Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 805
RT slug: the_marsh_kings_daughter
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_marsh_kings_daughter
Release year: 2023
Runtime: 108 mins
Wide release date: 2023-11-03
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: 2023-11-21
Tomatometer final: 39%
Audience score final: —
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Directors: Neil Burger
Writers: Elle Smith, Mark L. Smith
Producers: Keith Redmon, Mark L. Smith, Teddy Schwarzman
MPAA rating: R
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-06-17 18:59:52
Updated: 2026-06-17 18:59:52
In the tense thriller The Marsh King's Daughter, a woman with a secret past will venture into the wilderness she left behind to confront the most dangerous man she's ever met: her father. In the film, Helena's (Daisy Ridley) seemingly ordinary life hides a dark and dangerous truth: her estranged father is the infamous Marsh King (Ben Mendelsohn), the man who kept her and her mother captive in the wilderness for years. When her father escapes from prison, Helena will need to confront her past. Knowing that he will hunt for her and her family, Helena must find the strength to face her demons and outmaneuver the man who taught her everything she knows about surviving in the wild.
The Marsh King's Daughter begins with plenty of promise and has a remarkable cast, but they're outweighed by the story's dawdling pace and clumsy conclusion.
Canonical reviews: 44
Canonical fresh: 17
Canonical rotten: 27
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 39%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-06-17 15:26:09
Snapshot Tomatometer: 39%
Snapshot review count: 44
Snapshot fresh count: 17
Snapshot rotten count: 27
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #1434 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions | distributor |
| Anonymous Content | production |
| Black Bear Pictures | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daisy Ridley | Helena Pelletier |
| 2 | Ben Mendelsohn | Jacob Holbrook |
| 3 | Garrett Hedlund | Stephen Pelletier |
| 4 | Caren Pistorius | Helena's Mother |
| 5 | Brooklynn Prince | Young Helena |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 821 | processed | — | 2026-06-17 18:59:52 | Processed successfully into movie_id=805 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1434 | 2026-06-17 10:26:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-06-17 15:26:09 | 39% | 44 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 44 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=44, fresh=17, rotten=27, tomatometer=39%. Net new reviews added=44, fresh=17, rotten=27. Current canonical totals=44 reviews, 17 fresh, 27 rotten, tomatometer=39% (38.636%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (44). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (39%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 179142 | Shawn Edwards | Fox 4 Kansas City | Fresh | 3/5 | 2024-01-18T19:49:07Z | 2024-01-18 19:49:07 | It's mildly enthralling, I mean there is a lot that works, but unfortunately the filmmakers couldn't quite nail the ending, which is too bad. |
| 179143 | Kevin Maher | The Times (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2024-01-17T01:01:47Z | 2024-01-17 01:01:47 | Ridley delivers her strongest post-Star Wars turn with a deeply empathetic character who is, throughout the drama, on the cusp of a breakdown, or a breakthrough. It’s powerful work. |
| 179144 | Steve Morrissey | Radio Times | Rotten | 2/5 | 2024-01-12T12:20:33Z | 2024-01-12 12:20:33 | A strange misfire. |
| 179145 | Cris Kennedy | The Canberra Times (Australia) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2024-01-03T21:33:47Z | 2024-01-03 21:33:47 | Neil Burger does a good job with the film's pace and in shepherding strong performances from his whole cast, especially Prince as the young Helena. |
| 179146 | Ryan Devir | Film Threat | Fresh | 8.5/10 | 2023-12-22T21:59:34Z | 2023-12-22 21:59:34 | What I appreciated about this movie was how it captured trauma and selective memory. |
| 179147 | Whang Yee Ling | The Straits Times (Singapore) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2023-12-01T02:03:32Z | 2023-12-01 02:03:32 | The movie could have been a meaningful study of trauma. Instead, it gives in to the mechanics of a cat-and-mouse pursuit. |
| 179148 | Mark Meszoros | The News-Herald (Willoughby, OH) | Rotten | 2/4 | 2023-11-30T16:01:10Z | 2023-11-30 16:01:10 | For a while, “The Marsh King’s Daughter” feels as though it may be heading somewhere truly interesting, but, instead, it becomes a bit waterlogged. |
| 179149 | Christy Lemire | FilmWeek (LAist) | Rotten | — | 2023-11-29T01:04:30Z | 2023-11-29 01:04:30 | I was sitting back in my seat, nowhere near the edge of it. I would have liked to have inched towards the edge of it. |
