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Fortune’s Thin Thread, Catching, Not Releasing

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By Manohla Dargis

• Aug. 2, 2012

A butterfly flapping its wings in Chile is a familiar culprit for all kinds of global havoc, like tornadoes in Texas. In the film “360,” though, it’s a woman taking her top off in Vienna who sets off a British man’s crisis of conscience, instigates a conjugal dispute in Paris, and obliquely stirs up funny business in Denver and some murderous business elsewhere. Here the world isn’t just small, it’s also a 360-degree metaphor that begins with a woman’s breasts, leads to the boulevard circling Vienna’s center and ends with the “O” of your slack-jawed incredulity.

If this kind of multistrand narrative sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve seen iterations of it in movies like “Babel” (in which a gun connects strangers) and “Crash” (in which unnatural Los Angeles disasters do). In “360” the topless Cassandra, a Slovak named Mirka (Lucia Siposova), poses for a Viennese pimp, Rocco (Johannes Krisch), who arranges a liaison between her and a British businessman, Michael (Jude Law). Back home in London, Michael has a wife, Rose (Rachel Weisz), who has a lover, a Brazilian photographer, Rui (Juliano Cazarré), who’s involved with Laura (Maria Flor). Laura wises up and ends up on a plane where, en route to Miami and Rio de Janeiro, she meets a fatherly gent, John (a sympathetic Anthony Hopkins), who’s on his way to Phoenix to identify a body.

That body is one of several uninteresting doubles in a story littered with mirrored situations and forced coincidences. Laura somehow ends up in Denver, an unlikely layover for a plane trip that begins in London and ends in Rio. That’s distracting, but less so than her decision at the airport to pick up a shifty-eyed American, Tyler (Ben Foster), who, as rotten luck and screenwriter determinism would have it, is a sex offender. (Cringingly, Tyler enters the story soon after a scene of Michael and Rose with their young daughter.) In the movie’s cause-and-effect logic Laura faces danger in Denver because a Slovakian whipped off her bra because the Soviet Union fell apart ... and in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

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You should ignore film ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes

Picking a film to watch is an emotional rollercoaster. First, you have to deal with the crushing knowledge that none of your streaming services of choice actually have the film you want to watch. Then you narrow the field down to three films that you never really intended to watch but are the only half-decent options available.

At this point, paralysed by the thought of making the wrong decisions in life, you will Google the ratings of these films to find out if they’re worth your time. Three hours later – unable to make a decision because of the conflicting information – you realise that it’s too late to start watching a film now anyway and settle down to watch old episodes of Parks and Rec .

But why do the big film-ranking sites come up with such radically different options? Is The Wizard of Oz really best film of all time, or is it The Shawshank Redemption ? Why does Metacritic think that Ratatouille is the twenty-third best film in the history of cinema?

To answer all these questions, let’s take a look at how the three biggest film-ranking sites come up with their ratings, and why you should ignore them all.

Movie-rating: the methodology

On IMDb, all films are given an overall rating out of ten. In a roundabout way, these ratings are derived from votes submitted by IMDb users, not movie critics.

All registered IMDb users can submit a single rating – a number between one and ten – for any film on the website. These votes are then re-jigged so that certain demographics (newly-registered users, for example) don’t disproportionately influence the overall ranking of the film. IMDb doesn’t disclose how it re-jigs these votes, but what does mean is that a film’s ranking is not quite an overall average of all its user scores, but it’s probably quite close.

Read more: 52 of the best films on Netflix UK this week

Just to be extra helpful, IMDb’s Top 250 films are ranked in a slightly different way. Only votes from ‘regular IMDb voters’ are used to make up these rankings. Helpfully, IMDb doesn’t say what makes someone a regular IMDb voter.

In short: IMDb ratings are based on the votes of the website’s users, with a little bit of mathematical re-jigging to stop certain groups disproportionately influencing the vote.

This all sounds very egalitarian, but as we’ll see, most IMDb voters are male, which seems to skew the rankings in favour of films that are aimed more towards men.

****: 1. The Shawshank Redemption

****: 2. The Godfather

****: 3. The Godfather: Part II

****: 4. The Dark Knight

****: 5. 12 Angry Men

****: 6. Schindler's List

****: 7. Pulp Fiction

****: 8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

****: 9. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

****: 10. Fight Club

Rotten Tomatoes gives films a score out of 100 based on the averaged reviews of professional film critics. If a film gets a rating of 60 or more it gets a ‘fresh’ red tomato on the site. Less than 60 and it gets a rotten tomato. The best films are picked out for a ‘certified fresh’ rating, which usually means the film has at least 80 critical reviews and a rating of 75 or more. The website also separately ranks film by user scores, but let’s not get distracted by that here.

For its main rankings, Rotten Tomatoes only takes into account reviews from approved critics and approved publications. To rank as an approved critic , you have to write for a large or well-regarded website, magazine or newspaper.

But just to make things a little more complicated, Rotten Tomatoes also weights its rankings depending on how many reviews a film has. That’s why The Wizard of Oz with an average score of 99 from 111 reviews beats Citizen Kane , which an average score of 100 from 75 reviews, to the top spot.

In short: Rotten Tomatoes ranks selected critics' reviews, and tweaks the rankings to favour films with a large number of positive reviews,

And you guessed it. Most of rotten Tomatoes’ selected critics are men.

****: 1. The Wizard of Oz

****: 2. Citizen Kane

****: 3. The Third Man

****: 4. Get Out

****: 5. Mad Max: Fury Road

****: 6. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari)

****: 7. All About Eve

****: 8. Inside Out

****: 9. Metropolis

****: 10. The Godfather

Metacritic also gives films a score out of 100, based on published critics’ reviews. The site converts letter or number scores from reviews into a score out of 100 and then weights those scores so that some reviews influence the score a little more than others do.

The website doesn’t publish a list of its featured critics, but you can see the list of which publications it aggregates scores from here . This list of publications is updated on a regular basis, but Metacritic doesn’t say why it picks some websites and ignores others.

Read more: 40 of the best documentaries you need to watch

Unlike Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic seems to calculate its ranks based on fairly small numbers of critics’ reviews, so they are more subject to strange fluctuations in the rankings.

In short: Metacritic works a bit like Rotten Tomatoes, but with fewer reviews.

Metacritic seems to place a bit more emphasis on publishers rather than critics, so it’s hard to get an idea what the gender balance of reviewers is. Its top-ranking film – Citizen Kane – is based on reviews from only two women and ten men, though.

****: 1. Citizen Kane

****: 3. Casablanca

****: 4. Boyhood

****: 5. Three Colors: Red

****: 6. Singin' in the Rain

****: 7. Moonlight

****: 8. Pan's Labyrinth

****: 9. Hoop Dreams

****: 10. My Left Foot

Why you should ignore all movie-ranking sites

Don’t be tricked into thinking that movie-ranking sites give some kind of objective rating on how good a film is. All three of the above sites are skewed pretty heavily towards the opinions of men.

Take IMDb’s top-ranked film for example – The Shawshank Redemption . Its score of 9.3 is based on the votes of around 1.86 million IMDb users . 1.2 million of those votes came from men. IMDb does tweak its rankings to lessen the influence of particular demographics, but men often make up over 70 per cent of the voters for any film.

And it turns out that men tend to look much more favourably on films with more masculine themes, or male leading actors.

A look at the ratings for Sex and the City demonstrates how divided the voting audience on IMDb is. Over 29,000 men gave the film an average rating of 5.8, while 43,000 women came up with a score of 8.1. A straight-up averaging of the scores gives it a ranking of 7.4, but IMDb’s maths leaves it with a final score of 7.

IMDb breaks down the voting demographics for all of its films. Take a flick through them and you’ll see that men consistently rank masculine films higher than films that feature female leads or more traditionally female themes.

Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t come off much better. In 2015, Meryl Streep attacked the website for featuring way more male critics. Back then, there were 168 female critics on the websites’ approved list, and 760 men. A 2016 study from San Diego State University found that only 27 per cent of ‘top critics’ on the site were women.

There aren’t comprehensive breakdowns for the gender balance on Metacritic, but since it shares many of the same sources at Rotten Tomatoes, it’s likely that the website suffers from a similar degree of bias.

Just pick a film already

If you came here hoping for a verdict on which site should reign supreme in the movie-ranking stakes, then you must be bitterly disappointed. Really, it boils down to this: if you want to know which movies men on the internet tend to like, look on IMDb. If you’re looking for critics’ favourites, go for Rotten Tomatoes. If you want a slightly worse version of Rotten Tomatoes, opt for Metacritic.

Or just watch Inside Out now because it’s lovely and heartwarming and you are clearly incapable of making a decision independently.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK

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Common Sense Media Review

Globe-trotting drama explores sex, grief, betrayal.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that 360 , which is loosely based on the 1900 play La Ronde , follows different pairs of characters, usually before, during, or after a sexual encounter. With sexuality the unifying theme in the international drama, the movie definitely isn't meant for anyone but adults and the…

Why Age 18+?

Sexuality is a major theme of the film. The movie opens with a young woman &quot

Half a dozen "f--k"s, plus "s--t," "a--hole," and

A lot of cigarette smoking, and, in a couple of scenes, marijuana smoke as well.

A climactic double murder takes place off camera, but audiences see the aftermat

The only discernible product placement is a chauffeured Mercedes.

Any Positive Content?

360 posits that we're all connected in some way to each other and that our r

Michael doesn't have an affair that he had planned on and later reconciles w

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Sexuality is a major theme of the film. The movie opens with a young woman "auditioning" to be an escort. She poses topless, and then it's implied that she must have sex with the boss to prove she's ready to be marketed. A few scenes show a woman topless or a couple having sex. One character is a call girl and is shown having sex with her client (during the act, she tells him it will cost more to continue). It's pretty graphic and shows a few different positions with the man being particularly forceful. Bare buttocks and passionate kissing and fondling are shown in another scene. One character is a sex offender, so when a woman comes on to him half naked, he pushes her away and flees -- not wanting to do anything to her. A married couple kisses and embraces. Two men discuss the services of a prostitute.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Half a dozen "f--k"s, plus "s--t," "a--hole," and milder insults ("dirty bugger," "stupid," etc.).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A lot of cigarette smoking, and, in a couple of scenes, marijuana smoke as well. Adults drink at restaurants and bars. A woman is shown hung over, and one scene follows a group of people attending an AA meeting.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

A climactic double murder takes place off camera, but audiences see the aftermath: dead men lying in their own blood. A released sex offender rejects a woman's overt sexual advances and then hides in a bathroom -- making it clear that he's capable of violence but is trying to keep her safe.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Positive messages.

