Clockstoppers
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: March 29, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
16
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Los Angeles TimesJan Stuart
Exceptionally user-friendly for the technologically challenged among us and rides over its less inspired patches on a wave of cheeky humor. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie has been produced by Nickelodeon, and will no doubt satisfy its intended audience enormously. It does not cross over into the post-Nickelodeon universe. Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
They may not have made another "Back to the Future," but to their credit, the makers of Clockstoppers don't patronize or underestimate their pre-teen audience nearly as much as has become customary. Read full review
60
The New York TimesDave Kehr
A competent, unpretentious entertainment destined to fill the after-school slot at shopping mall theaters across the country. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyMark Olsen
Intermittently fun, but mostly just efficiently passable. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Tries and winds up with a pleasant, if forgettable, romp of a film. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
After the first hour, it starts to convince you that time really can stand still.
50
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
If I were 13, I might be sufficiently entranced by the movie's bicycle stunts (down stairs! across countertops!) and wouldn't be wondering why ideas for science fiction films haven't progressed very far from "Star Trek's" first seasons all those decades ago. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeLoren King
The film doesn't have enough innovation or pizazz to attract teenagers, and it lacks the novel charm that made ''Spy Kids'' a surprising winner with both adults and younger audiences. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This moves back and forth between slightly clever and dopey or silly, kept vaguely watchable by the charming leads. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
There's a scientific law to be discerned here that producers would be well to heed: Mediocre movies start to drag as soon as the action speeds up; when the explosions start, they fall to pieces. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The result is mixed bag, an intermittently pleasing but mostly routine effort. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
To be fair, Clockstoppers isn't a bad film, merely bereft of creativity and personality. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Botches what could be the most mischievous power since Scott Baio's telekinesis in the 1982 comedy "Zapped!": a wristwatch that speeds up time for the user until the rest of the world seems to be standing still. Read full review
40
VarietyRobert Koehler
A blandly conceived youth adventure lacking zing or style. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Although it looks like an action thriller with a sci-fi twist, the bad guys aren't scary (Biehn's soul patch notwithstanding), the sci-fi element is silly and the action is limited to some extreme bike riding and computer-generated zipping around. Read full review
40
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Benign but forgettable sci-fi diversion. Read full review
40
SalonDamien Cave
What Clockstoppers achieves in acting and decent special effects, it undermines with weak dialogue and directing. The movie isn't bad; it just makes you wish that certain scenes could be hypertimed into oblivion. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleRussell Smith
Pack the kids off to the multiplex with an easy conscience and forgiving critical sensibility. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
With Clockstoppers, Frakes hobbles along with a high-concept film that doesn't live up to its potential. Read full review
25
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Not enough to keep Clockstoppers from turning viewers into clock-watchers.
20
Film ThreatEric Campos
If I had the ability to engage in hyper-time, I would’ve ran up to the box office, snatched my money and left. Read full review
20
New Times (L.A.)Luke Y. Thompson
Its most redeeming quality is that it's so inoffensive parents can feel OK about taking kids. Read full review
16
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Stops time, all right -- it stretches 94 minutes into something that begins to feel like infinity. Read full review
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