The 33
Performance & Direction: The 33 Review
Last updated: February 20, 2026
Quick Verdict: Hit or Flop?
Is The 33 (2015) worth watching? According to our cinematic analysis, the film stands as a ABOVE AVERAGE with a verified audience rating of 6.4/10. Whether you're looking for the box office collection, ending explained, or parents guide, our review covers everything you need to know about this Drama.
Cast Performances: A Masterclass
The success of any Drama is often anchored by its ensemble, and The 33 features a noteworthy lineup led by Antonio Banderas . Supported by the likes of Rodrigo Santoro and Kate del Castillo , the performances bring a palpable realism to the scripted words.
Performance Analysis: While the cast delivers competent and professional performances, they are occasionally hampered by a script that leans into familiar archetypes.
Final Verdict: Is it Worth Watching?
Story & Plot Summary: The 33
Quick Plot Summary: Released in 2015, The 33 is a Drama, History film directed by Patricia Riggen. The narrative explores complex human emotions and relationships through detailed character development. This summary provides a scannable look at the movie's central conflict involving Antonio Banderas.
Story Breakdown
This character-driven narrative explores the internal and external conflicts that define the human experience. Based on the true story of the collapse of a mine in San Jose, Chile—that left 33 miners isolated underground for 69 days. The screenplay takes time to develop Antonio Banderas's journey, allowing audiences to connect emotionally with their struggles and triumphs. Each scene builds upon the last, creating a cumulative emotional impact.
Narrative Structure
- Opening Hook: We meet the main character in their ordinary world, establishing the emotional baseline before the inciting incident disrupts their life.
- Character Arc: The main character shows growth throughout the story, though some supporting characters could have been more fully realized. Antonio Banderas's arc is present but occasionally predictable.
- Climax & Resolution: The emotional climax brings character arcs to their natural conclusion, providing catharsis while staying true to the story's core themes.
Ending Explained: The 33
Ending Breakdown: Directed by Patricia Riggen, The 33 concludes its story with a mix of closure and open interpretation. The finale presents its approach to drama resolution.
The emotional climax centers on character transformation involving Antonio Banderas, offering viewers material for post-viewing discussion.
Ending Analysis:
- Narrative Resolution: The story concludes by addressing its primary narrative threads, providing closure while maintaining some ambiguity.
- Character Arcs: Character journeys reach their narrative endpoints, reflecting the film's thematic priorities.
- Thematic Payoff: The ending reinforces the drama themes established throughout the runtime.
The final moments of The 33 reflect the filmmakers' creative choices, offering an ending that aligns with the film's tone and style.
The 33 Real vs. Reel: Is it Based on a True Story?
The 33 draws heavily from documented historical records. As a drama, history film directed by Patricia Riggen, it navigates the space between factual accuracy and narrative engagement for Antonio Banderas's character.
Historical Context
The film takes creative liberties to enhance dramatic impact. Core events maintain connection to source material while adapting for theatrical presentation.
Creative interpretation shapes the final narrative, with attention to period detail and historical context.
Accuracy Assessment: The 33 adapts its source material for dramatic purposes. The film prioritizes thematic resonance over documentary precision.
Who Should Watch The 33?
Worth Watching If You:
- Enjoy Drama films and don't mind familiar tropes
- Are a fan of Antonio Banderas or the director
- Want a character-driven story with emotional moments
Box Office Collection: The 33
| Metric / Region | Collection (Approx) |
|---|---|
| Production Budget | $25.0M |
| Worldwide Gross | $28.0M |
| Trade Verdict | FINANCIAL DISAPPOINTMENT |
The 33 Budget
The estimated production budget for The 33 is $25.0M. This figure covers principal photography, talent acquisitions, and visual effects. When accounting for global marketing and distribution, the break-even point is typically 2x the base production cost.