360 posits that we're all connected in some way to each other and that our relationships and choices can have far-reaching effects.

Positive Role Models

Michael doesn't have an affair that he had planned on and later reconciles with his wife. The older man shows a generous spirit as he looks after his airplane seatmate, shares his story, and tries to keep her safe. A recently released criminal Tyler overcomes his urges and does the right thing.

Parents need to know that 360 , which is loosely based on the 1900 play La Ronde , follows different pairs of characters, usually before, during, or after a sexual encounter. With sexuality the unifying theme in the international drama, the movie definitely isn't meant for anyone but adults and the most mature older teens. The sexual content includes nudity, fairly graphic displays of prostitution, adultery, and even the emotional turmoil of a sexual offender trying to control his urges. Language is strong -- "f--k," "a--hole," "s--t" and more -- and violence includes aggressive sex and a bloody double murder. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles adapts the themes from playwright Arthur Schnitzler's fin de siecle play La Ronde , in which 10 pairs of characters meet before and after sexual encounters. Like a Viennese waltz, the story shifts from pairing to pairing but always connects with a previously met duo. The story begins and ends with Mirka (Lucia Siposova), a beautiful Eastern European woman auditioning to become a high-end call girl in Vienna. Her first client, English businessman Michael ( Jude Law ), chickens out before they can meet -- while, unbeknownst to him, his wife, Rose ( Rachel Weisz ), is having an affair back in London with Brazilian photographer Rui (Juliano Cazarre). Other pairings include Rui's jilted ex, Laura (Maria Flor), who connects with an older man ( Anthony Hopkins ) on a plane trip and comes on to a mysterious guy ( Ben Foster ) who's actually a reformed sex offender trying to change his life. The action moves from the Old World to the New and back again before following Mirka's exploits one final time.

Is It Any Good?

Meirelles is a specialist in stylized, well-acted dramas like The Constant Gardener and City of God , and 360 continues in that vein but isn't quite as compelling a story as his previous work. It's not all the globe-trotting that makes the story feel disconnected -- the director has a gift for showing the intimacy of moments that take place in crowded cities or airports -- but the fact that some storylines are riveting and tender while others are confusing and left dangling.

It's also disturbing that sexuality is explored more for its power to alienate and injure than to unite and empower. Although Rose and Michael reconnect, nearly everyone else has a tragic ending. The saddest subplot, by far, is the Paris vignette: A widowed Algerian dentist falls for his Russian hygienist, a lonely woman completely unappreciated by her husband, who's low-level henchman of sorts. After his imam implores him to do the right thing, the dentist unexpectedly fires her, despite their obvious chemistry and camaraderie. This is an ensemble worth watching, but it's not a fully satisfying film.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what they think the filmmaker is trying to say about the global reach of our actions. Is sexuality the driving medium of communication between people? How can parents and teens communicate better about sex and relationships ?

Which vignette impacted you the most? Why do some stories seem to connect more than others? Did the fact that 360 took place in various cities around the world make it more difficult to understand?

Movie Details

• In theaters : August 3, 2012
• On DVD or streaming : November 6, 2012
• Cast : Anthony Hopkins , Jude Law , Rachel Weisz
• Director : Fernando Meirelles
• Inclusion Information : Latino directors, Female actors
• Studio : Magnolia Pictures
• Genre : Thriller
• Run time : 110 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : sexuality, nudity and language
• Last updated : June 20, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A modern and stylish kaleidoscope of interconnected love and relationships linking characters from different cities and countries in a vivid, suspenseful and deeply moving tale of romantic l... Read all A modern and stylish kaleidoscope of interconnected love and relationships linking characters from different cities and countries in a vivid, suspenseful and deeply moving tale of romantic life in the 21st century. A modern and stylish kaleidoscope of interconnected love and relationships linking characters from different cities and countries in a vivid, suspenseful and deeply moving tale of romantic life in the 21st century.

• Fernando Meirelles
• Peter Morgan
• Arthur Schnitzler
• Rachel Weisz
• Anthony Hopkins
• 55 User reviews
• 137 Critic reviews
• 43 Metascore
• 3 nominations

Top cast 59

• Michael Daly

• Taxi Driver

• Algerian Man

• Psychiatrist
• (as Djemel Barak)

• Arthur Schnitzler (uncredited)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Karl Markovics was originally set to play Rocco, but a scheduling conflict made him drop out.
• Goofs A pimp goes to hotel room #823. Exiting the elevator, he walks to the and opens the door to #823. The signs outside the elevator show rooms 816-830 being on the right, not the left.

John : [reading Laura's note to him] Ran into someone cute. Never done this kind of thing before, but you only live once, how many chances do we get?

• Connections Featured in Celebrated: Jude Law (2015)
• Soundtracks Goodbye Written and Performed by Sir Anthony Hopkins

User reviews 55

• Michael_Elliott
• Aug 1, 2012
• How long is 360? Powered by Alexa
• July 25, 2012 (France)
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official site
• 360: Góc Khuất
• Bratislava, Slovakia
• UK Film Council
• ORF Film/Fernseh-Abkommen
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• Aug 5, 2012

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 50 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Rotten Tomatoes, explained

Does a movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score affect its box office returns? And six other questions, answered.

by Alissa Wilkinson

In February 2016, Rotten Tomatoes — the site that aggregates movie and TV critics’ opinions and tabulates a score that’s “fresh” or “rotten” — took on an elevated level of importance. That’s when Rotten Tomatoes (along with its parent company Flixster) was acquired by Fandango , the website that sells advance movie tickets for many major cinema chains.

People had been using Rotten Tomatoes to find movie reviews since it launched in 2000, but after Fandango acquired the site, it began posting “Tomatometer” scores next to movie ticket listings. Since then, studio execs have started to feel as if Rotten Tomatoes matters more than it used to — and in some cases, they’ve rejiggered their marketing strategies accordingly.

It’s easy to see why anyone might assume that Rotten Tomatoes scores became more tightly linked to ticket sales, with potential audiences more likely to buy tickets for a movie with a higher score, and by extension, giving critics more power over the purchase of a ticket.

But that’s not the whole story. And as most movie critics (including myself) will tell you, the correlation between Rotten Tomatoes scores, critical opinion, marketing tactics, and actual box office returns is complicated. It’s not a simple cause-and-effect situation.

My own work is included in both Rotten Tomatoes’ score and that of its more exclusive cousin, Metacritic . So I, along with many other critics , think often of the upsides and pitfalls of aggregating critical opinion and its effect on which movies people see. But for the casual moviegoer, how review aggregators work, what they measure, and how they affect ticket sales can be mysterious.

So when I got curious about how people perceive Rotten Tomatoes and its effect on ticket sales, I did what any self-respecting film critic does: I informally polled my Twitter followers to see what they wanted to know.

Here are seven questions that many people have about Rotten Tomatoes, and review aggregation more generally — and some facts to clear up the confusion.

How is a Rotten Tomatoes score calculated?

The score that Rotten Tomatoes assigns to a film corresponds to the percentage of critics who’ve judged the film to be “fresh,” meaning their opinion of it is more positive than negative. The idea is to quickly offer moviegoers a sense of critical consensus.

“Our goal is to serve fans by giving them useful tools and one-stop access to critic reviews, user ratings, and entertainment news to help with their entertainment viewing decisions,” Jeff Voris, a vice president at Rotten Tomatoes, told me in an email.

The opinions of about 3,000 critics — a.k.a. the “Approved Tomatometer Critics” who have met a series of criteria set by Rotten Tomatoes — are included in the site’s scores, though not every critic reviews every film, so any given score is more typically derived from a few hundred critics, or even less. The scores don’t include just anyone who calls themselves a critic or has a movie blog; Rotten Tomatoes only aggregates critics who have been regularly publishing movie reviews with a reasonably widely read outlet for at least two years, and those critics must be “active,” meaning they’ve published at least one review in the last year. The site also deems a subset of critics to be “top critics” and calculates a separate score that only includes them.

Some critics (or staffers at their publications) upload their own reviews, choose their own pull quotes, and designate their review as “fresh” or “rotten.” Other critics (including myself) have their reviews uploaded, pull-quoted, and tagged as fresh or rotten by the Rotten Tomatoes staff. In the second case, if the staff isn’t sure whether to tag a review as fresh or rotten, they reach out to the critic for clarification. And critics who don’t agree with the site’s designation can request that it be changed.

As the reviews of a given film accumulate, the Rotten Tomatoes score measures the percentage that are more positive than negative, and assigns an overall fresh or rotten rating to the movie. Scores of over 60 percent are considered fresh, and scores of 59 percent and under are rotten. To earn the coveted “designated fresh” seal, a film needs at least 40 reviews, 75 percent of which are fresh, and five of which are from “top” critics.

What does a Rotten Tomatoes score really mean ?

A Rotten Tomatoes score represents the percentage of critics who felt mildly to wildly positively about a given film.

If I give a film a mixed review that’s generally positive (which, in Vox’s rating system, could range from a positive-skewing 3 to the rare totally enamored 5), that review receives the same weight as an all-out rave from another critic. (When I give a movie a 2.5, I consider that to be a neutral score; by Rotten Tomatoes’ reckoning, it’s rotten.) Theoretically, a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating could be made up entirely of middling-to-positive reviews. And if half of the critics the site aggregates only sort of like a movie, and the other half sort of dislike it, the film will hover around 50 percent (which is considered “rotten” by the site).

Contrary to some people’s perceptions, Rotten Tomatoes itself maintains no opinion about a film. What Rotten Tomatoes tries to gauge is critical consensus.

• Why people are freaking out over Wonder Woman’s stellar Rotten Tomatoes score

Critics’ opinions do tend to cluster on most films. But there are always outliers, whether from contrarians (who sometimes seem to figure out what people will say and then take the opposite opinion), or from those who seem to love every film. And critics, like everyone, have various life experiences, aesthetic preferences, and points of view that lead them to have differing opinions on movies.

