Sometimes movie critics get it wrong, panning a movie that ends up becoming something everyday movie fans love. Where critics may too often be reserving their praise for capital "C" Cinema, the causal movie fan more often than not just wants to be entertained. With that in mind, What to Watch decided to take a look and highlight some of the best worst-reviewed movies on Netflix.
The one rule we had to determine if a movie could qualify for our list was that it had to currently have a "Rotten" score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which is anything that received less than 60% positive ratings from critics. Even if a movie was at 60%, we did not consider it.
Pretty basic, so let's go over what we think are the best worst-reviewed movies on Netflix right now.
(If you prefer, you can also check out our list of the best TV shows on Netflix right now.)
Accepted (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 38%
The college comedy is a classic genre, but it definitely seems like critics hand out more failing grades than passing ones. The gold standard remains Animal House, but Accepted shares a number of positive qualities from its predecessor, from the outcast vs preppy dynamic to school board meetings that are more fun than your average school board meeting. Accepted sees Justin Long at the top of his game, a young Jonah Hill in a hot dog costume, Lewis Black's classic ravings and a number of fun supporting characters and bits that more than pay off. Accepted belongs in the conversation with the better college comedies. — Michael Balderston
*Note, Accepted is only available on Netflix in the US.
Jumanji (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 52%
Before the 2017 reboot with The Rock, there was Jumanji, a 1995 family caper that saw Judy and Peter Shepherd (Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce) discovering the titular enchanted board game in their attic. When they start playing it, they inadvertently open a door to the jungle and its many fearsome creatures and Alan Parrish (a delightful turn from Robin Williams), a grown-up boy who was sucked into the game decades ago.
For its time, Jumanji features some impressive CGI sequences and is packed full of thrills and spills. The fact that the only way to end the chaos is by finishing the game is a perfect excuse to continue to serve up new threats at a breakneck pace, making it a riveting watch right through to the very end. — Martin Shore
*Note, Jumanji is only available on Netflix in the US.
A Knight's Tale (2001)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 59%
A Knight's Tale just qualified for our list, but honestly I'm happy that it did because this movie rocks, literally in the case of its soundtrack, which uses classic tunes from the likes of Queen, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Thin Lizzy and Sly & the Family Stone. It also is a classic star vehicle for Heath Ledger, who is magnetic as the squire posing as a noble in order to claim jousting glory. Fun supporting turns from Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk and Mark Addy round out what is an incredibly entertaining and rewatchable movie. — Michael Balderston
*Note, A Knight's Tale is only available on Netflix in the US.
Murder Mystery (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 44%
In our modern murder-mystery revival, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston's Murder Mystery stands out in two ways. First, it wears on its sleeves the inherent silliness of the Agatha Christie-style whodunnit, throwing two incompetent wannabe detectives into a room full of quirky characters played by fantastic character actors. It's a fun comedy that stands above most of Sandler's recent movies.
Second, I'd argue it does a better job emulating Christie than the likes of Murder on the Orient Express and Knives Out. We're introduced to a cast of potential suspects just as a murder takes place, and our fish out of water detectives have to investigate each of them while fishing out the red herrings.
Murder Mystery was unfairly maligned based on its stars and a premise, but it's a fun and easy-going watch. No wonder it set records for Netflix when it was released. — Tom Bedford
Rocky IV (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 38%
It's probably not a surprise that critics were feeling punched out with the Rocky franchise by the mid 80s, but many movie fans love the campy fun that is Rocky IV. The fourth entry features many memorable moments, including the death of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) at the hands of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), which without we wouldn't have the critically-acclaimed Creed franchise, and a bare bones training montage of Rocky running through the snow. The franchise definitely was veering off course from where it began with the Best Picture-winning Rocky, but Rocky IV is still a great watch. — Michael Balderston
*Note, Rocky IV is only available on Netflix in the US.
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%
Surprisingly, at least to me, the original Rush Hour nearly qualified for our list, but it stands at a 62%. Rush Hour 2 did not fall on the right side of the Tomatometer, however, and while we won't argue that it is better than its predecessor, Rush Hour 2 is still a blast and maintains the incredible chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker that the first movie had (Rush Hour 3, not so much). Rush Hour 2 leans more into the comedy than the crime thriller elements, but it is still a fun watch as Chan's Lee and Tucker's Carter are back on the case to try and solve a counterfeit money scam. — Michael Balderston
*Note, Rush Hour 2 is only available on Netflix in the US.
Shark Tale (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 35%
DreamWorks released two movies in 2004: one was Shrek 2, a follow-up to their uber-successful fantasy comedy; the other was Shark Tale, an animated family adventure that's cut from similar cloth (family-focused, fast-paced sense of humor, a star-studded voice cast) but set way below the waves. There, we're introduced to Oscar (Will Smith), a whale-washing bottom-feeder who is catapulted to fame after falsely claiming to have killed the son of a shark mob boss (Robert De Niro). Shark Tale is by no means a masterpiece and certainly pales in comparison to the animation studio's stronger efforts, but it doesn't deserve to be consigned to Davy Jones' Locker. — Martin Shore
*Note, Shark Tale is only available on Netflix in the UK.
The True Memoirs of an International Assassin (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 0%
Before each of Netflix's originals were make-or-break projects that needed to be a hit for the company, it used to invest in weird little projects, and True Memoirs of an International Assassin is just that. The movie follows Kevin James as a lonely writer who's mistaken for a hit-man after his fiction book is accidentally published as a non-fiction one. He's brought into a heist involving assassinations and kidnapping.
Anyone who's seen a Hollywood movie before can tell exactly where this goes but for a Kevin James movie it’s a fairly fun watch, especially if you're looking for a mindless 90-minute series of action setpieces. It's not the best action movie Netflix has to offer but it certainly doesn’t deserve its 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. — Tom Bedford
Venom (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 30%
While critics rightly pointed out that Venom is a lot more slapdash and tonally inconsistent than the average superhero fare, that's actually why it's worth a watch, as it's a lovely antidote for people who've found superhero fatigue setting in.
The movie is a Spider-Man spin-off that wisely doesn't feature much of the web-slinger. Instead it focuses on Tom Hardy's Eddie, a man infected by a space symbiote, giving him a second personality: the titular Venom. A tech inventor wants the symbiote so he sends mercs to take it from Eddie; cue a series of action set pieces and showdowns.
Venom doesn't reinvent the superhero genre but it's sufficiently different to make it a tempting alternative watch to the 100th Marvel movie — just make sure to disengage your brain a little bit. — Tom Bedford
*Note, Venom is only available on Netflix in the UK.
Warcraft (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 29%
Fantasy fans should consider giving Duncan Jones' take on the Activision Blizzard smash-hit video game series a second look. Despite being received pretty poorly by critics, this movie exploring the origins of the Warcraft franchise — the war between humans and an invading force of off-world orcs fleeing magical disaster — is a visual feast and isn't quite as conventional as you might think. As a would-be franchise-launching flick, Warcraft suffered under the weight of all the lore it needed to pack in and some hammy dialogue, but it nevertheless delivered an intriguing fantasy adventure that isn't nearly as flawed as many would have you believe. — Martin Shore
*Note, Warcraft is only available on Netflix in the UK.
