Explorer (film)

Last updated
Explorer
Explorer (Film) Poster.jpg
Directed by Matthew Dyas
Starring
Cinematography Chris Openshaw
Edited by
  • Ben Stark
  • Charlie Hawryliw
Music by Rebekka Karijord
Production
companies
  • BFI
  • Good Productions
  • Universal Pictures Content Group
Distributed byUniversal Pictures Content Group
Release date
  • 14 July 2022 (2022-07-14)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

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.

Contents

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

Release

Box office

Explorer was released to theatres on 14 July 2022. It was released to video on 30 August 2022. [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 81/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]
Empire Online Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
RogerEbert.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 100% rating based on reviews from 16 critics. [11] On Metacritic it has score of 81 out of 100 based on reviews from 5 critics "universal acclaim". [4] It has a 3 star review by Cath Clarke for the Guardian [5] and a 5 star review by Robbie Collin for the Telegraph . [6] 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. [9]

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". [7] Nell Minow for RogerEbert.com gave the film a 3.5 star rating writing that the "organization of the film is distracting" however the subject is "never less than enthralling". [8]

References

  1. Dyas, Matt (director) (July 14, 2022). Explorer (Motion picture). Universal Pictures.
  2. "Explorer Synopsis". Explorer-Movie. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. "Explorer (2022)". The Numbers . Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Explorer". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  5. 1 2 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.
  6. 1 2 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.
  7. 1 2 Freer, Ian (15 July 2022). "Explorer Review". Empire Online. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  8. 1 2 Minow, Nell. "Explorer". Roger Ebert. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  9. 1 2 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.
  10. 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.
  11. "Explorer (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2025-10-01.