So in many (if not most) cases, a film’s Rotten Tomatoes score may not correspond to any one critic’s view. It’s more like an imprecise estimate of what would happen if you mashed together every Tomatometer critic and had the resulting super-critic flash a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

Rotten Tomatoes also lets audiences rate movies, and the score is often out of step with the critical score. Sometimes, the difference is extremely significant, a fact that’s noticeable because the site lists the two scores side by side.

There’s a straightforward reason the two rarely match, though: The critical score is more controlled and methodical.

Why? Most professional critics have to see and review many films, whether or not they’re inclined to like the movie. (Also, most critics don’t pay to see films, because studios hold special early screenings for them ahead of the release date, which removes the decision of whether they’re interested enough in a film to spend their hard-earned money on seeing it.)

But with Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score, the situation is different. Anyone on the internet can contribute — not just those who actually saw the film. As a result, a film’s Rotten Tomatoes score can be gamed by internet trolls seeking to sink it simply because they find its concept offensive. A concerted effort can drive down the film’s audience score before it even comes out, as was the case with the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters .

Even if Rotten Tomatoes required people to pass a quiz on the movie before they rated it, the score would still be somewhat unreliable. Why? Because ordinary audiences are more inclined to buy tickets to movies they’re predisposed to like — who wants to spend $12 to $20 on a film they’re pretty sure they’ll hate?

So audience scores at Rotten Tomatoes (and other audience-driven scores, like the ones at IMDb) naturally skew very positive, or sometimes very negative if there’s any sort of smear campaign in play. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But audience scores tend to not account for those who would never buy a ticket to the movie in the first place.

In contrast, since critics see lots of movies — some of which they would have gone to see anyhow, and some of which they would’ve never chosen to see if their editors didn’t make the assignment — their opinion distribution should theoretically be more even, and thus the critical Rotten Tomatoes score more “accurate.”

Or at least that’s what Rotten Tomatoes thinks. The site displays a movie’s critics’ scores — the official Tomatometer — at Fandango and in a more prominent spot on the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes landing page. The audience score is also displayed on the Rotten Tomatoes page, but it’s not factored into the film’s fresh or rotten rating, and doesn’t contribute to a film being labeled as “certified fresh.”

Why do critics often get frustrated by the Tomatometer?

The biggest reason many critics find Rotten Tomatoes frustrating is that most people’s opinions about movies can’t be boiled down to a simple thumbs up or down. And most critics feel that Rotten Tomatoes, in particular, oversimplifies criticism, to the detriment of critics, the audience, and the movies themselves.

In some cases, a film really is almost universally considered to be excellent, or to be a complete catastrophe. But critics usually come away from a movie with a mixed view. Some things work, and others don’t. The actors are great, but the screenplay is lacking. The filmmaking is subpar, but the story is imaginative. Some critics use a four- or five-star rating, sometimes with half-stars included, to help quantify mixed opinions as mostly negative or mostly positive.

The important point here is that no critic who takes their job seriously is going to have a simple yes-or-no system for most movies. Critics watch a film, think about it, and write a review that doesn’t just judge the movie but analyzes, contextualizes, and ruminates over it. The fear among many critics (including myself) is that people who rely largely on Rotten Tomatoes aren’t interested in the nuances of a film, and aren’t particularly interested in reading criticism, either.

But maybe the bigger reason critics are worried about the influence of review aggregators is that they seem to imply there’s a “right” way to evaluate a movie, based on most people’s opinions. We worry that audience members who have different reactions will feel as if their opinion is somehow wrong, rather than seeing the diversity of opinions as an invitation to read and understand how and why people react to art differently.

Plenty of movies — from Psycho to Fight Club to Alien — would have earned a rotten rating from Rotten Tomatoes upon their original release, only to be reconsidered and deemed classics years later as tastes, preferences, and ideas about films changed. Sometimes being an outlier can just mean you’re forward-thinking.

Voris, the Rotten Tomatoes vice president, told me that the site is always trying to grapple with this quandary. “The Rotten Tomatoes curation team is constantly adding and updating reviews for films — both past and present,” he told me. “If there’s a review available from an approved critic or outlet, it will be added.”

What critics are worried about is a tendency toward groupthink, and toward scapegoating people who deviate from the “accepted” analysis. You can easily see this in the hordes of fans that sometimes come after a critic who dares to “ruin” a film’s perfect score . But critics (at least serious ones) don’t write their reviews to fit the Tomatometer, nor are they out to “get” DC Comics movies or religious movies or political movies or any other movies. Critics love movies and want them to be good, and we try to be honest when we see one that we don’t measures up.

That doesn’t mean the audience can’t like a movie with a rotten rating, or hate a movie with a fresh rating. It’s no insult to critics when audience opinion diverges. In fact, it makes talking and thinking about movies more interesting.

If critics are ambivalent about Rotten Tomatoes scores, why do moviegoers use the scores to decide whether to see a movie?

Mainly, it’s easy. You’re buying movie tickets on Fandango, or you’re trying to figure out what to watch on Netflix, so you check the Rotten Tomatoes score to decide. It’s simple. That’s the point.

And that’s not a bad thing. It’s helpful to get a quick sense of critical consensus, even if it’s somewhat imprecise. Many people use Rotten Tomatoes to get a rough idea of whether critics generally liked a film.

The flip side, though, is that some people, whether they’re critics or audience members, will inevitably have opinions that don’t track with the Rotten Tomatoes score at all. Just because an individual’s opinion is out of step with the Tomatometer doesn’t mean the person is “wrong” — it just means they’re an outlier.

And that, frankly, is what makes art, entertainment, and the world at large interesting: Not everyone has the same opinion about everything, because people are not exact replicas of one another. Most critics love arguing about movies, because they often find that disagreeing with their colleagues is what makes their job fun. It’s fine to disagree with others about a movie, and it doesn’t mean you’re “wrong.”

(For what it’s worth, another review aggregation site, Metacritic, maintains an even smaller and more exclusive group of critics than Rotten Tomatoes — its aggregated scores cap out around 50 reviews per movie, instead of the hundreds that can make up a Tomatometer score. Metacritic’s score for a film is different from Rotten Tomatoes’ insofar as each individual review is assigned a rating on a scale of 100 and the overall Metacritic score is a weighted average, the mechanics of which Metacritic absolutely refuses to divulge . But because the site’s ratings are even more carefully controlled to include only experienced professional critics — and because the reviews it aggregates are given a higher level of granularity, and presumably weighted by the perceived influence of the critic’s publication — most critics consider Metacritic a better gauge of critical opinion.)

Does a movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score affect its box office earnings?

The short version: It can, but not necessarily in the ways you might think.

A good Rotten Tomatoes score indicates strong critical consensus, and that can be good for smaller films in particular. It’s common for distributors to roll out such films slowly, opening them in a few key cities (usually New York and Los Angeles, and maybe a few others) to generate good buzz — not just from critics, but also on social media and through word of mouth. The result, they hope, is increased interest and ticket sales when the movie opens in other cities.

Get Out , for example, certainly profited from the 99 percent “fresh” score it earned since its limited opening. And the more recent The Big Sick became one of last summer’s most beloved films, helped along by its 98 percent rating. But a bad score for a small film can help ensure that it will close quickly, or play in fewer cities overall. Its potential box office earnings, in turn, will inevitably take a hit.

Yet when it comes to blockbusters, franchises, and other big studio films (which usually open in many cities at once), it’s much less clear how much a film’s Rotten Tomatoes score affects its box office tally. A good Rotten Tomatoes score, for example, doesn’t necessarily guarantee a film will be a hit. Atomic Blonde is “guaranteed fresh,” with a 77 percent rating, but it didn‘t do very well at the box office despite being an action film starring Charlize Theron.

Still, studios certainly seem to believe the score makes a difference . Last summer, studios blamed Rotten Tomatoes scores (and by extension, critics) when poorly reviewed movies like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales , Baywatch , and The Mummy performed below expectations at the box office. ( Pirates still went on to be the year’s 19th highest-grossing film.)

2017’s highest grossing movies in the US

But that correlation doesn’t really hold up. The Emoji Movie , for example, was critically panned, garnering an abysmal 6 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. But it still opened to $25 million in the US, which put it just behind the acclaimed Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk . And the more you think about it, the less surprising it is that plenty of people bought tickets to The Emoji Movie in spite of its bad press: It’s an animated movie aimed at children that faced virtually no theatrical competition, and it opened during the summer, when kids are out of school. Great reviews might have inflated its numbers, but almost universally negative ones didn’t seem to hurt it much.

It’s also worth noting that many films with low Rotten Tomatoes scores that also perform poorly in the US (like The Mummy or The Great Wall ) do just fine overseas, particularly in China. The Mummy gave Tom Cruise his biggest global opening ever . If there is a Rotten Tomatoes effect, it seems to only extend to the American market.

Without any consistent proof, why do people still maintain that a bad Rotten Tomatoes score actively hurts a movie at the box office?

While it’s clear that a film’s Rotten Tomatoes score and box office earnings aren’t correlated as strongly as movie studios might like you to think, blaming bad ticket sales on critics is low-hanging fruit.

Plenty of people would like you to believe that the weak link between box office earnings and critical opinion proves that critics are at fault for not liking the film, and that audiences are a better gauge of its quality. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, co-star of Baywatch , certainly took that position when reviews of the 2017 bomb Baywatch came out:

Baywatch ended up with a very comfortably rotten 19 percent Tomatometer score , compared to a just barely fresh 62 percent audience score. But with apologies to The Rock, who I’m sure is a very nice man, critics aren’t weather forecasters or pundits, and they’re not particularly interested in predicting how audiences will respond to a movie. (We are also a rather reserved and nerdy bunch, not regularly armed with venom and knives.) Critics show up where they’re told to show up and watch a film, then go home and evaluate it to the best of their abilities.

The obvious rejoinder, at least from a critic’s point of view, is that if Baywatch was a better movie, there wouldn’t be such a disconnect. But somehow, I suspect that younger ticket buyers — an all-important demographic — lacked nostalgia for 25-year-old lifeguard TV show, and thus weren’t so sure about seeing Baywatch in the first place. Likewise, I doubt that a majority of Americans were ever going to be terribly interested in the fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (which notched a 30 percent Tomatometer score and a 64 percent audience score), especially when they could just watch some other movie.

