Gabriel (film) - Reception

Reception

Gabriel received mixed reviews upon release. In general, its visual style and technical achievements on such a low budget were praised, while its stilted dialogue and unoriginal storyline were criticised. Leading Australian film critic Margaret Pomeranz enjoyed the film, stating that while "there's nothing amazingly deep about it," it has "an amazingly interesting look and sound." In contrast, David Stratton, Pomeranz's co-presenter from At the Movies, described the film as "tedious," deriding its dialogue, "derivative" story and uninteresting characters. Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Richard Jinman concurred with Stratton's assessment, stating that the "cliched aesthetic ... is a turn-off, as is the rather stilted dialogue." He went on to write that Gabriel is "hamstrung by a lack of visceral thrills, engaging characters and a storyline that can command attention for almost two hours." Michael Adams from The Movie Show gave Gabriel "an 'A' for Ambition;" Adams admitted that some of the action is "clever" and many of the performances "solid," but found the overall film mediocre. Urban Cinefile's review was largely positive, calling the film "visually arresting" and "exciting."

Many critics addressed Gabriel's similarity to other films. Stratton asserted the film borrowed themes from Night Watch and Day Watch, and had the look of Underworld or a poor-man's The Matrix. Adams noted the film's debt to Blade Runner, while Jinman compared the film's aesthetic to Mad Max and 1980s music videos.