The World's premiere at the New York Film Festival, that the film was a "quietly despairing vision of contemporary China with an almost ethnographic attention to detail" but perhaps had an overly "cavalier attitude to narrative momentum." Variety also gave it a positive review, noting that the film "confirms [Jia] as one of the most interesting and insightful chroniclers of the new China." Criticisms of the film generally revolved around the idea that the film was overly long and meandering (a common criticism of Jia's films, see, for example, Unknown Pleasures). Variety mentioned the overly long complaint in its review, as did the review by Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun Times (stating that "either you will fall into its rhythm, or you will grow restless"). Dargis, however, had fewer problems with the film's pace and instead felt that Jia's vision was overly insular, "mesmerized" by World Park with only fleeting glimpses of the city beyond. Top ten lists Released in 2005 in the United States, The World appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of that year. 1st – Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader 2nd – Robert Koehler, Variety 6th – Scott Foundas, LA Weekly 6th – J. Hoberman, Village Voice 6th – Andrew O'Hehir, Salon 6th – Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly 7th – Ella Taylor, LA Weekly, tied with 2046 and Tropical Malady 10th – Michael Atkinson, Village Voice 10th – Dennis Lim, Village Voice, tied with Darwin's Nightmare, Mondovino, and Chain [Listed alphabetically] – Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor See also Beijing World Park References External links Films set in amusement parks 2004 films 2004 drama films 2000s Mandarin-language films 2000s Russian-language films Films set in Beijing Films directed by Jia Zhangke Films with live action and animation Films about virginity Chinese drama films