A pile-up of raves for either of these films might have resulted in stronger sales, because people could have been surprised to learn that a film they didn’t think they were interested in was actually great. But with lackluster reviews, the average moviegoer just had no reason to give them a chance.

Big studio publicists, however, are paid to convince people to see their films, not to candidly discuss the quality of the films themselves. So when a film with bad reviews flops at the box office, it’s not shocking that studios are quick to suggest that critics killed it.

How do movie studios try to blunt the perceived impact when they’re expecting a bad Rotten Tomatoes score?

Of late, some studios — prompted by the idea that critics can kill a film’s buzz before it even comes out — have taken to “ fighting back ” when they’re expecting a rotten Tomatometer score.

Their biggest strategy isn’t super obvious to the average moviegoer, but very clear to critics. When a studio suspects it has a lemon on its hands, it typically hosts the press screening only a day or two ahead of the film’s release, and then sets a review “embargo” that lifts a few hours before the film hits theaters.

Consider, for example, the case of the aforementioned Emoji Movie. I and most other critics hoped the movie would be good, as is the case with all movies see. But once the screening invitations arrived in our inboxes, we pretty much knew, with a sinking feeling, that it wouldn’t be. The tell was pretty straightforward: The film’s only critics’ screening in New York was scheduled for the day before it opened. It screened for press on Wednesday night at 5 pm, and then the review embargo lifted at 3 pm the next day — mere hours before the first public showtimes.

Late critics’ screenings for any given film mean that reviews of the film will necessarily come out very close to its release, and as a result, people purchasing advance tickets might buy them before there are any reviews or Tomatometer score to speak of. Thus, in spite of there being no strong correlation between negative reviews and a low box office, its first-weekend box returns might be less susceptible to any potential harm as a result of bad press. (Such close timing can also backfire; critics liked this summer’s Captain Underpants , for example, but the film was screened too late for the positive reviews to measurably boost its opening box office.)

That first-weekend number is important, because if a movie is the top performer at the box office (or if it simply exceeds expectations, like Dunkirk and Wonder Woman did this summer), its success can function as good advertising for the film, which means its second weekend sales may also be stronger. And that matters , particularly when it means a movie is outperforming its expectations, because it can actually shift the way industry executives think about what kinds of movies people want to watch. Studios do keep an eye on critics’ opinions, but they’re much more interested in ticket sales — which makes it easy to see why they don’t want risk having their opening weekend box office affected by bad reviews, whether there’s a proven correlation or not.

The downside of this strategy, however, is that it encourages critics to instinctively gauge a studio’s level of confidence in a film based on when the press screening takes place. 20th Century Fox, for instance, screened War for the Planet of the Apes weeks ahead of its theatrical release, and lifted the review embargo with plenty of time to spare before the movie came out. The implication was that Fox believed the movie would be a critical success, and indeed, it was — the movie has a 97 percent Tomatometer score and an 86 percent audience score.

And still, late press screenings fail to account for the fact that, while a low Rotten Tomatoes score doesn’t necessarily hurt a film’s total returns, aggregate review scores in general do have a distinct effect on second-weekend sales. In 2016, Metacritic conducted a study of the correlation between its scores and second weekend sales , and found — not surprisingly — that well-reviewed movies dip much less in the second weekend than poorly reviewed movies. This is particularly true of movies with a strong built-in fan base, like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , which enjoyed inflated box office returns in the first weekend because fans came out to see it, but dropped sharply in its second weekend, at least partly due to extremely negative press .

Most critics who are serious about their work make a good-faith effort to approach each film they see with as few expectations as possible. But it’s hard to have much hope about a movie when it seems obvious that a studio is trying to play keep-away with it. And the more studios try to game the system by withholding their films from critics, the less critics are inclined to enter a screening devoid of expectations, however subconscious.

If you ask critics what studios ought to do to minimize the potential impact of a low Rotten Tomatoes score, their answer is simple: Make better movies. But of course, it’s not that easy; some movies with bad scores do well, while some with good scores still flop. Hiding a film from critics might artificially inflate first-weekend box office returns, but plenty of people are going to go see a franchise film, or a superhero movie, or a family movie, no matter what critics say.

The truth is that neither Rotten Tomatoes nor the critics whose evaluations make up its scores are really at fault here, and it’s silly to act like that’s the case. The website is just one piece of the sprawling and often bewildering film landscape.

As box office analyst Scott Mendelson wrote at Forbes :

[Rotten Tomatoes] is an aggregate website, one with increased power because the media now uses the fresh ranking as a catch-all for critical consensus, with said percentage score popping up when you buy tickets from Fandango or rent the title on Google Market. But it is not magic. At worst, the increased visibility of the site is being used as an excuse by ever-pickier moviegoers to stay in with Netflix or VOD.

For audience members who want to make good moviegoing decisions, the best approach is a two-pronged one. First, check Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic to get a sense of critical consensus. But second, find a few critics — two or three will do — whose taste aligns with (or challenges) your own, and whose insights help you enjoy a movie even more. Read them and rely on them.

And know that it’s okay to form your own opinions, too. After all, in the bigger sense, everyone’s a critic.

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Every 2023 Movie With A 95% Or Higher On Rotten Tomatoes

Anyone who says they don't make good movies anymore simply needs to watch more movies. It's true that 2023 has had its fair share of major disappointments — not to mention the existential crises about the future of the entertainment industry — but there have also been great films of all genres, from animated blockbusters to scintillating romances to terrifying horror. This list is by no means a comprehensive rundown of the year's best films, but it includes the movies that were universally liked enough by critics to score 95% or over on Rotten Tomatoes .

A couple of disclaimers before we begin: Specific Rotten Tomatoes scores are subject to fluctuation, so to provide some sense of stability, this list includes only films that have received enough reviews to be officially "Certified Fresh." Some of these films might be listed as being from different years based on festival premieres or international releases, but we're considering any movie first released in the United States in 2023 as a "2023 movie." And finally, we're only considering narrative features for this particular list. 

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Can a movie be called a "crowdpleaser" if it failed to attract crowds? Kelly Fremont Craig's cinematic adaptation of Judy Blume's classic middle-grade novel "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." came in under expectations at the box office, but nearly everyone who saw it loved it. Not only is its 99% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes among the highest of any film released in 2023, but its audience score on the site is also impressively high at 95%, and it earned an A rating from the CinemaScore polling service.

Following 6th grader Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) as she makes new friends, explores religion, and anxiously awaits her first period, the film is a faithful adaptation that respects its young audience's intelligence. It also has a top-notch cast, including Rachel McAdams, Benny Safdie, and Kathy Bates alongside many talented child performers. "Although the target audience is unquestionably mothers and daughters," wrote ReelViews ' James Berardinelli, "'Are You There God? It's Me Margaret' has things to say to viewers of all genders and ages."

Celine Song's directorial debut "Past Lives" is the type of romantic drama that's easy to fall in love with. The story begins in South Korea, where childhood sweethearts Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) must say goodbye to each other when Nora and her family immigrate to Toronto. 12 years later, Nora, now living in New York, reconnects with Hae Sung over the internet, only for the two to fall out of contact again. 12 years after that , Hae Sung visits New York City to see Nora — who is now married to another writer named Arthur (John Magaro).

This low-key story is packed with intense romantic longing and is told with impressive emotional maturity. All three lead characters are nuanced and relatable, with brilliantly subtle performances from their actors. "Past Lives" was among the most talked-about films at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and love for the movie continued to grow over its successful run in arthouses this summer, with a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  Looper's own review of the film  couldn't list a single negative quality of the movie except: "It ends?"

At 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, "BlackBerry," directed and co-written by Matt Johnson, is easily the most critically acclaimed of 2023's strangely large number of films focusing on the histories of popular consumer products. Part of this is due to the fact it's possibly the only one of these films that doesn't feel like an advertisement; the BlackBerry brand is all but dead, and this rise-and-fall drama serves as a cautionary tale about how great ideas can become corrupted by big business and personal hubris.

Jay Baruchel is captivating as Mike Lazaridis, the unassuming inventor of the world's first smartphone, but it's Glenn Howerton who earned the highest praise from critics from his portrayal of the shady businessman Jim Balsillie: The "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star won best supporting actor at the Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards. Reviews praised the Canadian indie's thrilling energy, earning favorable comparisons to films like "The Social Network" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." "'BlackBerry' is funny, fast and nerve-rattling," wrote Barry Hertz in The Globe and Mail . "And it is always — always — intensely entertaining."

Like "Past Lives," Raine Allen-Miller's "Rye Lane" is a romantic directorial debut that wowed the crowds at Sundance and earned near-universal critical acclaim, with a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unlike "Past Lives," however, you can't expect to see "Rye Lane" show up at the Oscars — though released theatrically in the United Kingdom, it was sent straight to Hulu and is thus branded a "TV movie" in America. It's downright criminal that it got completely snubbed at the Emmys in favor of "Hocus Pocus 2" – but who needs awards when you can still enjoy a movie this funny, charming, and visually striking?

This rom-com follows two strangers, Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah), who meet in the bathroom at an art show and spend the rest of the day together. Both are trying to deal with recent break-ups, and they have instant chemistry even as the day's escalating chaos challenges what they thought they knew about each other. Top critic Ty Burr wrote of the film, "The vibe is so infectious, the colors so happily overripe, and the soundtrack so blissful that it's hard not to fall for the damn thing."

"Joyland" was Pakistan's official entry for best international feature at the 95th Academy Awards — though it was nearly banned from theaters in its home country due to its positive depiction of a transgender woman as a potential love interest. After winning the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and Queer Palm at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival along with the Independent Spirit Award for best international film, it made its way to American indie cinemas in the spring of 2023, courtesy of Oscilloscope.

Despite its title, "Joyland" is not a film that will leave you with a smile on your face. This is a family drama that ends in tragedy, delivering a searing look at the damages that patriarchy and cis-heteronormativity can wreak on individuals. At 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, it left critics stunned. John Nugent's review in Empire called the movie "a storming debut from writer-director Saim Sadiq: emotional, tender, and quietly radical. With any luck, it will herald a new era for Pakistani cinema."

