Village Voice

Tender, humane, and searing, How I Live Now stands as something all too rare: a movie about young people that young people may love — but not one that lies to them, and not one built for them alone.

A review by Alan Scherstuhl for Village Voice on 2013-11-05

Philadelphia Inquirer

How I Live Now takes some frightening, gruesome turns. In tone and terror, it comes close to matching the jumpy dread of Danny Boyle's British Isles virus thriller "28 Days Later."

A review by Steven Rea for Philadelphia Inquirer on 2013-11-08

Chicago Sun-Times

Set in England, the dystopic “Brazil” and “28 Days Later” both ended with pastoral idylls for adult couples. How I Live Now offers adolescents a lovely vision of holistic healing in the same countryside.

A review by Bill Stamets for Chicago Sun-Times on 2013-11-08

Portland Oregonian

The result calls to mind “Lord of the Flies” and “Children of Men,” even if the film’s second half is much less compelling than its first.

A review by Marc Mohan for Portland Oregonian on 2013-11-07

Observer

In a movie without adults, the children are spontaneous and natural. And Ms. Ronan is captivating throughout.

A review by Rex Reed for Observer on 2013-11-05

Variety

Wisely sticks to its protagonist’s p.o.v. while avoiding a longer view of the calamitous events around her, making up in emotional immediacy what it lacks in broad dramatic sweep.

A review by Justin Chang for Variety on 2013-09-17

The A.V. Club

Ronan acquits herself nicely. Believable as both a smitten leading lady and a resourceful action heroine, she’s the ideal young-adult starlet — though after this and "The Host," maybe it’s time the actress lent her piercing baby blues to a plain old adult project again.

A review by A.A. Dowd for The A.V. Club on 2013-11-06

NPR

Because it serves up Armageddon with a side order of teen romance, How I Live Now is not always credible. But as a portrait of a surly 16-year-old whose internal crisis is overtaken by an external one, the movie is persuasive.

A review by Mark Jenkins for NPR on 2013-11-08

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

As a dystopian teen movie, Macdonald’s adaptation of Meg Rosoff’s young adult novel is refreshingly free of digital apocalyptics and unnervingly prone to random violence.

A review for The Globe and Mail (Toronto) on 2013-11-14

The New York Times

As sun-dappled infatuation abruptly crashes into post-apocalyptic survival, Mr. Macdonald struggles to balance a nebulous narrative on tentpole moments of rich emotional resonance.

A review by Jeannette Catsoulis for The New York Times on 2013-11-07

The Dissolve

Part of the point may be how trauma simplifies life by stripping away everything inessential, but just as there’s little satisfaction in watching Daisy pursue an unworthy goal, there’s little satisfaction in watching a specific, colorful, keenly felt portrait become such a familiar story.

A review by Tasha Robinson for The Dissolve on 2013-11-06

Time Out

How I Live Now goes to that nuclear nightmare, and Ronan, who can’t hide her smarts even when the role isn’t as good as the one she had in "Atonement," makes a feast of the journey.

A review by Joshua Rothkopf for Time Out on 2013-11-06

Total Film

An Arab Spring-y allegory with kissing cousins and a divine countryside setting, Kevin Macdonald’s fourth narrative film is an awkward oddity, as uncomfortable in its own skin as its protagonist.

A review for Total Film on 2013-10-05

Washington Post

Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland,” “State of Play”) does a passable job of evoking post-apocalyptic atmosphere in How I Live Now, although the film suffers from uneven tone — is it a teen romance or wartime adventure? — and, ultimately, a regrettable lack of focus.

A review by Ann Hornaday for Washington Post on 2013-11-07

Boston Globe

A meticulously observed, rapturously directed account of World War III and its aftermath as seen from the point of view of a spoiled young woman. The movie’s pretty fascinating before it goes bonkers.

A review by Ty Burr for Boston Globe on 2013-11-07

Chicago Tribune

Imagine a Judy Blume rewrite of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," and you'll end up somewhere in the ashen yet uplifting vicinity of How I Live Now.

A review by Michael Phillips for Chicago Tribune on 2013-11-07

Slant Magazine

There are a few effectively disquieting sequences early on, but the film never recovers from director Kevin Macdonald's indifferent staging of a pivotal moment.

A review by Chuck Bowen for Slant Magazine on 2013-11-05

The Hollywood Reporter

What starts as potentially interesting apocalyptic speculative fiction devolves into dreary sub-Hunger Games survivalism and banal teen romance.

A review by Todd McCarthy for The Hollywood Reporter on 2013-09-17

New York Daily News

A frosty-eyed, imperturbable actress in “Atonement,” “Hanna” and “The Host,” Ronan is at least able to sell Daisy’s new focus while the movie loses its own.

A review by Joe Neumaier for New York Daily News on 2013-11-08

San Francisco Chronicle

Drama is as much about perspective as it is about events, and the angle provided by How I Live Now turns out to be self-defeating.

A review by Mick LaSalle for San Francisco Chronicle on 2013-11-14