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Not even spandex and over-the-top musical numbers can save Xanadu from questionable acting, unimpressive effects, and a story unencumbered by logic.
All Critics (38) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (29) | DVD (4)
"Xanadu" cannot possibly be described as a good movie, but it can be recommended to those who can tolerate large amounts of intravenous marzipan. Apr 1, 2019 | Full Review…
"Xanadu" cannot possibly be described as a good movie, but it can be recommended to those who can tolerate large amounts of intravenous marzipan.
Tom Shales
The acting is wooden, the direction and cinematography confused, the special effects largely out of place, the dramatic interest nonexistent. Apr 28, 2018 | Full Review…
The acting is wooden, the direction and cinematography confused, the special effects largely out of place, the dramatic interest nonexistent.
Jeff McLaughlin
Stupendously bad. Mar 26, 2009 | Full Review…
Stupendously bad.
Variety Staff
Conventional wisdom decrees that Xanadu is a horrible film. In a sense, conventional wisdom may be correct, but it ignores one key ingredient: viewed in the right frame of mind, this movie can be a lot of fun. Jun 10, 2008 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Conventional wisdom decrees that Xanadu is a horrible film. In a sense, conventional wisdom may be correct, but it ignores one key ingredient: viewed in the right frame of mind, this movie can be a lot of fun.
James Berardinelli
An experience so vacuous it's almost frightening. Feb 9, 2006 | Full Review…
An experience so vacuous it's almost frightening.
Ian Birch
This big-budget bubble-gum musical is appalling but compulsively watchable. Aug 16, 2005 | Full Review…
This big-budget bubble-gum musical is appalling but compulsively watchable.
Dave Kehr
A laugh if only for its mind-boggling awfulness. Apr 1, 2019 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…
A laugh if only for its mind-boggling awfulness.
Lorien Haynes
This modern musical with tunes written by Where Are They Now pop band ELO falls flat on its face simply because the premise is so utterly ludicrous. Apr 1, 2019 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
This modern musical with tunes written by Where Are They Now pop band ELO falls flat on its face simply because the premise is so utterly ludicrous.
William Thomas
Though meant to be a throwback to old-style Hollywood musicals, XANADU merely replaces style and substance with flash and glitz... Apr 1, 2019 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…
Though meant to be a throwback to old-style Hollywood musicals, XANADU merely replaces style and substance with flash and glitz...
TV Guide Staff
Olivia Newton-John's encore-after Grease-is an awkward musical fantasy that dooms the Australian songbird to play a muse, one of Zeus' nine daughters. Apr 1, 2019 | Full Review…
Olivia Newton-John's encore-after Grease-is an awkward musical fantasy that dooms the Australian songbird to play a muse, one of Zeus' nine daughters.
People Staff
Engagingly surrealistic in a pop-glitter way. Apr 1, 2019 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Engagingly surrealistic in a pop-glitter way.
Sky Staff
What could have possessed the people involved in Xanadu to go ahead with this utter nonsense? Mar 27, 2019 | Full Review…
What could have possessed the people involved in Xanadu to go ahead with this utter nonsense?
Lawrence O'Toole
This horribly dated 1980 fantasy is such a trashy mess with no structure that it doesn't surprise me that the script was written during filming, and even if it has some (few) nice songs, it is shocking how they threw so much money into something that looks so tacky and cheap.
Super Reviewer
Okay, it won't win any awards, but it's fun and it has a good soundtrack. That Dancin' sound is seriously stuck in my head. Why is this soundtrack not on iTunes?? The guy is seriously miscast as a romantic lead, though. They really should have had a rethink on that one. Maybe that's some of the failure with this.
Deliciously bad and campy. An absolute delight!
This movie is generally regarded as one of the worst movies ever, but it does have some good music, so I gave it one star.
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