| 179150 | Andy Klein | FilmWeek (LAist) | Fresh | — | 2023-11-29T01:01:50Z | 2023-11-29 01:01:50 | This is a very suspenseful film, at times unpleasantly so. |
| 179151 | Carla Hay | Culture Mix | Rotten | — | 2023-11-23T00:00:20Z | 2023-11-23 00:00:20 | It's ironic that much of The Marsh King's Daughter takes place in a backwoods marsh area, because this entire movie is a soggy mess. It starts off as a monotonous drama and devolves into a series of silly action scenes that don't look believable. |
| 179152 | Aaron Neuwirth | We Live Entertainment | Fresh | 6/10 | 2023-11-22T16:48:47Z | 2023-11-22 16:48:47 | Ridley feels challenged in the right ways, while Mendelsohn channels another scummy character to strong effect. The stakes are just high enough to have kept me involved, and that’s fine for a decent paperback come-to-life situation. |
| 179153 | Steven Prokopy | Third Coast Review | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2023-11-17T18:39:51Z | 2023-11-17 18:39:51 | There’s nothing especially surprising about the way the film wraps up, but it still packs a mild punch, thanks to Ridley’s cold stare, borne of childhood trauma. |
| 179154 | Bhuvanesh Chandar | The Hindu | Rotten | — | 2023-11-16T21:42:05Z | 2023-11-16 21:42:05 | A potent premise and earnest performances from Daisy Ridley and Ben Mendelsohn are let down by an under-written screenplay that submits to the temptations of its genre. |
| 179155 | Pat Padua | Washington Post | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2023-11-14T14:56:32Z | 2023-11-14 14:56:32 | The tale is too tame, its savagery held too much in check to truly hold the audience in its thrall. |
| 179156 | Leo Brady | AMovieGuy.com | Rotten | 1.5/4 | 2023-11-10T18:30:27Z | 2023-11-10 18:30:27 | It might make for a better book but The Marsh King’s Daughter is a stiff and stuffy thriller, lacking in a tighter script, and any true energy to dig itself out of the mud. |
| 179157 | Tara McNamara | Common Sense Media | Fresh | 3/5 | 2023-11-08T20:55:13Z | 2023-11-08 20:55:13 | While the premise of The Marsh King's Daughter is rich with the possibility for how introspectively deep the story could go, it doesn't manage to get there. |
| 179158 | Keith Garlington | Keith & the Movies | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2023-11-08T16:56:43Z | 2023-11-08 16:56:43 | Rather than keeping us guessing or catching us by surprise, the movie goes the more conventional route, leading to an ending that's as far-fetched as it is predictable. |
| 179159 | Lee Zumpe | Tampa Bay Newspapers | Rotten | — | 2023-11-07T10:26:08Z | 2023-11-07 10:26:08 | After a promising opening, “The Marsh King’s Daughter” quickly falls into a predictable and monotonous slog, plodding along toward an inevitable confrontation between father and daughter. |
| 179160 | Dennis Schwartz | Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews | Fresh | B- | 2023-11-07T09:40:00Z | 2023-11-07 09:40:00 | On the positive side, the acting is good and the atmospheric setting is visually pleasing. |
| 179161 | Christian Valentin | Spectrum Culture | Rotten | — | 2023-11-06T06:49:22Z | 2023-11-06 06:49:22 | Carried by a solid cast, The Marsh King’s Daughter tackles its intriguing premise in a competent fashion but never rises above the level of Lifetime thriller. |
| 179162 | Michael Cook | KLRT-TV | Rotten | 6.5/10 | 2023-11-05T23:40:01Z | 2023-11-05 23:40:01 | For a thriller to work, you have to guess what's gonna happen, but the minute he [Mendelsohn] escapes from prison you just know exactly what's going to happen. This is a formulaic, predictable thriller. |
| 179163 | Robert Kojder | Flickering Myth | Rotten | 1.5/5 | 2023-11-04T23:40:35Z | 2023-11-04 23:40:35 | It doesn’t take much of a survival instinct to sense that this should be avoided at all costs |
| 179164 | Valerie Kalfrin | AWFJ.org | Rotten | — | 2023-11-04T20:30:02Z | 2023-11-04 20:30:02 | It's part psychological drama, part thriller, but not an effective whole. ... includes some on-the-nose dialogue for the more-than-capable cast. |
| 179165 | Todd Jorgenson | Cinemalogue | Rotten | — | 2023-11-04T01:25:06Z | 2023-11-04 01:25:06 | What starts as an atmospheric, introspective melodrama about fractured family bonds and primal instincts transitions into a formulaic cat-and-mouse saga about paranoia and past secrets. |
| 179166 | Russ Simmons | KKFI-FM (Kansas City) | Fresh | 3/5 | 2023-11-04T00:38:43Z | 2023-11-04 00:38:43 | While the opening and closing acts are strong, the middle section sags. Still, “The Marsh King’s Daughter” is a competent, unnerving thriller. |
