A Xanadu Fan Site
WHAT THE...
(Xanadu Reviews)
There have been lots of interesting reviews of Xanadu over the years. Some critics understood it and praised it for what it was, some didn't get it at all and bashed it to pieces, and some were just plain baffled and didn't know what to think. We've grouped the reviews into three categories: Loved it, hated it, and not quite sure. If you read the negative reviews, be sure to check out the readers' comments and/or ratings at the end. Many Xanadu lovers have come to the movie's defense after reading a bad review -- in fact, some debates have been going on for years. There's nothing we love more than to see Xanadu defended after a nasty review...
LOVED IT
Film Threat
One of the best reviews we've seen... a very nice tribute.
James Sanford's review
Another great review from someone who gets it.
Hollywood Bitchslap
Check out the user ratings on the upper right side;
the majority of readers rated it "awesome"!
ReelThoughts
Scroll down to where it says "Guilty Pleasures Part II."
Cinema De Merde
At first we weren't sure what category to put this one in, but we ultimately decided that the
reviewer loves it, even though he doesn't want to admit it. In his rating, he gives it five
Olivia heads (goodness) and five Divine heads (badness). Heck, there's even a podcast!
Fast Rewind
Go to the scroll-down menu on the left and click on
"Xanadu." Has some interesting facts at the end.
HATED IT
Leisure Suit
This is quite possibly the granddaddy of bad Xanadu reviews. And when we say bad, we mean stupid bad.
The author completely misses the point, gets several facts wrong, laments the fact that there is no nudity (!?),
and even trashes ELO's brilliant Discovery album. We think he forgot to take his medication that day.
Thankfully, the fans see right through his tremendous ignorance and come to the movie's defense. This article
was first published on February 1, 1999, and is still receiving comments over seven years later.
Bad Movies
Click on "User Comments" at the bottom. The debate rages on...
RudeTube
This one is almost painful to read, due to the fact that he gets many facts wrong and misspells "Sonny"as
"Sunny" numerous times. Not to mention the fact that they have a "rating" system at the bottom that looks like
mooning butts. This is a shining example of why twelve-year-olds shouldn't be allowed to write movie reviews.
Jabootu
More points missed. More facts wrong. More misspellings. Yawn.
(P.S., How badly do you have to suck to dis Don Bluth's lovely animation? Pretty badly, I'd say.)
Epinions
Any movie that inspires a review like this has got to be good.
NOT QUITE SURE
Roger Ebert's review
He generally doesn't like the movie but does give it some credit. He gives it
two stars; once again, the fans come to the rescue and give it a higher rating.
New York Times
Another lukewarm review, which claims the movie has nudity, which
it doesn't. You have to register to read it, but it doesn't take that long.
Stylus Magazine
This one discusses the merits of the music in relationship to the movie, or something like that.
They keep spelling his name "Michael Beckisdul." We don't know if this was intentional or not...
Skatelog
This review analyzes the movie from a rollerskating aspect.