Top Cast: The 33
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YouTubeThe 33 Parents Guide & Age Rating
2015 AdvisoryWondering about The 33 age rating or if it's safe for kids? Here is our cinematic advisory:
⏱️ Runtime & Duration
The total runtime of The 33 is 120 minutes (2h 0m). Ensuring you have enough time for the full cinematic experience.
Verdict Summary
Analyzing the overall audience sentiment, verified rating of 6.4/10, and global performance metrics, The 33 is classified as a ABOVE AVERAGE. It remains an essential part of the 2015 cinematic calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The 33 worth watching?
The 33 is definitely worth watching if you enjoy Drama movies. It has a verified rating of 6.4/10 and stands as a ABOVE AVERAGE in our box office analysis.
Where can I find The 33 parents guide and age rating?
The official parents guide for The 33 identifies it as PG-13. Our detailed advisory section above covers all content warnings for families.
What is the total runtime of The 33?
The total duration of The 33 is 120 minutes, which is approximately 2h 0m long.
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How The 33 Compares & Where it Ranks
Critic Reviews for The 33
> When the mountain swallowed the 33 men alive... This is one of the greatest movie of 2015, not because of twists and turns, but pleasingly illustrating a true disastrous event. So don't listen to the negative remarks about it, ignore the low scores and just see it already. Like any flick, it definitely had a few flaws, if you focus it properly, you won't be distracted for those faults in the movie. All the above, bringing that 2010's unfortunate mining tragedy on screen was a success, that's the very important. It was not a Marvel's superhero movie or a Disney-Pixar's cute animation that has its own large fan base to support. It is not even a Hollywood, but English language movie from Chile. So that's where the critics steered common people in a wrong direction. But as I'm a movie fanatic, I totally recommend it for all. This was not a simple disaster drama, but had a good amount of emotions, suspense, nationalism, light laughs, brotherhood and ultimately a good entertainment. It is no ones biopic as it was categorised. It is a single real incident based movie, especially the book 'Deep Down Dark'. All the characters had a fair scope and portrayed according to story growth. But it opened by introducing only a few main characters and other supporting ones out of 33 whose story this was based on. On an ordinary day, those miners started their day as usual. For some, it was their first day and for others it was the final days of their job, but everyone had their own reasons to go into the mountain's deep down. But what they did not know was the mountain was tired of being opened its mouth for the centuries. Finally, she decided to close the mouth by swallowing the 33. But those men stood against the chances they had and fought for their survival, which was finely told in this movie. What happened to them, how it concludes was narrated still the last minute with suspense. > "That's not a rock, that's the heart of the mountain. > She finally broke." To me there was no mystery left in the main theme, because when this thing happened 5 years ago, I closely followed the event. So I know how it ended and I knew how the movie would end, but surprising parts were the families, media, politics and all the other surrounding events composed together which was a quite fresh perspective that helped the movie to help shape well. So I am telling you, if you think you know this story, you probably wrong on that assumption. If I want to discuss about negative, that would the language of the movie. I am very-very disappointed with that choice, it must have been in the Spanish. Those Chilean characters speaking English was kind of jokes with their funny accent. It did not work for me, because Chile never was a commonwealth member. If Indian, Malaysian or Sri Lankan character speaks English would make sense. I know they wanted it to be an International product, so did they chose Internationally recognisable actors like Antonio Banderas and Julliette Binoche. Yes, on that aspect it paid off well. The movie almost got me on its emotional side, I did not show it physically, but surely I felt deep inside me. It also triumphs to tell how important the families are. They are the first ones to react if you are in a real danger to rescue, to shed tears, to standby on the scene looking for your return and to hug tightly. The movie might be categorised in a couple of genres, but it had other mixed ingredients as well. For example, the scenes called the last supper and the circus outside the rescue site. Movies are not all about perfection, sometimes demonstrating its purpose decently would do good enough. So on that facet I got no point to say to skip it. 9/10
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This analysis is compiled by our editorial experts using multi-source verification and audience sentiment data for maximum accuracy.










