23
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 63Miami HeraldJuan Carlos CotoMiami HeraldJuan Carlos CotoDespite some forced lines and an overlong competition sequence, Holland holds The Wizard together well, supplementing the obvious stand-up-and-cheer climax with a moving conclusion. [15 Dec 1989, p.12]
- 40Los Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonLos Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonThe Wizard is bright, fast and energetic, but there’s not much real life to it. It’s another movie that’s disappeared into its own marketing hook: Three kids on the road, living and loving, racing toward personal redemption and video ascension.
- 30The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinVideo-addicted kids may well find this exciting, but for anyone old enough to stay out later than 9 P.M. it's a distinct bore.
- 25Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe Wizard is finally just a cynical exploitation film with a lot of commercial plugs in it, and it is so insanely overwritten and ineptly directed that it will disappoint just about everybody and serve them right for going in the first place.
- 25TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThe runaways' actions provide anything but responsible models for the children who make up the film's target audience, and the likable cast flails against the rampant idiocy and gross commercialism.
- 25Chicago TribuneDave KehrChicago TribuneDave KehrA feature-length commercial for the Nintendo electronic games system, so thinly disguised that it wouldn't even fool a Reagan-appointed FCC commissioner. [15 Dec 1989, p.G]
- 25USA TodaySusan WloszczynaUSA TodaySusan WloszczynaBefore you go off to see The Wizard with your own video whiz kid, consider visiting an arcade instead. Your entertainment dollar would be much better spent on Double Dragon. [15 Dec 1989, p.6D]
- 20Washington PostRita KempleyWashington PostRita KempleyThe Wizard is not only tacky and moribund, but it teaches gambling and bad sportsmanship.
- 20Tampa Bay TimesTampa Bay TimesThe Wizard does have a half-baked germ of a story at its center, but it's never developed because director Todd Holland turns his movie into one long commercial whose climax is the unveiling of a new Nintendo game - just in time for Christmas, boys and girls. [15 Dec 1989, p.7]