When Max fools a gang of local toughs, he finds himself in big trouble. Fleeing from the thugs, Max runs into an old warehouse and bumps into a boom box. By doing that, he manages to release Kazaam, a genie who has been held captive for thousands of years.
Too gritty, violent and downbeat for tykes, it's also a bit juvenile and fairy tale-like for teens and older auds.
– Godfrey Cheshire,
Variety,
26 Mar 2009
rotten:
Kazaam never brings off the trick we most want to see: It fails to make the jolly, 7-foot-1 Shaq larger than life.
– Owen Gleiberman,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep 2011
rotten:
I'd call the film innocuous, except that Max's gangster dad is apparently an Italian-American and the movie's main villain is an Arab. Do kids really need these stereotypes reinforced? There's also more violence here than you might expect.
– Jay Boyar,
Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2013
rotten:
Are you bored yet?
– John Petrakis,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2013
rotten:
In his Hollywood debut, Shaq more or less played himself as a coveted college center in William Friedkin's excellent Blue Chips. Kazaam is a compelling argument for keeping him on the court and as far away from a movie set as possible.