Guillermo del Toro Hails Scarlett Johansson's Ray Gunn a Masterwork

Few voices in contemporary cinema carry the weight of Guillermo del Toro's when it comes to championing ambitious, genre-defining filmmaking. His latest act of advocacy is directed squarely at Brad Bird's long-gestating animated science-fiction noir Ray Gunn, a Netflix production that stars Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell — and his assessment is nothing short of extraordinary.

A Decades-Long Passion Project Finally Arrives

According to ScreenRant, Ray Gunn has its roots in the 1990s, predating Bird's celebrated run at Pixar with The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Co-written with Matthew Robbins, the screenplay endured a prolonged search for a studio willing to greenlight something so formally ambitious before Netflix ultimately stepped in. The film drops Johansson into the role of Venus Nova, a multimedia pop star who becomes entangled in a murder investigation set against the retro-futuristic cityscape of Metropia — a world where humans and aliens share the same rain-slicked streets. Private detective Raymond Gunn, voiced by Rockwell, leads the case, and Bird himself has drawn direct comparisons to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. The visual language of the trailer — flying cars, neon-drenched urban sprawl — makes that lineage unmistakable.

Del Toro's Verdict: "One for the Ages"

Posting a lengthy, personal review to X following an early theatrical screening, del Toro described Ray Gunn as "a marvel to behold and a great ride to experience," arguing forcefully that it demands to be seen collectively in a cinema rather than consumed in isolation on a streaming platform. His praise spans virtually every department: he invokes Blade Runner and Roman Polanski's Chinatown when discussing the film's visual composition, namedrops Jean Giraud's The Incal to capture its Moebius-inflected urban design, and singles out Ben Burtt's sound design alongside Michael Giacchino's score as standout technical achievements. Tom Waits, playing Gunn's alien detective partner Eyera, earns a warm comparison to the classic character actors of Hollywood's golden noir era.

Of Johansson specifically, del Toro notes that both she and Rockwell are "superb," adding that her singing voice is "remarkable" — a dimension of the performance that carries particular weight given that Venus Nova is established as a pop star within the story. For an actress who has consistently pushed into unexpected creative territory — from her voice work in Her to recent live-action genre projects — Ray Gunn represents another genuinely singular entry in an already varied filmography.

The Case for 70mm

Del Toro was especially pointed about the theatrical experience, noting that 70mm projection elevates the film to something "magical." Ray Gunn opens in select theaters and 70mm venues on December 4 before arriving on Netflix on December 18 — a release structure that, by design or necessity, limits how many viewers will encounter it in its optimal form. Del Toro's review reads in part as a direct appeal to audiences to seek out that theatrical window wherever possible, echoing the kind of advocacy he previously offered for Apple TV+'s Widow's Bay, which went on to historic Emmy success.

The critical response beyond del Toro has also been strong. The film currently holds a Certified Fresh 93% on Rotten Tomatoes from 45 reviews, and Johansson was among those representing the project at the London Film Festival — where she turned heads both on and off the red carpet. Elsewhere, the ensemble cast includes Alan Tudyk, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Rodriguez, Patton Oswalt, and Matt Berry, among others.

A Landmark Moment for Animation

What makes del Toro's endorsement so resonant is less the enthusiasm — he is, by nature, an expressive critic — and more the precision of his comparisons. To place an animated film in the same breath as Chinatown and Blade Runner is to make a serious claim about its cinematic grammar, not merely its entertainment value. If Ray Gunn fulfills that promise, it stands to be one of the more significant animated releases in recent memory, and a compelling showcase for what Johansson can bring to a medium she hasn't previously explored at this scale.

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