Critics Scoreboard
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Average Critic Score:
48
(36 sources)
48
(36 sources)
-
88
ReelViews
Represents solid family entertainment, and will find a special place in the hearts of those who adore the "Godfather" movies and the TV series "The Sopranos." Read Full Review » -
88
Charlotte Observer
By riffing off two iconic American narratives of the last 35 years, "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos," it has changed the template for animation, making a timely film that still deals with timeless children's themes. Read Full Review » -
75
Miami Herald
What Shark Tale lacks in originality it makes up for with sassy humor, bright, effective animation and terrific vocal work. Read Full Review » -
75
New York Daily News
Not wildly imaginative, and it has a tepid mix of movie references. But the physical environment and characters make it irresistible. Read Full Review » -
75
San Francisco Chronicle
By avoiding the usual animation cliches, by keeping the story moving, the pictures pretty and the characters consistently amusing, director and co- writer Rob Letterman cobbles together an entertaining 90 minutes. Read Full Review » -
75
Chicago Tribune
Boasts a really spectacular cast to voice those reasonably funny jokes. Read Full Review » -
70
Chicago Reader
This dazzling CGI feature by DreamWorks Animation appropriates the vivid undersea psychedelia of "Finding Nemo," though in contrast to that movie, the father-son parable here is just an excuse to burlesque "The Godfather" for the 100th time. Read Full Review » -
63
Baltimore Sun
Shark Tale is "Finding Nemo" with bigger-name stars, far less heart and, the guess here is, about one-third the staying power. Read Full Review » -
63
USA Today
Story is everything and Shark's is rather thin and soupy, despite the winning improvisational skills of stars Will Smith and Jack Black. Read Full Review » -
60
The Hollywood Reporter
Comes off as an overly jokey but often quite entertaining spoof that should please families everywhere. Read Full Review » -
60
Newsweek
Full of invention, but under the colorful icing is a slightly stale cake. Read Full Review » -
60
Variety
With the combination of mobster characters and heavily R&B, hip-hop and disco/soul tune orientation of the soundtrack, pic has a more streetwise feel than most animated fare, which is not to say that it has street smarts. Read Full Review » -
58
Entertainment Weekly
The noisiest laughs in this watery animated comedy are reserved for those who value self-referential winks above all else. Read Full Review » -
58
Portland Oregonian
Noisy, garish, cluttered, simplistic and often dark in content, it nevertheless sings and preens and jokes and tugs at you with such persistent verve that, exhausted, you give in. Read Full Review » -
58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
It's overblown and greedy and feels like more of a merchandizing scheme than a movie. Read Full Review » -
50
Philadelphia Inquirer
Where Finding Nemo suggested that under-the-waves adventure was limitless, Shark Tale suggests that this sea is over-fished. The krill is gone. Read Full Review » -
50
Chicago Sun-Times
The movie lacks a port of entry for young viewers -- a character they can identify with. All of the major characters are adults with adult problems like debt, romance, and running (or swimming away from) the mob. Read Full Review » -
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Though Shark Tale will make waves at the multiplexes and move a lot of plastic toys at Burger King, the movie lacks real heart. It feels like a cold-blooded, always moving, profit-making machine. Read Full Review » -
50
Time
The film has a hectic, sitcom air and a full-of-himself hero who is as likely to grate as to ingratiate. Read Full Review » -
50
Los Angeles Times
It does not have as much invigorating freshness as audiences have come to expect in computer animation. Read Full Review » -
50
Premiere
If you were hoping to find another "Nemo," you're likely to be let down by this insincere and borderline unpleasant alternative. Read Full Review » -
50
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50
Christian Science Monitor
The screenplay isn't remotely as funny as it tries to be, and the visual style is equally unexciting. Read Full Review » -
50
The New York Times
Reasonably good fun, even if, in the end, it's not really very interesting. Read Full Review » -
40
Dallas Observer
It's stunning, really, to consider how much time and expense went into something so chintzy and dull--a script full of non sequiturs shouted by a screen full of chum. Read Full Review » -
40
-
40
LA Weekly
Falls prey to the lazy assumption that a parade of whiz-bang CGI will cover for the absence of a muscular story. Read Full Review » -
40
Village Voice
Shark Tale's shallow plot and leagues of padding put it fully in the shadow of last year's animated underwater offering, the nifty, heartfelt "Finding Nemo." Read Full Review » -
40
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Every single joke, character detail, music montage, and pop-culture reference looks extensively market-tested, whether via screenings, focus groups, or other box-office successes. Read Full Review » -
40
Austin Chronicle
There’s a surprising lack of surprises in DreamWorks’ answer to Disney/Pixar’s runaway smash "Finding Nemo." Read Full Review » -
40
Empire
Although the vocal performances often amuse and delight, the overall design is charmless. Read Full Review » -
40
-
38
Boston Globe
Where "Nemo" was clever, soulful, and marvelous to look at, "Tale" is manic and surprisingly ugly, with a script that leans on the shallowest aspects of hip-hop street cred while pimping for corporate product placement at every turn. Read Full Review » -
30
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25
New York Post
A shipwreck. They say a dead fish stinks from the head first - but the animated shipwreck Shark Tale arrives reeking all over. Read Full Review » -
20
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