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The Thing With Feathers Opens Nov. 28 as Early Reviews Divide Critics

Adapted from Max Porter’s novella, the film channels grief through a corporeal Crow within a claustrophobic 4:3 frame.

Benedict Cumberbatch portrays the suddenly single father of two boys, portrayed by Henry and Richard Boxall, in “The Thing With Feathers.” (Courtesy of Briarcliff Entertainment)
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a grieving widower in "The Thing With Feathers." (Photo courtesy Briarcliff Entertainment)
Image via Briarcliff Entertainment

Overview

  • Benedict Cumberbatch leads as a recently widowed father navigating loss while parenting two young sons.
  • Director Dylan Southern’s adaptation embraces horror tropes, a choice praised by some for boldness and faulted by others as undermining the source’s poetic nuance.
  • RogerEbert.com criticizes the film for dropping the book’s Ted Hughes connection, arguing the change weakens the crow’s thematic grounding.
  • Reviewers single out the very dark cinematography by Ben Fordesman and the 4:3 aspect ratio, with one noting it may be difficult to watch outside a theater.
  • An exclusive Collider sneak peek arrived ahead of release, and the cast includes Richard and Henry Boxall, Eric Lampaert in the crow suit, and David Thewlis as the creature’s voice; the film is rated R with a 1 hour, 44 minute runtime.