What's up with the 4.4?

Hi there

I agree with you. Although I didn't like Xanadu at first when I saw it (I have several threads on it called 'the Xanadu Xperience' where I go through the pros & cons), it has grown on me. I considered it one of the finest musicals ever made. Just compare to the awful Mama Mia and the super-eccentric Moulin Rouge and you'll see the difference. Xanadu was not a flop at the cinemas (it barely broke even at the US box office) as it did quite well overseas. The soundtrack was a massive success. The film would have done much better had it been released in the full number of cinemas that is will originally scheduled. The studio panicked when they heard the negative feedback from the press screening and so they released it to only a third of the cinemas they originally intended.

Had it been released in the full number of cinemas as originally planned the film would have been a bigger hit (despite the flaws in the writing, production & directing) as the soundtrack and the singles were riding high in the charts.

As for the rating in IMDB I don't really know how the stats are all worked. I am surprised at the low rating as the film does have a strong cult following compared to other musicals.

"Be seeing you!"

No6

I was wondering the same thing, except in my opinion, 4.4 is too high for it.

Actually 4.4 is a pretty good rating overall, right around the middle, and considering the movie was a big flop when released. There are likely people, such as myself, that would rate it much lower, and that's why it's in the middle.

I know it wasn't meant to be an academy award winner, but honestly, it has the thinnest plot you could ever imagine for any musical, even though it has fine visuals that help make up for it. Gene Kelly and Olivia are fine, but Beck is really sorry here and a very poor imitation of Travolta. I was embarrased at his performance just watching it.

Choreography was pretty weak overall, except for the swing vs rock number, which was pretty good. The final skating number could have been so much better. As an avid skater, I've seen much more interesting rexing (skate dancing) done at the nearby roller rink.

ELO is a great band, and their best material was not anywhere near the low quality of the songs used here, thankfully. The ELO tunes here are derivative and repetitive, except for Xanadu which could qualify as a middling ELO song.

Imagine how good a movie based on good ELO songs could be? Like what was done for Abba. Now that could be a good version of Xanadu.

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The Eyes of the City are Mine! Mother Pressman / Anguish (1987)