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Shadow Magic
Metascore
66 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    90
    Sumptuous, warm, continually amazing, it's a completely enjoyable couple of hours at the flickers.
  2. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Curtis Morgan
    88
    Rising above simple sentiment to explore class differences and the enduring clash between East and West with wit and wisdom.
    All this critic's reviews
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    88
    A movie-movie about the movies.
  4. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Barry Johnson
    83
    The re-creation of early 20th-century Beijing is dense and loving, and Hu shows just as much affection for the people who start to trickle into the shabby little cinema.
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    80
    It's a film about culture clash, the generation gap and the loss of tradition that inevitably accompanies the arrival of anything new.
  6. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Loren King
    75
    Succeeds as a paean to movies and movie-watching.
  7. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Desmond Ryan
    75
    Transports us to a world that still had a capacity for awe, and that's the core of its charm.
    All this critic's reviews
  8. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    75
    Shadow Magic isn't interested in psychology or character study. It's a series of tableaux and on that level succeeds admirably.
    All this critic's reviews
  9. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    75
    Never quite builds the compulsive emotional power it needs to be an unforgettable personal drama.
  10. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Robert Horton
    70
    Has a real sense of the wonder of the early years.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    70
    Evokes the dawn of cinema in China with much charm, humor and subtlety.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    70
    Gentle and easy to take.
  13. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Kevin Maynard
    68
    Plays like a Chinese "Cinema Paradiso," full of feeling without succumbing to sentimentality.
  14. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    67
    The most delightful segments are those which observe new audiences experiencing the motion picture phenomenon.
  15. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Foreman
    63
    Often charming and sweet, and always prettily photographed.
    All this critic's reviews
  16. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    63
    The story doesn't exactly startle with surprises and has a tendency to hammer and rehammer its points.
  17. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Paul Malcolm
    60
    Shadow Magic is rich with detail.
  18. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Andy Klein
    60
    Hu has crafted a charming and modest movie.
  19. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    50
    The movie is more concerned with the story line (premiere-fire-threat-rescue) than with painting the time and place.
  20. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    50
    A pleasant but conventional film.
  21. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    50
    Unfortunately, Hu and her army of co-writers saddle the story with a tired romantic subplot and fail to develop meaningful characters.
  22. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Amy Taubin
    50
    Properly picturesque but lacks subtlety and substance in blending Chinese and Western history, ideas, and cinematic conventions.
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