Margot Robbie Returns in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey But Audiences Say It’s Anything But Beautiful

Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell’s latest project, the romantic fantasy adventure A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, directed by Kogonada, has opened in theaters to a noticeably disappointing critical reception. The film debuted with a low Rotten Tomatoes score, which has stirred expectations vs reality debates among fans and moviegoers.

What the Film Promises vs What It Delivers

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey follows Sarah (Margot Robbie) and David (Colin Farrell), two strangers who meet under unexpected circumstances—at a wedding—and are swept into a journey through time and memory. Along the way they revisit places from their past, including a lighthouse, an art museum, even childhood bedrooms, confronting regrets and lessons, and carving out possibilities for their shared future.

Given Kogonada’s track record—his Sundance debut Columbus followed by After Yang—audiences anticipated a film that would marry visual beauty with emotional depth. Columbus earned about a 96% Rotten Tomatoes approval rate, while After Yang landed around 89%. By contrast, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey dropped to approximately 39% from over 100 critic reviews just after its release on September 19, 2025, creating a stark gap between expectation and reception.

The Critic Consensus: Strong Looks, Weak Heart

Many critics agree that Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell deliver solid performances, embodying their roles of Sarah and David with earnestness and aesthetic charm. But the screenplay—by Seth Reiss—is often cited as underdeveloped, with reviewers calling the plot “pretentious” or “over‑intellectualized,” heavy on atmosphere but lacking emotional impact.

A number of reviewers noted that while the film is beautiful to look at—the sets, the lighting, color palettes, the symbolic doorways and time portals—it often feels like a conceptual exercise instead of a heartfelt journey. Scenes designed to revisit painful memories or confront personal history sometimes come across more like visual postcards than deeply felt moments.

Some critics argue that Robbie and Farrell never quite achieve chemistry that feels organic; their romantic development is perceived as muted. Others commend them for doing “the best they can” given a script that pushes high fantasy and introspection but struggles to ground itself in character depth.

Visual Style vs Emotional Substance

What stands out is Kogonada’s signature visual style. As with Columbus and After Yang, there is a strong emphasis on scene composition, architecture, carefully framed shots, and poetic symbolism. The metaphorical doors through which Sarah and David step are visual anchors for their memories and regrets. The movie’s color tones, aesthetics of the spaces, and the pacing when revisiting childhood and past regrets are moments of beauty.

However, many reviews argue that these aesthetic choices overshadow character development. Emotional arcs that seem potentially powerful aren’t always fully earned. Some reviewers believe the film pulls back just when it should press forward with emotional intensity, leaving scenes feeling incomplete or merely suggestive rather than immersive.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: A Not‑So‑Bold Reality

With early reviews aggregated, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey holds a Rotten Tomatoes critic score around 39% from over 100 reviews in its opening days. Compared to the lofty scores of Kogonada’s earlier works—Columbus and After Yang—this result is jarring.

For many, a film with such a grand title—A Big Bold Beautiful Journey—carries implicit promises: that the adventure will be striking, emotionally resonant, visually stunning, and thematically profound. When many critics respond that the film is more pretty than powerful, more speculative than emotional, that Rotten Tomatoes score reflects not just what some feel the film is, but what they hoped it would be.

What Audience Might Think

While critical response is mixed to negative, early audience reactions may differ. Some viewers are likely to appreciate the visual dreamscape, the time‑travel with heart, the metaphysical exploration and symbolism. Others might echo critics in finding the emotional through‑line faint or the romance less convincing.

Because A Big Bold Beautiful Journey was released on September 19, 2025, in theaters, more viewers will have a chance to weigh in, and scores may shift somewhat. Audience ratings often diverge from critic tallies, especially for visually ambitious films. For now, though, the critical community appears lukewarm.

Comparing to Kogonada’s Previous Films

It’s helpful to contrast this project with Kogonada’s earlier success. Columbus, his debut feature, received nearly universal praise for its quiet drama and observation, earning about 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. After Yang was similarly lauded for its emotional and philosophical stakes, landing at 89%.

Those films were smaller, quieter, deeply rooted in human connection and identity, even as they were visually motivated. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey stretches into fantasy and magical realism more explicitly, but many critics feel the trade‐off has left less space for practical emotional grounding.

What Critics Specifically Cite as Weaknesses

Some of the repeated criticisms critics make include:

• The script is seen as vague or too symbolic, sometimes heavy‑handed rather than evocative.

• The romance between Sarah and David is often called underdeveloped or lacking the spark many expect from such leads.

• Scenes revisiting past memories sometimes feel like shallow impressions rather than fully fleshed emotional moments.

• Tone inconsistency: shifts between fantasy, realism, whimsy, regret, and nostalgia don’t always feel balanced.

• Dialogue that explains rather than reveals—telling emotions instead of allowing the visuals and performances to embody them.

At the same time, the cast’s commitment and the visual design are rarely questioned—they are seen as high points that almost rescue the film from its weaker narrative elements.

What This Means for Margot Robbie & Colin Farrell

For Margot Robbie, this film is part of her expanding filmography in 2025, during a period when expectations are unusually high, especially following her Barbie success and other acclaimed roles. Taking on a fantasy‑romance adventure with visual ambition was a risk. The mixed feedback may challenge her, but it also highlights her willingness to tackle unconventional material.

For Colin Farrell, known for depth and gravitas in both genre and character work, this film adds another entry where performance is praised even if the material around it is divisive.

Both actors seem not to be at fault in many critiques—rather, they are seen by many viewers as doing their best with what the script and direction offered. Their performances are often listed among the film’s strengths.

Final Thoughts: Not So Bold, Not So Beautiful

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey promised a cinematic adventure: visually lush, emotionally resonant, beautifully written, and boldly realized. What has emerged instead is a film that many feel is visually ambitious but emotionally diffuse; aesthetic rather than affecting. The Rotten Tomatoes score reflects this disconnect between intent and impact.

Whether the film becomes a cult favorite for its beauty, a case study in style over substance, or a stepping‑stone in Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell’s evolving careers, it remains a film worth discussing. Just perhaps not quite as big, bold, or beautiful as its title suggests.

As more audiences see it in theaters, and critics continue to weigh in, that perception may shift. For now, however, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey stands as a visually striking but narratively uneven journey—one that reminds us that even with all the right elements, greatness requires harmony of heart, story, and spectacle.