Vaxxed is an anti-vaccination movie available for streaming in the United States and around the world. Read our Vaxxed movie review to learn everything you need to know about the Vaxxed movement.
What is the Vaxxed Movie?
The Vaxxed movie, found online at Vaxxed.com, is a movie available for streaming in the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Ireland (New Zealand is coming soon).
The movie explains the dangers of vaccines, and argues that America’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been engaged in a massive pro-vaccine cover-up over the years.
That coverup, the movie argues, has led to health problems across America – including an increased risk of autism in children.
The movie’s tagline is that vaccines have gone “from cover-up to catastrophe”.
The film was directed by Andrew Wakefield and produced in partnership with the Autism Media Channel.
What Will You Learn in Vaxxed?
Vaxxed makes a controversial argument that the CDC has been lying to the American public about vaccines for years. Specifically, the CDC knew about the dangers of vaccines, but refused to tell the American public.
To reinforce that point, Vaxxed tells the story of biologist Dr. Brian Hooker.
In 2013, Dr. Brian Hooker received a call from a senior scientist at the CDC. That senior scientist led the agency’s 2004 study on the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine and its link to autism.
According to the Vaxxed movie, that scientist – Dr. William Thompson – blew the whistle on the organization’s study and confessed that the CDC had “omitted crucial data” in their final report. That “crucial data” apparently showed a causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
Dr. Thompson continued to leak information to Dr. Hooker over the ensuing months. Dr. Hooker recorded the phone conversations. While Dr. Thompson was leaking data, his colleagues at the CDC were reportedly destroying the data.
Who is Dr. Andrew Wakefield?
Vaxxed was directed by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the British gastroenterologist who is best-known for “starting” the anti-vaccination movement. In reality, Dr. Wakefield claims he is falsely seen as the originator of the movement. He created the film to examine the evidence behind the cover-up, and to see if there was any truth to the rumor that the CDC had withheld valuable information from the American public.
Dr. Wakefield initially made headlines back in 1998 when he reported a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
Where’s the Proof?
Throughout the film, Vaxxed continues to reinforce its points by interviewing everyone from medical industry insiders to parents.
The film interviews pharmaceutical insiders, for example, as well as doctors, politicians, and the parents of children who have apparently been injured by vaccines.
The film claims that America is experiencing a “skyrocketing” increase of autism and calls it “potentially the most catastrophic epidemic of our lifetime”.
How to Watch Vaxxed
You can learn how to watch Vaxxed at the official website. Some of the methods include:
- In Theaters: Vaxxed will be shown in select theaters. You can view affiliated theaters at the official Vaxxed website.
- Digital Streaming: You can rent a 48 hour digital stream of Vaxxed that will play on your computer, tablet, smartphone, or TV. You cannot download the program to own. This service is available only in the United States and Canada, although it’s expanding worldwide in the future.
- DVD: Vaxxed is selling DVDs from its website for $24.95. Again, the DVDs are only available for purchase in the United States and Canada. The DVD version comes with content you won’t find elsewhere, like an hour of bonus materials, closed captions, and Spanish subtitles.
- Order it for a Private or Educational Event: Want to show Vaxxed to your organization, school, or as part of a private event? You can view screening license information here.
Right now, there’s no additional information about screening Vaxxed outside the United States and Canada. However, regions like the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand are all listed on the official website – so versions for these areas may be coming soon.
Vaxxed Reviews: What Are Viewers Saying About It?
Vaxxed is getting strong audience reviews among early screeners. However, critics clearly disagree. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an average rating of 33% among critics, while it has an 83% on the audience meter.
In other words, 2 out of 3 critics don’t like the movie, but 8 in 10 audience members do. Of course, Vaxxed isn’t available for general release, and it’s marketing itself to a niche audience – so there’s obviously some bias on both sides of the equation here.
In any case, here are some of the things reviewers had to say about Vaxxed:
- Peter Howell from the Toronto Star called the film “disingenuous” and believed the marketing for Vaxxed is misleading because the film is calling itself “the film they don’t want you to see”
- Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle described it as “a passionate advocate for its viewpoint, and that makes for compelling viewing”. However, he admitted it was polemic – which means it’s an aggressive attack on a point of view.
- Meanwhile, Joe Leydon of Variety calls it a “slickly produced but scientifically dubious hodgepodge of free-floating paranoia”, including lots of manipulative shots of cute infants who were reportedly damaged by vaccines
All reviews and quotes taken from RottenTomatoes.com.
Should You See Vaxxed?
Ultimately, like most controversial films, there are people who will agree with the message, and those that will not. Critics appear to have separated themselves from the debate and judged the film based on its filmmaking – not the opinions. Even given that distance, they didn’t seem to like the movie very much. However, it has received a few positive reviews.
Nevertheless, Vaxxed has screened well amongst audience members, and has received an 84% audience approval rating thus far. It’s up to you what’s more important: the opinions of film critics who have seen the movie – or the opinions of audience members.
