Dragonfly
Universal Pictures | Release Date: February 22, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
25
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
9
Negative:
22
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
In Costner's best moments, he makes us absolutely believe this character and feel his pain. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeJay Carr
At least Dragonfly isn't contemptible or altogether dismissible. But it doesn't use Costner well, and it even more unforgivably wastes Kathy Bates.
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Costner is convincing as the hero, ably supported by Joe Morton as a short-tempered supervisor and Kathy Bates as a feisty neighbor. Dragonfly has little chance of "Ghost"-like popularity, though. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Eventually, though, the movie turns into a "Touched By An Angel" knockoff that dares us not to reach for a hankie while we succumb to its comforting message. Read full review
50
USA TodayStaff [Not Credited]
When Kevin Costner goes into sensitive-guy mode, beware. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A sappy, often absurd disappointment, another would-be inspirational romance that, like Costner's overwrought "Message in a Bottle," is impossible to swallow. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Meandering and inert. Yet as an etching of an emotion and a vehicle for Costner, the movie makes a case for itself. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
A nitwit script, full of pedestrian dialogue and building to a laughable climax, dooms the picture. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Though the film springs an okay twist at the very end, there's a good chance you won't be awake to see it. Read full review
40
Washington PostCurt Fields
Comes across more like an above-average TV movie you might see on the Lifetime channel. Read full review
40
New Times (L.A.)Luke Y. Thompson
Joe Morton, Linda Hunt and Kathy Bates show up in supporting roles, only to have Costner's flagging energy drag them down, too. Read full review
38
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Painstakingly painful.
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Dragonfly has more plot than a figure-skating competition, and just about as much credibility. Read full review
38
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Hollywood movies are rarely as contemptuous of the audience as Dragonfly, with its half-witted, treacly New Age sappiness and its mechanical borrowings from other, better supernatural thrillers. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
This is a tedious and insulting motion picture. The only ones likely to be surprised by the payoff are those who understandably dozed off fifteen minutes into the proceedings. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Very little here begs to be paid attention to. Read full review
30
VarietyJoe Leydon
Costner's earnest performance is a major plus for Dragonfly, keeping the picture grounded in some semblance of reality even as it becomes progressively more fantastical. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Costner has never been further from the lively, engaging actor he can be, or at least once was.
30
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
Despite the film's aspirations to soul healing, its uplift remains mechanical, like an escalator's. Read full review
30
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Dragonfly wants desperately to be the spiritual heir to "The Sixth Sense," but it's not even as effective a thriller. Read full review
25
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Preposterous-for-no-good-reason supernatural tale. Read full review
25
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
A syrup-thick New Age ghost story of the same sappy stripe and mawkishness as another Costner foray, "Message in a Bottle." Read full review
25
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
No atmosphere, no tension -- nothing but Costner, flailing away. It's a buggy drag. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
A stinker of epic proportions.
20
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Awash in cheap shocks and corny sentiment, Dragonfly aspires to be an inspirational thriller about one man's spiritual journey, but it takes little time for him to reach his destination. All that's left for him and the audience to do is solve a riddle unfit for the back of a cereal box. Read full review
20
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The climax comes at you like a thrown cream pie, but given its faux-mythic nerve, it's tolerable. Too bad this latest station in Costner's ongoing self-crucifixion is such small potatoes until then. Read full review
20
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Hatched by screenwriters watching "The Sixth Sense" on methamphetamines Read full review
20
SlateDavid Edelstein
Linda Hunt's spooky nun speaks of "a hundred levels of consciousness" between death and full, earthbound awareness: Where on that continuum do the executives who green-lighted Dragonfly reside? Read full review
20
Film ThreatMichael Dequina
It's performances like these that make it so easy to forget that, when he wants to, Costner can indeed act and be an appealing star. Read full review
20
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Costner has an uncanny aptitude for gravitating toward the dopiest projects in sight, but this time he's outdone himself. Read full review
10
The New York TimesDana Stevens
As the movie dragged on, I thought I heard a mysterious voice, and felt myself powerfully drawn toward the light -- the light of the exit sign. I have returned from the beyond to warn you: this movie is 90 minutes long, and life is too short. Read full review
10
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Appalling, shamelessly manipulative and contrived, and totally lacking in conviction. Read full review
0
Rolling StonePeter Travers
I could puke. Read full review
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