A 30-minute idea wrapped in a 100-minute movie. It's a jewel box filled with cubic zirconia.
– Roger Moore,
Orlando Sentinel,
21 Oct 2005
fresh:
Too long, and too rich, for its own good, but clearly Gaiman and McKean were bursting with ideas. Those ideas fly all over the place, sometimes landing with a thunk, but more often taking the breath away.
– Steven Rea,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
21 Oct 2005
rotten:
McKean's inexperience as a director trips the film. There is so much going on that the viewer can't take in all the imagery, and McKean's devotion to his skewed vision slows the story to a crawl.
– Michael Senft,
Arizona Republic,
27 Oct 2005
fresh:
Leonidas walks this tightrope quite engagingly, showing us a girl on the cusp of womanhood, torn between two competing needs -- to become an adult, to remain a child, to vilify, to revere.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
28 Oct 2005
rotten:
Could be Exhibit A for anyone arguing the case that modern filmmaking lacks a strong sense of story.