roger ebert of the "chicago sun-times" gave it two-and-a-half stars out of four and called it a "genuinely quirky movie, a trip into a future that seems ruled by perpetually stoned set decorators… the movie is an exercise in self-indulgence (if often an interesting one) by boorman, who more or less had "carte blanche" to do a personal project after his immensely successful "deliverance"." gene siskel of the "chicago tribune" gave it one star out of four and called it "a message movie all right, and the message is that social commentary in the cinema is best restrained inside of a carefully-crafted story, not trumpeted with character labels, special effects, and a dose of despair that celebrates the director's humanity while chastising the profligacy of the audience." "variety" reported the "direction, good; script, a brilliant premise which unfortunately washes out in climactic sound and fury; and production, outstanding, particularly special visual effects which are among the best in recent years and belie the film's modest cost."