When it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2021, "Full Time" won awards for both best director (Eric Gravel) and best actress (Laura Calamy). It earned more awards following its French release in 2022, before eventually having a limited release in the United States in 2023. This is one of the less widely-seen films on this list, but at 98% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes (and 93% from audiences), those who have seen it have been extremely enthusiastic about it.

Following a single mother and hotel maid as she goes about her increasingly stressful day, "Full Time" has been praised for its thrilling intensity — earning multiple comparisons to the films of the Safdie brothers — as well as for its approach to drama. Cath Clarke from  The Guardian found its degree of realism particularly surprising, writing, "It's such an authentic and relatable film — so meticulously observed, in fact, that to be perfectly honest, I assumed it had been made by a woman."

Not to be confused with the much worse-reviewed 2023 film "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," Rodrigo Sorogoyen's "The Beasts" is a Spanish and French co-production that won nine categories including best film at Spain's Goya Awards. In this thriller inspired loosely by true events, Denis Ménochet and Marina Foïs star as a French couple trying to set up an organic farm in Galicia, where the local "hill people" aren't pleased with their presence (to put things mildly).

Earning a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Beasts" left many critics deeply unnerved, with several comparing it to John Boorman's infamously twisted "Deliverance." Writing for Variety , Peter Debruge described the film as "a deeply uncomfortable portrait of everyday evil that's all the more terrifying for being true — not the two main characters, who are fictional, but the conflict that comes to define their new life in that wild corner of northwest Spain."

Released theatrically in South Korea in 2021, Hong Sung-eun's "Aloners" didn't get a theatrical release at all in America. Instead, Film Movement has made it available for rental or purchase on various digital platforms. Judging from its Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%, the vast majority of critics who've seen it believe that it's worth renting, if not purchasing.

Gong Seung-yeon stars as Jina, a call center worker who lives in complete isolation outside of her job, but begins to open up to a new trainee (Jung Da-eun). For cultural context, Korean society has historically been very group-oriented, and the growing number of  honjok loners among younger generations was a topic of interest even before the COVID-19 pandemic made this subject matter even more universally relevant. "While the message is pat," wrote Noel Murray in the Los Angeles Times , "the way it's presented is poignant, thanks to an arresting lead performance from Gong, who manages a tricky balance of chilliness and charm."

Return to Seoul

"Return to Seoul," from writer-director Davy Chou, is another entry on this list submitted to the Oscars and other awards as a 2022 film (it won best film from the Boston Society of Film Critics) but didn't receive a commercial release in the United States until 2023. Whatever year you count it under, this international co-production with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes is among the very best, a thoughtful character study centered around what should be a star-making performance from first-time actress Ji-Min Park.

Park plays Freddie, an adoptee who grew up in France and is seeking out her birth family in South Korea. The film follows Freddie on multiple trips to Korea, taking unexpected turns as the character changes over the years in her struggle for a sense of belonging. Amy Nicholson of The New York Times raved, "'Return to Seoul' is a startling and uneasy wonder, a film that feels like a beautiful sketch of a tornado headed directly toward your house."

Huesera: The Bone Woman

The Mexican-Peruvian horror film "Huesera: The Bone Woman," directed and co-written by Michelle Garza Cervera, won the best new narrative director and Nora Ephron awards when it premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Festival. Released in 2023 in Mexican theaters and streaming exclusively on Shudder in the United States, it's one of the best-reviewed horror films of the year on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 97% rating from critics.

Centering around a pregnant woman (Natalia Solián) who gets cursed by an evil spirit, "Huesera: The Bone Woman" draws inspiration from "Rosemary's Baby" to deliver a fresh work of body horror. Based on her spine-tingling direction here, critics are hyped to see what Cervera makes next. Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News said that the film "announces the welcome arrival of a new horror filmmaker who knows how to tell a damn good, multi-layered story that has a purpose and a vision."

Released to blockbuster success in Japan in 2022 before coming to the States in 2023, "Suzume" is the latest anime from writer-director Makoto Shinkai. This fantasy adventure follows a teenage girl (Nanako Hara in Japanese, Nichole Sakura in English) traveling across Japan to stop a supernatural "worm" from causing natural disasters. As anyone who's seen a Shinkai film can expect, there's also a romance involved — but the romance is downplayed, given that the love interest (Hokuto Matsumura in Japanese, Josh Keaton in English) is magically transformed into a chair for the majority of the film.

For all its whimsical strangeness, "Suzume" still tugs at the heartstrings with its coming-of-age drama and the unusually direct way it addresses the tragedy of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%, only two points behind Shinkai's mainstream breakout "Your Name" and higher than his subsequent film "Weathering With You." Tim Robbey's review for the Daily Telegraph (UK)  called it "Shinkai's most spookily beautiful work to date, while remaining treasurably odd."

A Thousand and One

"A Thousand and One," the feature debut of writer-director A.V. Rockwell, won the grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and went on to receive a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 97%. Set in New York City over the course of the 1990s and 2000s, this drama stars Teyana Taylor as Inez de la Paz, a mother who tries to take back her son Terry (played by Aaron Kingsley Adetola at age 6, Aven Courtney at age 13, and Josiah Cross at age 17) from the foster system.

Taylor's performance earned raves, as did Rockwell's assured direction and the emotionally devastating portrayal of the systemic social failures of the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations. In her four-star review for The Washington Post , Ann Hornaday wrote, "This is a tough, beautiful, honest and bracingly hopeful movie about mutual care and unconditional love, with a transformative and indelible performance at its core."

Cristian Mungiu is among the most celebrated directors of the Romanian New Wave, with his most famous film being the 2007 Palme d'Or-winning abortion drama "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days." His latest movie, "R.M.N.," which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, is based on the 2020 Ditrău xenophobic incident, in which a mob of Hungarians violently forced Sri Lankan workers out of their town.

It's certainly not an easy watch, but those who've seen it agree it's a powerful one. The film's Rotten Tomatoes score is 96% among critics and an even higher 98% among audiences. As Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor wrote, "Mungiu does not offer an easy remedy for this toxic mess. How could he? But no one who makes a movie this vehement can fail to harbor a hope for what human beings, at their best, can be. 'R.M.N.' is the work of an outraged idealist."

The Blue Caftan

Between "Joyland" and "The Blue Caftan," 2023 is shaping up to be an impressive year for queer stories from predominantly Muslim countries. Directed and co-written by Maryam Touzani and officially submitted by Morocco for best international feature at the 95th Academy Awards, "The Blue Caftan" tells the story of a husband (Saleh Bakri) and wife (Lubna Azabal) who run a traditional caftan shop and hire an apprentice (Ayoub Missioui) — with whom the closeted husband quickly falls in love.

Critics embraced this quietly groundbreaking drama, giving it a 96% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Those who went in expecting the sort of straightforward tragedy that so often dominates gay narratives were pleasantly surprised. "What at first appears to be a story of secret lives and betrayal destined for a tragic end becomes a nuanced portrait of unconditional love and acceptance at its most radical," wrote Chris Shields at Sight and Sound .

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

If you've only seen one film on this list, it's probably "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." The sequel to the groundbreaking animated film "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is one of the most popular films of 2023 and is widely agreed to be in the same league as its predecessor. On Rotten Tomatoes, "Across the Spider-Verse" currently holds a 95% critics' rating, just two points below that of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (the audience scores are tied at 94%).

Co-directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson from a screenplay by David Callaham and producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, "Across the Spider-Verse" delivers more of everything people loved from the first movie: More Spider-people, more inventive animation styles, more comedy and action and emotion. The one thing it doesn't have is a more satisfying ending — viewers will have to wait for "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" for an actual narrative conclusion. Even superhero skeptics loved this movie, with Adam Nayman at The Ringer calling it "smart stuff, leaps and bounds beyond Marvel's snarky hegemony."

When it premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, "Blue Jean" won the Giornate Degli Autori's People's Choice Award. It later earned writer-director George Oakley and producer Hélène Sifre BAFTA Award nominations for outstanding debut by a British writer, director, or producer. When it hit American theaters in summer 2023, critics in the U.S. ended up liking it just as much as critics in the U.K. The film holds a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

This story about a closeted lesbian physical education teacher (Rosy McEwen) in 1988 — the same year Section 28 banned "promotion of homosexuality" in British schools — proves scarily relevant to current concerns about rising homophobic and transphobic legislation. "[All] of this might have come across as didactic and blandly worthy," wrote the Financial Times ' Leslie Felperin, "but Oakley evokes a strong sense of period with gritty, grainy cinematography that harks back to the look of 1980s British drama."

Gabriel Bier Gislason's "Attachment" was released in Denmark in 2022, and in the United States, it's streaming exclusively on Shudder. This genre-bending film's first act is essentially a lesbian romantic comedy, with Danish actress Maja (Josephine Park) and British Jewish academic Leah (Ellie Kendrick) instantly hitting it off at Christmas. However, when Leah has to return home to her mother (Sofia Gråbøl) due to health issues, the story shifts in the direction of psychological horror, with a great deal of mystery and creative usage of Jewish folklore.

Though it has a 95% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, most reviews were relatively mixed, leaning positive but not as passionately as most other films on this list — for comparison, it only has a 64 rating on Metacritic. Megan Navarro's review for Bloody Disgusting  was emblematic of this mixed-positive consensus: "The horror allegory for codependency told through Orthodox Judaism reinvigorates an oft-stale subgenre, even though Gislason's simple resolution can't avoid possession pitfalls by the journey's end."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

The highest-rated 2023 summer blockbuster among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a Tomatometer score of 96%, is one of the year's biggest surprises. Critics have not been fond of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise in the past, to put it kindly. Still, the animated reboot "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," directed by Jeff Rowe, is a significant artistic step up from previous cinematic incarnations of the heroes in a half-shell.

Reviews highly praised the film's animation, which makes use of the technical innovations of the "Spider-Verse" films for a rougher and grittier style, as well as its youthful energy and sense of humor. Liz Shannon Miller at Consequence was one of many who found it a breath of fresh air amidst a sea of lesser corporate blockbusters: "In a time when so much of what we consume can feel plastic and cheap and mass-produced, it's the human touch we come to crave — especially when it leads to something as fun as this."

