For the past 22 years the American review-aggregation website, Rotten Tomatoes has been reviewing content for film and television. Many of us cinephiles before picking any Hollywood flick tend to check its score on the ‘Tomatometer’. For a film or TV show to be “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes, it has to have a score of under 60%. However, a lot of movies on the site are way better than you might be led to believe they are by just looking at whether they are “fresh” or “rotten.”
With the passing times, the Rotten Tomatoes scores have become more tightly linked to ticket sales. The potential audience of any movie is more likely to buy tickets for it if the score is “fresh” on RT.
With that being said, Rotten Tomatoes isn’t always the most accurate reviewer out there. They’ve derided some of the most classic must watches of Hollywood with their poor score. And if you haven’t watched these movies because they were reviewed “rotten”, it’s time you reconsider:
Underworld
The Underworld film franchise might be little-loved but it’s bizarrely successful. Owing to the fact that the saga talks all vampires and werewolves, it was bound to be hated by RT. But it’s way more than that. Kate Beckinsale in the lead supported with an amazing support cast is the perfect blend of silly, sexy, and violent as you might imagine.
Kung Pow! Enter The Fist
In 2002, Kung Pow! Enter the Fist was released to negative reviews. However, the film is an absolute masterpiece. It is an intentionally mis-dubbed Chinese martial arts action flick that has its lines, acting, and editing taken to ridiculous levels. If you’re looking for all senses you might end up reviewing it like RT but if you want chuckles then it should be on your watchlist ASAP.
Hocus Pocus
Hocus Pocus has a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s ridiculously sad because the film is one of the best watches for the Halloween season. While it might be a good reminisce for us millennials, Hocus Pocus is generally a delight to watch. You’ll find yourself laughing out loud repeatedly and won’t be bored for even a second
Fast And Furious: Tokyo Drift
While fans out here are going crazy seeing characters from Tokyo Drift in the trailer of Fast 9, Rotten Tomatoes has rated the film at 37% on its Tomatometer. The film is stuck somewhere between the grounded beginnings of the series and the total insanity that has powered more recent entries. None of us were prepared to see flashy cars in a neon-drenched city but I believe the story delivered its plot pretty well.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie
There would never be a TMNT movie that could surpass the first installment of the franchise. It was true to the original Mirage Comics, which was great. It would honestly be a surprise if any other TNMT film tops it in the future. The music, the atmosphere, the turtles’ design, the martial art choreography, the script, and the direction is all A1.
Bad Boys II
Action movies are great, but dumb action movies are even better. Watching Bad Boys II can be pretty fun. It goes from earnest action to witty quips and gags in a split second. The film is very entertaining from start to the end and will 100% make you question RT’s ratings if you avidly enjoy action comedies. Bad Boys II encapsulates comedy, action, drama, and romance into an outstanding, masterpiece of a movie.
Final Destination
Anxiety peaks when you watch this teen horror. Final Destination was the first film in the five-film series which came out in the year 2000 and was critically derided due to its plot. But the whole idea of the film is to make you realize how short life really is and how careful one must be of their surroundings. With some really creative death sequences, Final Destination can easily be on your watchlist for a horror TV night with your friends.
Saw
If you end up liking the first Saw film, it’s likely you will watch the remaining 8 installments. That’s the thing with Saw movies, if you’re hooked, there’s no going back. Saw is not your typical horror/thriller movie that only cares if the audience gets scared or jumpy. It actually makes you think about your surroundings. Horror movies are really difficult to like because it’s easy to make them unbelievable but this movie did a good job of avoiding the things that could hurt them.
Fallen
Fallen is a psycho/spiritual thriller about the discovery of the reality of evil. It’s a film that can not leave you disappointed easily and would definitely make you question RT’s low ratings. From the character narrating the story to the close loving and comedic friendships in the film, everything about it is sheerly brilliant. It’s a constant guessing game. The film is full of twists but possibly owing to its tragic end, it received poor ratings.
Boondock Saints
There are 2 possibilities after you watch Boondock Saints, you will either run around telling everybody about it or simply hate it. The Boondock Sants” was criticized as a Tarantino rehash in 1999, but over the year it has separated itself from the pack and become a cult classic. Boondock Saints is proof that 1) you shouldn’t listen to critics and 2) timing is very important. Had it been an early 80s release or late 00s with good graphics, it would’ve definitely received better ratings.
