popcorninhell Xanadu is a film I would not recommend under any circumstances. Its an early eighties relic that should have stayed in the disco inferno it crawled out of. Starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, Xanadu is meant to be a tongue-and-cheek homage to those MGM musicals we all see snippets of while googling Gene Kelly. What turns up on the screen is more of a glittery MGM homicide. A bland story starring bland characters who dance blandly to bland music. The only thing not bland about this movie is the set-design which resembles a cocaine addict's wet dream. Seriously an irresponsible amount of money was spent on these lavish sets all of which was wasted on talent-less hacks who didn't know how to choreograph musical numbers or stick the camera in a good place.The only other standout is the incredibly hokey special effects which include badly executed cross-fades, obnoxious whizzing orbs of light and streams of cheap looking fluorescent colors. It feels like they just cracked the technology and haven't quite worked out the bugs. This all would have been fun to watch in a guilty pleasure/Uwe Boll kind of way if it hadn't been so freakin' slow! I've had dentist appointments that felt shorter than Xanadu. Xanadu is also composed of a grating soundtrack provided by The Electric Light Orchestra and a mural of dancing muses springing to life only after someone litters. Its clear whoever suggested I watch this piece of neon glinted garbage wanted to punish me for something.

asgaurd64 From my Opinion, Its one of the most uplifting and positive films of the 80's just below grease which was a few years earlier. It deals with hopes and dreams, An amazing collage of modern and older music which has been mixed so well its just amazing. If you believe that there's more to life than just making a fortune and stepping on other people , you will love this film. A Dream that has been so well choreographed it will last forever in the minds of those that have a little imagination. A Classic that will be proved how good it actually is in due time. A film with such fundamental essence that it will last for Eternity. and like a fine wine be appreciated more with age.

bryant-christenson Watching Gene Kelly is always a treat and he fares much better than Fred Astaire did in his last movie Finnian's Rainbow. Kelly is firmly entrenched in the past and memories of his "muse," the same one inspiring Beck in the present. It's fun watching how studios create sets and the quick switches from era to era. This movie is over the top produced (like the original The Wiz). How could anyone expect it to make its costs back. Suspend logic. Watch the original: Down to Earth. This is much better. But, it is easy to see why disco and its attended style was a flash in the pan. Newton is young and charming. Watch it for a glimpse of the past.

mike48128 Loosely based on an old Columbia movie "Down to Earth" about a Greek Muse visiting Earth to inspire a band-leader (and save him from an untimely death). It has it all: awkward story, clumsy dialog, and bad acting. Yeah, it's a guilty pleasure all the way. A movie loved by Gays? Maybe! Also loved by teen-aged boys as ONJ and the dancers looked amazing and wore revealing costumes! Paradoxically, the soundtrack with ELO and Olivia-Newton-John sold millions of copies! The "Roller-Disco-Dancing" club craze never hit the rest of the country beyond California. Therefore, opening up a hot new "Roller" entertainment club made no sense whatsoever to the rest of the nation. The Gene Kelly dance segment is quite well-done and Olivia can actually dance! A few of the other dance segments fall flat, but most are imaginative. Kelly plays the "rich bored benefactor" that helps the nightclub come to life. Olivia (as "Kira")plays the Greek Muse of Dance, "Terpsichore", and naturally falls madly in love with the handsome mortal. A guy that paints giant graphic billboards of album covers. Michael Beck (as Sonny Malone) actually does a pretty good job, considering his part. (Giant album covers were made very popular in the 1980's by an LA record store named "Peaches".) Beautiful if curious animated segment by Don Bluth. Most of the imaginative music videos which look wonderful now but, as that genre was quite new, audiences didn't quite get it. Like many musicals now and then, it only comes to life during the singing and dancing. Several good songs. My favorite is "Suspended in Time" which is rarely heard. Olivia was the "Taylor Swift" of her era and made quite a fashion model. Luv her as a cowgirl! Actually looks better now than when released. Now a fan and cult favorite, Universal killed this movie with a debut on only 250 screens. (Disney did a similar thing recently with "John Carter").The not-so-supporting cast is terrible. "Hell" and other cuss words are inserted awkwardly into the dialog to "boost" it's rating beyond "G" to "PG". "F" and a few other words are there also, but were edited from the soundtrack! Wilfred Hyde-White is the voice of "Zeus"! Soon to be remade, I understand?