Owen Gleiberman gave the film a C– rating, praising Petty's performance which he said was the only good part of an otherwise "amateurish" film. Jonathan Rosenbaum and Janet Maslin gave moderately positive reviews, with Rosenbaum concluding: "unless you're a preteen boy who hates girls, it's funnier and a lot more fun than "Batman Forever"." Maslin wrote: "Chief among its strong points is Lori Petty, a buzz-cut fashion plate in a Prozac necklace, who brings the necessary gusto to Tank Girl's flippancy." Leonard Klady from "Variety" gave a mixed review, saying: "What's missing from the mix is an engaging story to bind together its intriguing bits. And Lori Petty as 'Tank Girl' ... has the spunk but, sadly, not the heart of the post-apocalyptic heroine."