Dragons aren't the only scaly monsters crawling across screens this week. Steve Irwin stars in
Religious press critics are behaving like big fans. Mary Draughon (Preview) concludes, "
Jesse Florea (Focus on the Family) says, "If you're a fan of Steve Irwin's television show, you'll love every scene he's in. There's never a dull moment with Steve on the screen and the action is enough to keep audiences of all ages entertained."
Tom Snyder (Movieguide) agrees, but he also points out a "mild environmentalist message."
Phil Boatwright likes the TV show, but not the movie: "Irwin may be the greatest showman since P.T. Barnum … he's a lot of fun. Well, at least on TV. [The movie] isn't funny or interesting. Here, he's trapped in a one-ring circus."
Similarly, Michael Elliott reports: "Irwin … makes the film far more enjoyable than it otherwise might have been." But he adds, "The extraneous plot is immediately forgettable."
Mainstream reviewers responded to the film with stunned disbelief and confusion. Most disapproved, but some were inadvertently amused. MaryAnn Johanson (Flick Filosopher) gives it the strangest recommendation you'll hear this year: "You must see this movie if only to wonder at its very existence. I'll bring lots of people along to see it again, if only so at the end I can say, 'I'm not crazy, am I? This movie is insane, isn't it?'"