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

The confusingly-titled "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" might have underwhelmed at the box office compared to previous installments in the spy series, but with 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, the Christopher McQuarrie-directed action extravaganza is the second-best reviewed "Mission: Impossible" film, behind only 2018's "Mission: Impossible — Fallout." For the record, 96% is the same Tomatometer score another Tom Cruise-starring movie, "Top Gun: Maverick," earned last summer.

Love him or hate him, Cruise is a master when it comes to stunts, delivering physical spectacles that demand to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Though action always takes precedence in these movies, the story of "Dead Reckoning Part One" also earned acclaim, especially in the way it addresses topical concerns about artificial intelligence. "Relentlessness of this order ought to be chilling," wrote Anthony Lane for the New Yorker . "Not so. Instead, we are stirred and amused by a preternatural sight: men as little machines."

The First Slam Dunk

The CG anime "The First Slam Dunk" is the only narrative film of 2023 to maintain a "Certified Fresh" score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes through the end of the year. Writer/director Takehiko Inoe adapted the final arc of his own classic basketball manga "Slam Dunk," and the result was one of Japan's biggest box office hits of the year. While the source material might not be as nostalgically familiar to American audiences, the movie is fortunately easy to follow without background knowledge, as flashbacks presenting the players' backstories are seamlessly intercut with the action of the game itself.

"The First Slam Dunk" is one of the highlights of what's been a great year for Japanese cinema and for hybrids of 2D art with 3D animation. David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote of the film, "No movie has so literally reduced basketball to 'just a game,' and no movie this side of 'Hoop Dreams' has so ecstatically conveyed why it's also so much more than that."

Godzilla Minus One

Produced as the kick-off to the 70th anniversary celebration for the "Godzilla" franchise, Takashi Yamazaki's "Godzilla Minus One" has become something of a phenomenon among the American moviegoing public. Its Rotten Tomatoes critic and audience scores are tied at 98%, and it became the highest grossing live-action Japanese film at the North American box office within a week of release.

Not only is the film very good, but it's good in ways people are genuinely surprised to find in a kaiju movie. "Did not have 'Cry During a Godzilla Movie' on my 2023 bingo card but here we are," said Brian Gill on the Mad About Movies Podcast . Set in the aftermath of World War II, "Minus One" revisits the nuclear horror of the original 1954 "Godzilla" film. But by focusing on underdog civilian perspectives and Japanese trauma over its defeat in the war, it delivers what might be the most emotionally powerful human story in the series.

The Teacher's Lounge

"The Teachers' Lounge," directed and co-written by İlker Çatak, is the winner of five German Film Awards (out of seven nominations) and became the country's official submission for the best international film award at the 96th Academy Awards. It's one of the best-reviewed films of 2023, with a 98% fresh score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes — though its audience score is in the "rotten" range. Why this huge gap ? A reasonable explanation is that "The Teachers' Lounge" makes the viewer feel uncomfortable via the characters' escalating bad decisions. Like the similarly discomforting "Uncut Gems," critics applaud how the film successfully accomplishes this goal, though the intention itself isn't appreciated by all viewers.

The film follows Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch), a middle school math and gym teacher, as she tries to investigate a pattern of thefts happening in her classroom. Matt Zoller Seitz praised how the film takes this grounded premise to heights of intensity in his review for  RogerEbert.com , writing, "It's not easy to make an intense thriller about things that could actually happen. But when one appears, it's glorious."

Fallen Leaves

Aki Kaurismäki is perhaps Finland's most notable auteur, directing dry comedies with a distinctive minimalist style and close attention to the struggles of his country's working class. "Fallen Leaves," his latest film, is a rom-com of sorts about a lonely woman working odd jobs (Alma Pöysti) who crosses paths with a similarly lonely alcoholic man (Jussi Vatanen). Its critics score on Rotten Tomatoes currently stands at 98%.

"Fallen Leaves" won the jury prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and has gone on to receive bountiful awards recognition, including a surprising but deserving best actress (musical or comedy) nomination for Pöysti. The Ringer 's Adam Nayman wrote of the film, "Faced with a bruised and battered world, 'Fallen Leaves' merely soothes it, and that's enough; of all the movies released in 2023, it's the one with the most humane, satisfying ache." A bonus point in its favor: in a year filled with three-hour-long epics, "Fallen Leaves" is able make all its points within a compact 81 minutes.

The Taste of Things

Trần Anh Hùng won the best director award at Cannes for the foodie romantic drama "The Taste of Things." France selected the film as its official submission to the 96th Academy Awards — a move that prompted some controversy given the snubbing of another movie on this list. But critics aren't holding that dispute against "The Taste of Things," which has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98% as we write this.

Set in 1885, the movie stars Benoît Magimel as restaurant owner Dodin Bouffant and Juliette Binoche as his star chef Eugénie. The meticulously prepared, gorgeously filmed dishes shared between the characters serve as expressions of their love. It's extremely traditional and extremely French, but familiarity isn't a knock against a film so expertly crafted. "Lingering on the tongue like a sip of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the film leaves one feeling a little drunk, desperately hungry and entirely alive," wrote Zachary Barnes in The Wall Street Journal .

"Shayda," written and directed by Noora Niasari, tells the story of an Iranian immigrant (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) and her daughter (Selina Zahednia) living in a women's shelter in Australia — and what happens when her abusive, estranged husband (Osamah Sami) reenters their lives. As of this writing, only a single negative review keeps the film short of a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, although its 98% rating is still mighty impressive.

Sundance attendees loved Niasari's tense feminist drama, giving it the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Australia selected "Shayda" as its entry for best international film at the 96th Academy Awards, though it missed the shortlist. Some reviews were relatively muted in their praise, finding parts of it predictable, but as Deadline 's Damon Wise put it, "Even at its most conventional, Niasari's film is always respectful of the reality behind its fiction, alluding to the full spectrum of domestic abuse in the obliquely glimpsed stories of the women who pass through Shayda's shelter."

The Innocent

Louis Garrell, the son of French New Wave filmmaker Philippe Garrell, is best known as an actor (he has a supporting role in another film on this list), but he's also been directing movies as well — this nepo-baby's got talent! With a 98% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, the heist comedy "The Innocent" is his best-reviewed directorial work thus far. Released in 2022 in France, it was the most nominated movie at the 48th César Awards, with 11 nominations. It won two categories: best original screenplay and best supporting actress for Noémie Merlant.

More than anything else, critics described "The Innocent" as fun. While full-on raves were few (its Metacritic score is only 68), the mix of genres, a fast pace, and a wacky sense of humor was almost universally agreed upon as solid popcorn entertainment. Critic and comedian Ian Thomas Malone wrote of the film, "'The Innocent' thoroughly marches to the beat of its own drum, a tender comedy that finds ample meaning within the simple mechanics of narrative."

The Three Musketeers: Part 1 -- D'Artagnan

From "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" to "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" to "Fast X" to "Rebel Moon: Part 1 — A Child of Fire," 2023 might as well be called "the year of the 'Part 1.'" You can add Martin Bourboulon's "The Three Musketeers: Part 1 — D'Artagnan" to the list of the year's incomplete blockbusters, though French audiences already got to enjoy its follow-up, "Part 2 — Milady," over the 2023 holiday season (Americans will have to wait for the second part in 2024).

The latest adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic swashbuckler novel, starring François Civil as D'Artagnan and Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï, and Romain Duris as the three musketeers, may be one of the best cinematic interpretations yet, judging from its 98% fresh rating among critics. Empire magazine 's Lillian Crawford described it as "an epic adaptation worthy of [the novel's] scope, rendered in delicious French by its dangerously sexy cast."

Maryna Er Gorbach's "Klondike," about a family living on the border of Russia and Ukraine at the start of the war in 2014, was already winning awards at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The escalation of the conflict underlined the importance of this film, which continued to wow crowds and win awards at film festivals around the world and became Ukraine's official submission to the 95th Academy Awards.

Finally getting an American theatrical release from Samuel Goldwyn Films in August 2023, "Klondike" has a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. "'Klondike' is certainly not an easy watch," wrote Katie Walsh in the Los Angeles Times , "but it is a profound one — a film that feels both prescient and retrospective about Ukraine, locked in what seems a never-ending existential conflict with its neighbor."

When Evil Lurks

Search for "When Evil Lurks" on Google Images and most of the top results will be blurred out if you have Safe Search on. It's that kind of horror movie , filled to the brim with blood, guts, and downright shocking displays of graphic violence — sometimes with children and animals involved. And yet this Argentinian possession story from director Demián Rugna isn't just going for shock value — if it was, it probably wouldn't have a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%.

"What makes Demián Rugna's film so effective is not the gore or the idea of a demonic contagion," said Alison Willmore in her write-up of the movie for Vulture . "It's the way that the weaknesses of human nature, on both a personal and a systemic level, make stopping the corruption almost impossible once it appears." This might not be a film everyone can stomach, but those who can come away impressed.

"Fremont," directed and co-written by Babak Jalali, stars first-time actress Anaita Wali Zada as Donya, a former U.S. military translator in Afghanistan who now works at a fortune cookie factory. Co-starring comedian Gregg Turkington and Jeremy Allan White from "The Bear," this low-key character study has a 97% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film's dry comedy, deliberate pacing, and black-and-white cinematography have prompted a lot of comparisons to the films of Jim Jarmusch. While many have described the film as "slight" or warned that it might be too uneventful for some viewers, critics have responded positively to the strength of its characterization. Reviewing it for The Stranger , Chase Hutcherson wrote, "A film in which the most 'exciting' thing to happen is that someone goes for a drive, 'Fremont' is a gem of small storytelling that becomes deceptively vast the longer you sit with it. It is as patient as it is playfully poetic."

Hirokazu Kore-eda has one of the strongest track records of all currently working directors — every film he's directed with enough reviews for a Tomatometer rating has a fresh one. Such is the case with "Monster," his latest thriller, which has earned a 97% approval from critics. This mystery, gradually unraveling through the presentation of three different characters' perspectives, is as adept at exploring complex social issues and painfully intense emotions as any of Kore-eda's best films.

