Christopher Columbus: The Discovery | Rotten Tomatoes

Christopher Columbus: The Discovery

PG-13

1992

2 hr. 0 min.

Biography

List

7%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

17%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Explorer Christopher Columbus (Georges Corraface) is determined to sail west from Europe to India. While his brother searches for funding for the expedition elsewhere, Columbus heads to Spain, where he is interrogated by Tomas de Torquemeda (Marlon Brando), the feared mastermind of the Spanish Inquisition. When Queen Isabella (Rachel Ward) agrees to finance his expedition as a way of spreading Christianity, Columbus embarks with a mutinous crew, destined for a surprising discovery.

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Critics Consensus

Ironically, for a biopic about a voyage many associate with people accepting that the world is round, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery falls completely flat.

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Audience Member

It's crap, but I liked it much better than that thing Ridley Scott made. It has none of that liberal guilt or glorification of Islam. I want to see a Columbus that kicks ass and does not apologize for anything.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Look for the Director's Cut to see the cameo of John Hillerman as a Chief Mate. Otherwise the film is only good for one viewing.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

No energy, feeling, commitment or even care by anyone involved in this movie is extremely evident....I'm looking at you Marlon Brando! He is so big in this movie he's kind of hard to miss. The Discovery is very boring at times and completely over the top at others, it's like it has no idea what it wants to do with itself. Benicio Del Toro does about as well as he can with the material hes been given, the same can go for Robert Davi who are both saving graces. By this time Brando didn't care at all and can you blame him? It's best to stay away from this.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I liked the movie but it hurts very badly acted Georges Corraface as Christopher Columbus. Timothy Dalton was better. But the performance of Benicio del Toro worth. And Mario Puzo knows nothing of Christopher Columbus.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

★ (out of four) It pains me to give such a bad review to any film that features who is probably my all-time favprite actor, Marlon Brando. Nevertheless, this is his worst performance in his worst movie, and there is no way of getting away from it. Christopher Columbis is blandly played this time around by George Corraface. He is seeking his opportunity to explore new worlds. He must, however, get permission from Tomas de Torquemada, played by Brando. The script is a bore and jumps around with no thought or reason. It's too bad since the screenplay was written by Mario Puzo. I guess everyone was having a bad year when they made this. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/Zeppo1/ChrisColumbo.jpg[/IMG]

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Most of the movie is taken up with Columbus' attempt to persuade Spain to finance his voyage and the actual journey itself, the last forty minutes deal with his arrival at what he named San Salvador. Lacks any real character and could pass for a fictional adventure movie, anyway it killed a few hours.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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John Glen

Director

Marlon Brando

Tomas de Torquemada

Tom Selleck

King Ferdinand

Georges Corraface

Christopher Columbus

Rachel Ward

Queen Isabella

Robert Davi

Martin Pinzon

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Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Times

It's not politically correct. It's also not cinematically correct, humanly correct or historically correct.

May 3, 2014

Full Review

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

Released in 1,492 theaters on Friday, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery should be gone from most of them faster than you can hoist the mainsails and shiver your timbers.

Rated: 1.5/4

May 3, 2014

Full Review

Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

Cast in the title role is George Corraface, whose credits include Not Without My Daughter and Impromptu. Does he overact? Let's just say that I think I heard him frown.

Rated: 1/5

May 3, 2014

Full Review

Candice Russell

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Dry as an outdated textbook, scintillating as the droning of your worst schoolteacher, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery is a colossal disaster.

May 3, 2014

Full Review

TV Guide

This daft biographical epic reveals that the Europeans came West in search of many things: a new trade route to India and China; new souls to be converted to Christianity; new sources of gold; and new girlfriends with larger breasts.

Rated: 2/4

May 3, 2014

Full Review

David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

Most of the picture is so hilariously Hollywooden that nobody could mistake it for real history.

May 3, 2014

Full Review

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Synopsis

Explorer Christopher Columbus (Georges Corraface) is determined to sail west from Europe to India. While his brother searches for funding for the expedition elsewhere, Columbus heads to Spain, where he is interrogated by Tomas de Torquemeda (Marlon Brando), the feared mastermind of the Spanish Inquisition. When Queen Isabella (Rachel Ward) agrees to finance his expedition as a way of spreading Christianity, Columbus embarks with a mutinous crew, destined for a surprising discovery.

Director: John Glen
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.8M
Sound Mix: Surround