There have been a lot of great war movies over the years, but few of them star a meteorologist as one of their main characters. Pressure, which hits the 2026 movie calendar on May 29 — about a week ahead of the 82nd anniversary of D-Day — stars Andrew Scott as meteorologist James Stagg and Brendan Fraser as Dwight D. Eisenhower in a historical drama about the 72 hours preceding a day that lives in infamy. So what are the reviews saying?
Pressure is an adaptation of a stage play by David Haig, who serves as a co-writer on the movie’s screenplay along with director Anthony Maras. The war drama is receiving high marks ahead of its release. Frank Scheck of THR says in his Pressure review that Andrew Scott gives an award-worthy performance in a movie that lives up to its name. Who knew weather forecasting could make for such an effective "edge-of-your-seat thriller"? The critic writes:
The stage origins of the film are evident in the minimal number of settings and long dialogue exchanges, much of it stuffed with dense meteorological jargon. But Maras … has done a marvelous job of opening up the action to make it feel cinematic, including the judicious use of archival footage from the era. Running a fleet 100 minutes including credits, the film proves compelling throughout even though we obviously know the outcome. As with such films as All the President’s Men and Apollo 13, it’s the depiction of the process involved, never feeling dumbed-down, that holds our attention.
Nell Minow of RogerEbert rates the movie 3.5 out of 4 stars, calling it a tense and powerful drama that’s serious in the best sense of the term. It’s sobering to see a depiction of these real events, with those involved tasked with making the most dire of decisions and facing problems with honor, intelligence and courage. Minow continues:
Director Anthony Maras co-wrote the first-rate screenplay with David Haig, the playwright who created the theatrical version, and they make the story so urgent that we almost forget that we know what happened. The stakes are starkly clear from the first moment. There’s no ‘inspired by’ or ‘based on’ equivocation about the basis for what we are about to see, just ‘This is a true story.’
Pete Hammond of Deadline says if you think you know everything there is to know about D-Day, think again. If you think knowing the outcome of the events of June 6, 1944, precludes you from needing to see Pressure, think again. This story of how a weather forecast changed the history of the world keeps the suspense at a surprisingly high level, Hammond writes:
How director Anthony Maras is able to make this moment in the war such a cinematic, edge-of-your-seat thriller about predicting the weather conditions is a bit of a miracle itself, but he has done it. It is not really a story widely known to general audiences, and here it carries remarkable power and a message for world leaders that resonates to this day, making Pressure a crackerjack film detailing a historical event in the lead-up to it, even more than its actual execution, but also a stirring and pertinent lesson that is as relevant today as much as ever.
Jim Vejvoda of IGN rates it a “Great” 8 out of 10, saying “history’s most important weather forecast makes for a surprisingly engrossing film.” The critic’s review reads:
Pressure is quality dad content. War movie fans and WWII buffs should appreciate the film’s devotion to detail, while mainstream audiences will be treated to a taut, compelling story about the very real men behind the icons who ensured an Allied victory. Brendan Fraser makes Eisenhower flesh and blood, while Andrew Scott adds another whipsmart protagonist to his filmography with his nuanced portrayal of meteorologist James Stagg.
While many critics are praising Andrew Scott as James Stagg, Brendan Fraser is getting some pushback for his portrayal of future President Eisenhower. Alison Foreman of IndieWire gives the film a C, calling it “a regrettable swing-and-miss” for Fraser. Foreman praises the cinematography, the “immaculate” costuming and production design but says “the acting and writing duke it out for the title of Bigger Disappointment.” The critic concludes:
Despite being afforded a strong-enough platform to deliver a main character worth seeing, Fraser can’t begin to find the gravitas required to believably lead the free world. The Pressure star routinely drowns in the importance of the part itself, and Fraser has a tendency to swallow Eisenhower’s more politically savvy lines in a way that makes some of Maras and Haig’s best work turn muddy. Worse still, the wide-eyed vulnerability that served Fraser so well in The Whale works mysteriously against him here — giving off an empathetic vulnerability that’s plenty strong but ultimately doesn’t give the impression of authentic, weapons-grade authority.
The movie is opening to an 84% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it seems this “untold true story of D-Day” is connecting with people. If you’re excited to buy your ticket to Pressure, your wait is over. The movie is in theaters now, as of May 29.
