Britney Spears’ “Criminal” Video: Review Revue

Robbie Daw | October 18, 2011 11:43 am

Britney Spears “Criminal” video, which was shot last month in the UK and deemed controversial due to its depiction of gun violence following the recent London riots, has arrived under a hail of bullets, steamy shower scenes and lots of sex. It’s Brit’s fourth visual in her Femme Fatale era, and the fact that tongues are still wagging at this point means she must be doing something right, no? Head below to see just exactly what the critics had to say about Spears’ crime spree. :: Rolling Stone notes, “The first minute of music-free plot features some stiff acting and a surprising bit of violence, but from there on out, we’re in the usual comfort zone of a Britney video – sexy dancing, sexy vamping – with the added bonus of gratuitous PDA between the pop star and her real-life boyfriend, Jason Trawick.”

:: E! Online zeroes in on Britney and her man’s assets: “By the looks of the video, it’s clear the couple have a solid chemistry in the sack and bods that look like they haven’t skipped the gym in, well…ever.”

:: EW Music Mix was glad Spears left her dance card at home: “Sure, she’s not dancing, but honestly, after seeing some of her recent attempts, I think it’s best her team decided to just forgo dancing altogether and give her something else to do: Sexytimes with her boyfriend!”

:: The Mirror labels the video “X-rated” and brings up a touchy subject: “…the controversial video has been slammed by the local council of the London borough where filming took place, in light of the recent riots in the city. In a statement, Hackney Council said: ‘It’s images like this, with pop stars glamorising gangs, which means that some young people… get drawn in’.”

:: The Huffington Post raves, “We can’t honestly remember the last time Britney Spears looked so gorgeous in a music video… Whatever it was, she needs to keep this momentum going because ‘Criminal’ might just be Britney’s best video in the Femme Fatale era.”

:: Grantland makes this observation: “Britney seems happy in this video. Unlike some other times, the happiness here seems genuine, not defensively forced (cough cough Beyonce).”

:: The Prophet Blog even finds fun, fun, fun in the limits of the clip: “Britney’s acting has about as much range and emotion as a park bench, but that just makes it all the more fabulous when she almost lays a round of bullets into a hapless convenience store clerk.”

:: And finally, Chart Rigger gives Brit an A for effort: “…while many artists in the midst of their world tour who are this deep into an album at this point would be serving up a clip with concert footage, thankfully Lady Spears is still giving it 100% on the video front.”

Enough of the critics — what do you think of Britney’s latest music video? Let us know below!