While plenty of movies from the 2020s have been given “rotten” ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, these 10 movies actually don’t deserve these scores. Occasionally movies get over-hated, with critics and audiences alike giving movies overly harsh and uncharitable reviews, something that is frequently reflected in Rotten Tomatoes scores. Although opinions on movies are subjective, some rotten movies tend to be a lot better than others, and these 10 movies from the 2020s don’t deserve to have such low ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rotten Tomatoes is one of the most popular movie review sites on the internet, with the website’s reviews frequently being the deciding factor on a movie’s public perception. Rotten Tomatoes works in a different way than many other review sites, as its Tomatometer scores are actually an aggregate score of the website’s verified reviewers. The Tomatometer shows what percentage of a movie’s overall reviews are a 6/10 or higher, with movies that have a Tomatometer below 60% being considered “rotten.” While there are separate Tomatometers for critic reviews and audience reviews, the critic reviews are often talked about more, and these 10 movies deserve a higher critic rating.
10 Underwater
Underwater is a 2020 horror movie that, as of the writing of this article, currently holds a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it definitely doesn’t deserve that. Underwater was criticized for its slow pace and use of its horror, but these odd choices are actually the movie’s greatest strengths. Underwater‘s tone and slow pace are a clear homage to movies like Alien, and it pulls it off really well. On top of that, rather than relying on monsters and cheap jumpscares, Underwater focuses on Lovecraftian cosmic horror, with it being one of the genre’s best examples. Although not perfect, it shouldn’t be rotten.
9 SCOOB!
SCOOB! is a modern animated take on the Scooby-Doo franchise, and it just didn’t sit right with some audiences. However, the film pulls off exactly what it was trying to be: a Hanna-Barbera homage. Rather than following the traditional Scooby-Doo formula, SCOOB! was a love letter to the beloved animation company, featuring all kinds of Hanna-Barbera characters like Dick Dastardly, Blue Falcon, and Captain Caveman. SCOOB! definitely has its story problems, but for a simple kids movie, it overall works pretty well, with the film’s rotten rating being undeserved.
8 Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the 2021 sequel to the original Venom movie. Although the first Venom is deserving of its rotten status, Venom: Let There Be Carnage definitely isn’t, with it improving on the original in almost every way. Venom: Let There Be Carnage leans into the franchise’s campy tone, with it feeling right out of Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy. Carnage is also a great villain, with him being a serious improvement on the antagonist of the first Venom. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is even better than some MCU movies, meaning it deserves a higher Rotten Tomatoes rating than it has.
7 Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat is often considered one of the best video game movie adaptations, with it being one of the first live-action films to break the video game adaptation curse. Mortal Kombat is surprisingly faithful to the games, with it featuring many of the beloved characters and fatalities that have defined the franchise. Despite it being released during the COVID-19 pandemic, it garnered enough success to warrant a sequel, with Mortal Kombat 2 currently in development. Mortal Kombat‘s action and world building make it a pretty solid film, deserving of a higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
6 The King’s Man
The King’s Man is a prequel to the Kingsmen franchise, and while it’s not the best in the series, it is still pretty good overall. The action in The King’s Man is comparable to that of its predecessors, with it being better than most modern Hollywood movies. On top of that, it really expands on the lore of the Kingsmen universe, introducing many beloved comic characters to the movie world. The King’s Man does have some problems, but it is still a good movie undeserving of the rotten rating.
5 Bullet Train
Bullet Train is a simple, Deadpool-esque comedy, and it wasn’t attempting to be anything more than that. For what it is, Bullet Train is pretty good, featuring witty dialogue, memorable characters, and fun action scenes. While not every joke lands, some critics treated Bullet Train as if it was a genuinely bad movie – which it really isn’t. Bullet Train‘s ensemble cast has great chemistry, the film has nice cinematography, and it overall has a really strong creative vision. Sadly, Bullet Train got a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes – something that it doesn’t deserve.
4 Ticket To Paradise
Ticket to Paradise is a romantic comedy starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, with it attempting to be a throwback to the mid-budget films of a bygone era. Luckily, Ticket to Paradise perfectly captures the tone and humor of a mid-to-late-2000s romcom, although some critics claimed that this was a negative of the film. However, Ticket to Paradise was a box office success and a big hit with fans, with it having an 87% audience score as of the writing of this article. Ticket to Paradise is just an example of critics and audiences having different tastes.
3 Halloween Ends
Halloween Ends is one of the most controversial entries in the long-running slasher franchise, as it flips everything on its head. However, this mostly works, with Corey Cunningham being an exciting new direction for the franchise. Although fans didn’t like this, this new direction was the film’s biggest strength. While the ending of Halloween Ends still isn’t the best, the first two acts of the film are some of the best Halloween content that has been released in years.
2 Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania‘s Rotten Tomatoes score was the subject of lots of discussion leading up to the film’s release, but its rotten rating is far below what it deserves. The third Ant-Man movie was unfairly compared to the rest of the MCU, with it only seeming worse in comparison to the franchise’s litany of great movies. On its own, Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania is a solid superhero movie with a great villain that is only weighed down by its connection to the broader MCU.
1 Shazam! Fury Of The Gods
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is one of the most overhated movies in the 2020s, with it being unfairly caught in the crossfire of Warner Bros’ restructuring of the DCU. Its poor box office is just evidence that it was sent out to die, with its odd ties to future and past DC movies being the film’s main problem. Under all the DCU and Black Adam drama, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a truly great movie, with it getting an undeserved rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.