"Monster" won two awards at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival: best screenplay and another award we won't name here since it arguably counts as a spoiler for the film's third act. While critics didn't universally concur on whether the distinctive multi-perspective structure was mostly effective or overly manipulative, they generally agreed that it ends up in a powerful place. "Despite its sometimes overwrought mystery-tale gambits," wrote Mark Jenkins in The Washington Post , "'Monster' ultimately shifts from a saga of fateful misunderstanding to one of mutual comprehension."

The Holdovers

After the disappointment of 2017's sci-fi flop "Downsizing," Alexander Payne has returned to form with "The Holdovers." Set in 1970 and filmed to look like a movie from that era, this dramedy stars Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, a curmudgeonly classics professor assigned to look after students "held over" at a boarding school during Christmas vacation. First-time actor Dominic Sessa plays Angus Tully, one such "holdover" with a particularly complicated family situation, while Da'Vine Joy Randolph plays Mary Lamb, the cafeteria lady mourning her son killed in Vietnam.

All three actors have been picking up awards left and right, with Randolph nearly sweeping critics' awards for supporting actress. With 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, this is one of the consensus crowdpleasers of the fall movie season. Leah Greenblatt of Esquire magazine praised the film's throwback quality: "It may not be the future of filmmaking, but for two hours at least, the past has rarely felt more present."

Anatomy of a Fall

Justine Triet's "Anatomy of a Fall," a relationship drama wrapped up inside a murder procedural, won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at Cannes. With 96% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it's proven a favorite of critics, who have showered it with awards for best international film — though it won't repeat those wins at the Oscars due to France snubbing the film as its official submission, possibly for political reasons.

One major key to the film's success is its provocative ambiguity — the story, and Sandra Hüller's brilliant leading performance therein, can be read in two different yet equally valid and compelling ways. Wendy Ide emphasized this appeal in her review for The Guardian , writing, "Ultimately, one of the key pleasures of the picture is its uncertainty — the niggling doubts that remain, and the sense that a crucial piece of the puzzle is tantalizingly out of reach."

The Boy and the Heron

Any Hayao Miyazaki movie is an event, but "The Boy and the Heron," the director's latest failed attempt at retiring, has been embraced by critics with an enthusiasm beyond that which has greeted most of his films. Its Rotten Tomatoes score of 96% is tied with that of consensus favorite "Spirited Away" and behind only the 98% score for "Kiki's Delivery Service." The American moviegoing public has also embraced this distinctively odd fantasy, breaking records for an original anime film at the US box office.

There's a lot going on in "The Boy and the Heron": scenes taken from Miyazaki's childhood, the horrors of World War II, reflections on the fate of Studio Ghibli, different aspects of life and death colliding in adorably animated metaphors, and hungry fascist parakeets, among other things. In  The Boston Globe , Odie Henderson called it "a triumphant film that, as expected, is as enthralling as it is occasionally confounding. I have seen 'The Boy and the Heron' twice, yet still cannot fully explain it to you."

Birth/Rebirth

"Poor Things" (which narrowly missed this list with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes) isn't the only feminist take on "Frankenstein" to excite genre fans this year. "Birth/Rebirth," directed and co-written by Laura Moss, offers a uniquely disturbing twist on the tropes introduced in Mary Shelley's classic. Here, the mad doctor (Marin Ireland) obsessed with bringing the dead back to life finds her perfect test subject when a nurse (Judy Reyes) loses her six-year-old daughter (A.J. Lister) to a sudden illness. Inevitably, things go very bad.

Premiering as part of the Sundance Film Festival's midnight line-up, "Birth/Rebirth" has gone on to earn three Independent Spirit Award nominations and a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As K. Austin Collins wrote in Rolling Stone , "The movie is freaky. But it never feigns to become a mere freakshow. It works, in part, because it hurts. It works because it defers that hurt until, at long last, it cannot be avoided."

Similar to fellow Sundance premiere "A Thousand and One," "Earth Mama" explores the struggles of a Black single mother whose children are caught in the foster care system. Writer/director Savannah Leaf drew inspiration for this fictionalized narrative from the true stories depicted in "The Heart Still Hums," a documentary short film she co-directed with Taylor Russell. Not only is this Leaf's feature directing debut, but it's also the first time rapper Tia Nomore has acted — and she's excellent playing a deeply flawed but strongly sympathetic character.

This sad yet hopeful film flew under the radar during its summer release (box office numbers weren't even reported), but it's been recognized as one of the best independent films of the year by the National Board of Review, earned best first feature and best breakthrough performance nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards, and a score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Little White Lies ' David Jenkins called it "the first insanely good entry into what we can hope will be a long and winding career behind the camera."

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Wes Anderson's "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar," based on the short story of the same name by Roald Dahl, is an odd duck of a film. It's the only short film to qualify for this list, though at 39 minutes in length, it's as long as a short film can be without technically qualifying as a feature for awards purposes. It's also perhaps the most directly faithful literary adaptation ever filmed, with stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayaode, Dev Patel, and Ralph Fiennes reading practically every word of the short story while enacting it on stylized theatrical sets.

With a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, "Henry Sugar" proved less divisive than Anderson's 2023 feature "Asteroid City" (75%). Perhaps it's just because fewer critics reviewed it, or perhaps the short format and the strength of Dahl's fantasy made it more involving for those more reticent towards Anderson's style. In her video review with Breakfast All Day , Christy Lemire said, "I think this is the just the right bite-size amount of Wes Anderson ... I kind of feel like shorts are an excellent use of his style [and] his voice."

Anderson also directed three other Dahl-based shorts for Netflix this year, and while the others don't have enough reviews to be "Certified Fresh," it's worth noting that "The Rat Catcher" is currently at 100%.

They Cloned Tyrone

Usually when a live-action film released by Netflix gets rave reviews from critics, it's either a film festival acquisition or some Oscar-seeking project from an established auteur. This makes it a pleasant surprise that "They Cloned Tyrone," an unpretentious sci-fi comedy from a first-time director (Juel Taylor) released during the summer movie season, turned out not only good but nearly unanimously praised, with a 95% rating from critics (the verified audience rating is 100%).

Reviewers praised the movie's clever stylistic homage to classic blaxploitation films, its integration of social commentary into a wacky mystery, and the chemistry of the film's three main stars, John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx (nominated for best supporting performance at the Gotham Awards). Empire magazine 's Amon Warmann described it as "a stylish, laugh-out-loud blast that has something to say but doesn't sacrifice enjoyment to do so, anchored by a trio of great performances."

In a year where Disney's big releases mostly floundered both critically and commercially , there's something oddly cathartic about one of the year's best-reviewed animated films being one that Disney almost killed. "Nimona," based on N.D. Stevenson's webcomic about a shapeshifter pursuing "villainy" in defiance of an oppressive medieval-futuristic regime, was initially in the works at Fox's Blue Sky Studios until Disney shut the studio down. Fortunately, the movie got a second life thanks to Netflix, Annapurna Pictures, and DNEG Animation, with former Blue Sky animators Nick Bruno and Troy Quane directing.

The finished "Nimona" earned a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score and multiple award nominations for best animated film. It's earned praise for its stylized animation, offbeat humor, and, perhaps most significantly, its handling of both textual and subtextual LGBTQ+ themes. "'Nimona' is set to be one of the great films of 2023 for queer representation and positivity," wrote Pat Mullen in  Xtra magazine . "It's refreshing to see a film that's more concerned with getting it right than getting it done first."

Carolina Cavalli, an Italian filmmaker who also co-wrote fellow list entry "Fremont," made her directorial debut with the coming-of-age comedy "Amanda," released in Italy in 2022 before coming to American arthouses in 2023. Benedetta Porcaroli plays the title character, a self-obsessed 24-year-old trying and failing to get a boyfriend but in desperate need of making  any kind of friend.

This protagonist has sparked some strong feelings from critics, with many finding her frustrating to watch. But thanks to Porcaroli's strong performance, this sense of frustration cohered into something compelling and funny enough that the film managed to get a 95% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. "I got very impatient with this film," said Amy Nicholson in her mixed but ultimately positive review for NPR Los Angeles' FilmWeek , "but the one thing that holds your attention is Benedetta Porcaroli. She's astounding, and she makes you like it better than you should."

23 highest-rated Netflix movies that are 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes

These Netflix movies are required viewing

Let’s be frank, Netflix movies don’t have the best reputation , especially the Netflix Originals. That little red “N” logo on a movie poster is often less of a seal of approval, and has become a warning to skip rather than stream. That doesn’t mean the streamer never gets it right. In fact, there are plenty of Netflix movies that aren’t just good, but downright great — a few are legit masterpieces. And, of course, Netflix's movies aren't just limited to those it produces, as we've just added two critically-acclaimed titles it licensed in.

Here at Tom’s Guide, putting together a list of our favorite Netflix movies involves days of debate — as our staffers disagree on many picks. And while we relish those polite arguments, sometimes it’s good to look at the bigger picture. In this case, that means taking a look at review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes , which offers a broad critical consensus that helps provide insight to help us pick the Netflix movies that truly deserve top billing. 

Once you're done with this list, though, peep the list of new Netflix movies in 2023 to see what's on deck and see what new Netflix titles to watch this weekend. As for what Netflix has just added, we've got the latest batch of the best new Netflix movies that are 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes based on February additions.

Now we’re not suggesting these are the only Netflix movies worth watching. For starters, I think crime thriller Windfall is hugely underrated (and it scored only 59% on RT). However, if you’re looking for something new to watch on Netflix you really can’t go wrong with any of these 23 options. So without any more preamble, these are the highest-rated Netflix movies with a high Rotten Tomatoes score that you watch right now.  

Call Me by Your Name (2002)

While not a Netflix Original (which means it's not likely to stay here forever), Call Me by Your Name a fantastic and critically acclaimed film that just recently returned to Netflix. Call Me By Your name was also the big break for director Luca Guadagnino, who's gone on to make similarly complexed and nuanced films.

Call Me by Your Name gives audiences the vantage point of young 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet), who is as inexperienced as he is pretentious. On vacation with his family in Italy — while his father (Michael Stuhlbarg) is working on his academic studies — Elio meets Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old interning with Elio's father.

