Explorer (film)
| Explorer | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Matthew Dyas |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Chris Openshaw |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Rebekka Karijord |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures Content Group |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Explorer is a 2022 biographical documentary film about the life and exploits of British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, directed by Matthew Dyas. It was critically acclaimed as a "compelling portrait" of Fiennes.
Synopsis
The film includes both contemporary and archive footage and covers many of aspects of Fiennes' life including self-amputation of his fingers due to frostbite, involvement in the Dhofar Rebellion, leading the Transglobe expedition, being booted out of the SAS, running 7 marathons on 7 days on 7 continents, auditioning for James Bond, and reflections on his personal and family life.[1]
Cast
- Ranulph Fiennes as himself
- Anton Bowring as himself
- HM King Charles III as himself[2]
Release
Box office
Explorer was released to theatres on 14 July 2022. It was released to video on 30 August 2022.[3]
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 100% rating based on reviews from 16 critics.[4] On Metacritic it has score of 81 out of 100 based on reviews from 5 critics "universal acclaim".[5] It has a 3 star review by Cath Clarke for the Guardian[6] and a 5 star review by Robbie Collin for the Telegraph.[7] Wendy Ide of The Observer gave the film a rating of 4 stars out of 5, which was higher than the rating awarded by the sister paper the Guardian. She called the film a "compelling portrait" of the subject.[8]
Empire contributor Ian Freer gave a 4 star rating, writing "If it adds little in the way of dissenting voices or a different viewpoint, Explorer tells the tale of a remarkable, stranger-than-fiction life and emerges as an affecting, entertaining portrait of a true eccentric".[9] Nell Minow for RogerEbert.com gave the film a 3.5 (out of 4) star rating writing that the "organization of the film is distracting" however the subject is "never less than enthralling".[10] Kevin Maher of The Times gave it 4 out 5.[11]
References
- ^ Dyas, Matt (director) (July 14, 2022). Explorer (Motion picture). Universal Pictures.
- ^ "Explorer Synopsis". Explorer-Movie. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "Explorer (2022)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "Explorer (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ "Explorer". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
- ^ Clarke, Cath (13 July 2022). "Explorer review – Ranulph Fiennes on frostbite, family and James Bond". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ^ Collin, Robbie (12 July 2022). "Explorer, review: a magnificently-hewn tribute to the life of Sir Ranulph Fiennes". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (17 July 2022). "Explorer review – compelling portrait of adventurer Ranulph Fiennes". The Observer. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ Freer, Ian (15 July 2022). "Explorer Review". Empire Online. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Minow, Nell. "Explorer". Roger Ebert. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ^ Maher, Kevin (15 July 2022). "Explorer review — intimate account of the life and adventures of Ranulph Fiennes". The Times. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2024.