Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders is inspired by a photo book of the same name by Danny Lyon, which goes on to depict the lives of The Vandals MC, an outlaw motorcycle club. The movie, starring Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Norman Reedus, Jodie Comer, and more, recounts their journey from innocence to experiencing the advancing years of the 1960s.

The Bikeriders
Austin Butler as Benny in THE BIKERIDERS | 20th Century Studios

The Bikeriders premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival and received a mixed response, mentioning that the performances in the movie are to be appreciated but missing out on hitting the right spot with the material. Initially set to release on December 1st, 2023, the release date was pushed due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes and was recently released on June 21st, 2024. The reviews of the movie have got Austin Butler’s fans worried.

Austin Butler starrer The Bikeriders opens to an ‘average’ start

Based on the landmark book of photojournalism by Danny Lyon, Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders stars Austin Butler as Benny, the gang’s wildest and most charismatic member. With a setting of the late 1960s, the movie goes on to depict the rise and fall of the fictional Chicago biker gang.

Upon its release, the movie secured an 82% score from the critics and about a 75% score from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite its high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie was given a score of B at CinemaScore, and the reviews from the fans have not been quite as positive as the makers expected them to be, with an ensemble cast of Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, Norman Reedus, Mike Faist, and more.

The Bikeriders
Austin Butler and Tom Hardy | 20th Century Studios

A user wrote online, ‘Very disappointed in this one. It looks pretty and captures the look of the era, but that’s it. No one here even qualifies as a character.’ The user goes on to detail that Jodie Comer might have the meatiest role in the movie, but it fails to come out on-screen. Another user commented, ‘It’s New Regency Dumped 20th Century’.

An X account shared, ‘The Bikeriders’ could’ve been a fantastic film, but the imbalanced character journeys do more damage than good.’ A user on Rotten Tomatoes wrote, ‘The movie feels like uncooked popcorn. It’s a first act, a third act, and nothing in between to keep you motivated.’ A user stated, ‘The movie is just average at best, I couldn’t care for the characters’. 

The Independent wrote, ‘It’s beautifully shot on film, in 35mm anamorphic, by cinematographer Adam Stone, but isn’t fetishistically attempting to recreate Lyon’s work or the look of the era.’ The publication further in the review wrote that the filmmaker complicated what might have otherwise been a romanticized ode to a subculture by transforming it into a true American tragedy.

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A lot of fans on social media mentioned that there were a lot of holes in the story along with a lack of character development, which is off-putting.

Austin Butler talks about working with his character Benny for The Bikeriders

Elvis actor, who recently celebrated the success of Dune: Part Two, didn’t have much time to bond with his co-stars as he arrived on set after filming Dune. His character Benny, according to THR, was one of the few who wasn’t interviewed for the book, nor was there an actual face of the name Benny for him to refer to. Talking about that challenge, he said,

You only see him from behind or at the top of his head as he’s leaning over a pool table. So for me, it was a lot of conversations with Jeff Nichols, and then you kind of worked in reverse. I see where he is in our story, and then I work backward to figure out what type of childhood he may have had that would lead him to be this person.

The Bikeriders
Austin Butler plays Benny in The Bikeriders |20th Century Studios

Austin Butler continued talking about his process with Benny by stating;

The thing with stoic characters is that they might not say much, but it’s not because there’s an absence of thought or an absence of opinion. So, I wrote out all of his thoughts in that silent moment, and that way I knew what his opinions were. His life needed to feel rich, even in those moments of silence.

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There is no doubt that Butler is an extremely hardworking and dedicated artist, but the average reviews concern fans as it might affect his career much more compared to the cast in the movie. Despite good rating scores, the movie with such an incredible cast was expected to debut with positive reviews but has unfortunately failed to perform as per the expectations of the fans.

His fans have pointed that the success of the movie is going to impact Butler’s career graph more than it does for Reedus or Hardy as they are well established and known actor but Butler is still carving his space in the industry. Him being a part of successful movies including Once Upon a Time in Hollywood did not help him much because despite being a great actor, he was over-shadowed by Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. Elvis did help him little bit in terms of creating his own space but he surely has a long way to go.

The Bikeriders is playing in cinemas.

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