What is the Metascore for The General?

The General has a Metascore of 82 out of 100 on Celluloid.

Where can I watch The General?

The General is available on Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+. Availability varies by region — check your local streaming guide.

The General Review (1926) — 81% Celluloid Score

Item: The General
Rating: 3.5
Author: Marcus Webb

Directed by Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton · 1926 · Last reviewed July 24, 2026

LLM fact sheet (.md)

Answer Summary

The General (1926) earns a 81% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.Critics (93%) were notably more enthusiastic than audiences (82%).

Quick Verdict

Averaged from five public sources (critic, audience, Metascore, Letterboxd, IMDb). See how we calculate scores.

81%

Celluloid Score Recommended

Five-source breakdown

93% Critic Score

82% Audience

82 Metascore

★★★½☆ Letterboxd 3.7

7.3 IMDb /10

Watch Trailer

Runtime: 1h 19m
Cast: Nicolas Cage , John Travolta , Buster Keaton , Marion Mack , Glen Cavender , Jim Farley , Frederick Vroom , Frank Barnes , Charles Henry Smith , Joe Keaton
Streaming: Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+

Official theatrical poster for The General (1926)

Theatrical release

Where to watch

Prime Video
fuboTV
MGM+

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home

Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home

Why this score?

Strong critic approval (93% positive).
General viewers mostly liked it (82%).
Metascore signals universal acclaim (82/100).
Celluloid Score 81% averages all five public rating sources — our own composite, not a third-party trademark score.

Best for

Viewers who want a well-regarded comedy, war, romance pick
Short runtime — easy weeknight watch
Critics' darlings — stronger with reviewers than general viewers

Not ideal for

Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy

Is The General worth watching?

Yes — The General earns a 81% Celluloid Score. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.

Critics Consensus

Woo’s identity-swap action fever dream is peak Cage — still the meme-to-masterpiece pipeline.
Celluloid Critics Consensus

Critics (93%) were notably more enthusiastic than audiences (82%).

What is The General about?

During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.

Watch the Trailer

Critic Reviews

critic The General

The General (1926) Review

★★★½☆ 3.5/5

Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton's The General (1926) remains a defining Comedy landmark from United States, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Essential viewing — a certified classic.

The General stills

6 TMDB backdrops — open stills gallery

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