--- title: "Xanadu: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/xanadu/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/xanadu" critics_score: 35 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Xanadu (1980): what the critics said Critics' score 35 from 10 reviews: 1 positive, 1 mixed, 8 negative. Most critics find Xanadu a muddled musical fantasy whose songs offer more pleasure than its story or staging. Praise clusters around the music, with some reviews also finding charm in Olivia Newton-John and brief rewards in Gene Kelly’s appearances. Those concessions rarely rescue the film: thin plotting, awkward romance and poorly handled musical numbers dominate the assessments, with choreography and editing repeatedly blamed for draining the spectacle of energy. The spread is wide, though heavily weighted towards disappointment, and the chief division concerns whether the film’s bad taste becomes enjoyable camp. Slant Magazine embraces its garish production design and unintentional naivety, while Collider finds enough fun in the absurdity, Newton-John’s performance and the ELO soundtrack to encourage a reassessment. Newton-John herself divides opinion: Empire finds her lacking in screen presence, whereas several other reviews treat her appeal as one of the few reasons to keep watching. ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 2008. The critic notes that Xanadu has undergone a radical reappraisal as camp thanks to its Broadway adaptation, unlike its 1980 peers. They single out its garish production design and unintentional naivety as making it an ideal camp masterpiece. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/xanadu/) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic finds the musical falls flat due to a ludicrous premise and Newton-John's lack of screen presence in the ethereal role. It singles out the cynical, exploitative pastiche of Golden Age MGM musicals with no real affection, despite highlights like the Gene Kelly duet. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/xanadu-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 1980. The film is a mushy and limp musical fantasy that evaporates before the eyes with thin plotting and poor execution. It offers little beyond Olivia Newton-John's appeal and a few Gene Kelly moments. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/xanadu-1980) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 24 March 2010. The critic views Xanadu as a monument to bad taste with inept musical numbers and wooden romance, though it has some so-bad-it’s-good appeal and a few enjoyable sequences. They single out the indignity of Gene Kelly’s role and the film’s overall lack of style. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/xanadu-1798219436) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 8 August 2020. The critic describes the film as a bizarre and epically derided flop that fails as a screen musical despite its slick songs. They single out the haphazard staging and editing of its choreographed numbers for particular complaint. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/aug/08/xanadu-olivia-newton-john-musical-flop-1980) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 August 1980. The movie is muted and desperately stylish without real style, with desultory musical numbers and skating sequences. It relies heavily on Olivia Newton-John as its only clear drawing card but lacks pizazz. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1980/08/09/arts/miss-newtonjohn-in-xanadu.html) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 August 2022. The piece portrays Xanadu as one of Hollywood's most notorious flops on release, a mad and incoherent mishmash. It singles out the film's cult reassessment and camp appeal on home video for note. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/why-xanadu-almost-ended-olivia-newton-johns-hollywood-dream/) ## Time Out — IB Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 19 July 2012. The film is an experience so vacuous it's almost frightening. It singles out Olivia Newton-John's inability to deliver a line, hold a note or dance convincingly despite the script and songs being abysmal. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/xanadu) ## Variety Rating **. 1 January 1980. The film is stupendously bad with only the music as salvage; the plot involving a muse inspiring an artist at a roller disco is inane and scriptless. Newton-John's role involves glowing effects and roller skates but fails to cohere. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1979/film/reviews/xanadu-1200424571/) ## Collider — Lauren Waters Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2022. The critic calls Xanadu a campy, so-bad-it's-good musical that deserves a second look, praising its fun absurdity and cult appeal while noting its bizarre plot and visuals earned it the first Razzie. Olivia Newton-John's versatile performance, voice, and star power, along with the ELO soundtrack, are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://collider.com/xanadu-musical-movie-olivia-newton-john/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/xanadu.md