text: Critical response Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 38% of 29 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 4.4/10.  Contemporary reviews were generally negative. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "stale through and through, derived from countless cop-buddy formula thrillers, drenched in violence and devoid of so much as a whiff of real life."  Caryn James of The New York Times wrote, "This story turns out to be much more mundane than its outrageously clever premise."  Dave Kehr of the Chicago Tribune wrote that the film's imaginative weapons and humor make it an entertaining crowd-pleaser but criticized its cynical violence and lack of moral consciousness.  Richard Harrington of The Washington Post compared it to Hardware and said its influences are more subtle, though it suffers from using too much humor.  Chris Hicks of the Deseret News wrote that the film "isn't as bad as it has every right to be" and "provides some fun for fans of the genre". Lou Cedrone of The Baltimore Sun wrote, "Apart from the gore, I Come in Peace is an amusing mixture of action, science-fiction and comedy."  Gary Thompson of the Philadelphia Daily News said that it is a better than usual rip-off of The Terminator with some original ideas.  Time Out London wrote, "With an upbeat script and a healthy sense of humour, this is an unashamedly ridiculous affair with moderate ambitions and matching success."
  More recent reviews have been more enthusiastic. Patrick Cooper of Bloody Disgusting rated it 4/5 stars and wrote that the film "is ripe for cult rediscovery." Anthony Arrigo of Dread Central rated it 4/5 stars and called it "one helluva fun time" and "a wildly entertaining, often brutal ride". Fred Topel of CraveOnline rated it 7/10 and wrote, "I Come In Peace is probably as good as it gets for theatrical leading man Dolph, and I highly recommend it."  David Johnson of DVD Verdict called it "a gonzo slice of B-grade sci-fi tomfoolery".  Ian Jane of DVD Talk rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote that "it's about as brainless as an action movie can get but you can't help but have fun with it."