| 80 |
LA Weekly
This utterly beguiling foray into family comedy from Hong Kong director Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) may be the tribute to Spielberg's "E.T. Extra-Terrestrial" the gleefully childlike filmmaker has had up his sleeve forever.
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| 75 |
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Kamal AL-Solaylee
If CJ7 feels like the love child of Charles Dickens, Mao Zedong and Steven Spielberg, it's because that's exactly what this PG-rated, Chinese-made fantasy is.
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| 75 |
Boston Globe
CJ7 is precisely the 80-something minutes of delirium and cheesy special-effects you'd expect from the man responsible for the chaos of "Shaolin Soccer" and the lunacy of "Kung Fu Hustle."
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| 70 |
The New York Times
A devilishly entertaining curveball thrown at unsuspecting family audiences.
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| 67 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
C7J isn't as cutesy as "Batteries Not Included" or "Short Circuit," or as grim as "Gremlins," though it resembles them all in its jerky, semi-comic look at the havoc and helpfulness of weirdo artificial life.
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| 63 |
Premiere
The overall feel is Hong Kong to the core…which means CJ7, like the first 25 minutes or so of "Shaolin Soccer," doesn't make many allowances to Western sensibilities.
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| 50 |
Washington Post
Its use of minor expletives and a depressing chapter late in the movie will not satisfy parents seeking something sweet and lively for their children; nor will it charm art house audiences up for a smart adult fairy tale.
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| 50 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Bright, bouncy, kooky and comically tone deaf, CJ7 is the most bizarre kids movie I've ever seen.
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| 50 |
New York Post
Heavy on slapstick and may appeal to very young viewers who won't need to bother much with the subtitles.
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| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle
G. Allen Johnson
A bit of a letdown. The manic comedian who has gained fans worldwide for his outrageous slapstick and special effects-driven antics in "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer" takes a backseat this time - and that's part of the problem: This is lesser Chow because there is less Chow.
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| 50 |
Variety
Richard Kuipers
"E.T."-inspired comic fantasy about a poor boy adopting a cute alien catches the eye but not fully the heart with its undernourished father-son dynamics, critter hijinks and smattering of social commentary.
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| 50 |
The Hollywood Reporter
Maggie Lee
A hyperactive, wishful-thinking special effects fantasy suitable for family outings.
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| 40 |
Los Angeles Times
As clumsy and awkward as his previous films were stylishly silly.
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| 38 |
Chicago Tribune
CJ7 is roughly as grating as that “Flubber” remake.
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| 33 |
Entertainment Weekly
Trivial and charmless.
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| 20 |
Austin Chronicle
Chow's loyal fans are sure to be disappointed by CJ7, and the film faces one other significant problem in traveling to these shores: Any kid who is the right age to appreciate this pap is going to be too young to read subtitles.
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| 8 |
Portland Oregonian
It's awful. Awful. That's all. Keep walking. For the love of all that's holy. Keep. Walking.
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| 0 |
Baltimore Sun
You leave this movie feeling mugged.
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