yet the virtuosity of Laura Poitras, its director and architect, makes its 114 minutes crackle with the nervous energy of revelation.[39]
Time magazine rated the film #3 out of its top 10 movies of 2014[40] and called the film "This Halloween's Scariest Chiller".[41] Vanity Fair rated it #4 out of its top 10[42] and Grantland rated it #3 of its top 10.[43] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, former Defense Department intelligence analyst Alex Lyda penned a negative review, calling Snowden "more narcissist than patriot".[44] David Edelstein reviewed the film mostly favorably, and jocularly advised viewers "don't buy your ticket online or with a credit card".[45]
The film site Fandor has published an extensive survey of other articles and reviews about Citizenfour, updated through December 25, 2014.[46]
Movie's impact
On Sept. 18, 2018, it was ruled by the European Court of Human Rights that the U.K. spy agency's bulk collection of telecom data violated the European Convention on Human Rights. The Strasburg-based court ruled 5-2 that the practice "failed to safeguard rights to privacy guaranteed under the human rights convention". The complaint was brought on by ten groups including the ACLU, Privacy International, Amnesty International and other civil liberties groups around the world.[47][48][49]
