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Criss Angel MINDFREAK: an honest look before you book
First, the correction everyone needs: this show is at Planet Hollywood now, not the Luxor. Second, the part most pages skip — the reviews on this one are genuinely split, and you should know which side you’re likely to land on.
I’m going to write this one differently, because I think the usual treatment does people a disservice. Criss Angel MINDFREAK is not a show I can tell you to book and walk away from. The rating on the ticket listing below is 3.56 out of five across 399 reviews, and that number is not made of lukewarm threes. It’s made of a large stack of five-stars and a real stack of one-stars. People either walk out thrilled or walk out annoyed, and there is not much in between.
So instead of selling it, let me tell you what each camp actually says, and you can decide whether you’re a fit. The show plays at the Criss Angel Theater inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino — if you remember him at the Luxor, that was a previous chapter. If you want the wider view of what’s running right now, I keep a list of the best shows in Las Vegas.
What people love, and what they don’t
Pulled from the pattern in the reviews on the listing below, not from a press kit.
What fans praise
Stage presence and the illusions themselves. Enthusiastic reviewers describe being on the edge of their seats, and first-time magic-show attendees are disproportionately represented in the high scores.
What critics complain about
Too much talking. The most common negative theme is that the biographical storytelling — how he got into magic, his charity, merchandise — crowds out the magic people paid to see.
Seating comes up a lot
Seat quality and sight lines appear repeatedly in the lower reviews. This is a show where I’d look hard at exactly what you’re buying rather than grabbing the cheapest tier.
Planet Hollywood, not the Luxor
The show runs at the Criss Angel Theater inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, center Strip at Harmon. A lot of older pages still send people to the wrong property.
Criss Angel MINDFREAK at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
The 75-minute Criss Angel Theater production. A polarizing show — strong five-star support, and a meaningful stack of one-stars.
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How to decide whether this is your show
Four honest filters. If you fail two of them, book something else — there’s no shortage of options here.
Are you here for Criss Angel, or for magic?
This is the fork in the road. The show leans into his personality and his story. If you’re a fan of him specifically, that’s a feature. If you just want trick after trick, that’s the exact thing the negative reviews object to.
Read the recent one-stars, not just the average
A 3.56 average hides more than it tells. The listing below shows the full distribution. Ten minutes reading the low reviews will tell you more about your own fit than anything I can write.
Be deliberate about seats
Seat quality and views show up often enough in the complaints that it’s worth treating as a real variable. Know what section you’re buying into before you check out.
Have a backup you’d be happy with
If you’re on the fence, that’s useful information. There are several magic and production shows on the Strip with far less divided audiences, and I’d rather you have a great night than a defensible one.
I’d rather tell you a show is a coin flip and be right than tell you it’s unmissable and have you sit there at minute forty wondering when the magic starts.
Lori Ballen · lifelong Las VeganBefore you go
Is Criss Angel still at the Luxor?
No. MINDFREAK runs at the Criss Angel Theater inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. His earlier Las Vegas residency was at the Luxor, and plenty of outdated pages still point people there. Go to Planet Hollywood.
Why is the rating only 3.56?
Because the audience splits. The listing below carries 399 reviews with a large group of five-stars and a real group of one-stars. The recurring complaint in the low reviews is that the show spends too much time on storytelling, his charity, and merchandise relative to the illusions. The recurring praise in the high reviews is his stage presence and the illusions themselves.
How long is the show?
Caesars lists the Planet Hollywood production at 75 minutes.
Can I bring kids?
Caesars lists the age policy as all ages. Whether it’s the right pick for your family is a separate question — if you’re planning around children I’d start from my list of things to do in Las Vegas with kids.
What would you book instead if this isn’t a fit?
For magic specifically, look at a close-up show with a much steadier score. For a bigger production night, the Cirque du Soleil shows on the Strip are a different category entirely. My full list of the best shows in Las Vegas lays out the options side by side.
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Lori Ballen
REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty Las Vegas, leading The Ballen Group. A lifelong Las Vegan sharing the best of the valley.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this site are affiliate links. Portions of this content are generated by AI.
