Editing Returner (section)

===Critical response===
''Returner'' received generally negative reviews.<ref name="AsianMoviePulse" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://collider.com/best-movies-turn-your-brain-off-reddit/ |title=The 10 Best "Turn Off Your Brain" Movies, According to Reddit |last=Haasbroek |first=Luc |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=September 15, 2023 |access-date=February 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917153432/https://collider.com/best-movies-turn-your-brain-off-reddit/ |archive-date=September 17, 2023 |url-status=live |language=en}}</ref> {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|38|4.50|34|ref=yes|access-date=November 30, 2012}} {{Metacritic film prose|36|17|ref=yes|access-date=January 25, 2024}}

[[Derek Elley]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote in his review that "Kaneshiro is all long flowing locks and smoldering disdain, the visual F/X are only so-so, and pacing {{sic}} is almost brisk enough to hide the plot holes."<ref name="Variety"/> Don Willmott of Filmcritic.com gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, calling it "a watchable, if somewhat absurd, sci-fi stir fry."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Returner |title=Returner |website=[[Christopher Null|Filmcritic.com]] |access-date=November 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112084628/http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Returner |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Elvis Mitchell]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' said that "A smorgasbord that seems to have been picked out of a Dumpster. It clumsily combines a fish-out-of-water story with bits lifted from sources including the ''[[Terminator (franchise)|Terminator]]'' movies, ''[[Star Wars]]'', ''[[Starman (film)|Starman]]'', ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind|Close Encounters]]'', a couple of [[Pink Floyd]] albums and [[H. G. Wells]]."<ref name="Metacritic2">{{Cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/returner/critic-reviews/ |title=''Returner'' critic reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom (website)#Fandom, Inc.|Fandom, Inc.]] |access-date=January 27, 2024}}</ref>

On the positive side, Jo Berry of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, saying, "So much of this film is 'borrowed' it's like watching a chirpy tribute band. Good fun."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/ReviewComplete.asp?FID=12970 |title=Returner Movie Review |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |date=December 5, 2006 |access-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref> Peter Hartlaub of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' offered qualified praise, but also noted that "only subtitles and a few borrowed ideas from the Japan-born video game ''[[Metal Gear Solid (1998 video game)|Metal Gear Solid]]'' prevent the movie from looking like an [[American Film Institute]] clip show". Since the film features a lack of originality, as Hartlaub pointed out, it "must rely on the strength of its actors, and they're excellent across the board".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/17/DD298249.DTL#return |title=Film Clips / Also opening today |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=October 17, 2003 |access-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref> [[Manohla Dargis]] said in her review for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'': "Like all good B-movies, ''Returner'' comes loaded with enough eccentric touches to give the recycling a whiff of freshness and, as is often the case with many above-par follies, it's the cast that takes the whole thing to another level."<ref name="Metacritic2" /> Jae-ha Kim gave it a 3/4 rating, calling it "stylish" but even so noted that "we see elements of films we've seen before".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.jaehakim.com/2003/10/returner-delivers-compelling-sci-fi-action/ |title=''Returner'' delivers compelling sci-fi action |date=October 17, 2003 |last=Kim |first=Jae-ha |publisher=Jae-ha Kim |access-date=January 27, 2024}}</ref>