Every now and then, it’s fun to look at websites like Rotten Tomatoes to see how your favorite or least favorite movies did in the critical rating algorithms on which their percentage scores are based. Sometimes, it’s not so fun, especially when one of your most beloved movies ends up saddled with that dreaded green “rotten” rating.
Sure, we don’t all have perfect taste, and most of us love plenty of movies we’d consider more “guilty pleasures” than “actually good,” but sometimes a movie’s low rating feels personal. It’s important to note here that a Rotten Tomatoes score doesn’t automatically mean that a movie is good or bad. It’s basically just a snapshot of the critical praise or derision a film got when it was released, and should be viewed accordingly — especially with older films whose cult appeal has gained them more favor in the ensuing decades.
Still, we’ve seen rotten ratings you wouldn’t believe, and that’s why we’ve decided to scour the depths of Rotten Tomatoes’ lost low-rated movies and choose ten that we think deserve way more than they got. Some of these are more subjective than others—your mileage with a “better than you remember” swashbuckling pirate movie sequel or a paranoid mumblecore Hunter S. Thompson adaptation may vary. But Top Gun?? They didn’t like Top Gun?? Blade II?? Miami Vice?? Were we even watching the same movie??
Most of these movies got critical and fan appraisal only after they were deemed failures when they opened, and while we wish these had all been appreciated in their time, we’re glad society has finally caught up with the brilliance of Wet Hot American Summer.
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Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
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