| 179167 | Robert Abele | Los Angeles Times | Rotten | — | 2023-11-04T00:25:30Z | 2023-11-04 00:25:30 | When we need the churning dread of an intimate tale of generational trauma, The Marsh King’s Daughter goes formulaic, and when we’re primed for exploitation sweats, it gets flabby. |
| 179168 | Abhishek Srivastava | The Times of India | Fresh | 3/5 | 2023-11-03T18:58:40Z | 2023-11-03 18:58:40 | It’s the remarkable cast that saves the day for the film. Daisy Ridley delivers a controlled and haunting performance as Helena, a character deeply scarred by her traumatic past. |
| 179169 | Tara Bennett | Paste Magazine | Rotten | 6.9/10 | 2023-11-03T18:39:43Z | 2023-11-03 18:39:43 | While the first third establishes the premise with a lot of promise and a compelling backstory, the rest of the film can’t rise above perfunctory cat-and-mouse dynamics that lack urgency and emotional stakes. |
| 179170 | Nell Minow | RogerEbert.com | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2023-11-03T15:28:47Z | 2023-11-03 15:28:47 | The film’s pacing sags, undercutting the sense of urgency that makes a thriller. |
| 179171 | Travis Hopson | Punch Drunk Critics | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2023-11-03T09:26:35Z | 2023-11-03 09:26:35 | Fans of Ridley will want to check this out for her, because there’s not much suspense to be found elsewhere. |
| 179172 | Mark Dujsik | Mark Reviews Movies | Rotten | 2/4 | 2023-11-03T03:28:39Z | 2023-11-03 03:28:39 | It's almost inevitable—and just as disappointing—that The Marsh King's Daughter takes the third-act turn that it does. |
| 179173 | Jesse Hassenger | The Daily Beast | Rotten | — | 2023-11-03T01:14:24Z | 2023-11-03 01:14:24 | Even the more genre-inflected marsh-girl movies have conducted themselves with a little too much decorum—a polite way of saying they take a cheesily therapeutic approach to the lookie-loo pulp they’re peddling. |
| 179174 | Avi Offer | NYC Movie Guru | Rotten | — | 2023-11-02T20:24:14Z | 2023-11-02 20:24:14 | A dull, shallow and underwhelming psychological thriller. |
| 179175 | M.N. Miller | Geek Vibes Nation | Rotten | 4/10 | 2023-11-02T20:22:14Z | 2023-11-02 20:22:14 | The Marsh King’s Daughter is a lackluster adaptation of a best-selling novel. |
| 179176 | Brian Orndorf | Blu-ray.com | Rotten | C | 2023-11-02T20:14:32Z | 2023-11-02 20:14:32 | The two sides of the endeavor don’t snap together, leaving the viewing experience uneven and the conclusion unsatisfying. |
| 179177 | Mike McGranaghan | Aisle Seat | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2023-11-02T20:13:31Z | 2023-11-02 20:13:31 | A powerful story about the psychological hold one person can have on another. |
| 179178 | Mae Abdulbaki | Screen Rant | Fresh | 3/5 | 2023-11-02T16:47:34Z | 2023-11-02 16:47:34 | With strong performances, the dawdling pace prevents the narrative from fully being realized, but it manages to maintain interest until the very end. |
| 179179 | Ema Sasic | Next Best Picture | Fresh | 6/10 | 2023-11-02T16:15:24Z | 2023-11-02 16:15:24 | Neil Burger’s newest film isn’t revolutionary in its storytelling, nor does it keep us guessing how it’ll end. Still, it features a twisty and unexpected intro and solid performances from talented cast members. |
| 179180 | Francisca Tinoco | We Got This Covered | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2023-11-02T16:08:48Z | 2023-11-02 16:08:48 | 'The Marsh King's Daughter' is yet another addition to the forgotten library of inconsequential and underdeveloped action thrillers. |
| 179181 | David Ehrlich | IndieWire | Rotten | C | 2023-11-02T16:07:32Z | 2023-11-02 16:07:32 | The movie is so afraid of making viewers restless that it shies away from dramatizing anything it can’t resolve in 20 seconds or less. |
| 179182 | Frank Scheck | The Hollywood Reporter | Fresh | — | 2023-11-02T16:04:51Z | 2023-11-02 16:04:51 | B-movie material elevated by A-level performances. |
| 179183 | Ross McIndoe | Slant Magazine | Rotten | 2/4 | 2023-11-02T16:04:32Z | 2023-11-02 16:04:32 | Once the film turns into a paranoid home-invasion thriller, there’s no ambiguity left to the tale. |
| 179184 | Pete Hammond | Deadline Hollywood Daily | Fresh | — | 2023-11-02T16:03:36Z | 2023-11-02 16:03:36 | The Marsh King’s Daughter doesn’t really have much more on its mind than just serving as an effective thriller, but it achieves its goals thanks to an outstanding cast that makes it all work, and a filmmaker who navigates it all in style. |
| 179185 | Chase Hutchinson | Collider | Rotten | D- | 2023-11-02T16:02:08Z | 2023-11-02 16:02:08 | While Ridley gives her all to a more thoughtful and nuanced performance, The Marsh King's Daughter remains a film on a directionless journey to nowhere. Even with the commitment of its lead, it just gets lost in the woods before falling flat on its face. |
Showing the latest 100 canonical reviews for this movie.