Mike Flanagan’s new horror movie called "one of the all-time great Stephen King’s adaptations" as it lands a strong Rotten Tomatoes score

(Image credit: Vanity Fair)

Mike Flanagan’s long-awaited Stephen King movie The Life of Chuck has premiered, and the early reactions are very strong. The new horror based on a novella from genre maestro King bowed at the Toronto International Film Festival and is currently sitting at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews.

Starring Tom Hiddleston as Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz, The Life of Chuck tells a series of interconnected stories, navigating the biography of an ordinary man’s life. Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay all also star in the upcoming film.

Collider gave a glowing review, scoring it a nine out of ten, as their reviewer called it "a deeply heartfelt, glorious thing." Jason Gorber writes: "Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck is a stunner and one of the all-time great Stephen King adaptations."

Indie Wire’s Katie Rife gives it a B-, referencing the sentimental nature of the new movie. "As a filmmaker, Flanagan deals in raw, go-for-broke emotion; it’s just that this time around, he’s using that passion to affirm the audience, not disturb them."

The Wrap calls it Flanagan’s "best film yet" with their reviewer Chase Hutchinson writing: "It’s Flanagan’s vibrant equivalent of Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Synecdoche, New York’ that finds hope and meaning in his own way just as it is one of the best modern Stephen King adaptations one could hope for."

Brian Tallerico Roger-Ebert.com was a fan of the film, writing: "Much was made in the run-up to Chuck about it being a bit of a departure for the horror director, and there’s indeed no gore and only a bit of the supernatural here. But Flanagan’s work, especially the Haunting Netflix shows, has also been distinguished by deep emotional undercurrents, and that’s the tool from his kit that he leans into most of all with this moving study of how valuable every moment is that we’re on this floating ball of dust."

Other reactions were more lukewarm. IGN gave it a score of 5, with their reviewer A.A. Dowd writing: "Erasing any doubt as to who’s the world’s most dedicated adapter of Stephen King stories, Doctor Sleep director Mike Flanagan returns with a faithful-down-to-the-reverse-chronology take on one of the author’s less scary stories: a hokey metaphysical fable about life, death, the end of the world, and dancing like nobody’s watching."

Star Gillan previously hinted at the emotional nature of the new movie, previously saying that a rough cut of the film left her crying for days. “The movie is absolutely incredible,” she said. “I saw a not-finished version of it, and literally didn’t stop crying for days. In a good way.”

The Life of Chuck doesn't yet have a release date. For more upcoming movies, check out our guide to 2024 movie release dates and all the upcoming horror movies to have on your radar.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.