2025 Movies That Critics Were Totally Wrong About

Just looking at all the movies with terrible Rotten Tomatoes scores that are actually awesome, it's clear that critics and audiences don't always see eye to eye. People will like what they like, and no fruit-themed aggregator (yes, a tomato is a fruit) will change that. Once more, 2025 dished out its share of films that had reviewers and viewers at loggerheads.

So, how does one discern divisiveness in this day and age, especially with the endless noise online that's impossible to cut through? We scrolled through all 2025's major releases and their Rotten Tomatoes scores to see which ones critics gave negative scores to and viewers voted the opposite way. In some instances, the Tomatometer (reviewer rating) and Popcornmeter (audience rating) are miles apart, while other scores are far closer, indicating that average moviegoers enjoyed the film but likely recognized it wasn't the second coming of "Taxi Driver."

To be clear: This isn't a slight on critics or audience members. Art is subjective, and everyone interprets it differently, so let's embrace the fact that films are still made by humans before AI movies fully take over and permanently put everyone's brain on airplane mode. 

Jason Statham movies are like vanilla ice cream; everyone knows what they're in for. No one walks in expecting the action star to deliver Shakespearean drama. It's all about the loner beating up a string of NPC-like villains on a revenge quest. Occasionally, he grunts a sentence or two, but viewers typically expect more fists per minute than words.

David Ayer's "A Working Man" is quintessential Statham, seeing him portray ex-military man Levon Cade who wants to live a peaceful and quiet existence as a construction foreman. After his boss' daughter is kidnapped, Levon journeys to find her while dirtying his boots and bloodying his knuckles in the process.

On Rotten Tomatoes, "A Working Man" received 47% critical approval, with reviewers criticizing the movie's lack of fun compared to Ayer and Statham's previous collaboration, "The Beekeeper," and Statham's character having the personality of a boiled potato. Audience saw it differently, appreciating the working-class nature of the hero and how the film delivers on its action. Viewers awarded it 87% on the Popcornmeter, with 10% likely being given for the construction scene alone in which Levon deals with a thug, all while wearing a hard hat.

The reception towards romantic dramas seesaws depending on the subject matter. Look at Josh Boone's "Regretting You," which is based on a Colleen Hoover book, as an example. The film explores matters of the heart and the complexities of people ignoring their feelings for each other, ultimately spiraling into a story about regret and betrayal.

"Regretting You" sees Morgan (Allison Williams) pregnant with her boyfriend Chris' (Scott Eastwood) child, while Jonah (Dave Franco) — her sister Jenny's (Willa Fitzgerald) boyfriend — has feelings for her. Morgan and Chris marry and raise their daughter, Clara (Mckenna Grace). Years later, Jonah's feelings for Morgan persist, despite having a child with Jenny. However, Morgan and Jonah receive a shock when Jenny and Chris die, and discover there was an affair taking place. Compounding matters further, Clara grows close to Miller (Mason Thames), who is already in a relationship — which upsets Morgan.

This all seems like an episode of "The Bold and the Beautiful," with this person dating that person, who is secretly in love with someone else's stepsister. "Regretting You" holds 29% on the Tomatometer, as critics found it too emotionally mazy for its own good. However, audiences lapped up the drama, giving it 85% and saying it does justice to the source material. If it's juicy drama you want, "Regretting You" leaves no regrets.

Emma Tammi's "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" follows Abby Schmidt (Piper Rubio), who misses her animatronic buddies from the previous film. She tries to convince her brother, Mike (Josh Hutcherson), to help rebuild them, but he still doesn't want to come clean to his sister about what actually happened before. A disappointed Abby decides to go explore for herself, which leads to more terrifying trouble and startling revelations about the past.

Much like its predecessor, "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" divided critics and audiences upon debut. Although, the sequel received even more of a brutal beatdown from reviewers, only mustering up a 16% critical approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. On the audience side, though, the film thrived with 85% on the Popcornmeter.

Why can't critics and audience members agree about these movies? It's simple: These adaptations cater to diehard fans of the video game series, and there are a lot of Easter eggs scattered throughout for the fandom to point at the screen and say, "I understood that reference." Those who know nothing about the source material, meanwhile, might find that "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" makes no sense. But hey, if you're going into a movie about possessed animatronics, maybe expect logic to take a backseat and just go with it.

Between the various "Smurfs" movies and TV shows, there isn't much new territory to explore. So, yeah, Chris Miller's 2025 "Smurfs" isn't a novelty at all. Papa Smurf (John Goodman) has been kidnapped by Gargamel's (J. P. Karliak) equally dastardly and mustachioed twin brother, Razame (Karliak), so it's up to the Smurfs to travel to the non-CGI world to save him. 

