L.A. Weekly by Ella Taylor

This utterly beguiling foray into family comedy from Hong Kong director Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) may be the tribute to Spielberg's "E.T. Extra-Terrestrial" the gleefully childlike filmmaker has had up his sleeve forever.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Kamal AL-Solaylee

If CJ7 feels like the love child of Charles Dickens, Mao Zedong and Steven Spielberg, it's because that's exactly what this PG-rated, Chinese-made fantasy is.

Boston Globe by Wesley Morris

CJ7 is precisely the 80-something minutes of delirium and cheesy special-effects you'd expect from the man responsible for the chaos of "Shaolin Soccer" and the lunacy of "Kung Fu Hustle."

The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis

A devilishly entertaining curveball thrown at unsuspecting family audiences.

The A.V. Club by Tasha Robinson

C7J isn't as cutesy as "Batteries Not Included" or "Short Circuit," or as grim as "Gremlins," though it resembles them all in its jerky, semi-comic look at the havoc and helpfulness of weirdo artificial life.

Premiere by Glenn Kenny

The overall feel is Hong Kong to the core…which means CJ7, like the first 25 minutes or so of "Shaolin Soccer," doesn't make many allowances to Western sensibilities.

The Hollywood Reporter

A hyperactive, wishful-thinking special effects fantasy suitable for family outings.

Variety

"E.T."-inspired comic fantasy about a poor boy adopting a cute alien catches the eye but not fully the heart with its undernourished father-son dynamics, critter hijinks and smattering of social commentary.

San Francisco Chronicle

A bit of a letdown. The manic comedian who has gained fans worldwide for his outrageous slapstick and special effects-driven antics in "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer" takes a backseat this time - and that's part of the problem: This is lesser Chow because there is less Chow.

New York Post by Lou Lumenick

Heavy on slapstick and may appeal to very young viewers who won't need to bother much with the subtitles.

Variety by Richard Kuipers

"E.T."-inspired comic fantasy about a poor boy adopting a cute alien catches the eye but not fully the heart with its undernourished father-son dynamics, critter hijinks and smattering of social commentary.

The Hollywood Reporter by Maggie Lee

A hyperactive, wishful-thinking special effects fantasy suitable for family outings.

San Francisco Chronicle by G. Allen Johnson

A bit of a letdown. The manic comedian who has gained fans worldwide for his outrageous slapstick and special effects-driven antics in "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer" takes a backseat this time - and that's part of the problem: This is lesser Chow because there is less Chow.

Los Angeles Times by Kevin Crust

As clumsy and awkward as his previous films were stylishly silly.

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

Trivial and charmless.