Five ambitious medical students—Courtney (Elliot Page), Jamie (James Norton), Marlo (Nina Dobrev), Sophia (Kiersey Clemons), and Ray (Diego Luna)—conduct a secret experiment in which they induce near-death experiences by flatlining for short periods. After reviving, each sees haunting visions tied to past guilt. As the apparitions start terrorizing them, they must confront their secrets and decide whether these phenomena are supernatural or psychological
Critical Reception
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Rotten Tomatoes: A dismal 4% Tomatometer score, critiqued for failing to breathe new life into the premise
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Metacritic: Mixed reviews with a score of 27/100, indicating generally unfavorable opinions
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Audiences: Slightly warmer – CinemaScore “B–”; PostTrak shows 66% positive feedback
Review highlights:
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Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers slammed it as “witless and dull,” awarding only one star
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RogerEbert.com‘s Matt Zoller Seitz felt the cast gave it their all despite the superficial story and cheap scares
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Entertainment Weekly labeled it “perhaps the most unnecessary remake of all”
Though a few found merit—The New York Times called it “greatly entertaining” on its own terms —the consensus is that it missed its mark overall.
Awards & Recognition
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Nominated in 2018 for the Golden Trailer Awards—winning Best Thriller Poster; also received a few Young Artist Award nods
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No major film festival accolades or Academy Award nominations.
Popularity & Box Office
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Production budget: $19 million
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Worldwide gross: $45.2 million (approx. $16.9M domestic, $28.1M international)
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Opened to $6.6M in North America—well below expectations and less than half of the 1990 film’s opening
Summary Table
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sci-fipsychological horror |
| Director/Writer | Niels Arden Oplev / Ben Ripley |
| Cast Highlights | Elliot Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons, + Kiefer Sutherland cameo |
| Critic Consensus | Panned for being lifeless, cliché-filled; only a handful of positive notes |
| Audience Response | Mixed, average (“B–”, 66% positive) |
| Box Office | Modest global take with weak domestic debut |
| Awards | Golden Trailer Award win only |
The 2017 Flatliners is a visually polished yet narratively uninspired reimagining of the 1990 cult classic. Despite a talented cast and momentary chills, critique centered on its failure to bring suspense or depth. It achieved modest financial returns and only a minor award, falling short of both its source material and public expectations.
