Xanadu | | Cast : | Olivia Newton-John | | Director : | Robert Greenwald | | Studio : | Universal Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Widescreen | | Released Date : | August 08, 1980 | | DVD Released Date : | August 12, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 05, 2005 | | Summary | My Name | Content
 | I love this movie only because it is where I got my name from and my parents were watching it when they chose my name. Of course my name is Kira. It is like the wierdest movie I have ever seen and nothing else can compare. Until you see it you have no idea how weird it is. There are movies that span generations. You can watch them in any time period and they make sense and seem that if a re-make was done the story would be completely contemporary. That is NOT the case with this one. But you should watch it anyway for a laugh or if you name happens to be Kira and is spelled like this. My parents were watching this movie on their second date and they both turned to one another and said at the same time "we are going to have a daughter and her name is going to be Kira". It is special to me. But it is the wierdest movie I have ever seen. Watch it. No one else has ever seen it or heard of it. You will be one of a handful of people out there that have seen it. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 03, 2005 | | Summary | If you love Olivia Newton-John ... | Content
| If you love Olivia Newton-John, as I have since I first saw her, then this is a "ten". It captured her in time, never allowing her beauty and cute-ness to change. It is a cherished part of my collection.
If, on the other hand, you are a connoisseur of great acting skills and direction, you will likely rate it considerably lower ... "If you love her, let her know. If you don't, please let her go ... "
Personally, I highly recommend owning it, if for no other reason than escaping from the "real" world on those days when you aren't recognizing the "magic in your own life." |
| Rating | | | Date | August 01, 2005 | | Summary | Defines the term "guilty pleasure" | Content
| Yes, this movie is terrible. But it's terrible in the sense that "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is terrible. Kitschy fun that probably you wouldn't want to ever admit to liking.
What's bad here? First and foremost is Michael Beck. I can't figure out if he's trying to have some sort of cocky attitude or merely trying to be really annoying; whatever he was striving for, his performance mars the film like forks scraping a car. By the end, you end up just hating him, and considering that he's the film's protagonist, it's hardly the intended effect. For that matter, you wonder just how Olivia Newton-John (playing a muse named Kira) can tolerate him, let alone profess undying love for him. The plot also is unbelievably thin; how this got past the drawing board is truly amazing. (Rumor has it, though, that the plot was changed halfway through the production, which may explain a bit.) Example: Beck's character, Sonny Malone, sees Kira (whom he's never seen before) two times in one day, and during their first conversation together, he tells her that he can't believe the coincidence. At this point, moviegoers back in 1980 could be forgiven for slapping their foreheads and leaving the theater. Another example? You really have to suspend your disbelief to understand exactly how Sonny, after a fight, finds Kira in...um...somewhere. Some place where neon tubes separate him from her, and where Zeus and Hera speak from the sparkling lights above. Perhaps hell or purgatory, since Newton-John sings what has to be the most awful sad song of love lost ever committed to celluloid...and that's saying a lot, since she's known for dribbly dreck where sad love songs are concerned. Editing is also woefully off in places...check out Sonny and Kira's first meeting.
But the good parts? Well, ELO's music is undeniably excellent, and the pop-perfect title song, with Newton-John singing, can actually give you goosebumps if you let it. The first scene (with muses emerging from a mural) is great fun, too, and is just about worth the bad parts that follow. Gene Kelly's charm adds a lot; it's beautiful what he could accomplish with just a smile in this film.
The just so-so? Many of the music/dance performances are pretty iffy, even the ones with Kelly in them. The end is, um...interesting. The choreography and costumes are at best bizarre and at worst, well, terrible, but again, ELO's music somehow keeps the thing afloat. And, of course, the overwhelming early '80s feel(still VERY heavily influenced by the '70s here) is a personal matter; you either like it or you don't.
Bottom line: You're forgiven if you see this and never want to see it again, it's so bad. And chances are if you didn't see it as a kid, you won't like it. (Something about that childlike wonder, I suppose.) But if you can just suspend disbelief, and enjoy '80s kitsch, you may be able to enjoy this movie. Just make sure you don't see it around people who may lambaste you if you don't like it; you'll never live it down. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 13, 2005 | | Summary | perfect for little girls | Content
| this is a movie that should not be seen for the first time if you're over the age of 9. but if you're under the age of nine, it's simply fantastic. i am buying it for my fiancé's nieces (being raised by two older sisters, he knows the words to all the songs!). it's just musical fluffy greatness. and it was an intro for my sisters and i to some of the truly great gene kelley musicals such as 'singing in the rain' as well as a life-long interest in classical mythology! just take it for what it is and share it with the little girl in your life. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 09, 2005 | | Summary | Loved This Movie | Content
| As a kid, I think I saw this movie at least 25 times in the theatre. I absolutely loved it. I was a huge Olivia Newton John fan (and still am). The best scene is the opening scene. You just can't go wrong mixing songs sung by Olivia Newton John along with ELO. Absolutely fantastic. |
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