Eh, isn't this plot regurgitated every few years by a different property? Critics thought so too, giving the CGI-live-action hybrid a 21% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes. The general consensus was that the movie borrowed too many familiar bits and bobs, including from the initial 2011 Sony-produced animated live-action "The Smurfs." Audiences reacted differently, rating the film 64% and calling it breezy fun for the whole family.

In this instance, viewers appear to know the property better than critics. "Smurfs" has never been all that deep to begin with. It's harmless, inoffensive storytelling for all ages  — riddled with moments where "smurf" is used as an adjective, verb, and noun. There's no reason to get all smurfed in the feels about it, as "Smurfs" is lighthearted entertainment that has a place in this blackened world.

Frankie Muniz is more than the child star from "Malcolm in the Middle," "Big Fat Liar," and "Agent Cody Banks." Even if he isn't as prolific nowadays, he pops up here and there to prove that he's still got it. In Robert Rippberger's AI sci-fi-tinged thriller, "Renner," Muniz stars as the titular character, who insists on order and structure in his life, but experiences social anxiety. 

He develops an AI life coach named Salenus (voiced by Marcia Gay Harden) to assist with this. It seemingly works, as Salenus encourages Renner to ask out his new neighbor Jamie (Violett Beane). While Renner and Jamie hit it off, problems arise as the AI fails to predict the most unpredictable element in the world: human behavior.

A tidy thriller with something to say about humanity's unhealthy relationship with artificial intelligence, "Renner" turned out to be popular among viewers, notching up a 79% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Many felt that the plot twist came out of the blue and cited the ending as the biggest disappointment. In this regard, critics and audiences had something in common, as the reviewers also criticized the conclusion. But while viewers overlooked this misstep, the press didn't, relegating "Renner" to 38% on the Tomatometer. In retrospect, it's slightly harsh. Yes, the ending is divisive, but maybe this story never deserved a happy conclusion to begin with.

Simon West's "Old Guy" pits the old generation against the new one in a quirky action comedy. Christoph Waltz stars as Danny Dolinski, a veteran assassin who grapples with arthritis and accepting that his career might be over. On a mission, Danny gets paired with a younger talented sharpshooter Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman), whose different approach to work and life in general bring about conflict.

Critics blasted the generic buddy comedy script of "Old Guy," executing it with a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. Considering the cast involved, many expected more from the film and for it to break new ground within the genre. While viewers didn't herald it as the new "Lethal Weapon," the movie hit the mark with audiences, earning a 94% on the Popcornmeter.

"Old Guy" isn't an original idea by any means, and the plot could have used an extra sizzle of novelty, but the chemistry between Waltz and Hoffman is off the charts. You laugh at how these characters rub each other up the wrong way and want to spend more time with them. It's entertaining, and that's what matters the most.

At first glance, Shawn Simmons' "Eenie Meanie" might look like a riff on Edgar Wright's "Baby Driver," but it puts pedal to the metal and veers down its own unique path. Samara Weaving takes the wheel as Edie "Eenie" Meanie, who used to be a getaway driver for mobster Nico (Andy Garcia). After trying to build a normal life for herself, Edie gets sucked back into the crime world to help her ex-boyfriend John (Karl Glusman), who's in trouble and needs Edie's special driving skills for one last big score.

On Rotten Tomatoes, "Eenie Meanie" has a 43% critical approval rating, as most reviewers lambasted the clash of genres, as well as how dated the general idea was. Viewers had a better time with the movie, though, giving it a 61% audience score.

The divisiveness ultimately boils down to expectation. If the poster had said, "Directed by Edgar Wright," this wouldn't have even factored. However, this is a case where people may have gone in expecting one thing and witnessed something else, leaving them disappointed. Having said that, "Eenie Meanie" is the type of movie that merits rewatch.

It was 1997 all over again in 2025, as Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's "I Know What You Did Last Summer" reeled in nostalgic horror fans. It's not a reboot but a continuation of the series, as a new group of teens do dumb things that result in a fatal car crash. Rather than report the accident to the cops, they keep mum about it. Their reward? A killer targets them. Fortunately, they can count on Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.) to guide them on how to survive this deadly game — or can they?

Critics weren't hooked, though, with even Looper's "I Know What You Did Last Summer" review referring to it as "a lazy retread of an already mediocre horror film." Ultimately, it resulted in a 36%  Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, took the nostalgia bait and leaned into it, awarding the movie 67% on the Popcornmeter.

