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Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Rize sees LaChapelle turning into a historian-sociologist who feels excitement and wants to share it. Read more
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: LaChapelle's powerful street-dance documentary Rize never lets us forget that its subjects are dancing in a war zone. But dance they do, in a kind of controlled frenzy, with music throbbing and limbs whirling and swaying and pulsing to the beat. Read more
Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune: Rize is a compelling, bittersweet hybrid of a movie, one celebrating an enormous and hitherto unsung underground talent, while suggesting that art goes only so far in solving the enormous challenges of the underprivileged life. Read more
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: While the dance scenes are intoxicating, on-camera interviews with the participants are sobering. Read more
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: It's an incomplete film. We don't get to know these kids well enough. Read more
Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: We're just fly-on-the-wall observers to dancing that's a kind of Holy Roller-palooza. Read more
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: It's a feel-good film that actually makes you feel good. Read more
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Enthralling. Read more
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Clowning and krumping are urban art and art therapy in motion. Read more
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: A vibrant eruption of motion and attitude. Read more
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: Rize soars on the wings of breathtaking images. Read more
Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly: LaChapelle wisely avoids too much MTV-style quick-editing and camera trickery, letting the kids dazzle on the strength of their talent. Read more
Peter Debruge, Miami Herald: Brisk editing, a poppin' hip-hop soundtrack, and plenty of off-the-hook dancing keep the energy high. Read more
Jan Stuart, Newsday: Like its subject, Rize is a helter-skelter blast of energy, punching out in so many directions you don't know where to look first. Read more
Ken Tucker, New York Magazine/Vulture: Read more
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger: Rize isn't a revolution. It's a fashion shoot. Read more
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Tells this story simply and effectively, with an uncharacteristic restraint that prioritizes genuine sentiment over high-gloss style. Read more
A.O. Scott, New York Times: The stories and personalities that do emerge are touching and intriguing. Read more
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: 'Trend' or fad, Rize should endure as a piece of history. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The most remarkable thing about Rize is that it is real. Read more
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: A vivid portrait of art rising from deprivation and social hopelessness. Read more
Susan Walker, Toronto Star: It's a well-known truth in the dance world that the body doesn't lie. As long as the characters in this film are dancing, we have little reason to doubt their sincerity. But once turned into talking heads, the dancers begin to sound like propagandists. Read more
Claudia Puig, USA Today: LaChapelle reveals the captivating qualities of gritty street dancing, and his film is a touching story of hope, vitality and art rising from the bleakest conditions. Read more
Robert Koehler, Variety: Eye-popping lensing and an appreciation of social complexities combine for an entirely satisfying experience. Read more
Ed Halter, Village Voice: Few of the interviews get much further than recording surface boasts and assertive self-definitions; LaChapelle connects all their stories with common threads of resisting gang culture, but at the expense of flattening out each person's character. Read more
Richard Harrington, Washington Post: Visually stunning. Read more