36
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 67Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerSeattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerA B-movie goof on an A-minus budget, Returner is a mini-epic tweaked with computer effects and one blazing gun battle after another and set to an anonymous techno-beat.
- 60Los Angeles TimesManohla DargisLos Angeles TimesManohla DargisLike all good B-movies, Returner comes loaded with enough eccentric touches to give the recycling a whiff of freshness and, as is often the case with many above-par follies, it's the cast that takes the whole thing to another level.
- 50VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyKaneshiro is all long flowing locks and smoldering disdain, the visual F/X are only so-so, and pacing is almost brisk enough to hide the plot holes.
- 50The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonYamazaki is clearly a science-fiction fan himself, and in Returner, he shows some worthwhile style, if only by stealing the biggest and best possible elements for his serviceably entertaining genre mashup.
- 50Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittHovering between "Last Action Hero" and "E.T.," this sci-fi extravaganza is bookended with violence but has some gentle moments in between.
- 40The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottA smorgasbord that seems to have been picked out of a Dumpster. It clumsily combines a fish-out-of-water story with bits lifted from sources including the "Terminator" movies, "Star Wars," "Starman," "Close Encounters," a couple of Pink Floyd albums and H. G. Wells.
- 33Entertainment WeeklyBruce FrettsEntertainment WeeklyBruce FrettsWith his tousled mane and wispy facial hair, Asian pop star/ Prada model Kaneshiro suggests a Japanese Johnny Depp, but even his charisma can't carry Returner through its interminable longueurs. Blame it on Yamazaki.
- 30Village VoiceEd ParkVillage VoiceEd ParkA shamelessly recycled vision of decrepit high tech.
- 30Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesSuzuki and Kaneshiro keep the first hour afloat with their easy comic interplay, but Yamazaki badly needs editing: the opening escape sequence is needlessly repeated later, and a slow drip of false endings drags this out to a tiring 118 minutes.
- 25New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickSoporific, shamelessly derivative and barely coherent by American standards.