Let's be honest, the original 1997 film never had the quality to challenge "Scream" or other classic slashers for top honors, but successfully creeps into the silly-but-fun part of the memory bank. And the 2025 revival introduces more campiness and self-awareness, à la "Scream," to commit to the ridiculousness even further. As is, it's a totally fine continuation in a franchise that punches above its weight class.

Bless 1997's "Anaconda." Now, 2025's "Anaconda" explicitly says it's not a reboot. Rather, it's a meta remake that sees pals — Doug McCallister (Jack Black), Ronald Griffin (Paul Rudd), Kenny Trent (Steve Zahn), and Claire Simons (Thandiwe Newton) — attempt to remake the original movie — only to actually encounter a lethal snake. See where this is going?

For critics, "Anaconda" was no laughing matter. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critical approval rating is 48%, with many commenting on how unfunny it was. Moviegoers had a better time and shared in the giggles, as the 75% audience score demonstrates.

Truthfully speaking, the original "Anaconda" also plays as a comedy, depending on the lens you view it through. It only feels natural that the 2025 film would fully commit to the bit, leaving no uncertainty about what it is. In the end, it plays out as expected, with enough laughs and moments of absurdity to keep everyone entertained. Maybe it isn't quite on the god-tier level of 2015's "Lake Placid vs. Anaconda," but this feisty film finds a way to snake into the hearts of everyone who watches it.

Barry Levinson's "The Alto Knights" sees Robert De Niro performing double duty. While not to the extent of Eddie Murphy portraying the Klumps in "The Nutty Professor," the film has De Niro undergo some convincing prosthetics work to play real-life mobsters Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. The drama sees Genovese and Costello at each other's throats to the point in which they appear on a rideshare to mutual destruction. Ironically, Costello wants out of the crime business, but Genovese refuses to believe him.

De Niro and mob flicks go together like milk and cookies, but the critics saw this as failing to challenge the best gangster movies of all time. Ultimately, this culminated in "The Alto Knights" garnering only 40% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer. The fans, though, reveled in De Niro's dual performance and gave it a 71% audience score. One user named Byrdee F wrote, "Movie was based on real events and followed the pulse of that era smoothly. De Niro killed it."

Is "The Alto Knights" in the same league as "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas"? Of course not, but don't let that take away from the fact it's still a good — not great — gangster flick. De Niro never misses in this genre, even less so when he's playing two marvelous mobsters.

Directed by Joe Carnahan, "Shadow Force" features a plot rehashed many times before. The story centers on Kyrah Owens (Kerry Washington) and Issac Sarr (Omar Sy) as the former leaders of the CIA's secret Shadow Force team. In the past, the pair fell in love, had a baby boy named Ky (Jahleel Kamara), and left the dangerous world of espionage behind. Bitter over their betrayal, their former handler Jack Cinder (Mark Strong) sends teams after them as revenge. Now Kyrah and Issac must survive the onslaught, and protect their son as well.

Expectedly, critics didn't love "Shadow Force," because of its run-of-the-mill storyline and all-too-predictable narrative twists. On Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, the film splatted to 30%. On the other hand, viewers appreciated the high-octane action and likable leads in Washington and Sy — so much so that the audience score is 81%.

While there's merit to the criticism, Carnahan proves to be a master of helming exciting action — just look at movies like "Narc," "Copshop," and "The Rip." The filmmaker pulls out all the stops in "Shadow Force," unleashing an edge-of-your-seat thriller that leaves the viewer breathless until the credits roll.

The real-life tragedy of John Allen Chau elicits much debate to this day. Chau embarked on a missionary journey to convert the Sentinelese tribe to Christianity. In the end, Chau was killed by the tribe on this 2018 expedition. Director Justin Lin brings this shocking story to life in 2025's "Last Days," in which Sky Yang portrays Chau.

A film based on such a controversial event was always bound to create divisiveness. On Rotten Tomatoes, "Last Days" secured only a 30% critical approval rating, with criticism aimed at how the film was far too surface level and didn't go further into why Chau attempted what he did. The audience score proved to be much higher at 71%. Some felt sorry for Chau and his final fate, despite  his death being the result of questionable and misguided methods.

It'd be a near-impossible task to get inside the head of Chau, since the real-life figure never returned from his mission. One can speculate about his mindset from what's recorded, but Lin's film ultimately leaves it up to the viewer to decide. Looking at it through this perspective, "Last Days" provides food for thought to everyone who watches it.