Comparisons were made between the film and "Frankenstein" (1931), "Superman" (1978), "Blade Runner", "Repo Man" (1984), "The Terminator" (1984), "Aliens" (1986), and the television series "Miami Vice". Desson Thomson of "The Washington Post" called it a "weird" but entertaining amalgam of camp style and science fiction. Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" said that its genre could not be easily categorized, recognizing broad conventions of thrillers, slapstick comedy, romance, social satire, and philosophy. Carrie Ricket said the film portrays a distinct futuristic vision of Detroit in the same way "Blade Runner" did for Los Angeles. Writing for "The New York Times", Janet Maslin said the film evoked the futuristic tone of "Blade Runner" and the masculinity of classic Western film.