While Elio and Oliver don't click at first, they soon actually find a spark. Unfortunately, it doesn't end as well as both parties would prefer. – Henry T. Casey

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Genre: Romantic drama Rotten Tomatoes score: 94% Stream it on Netflix

The Woman King (2022)

The Woman King is based on the impressive and intimidating all-women army of the Agojie tribe, from the Dahomey Kingdom in West Africa. This film sees General Nanisca (Viola Davis) working both to prepare her new class of warriors to protect the region from colonizers, and disagreeing with King Ghezo (John Boyega).

We should note that The Woman King got hit with a boycott, with some arguing it glosses over the Dahomey Kingdom's involvement in the slave trade. That said, if you're going into The Woman King for a film that's less of a historical document than a feel-good action movie with some basis in reality, you'll be entertained. Davis and Boyega may be the stars, but Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu earned critical applause for their supporting roles. – Henry T. Casey

Genre: Action/Drama Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Watch on Netflix right now

 Marriage Story (2019)

Inspired by the breakup of his own marriage, director/writer Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story is sort of like Kramer vs Kramer for the modern age. Carried by towering leading performances from Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, this emotionally charged film follows a theater director and his leading lady as their relationship dissolves. The filmmaking on display is excellent throughout, but it’s the nearly flawless screenplay that holds the whole picture together. – Rory Mellon

Genre: Drama Rotten Tomatoes score: 95% Stream it on Netflix

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Spike Lee doesn’t do half-measures, and he goes all in on Da 5 Bloods. The film focuses on a group of Vietnam vets who return to the country in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader. The central foursome — Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters and Norm Lewis — are excellent, as is the late Chadwick Boseman as the leader of the Bloods in several flashback sequences. Commenting on both the past and the present, Da 5 Bloods is a gripping post-war movie that will have you laughing and crying throughout its lengthy 156 minute runtime. – RM Genre: War Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% Stream it on Netflix

The Irishman (2019)

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman spent years in development hell and at one point it looked as if the project was destined to never see the light of day. Thankfully all that waiting, and perseverance from the famed director, was worth it. It may be almost three and a half hours long but The Irishman holds your attention throughout. Reuniting Scorsese with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, The Irishman tells the tale of a truck driver turned mobster with focus on his swift rise and inevitable fall. Although the digital de-aging tech is a mixed bag, it’s a gangster movie that hits hard.  – RM

Genre: Crime Rotten Tomaotes score: 95% Stream on Netflix

 Roma (2018)

A passion project for director Alfonso Cuarón, Roma is a semi-autobiographical recount of his own upbringing in Mexico City.  Cuarón rightly won Best Director at the Academy Awards for this deeply personal film about family, loss and growing up. Actress Yalitza Aparicio is truly phenomenal as Cleo, a maid helping a mother take care of her four children in the 1970s. If one film on this list is going to make you tear up, it’ll almost certainly be Roma.  – RM

Genre: Drama Rotten Tomatoes score: 96% Stream it on Netflix

The Two Popes (2019)

Based on true events, The Two Popes is a real actors movie giving legends of the screen Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce the chance to shine. The film sees Hopkin’s play Pope Benedict XVI as he seeks to convince Jorge Mario Bergoglio (who is now the serving Pope) to reconsider his decision to resign as an archbishop. It might not sound the most thrilling concept on paper, but the interplay between Hopkin and Pryce keeps the film comfortably ticking along across its entire two-hour runtime. – RM

Genre: Drama Rotten Tomatoes score: 90% Stream on Netflix

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

One of the first Netflix Original movies to make waves on the awards circuit, Beasts of No Nation sees Idris Elba play a fierce African warlord who takes in a young boy named Agu (Abraham Attah) in order to train him to fight in his guerrilla army. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga has since gone on to helm Daniel Craig’s last Bond outing, No Time to Die, and directed and produced the first season of HBO’s True Detective, but Beasts of No Nation arguably remains his best work.    – RM

Genre: War Rotten Tomatoes score: 91% Stream on Netflix

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

We definitely didn’t need a follow-up to Breaking Bad in the form of a feature-length movie, but El Camino proved there was another story worth telling in this universe. Serving as an epilogue to the original series, El Camino follows Jesse Pinkman as he seeks to evade the cops and leave New Mexico behind forever. The film’s narrative does spin its wheels a little, but the strength of the performances from Aaron Paul and Jesse Plemons are once again top-notch. And necessary or not, it’s nice to get some closure after Breaking Bad’s slightly ambiguous ending.  – RM

Genre: Thriller Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% Stream it on Netflix

Dolemite is My Name (2019)  

Dolemite is My Name sees Eddie Murphy play Rudy Ray Moore, the larger-than-life performer better known under his stage name, you guessed it, Dolemite. Murphy completely loses himself in the role and was rightly nominated for a Golden Globe for his work. The film’s unique comedy styling also helps set it apart. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself needing to pause Dolemite is My Name in order to compose yourself after some of its best gags.  – RM

Genre: Comedy Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% Stream it on Netflix

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Did we need another feature-film adaptation of the 1929 novel All Quiet on the Western Front? Probably not, the 1930 Best Picture-winning original is still a hugely powerful watch. Netflix’s effort from last year just about stands shoulder to shoulder with the older versions of this film. The movie follows an idealistic 17-year-old named Paul who enlists in the Imperial German Army during the First World War. His head stuffed full of propaganda and believing he's set to become a war hero, the brutal realities of the harrowing conflict soon rock the schoolboy to his core. This staunchly anti-war picture is a hard watch, but it’s also a timely reminder that in war there are no real winners.   – RM

Genre: War Rotten Tomatoes score: 91% Stream it on Netflix

Uncorked (2020)

Strained family relationships are something that many of us can relate to, and it’s those dynamics that Uncorked plays with. Mamoudou Athie plays Elijah, a wannabe sommelier struggling to deal with the expectations of his demanding father (Courtney B. Vance) who insists that Elijah will take over the family barbecue business. A deeply tender film about personal aspirations and growing into the person you want to be, much like a fine wine, Uncorked should be savored.  – RM

Genre: Drama Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% Stream it on Netflix

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)

Crip Camp is a Netflix documentary film that focuses on a summer camp in New York named Camp Jened. Described as a “loose, free-spirited camp designed for teens with disabilities,” the film focuses on the loveable cast of campers and their fight for stronger accessibility laws. Regardless of whether you’ve been to summer camp or not, Crip Camp is sure to strike a chord with you. And frankly there’s something refreshing about a Netflix doc that isn’t in the true crime genre.   – RM   

Genre: Documentary Rotten Tomatoes score: 100% Stream it on Netflix

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

While some of the best Netflix movies are prestigious dramas, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is one of the best Netflix movies in ages and also very easy to watch. Almost akin to a bag of chips you can't stop eating, Glass Onion is a very fun watch. In it, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back with another mystery on his hands, but not the one he or you will expect. The mystery unravels in an incredibly modern situation — tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) has invited his merry band of influencers to a private island — and riffs on most aspects of modern culture. Kate Hudson (who plays the dim-witted Birdie) gets most of the best lines, which she delivers with a perfect lack of awareness. – Henry T. Casey

Genre: Comedy/Mystery Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% Watch it on Netflix

Descendant (2022)

While many an education included a history lesson or few on the slave trade, the story of Africatown is one that's gone under the radar for many. This region (found near Mobile, Alabama) is finally getting its spotlight thanks to director Margaret Brown's film Descendant. In it, the descendants of those aboard the last known ship to smuggle stolen Africans to America finally get the chance to tell their own story. An engrossing film that reminds us all of the need to pass down truths that haven't been told to a wider audience, Descendant is a must-see. – HTC

Genre: Documentary Rotten Tomatoes score: 100% S tream it on Netflix

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Helmed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, in her feature film directional debut, The Lost Daughter follows an older woman (Olivia Coleman) who becomes obsessed with a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter while holidaying alone. Coleman is truly phenomenal in the leading role and rightfully received a wave of awards nominations for her performance. But it should be noted that The Lost Daughter is actually a fairly divisive movie. While its RT score from critics is almost perfect, its audience rating is far less impressive at just 52%. So be mindful, this ambitious flick won’t be to everybody’s tastes. – RM

Genre: Drama Rotten Tomatoes score: 94% Stream it on Netflix

Mudbound (2017)

Set in the American South during World War II, Mudbound is a story of two families made enemies by the social hierarchy of the times but bonded together by shared farmland in the Mississippi Delta. Packing an ensemble cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Rob Morgan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jonathan Banks and Mary J. Blige, Mudbound boasts tour-de-force performances all over the place. But it’s the emotionally devastating ending that will truly stick with you. One of the earliest examples of a Netflix Original movie that really made waves. – RM

Genre: Drama Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% Stream it on Netflix

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

Considering its produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who also worked on Spider-Man : into the Spider-verse and The Lego Movie, it should come as little surprise to learn that The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a delightfully fresh animated movie. Focused on the eponymous family, the zany flick sees the Mitchell's road trip vacation disrupted when the world's electronic devices come together to stage an uprising. It's now down to the bumbling family foursome (and their beloved pet pooch) to save the world. We're doomed!  – RM

Genre: Animation Rotten Tomatoes: 97% Stream it on Netflix

The Tinder Swindler (2022)

Netflix offered a tidal wave of true crime in 2022, and one of the streamer's most popular documentary offerings of last year was undoubtedly The Tinder Swindler. Centred on the exploits of conman Simon Leviev, it showcased how he was able to use the popular dating application to connect with various individuals across the world and manipulate them into supporting his lavish lifestyle. The Tinder Swindler is the perfect blend of shocking and compelling, and it's all packaged together with highly polished production values. After watching this feature-length true crime doc you just might find yourself deleting all your dating profiles. – RM

Genre: Documentary Rotten Tomatoes: 97% Stream it on Netflix

Hustle (2022)

Adam Sandler doesn't just make movies for Netflix that involve copious amounts of fart jokes. Hustle is a sports drama movie that sees Sandler play an NBA scout who discovers a raw but very talented basketball player in Spain (Juancho Hernangómez) and sets out to prepare him for that season's NBA draft. It's an against-type performance from Sandler that earned him his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and a well-time reminder that while he may often plight his trade in toilet humor he's actually a very talented drama actor as well. – RM 

Genre: Drama Rotten Tomatoes: 93% Stream it on Netflix

Matilda the Musical (2022)

Based on the Tony-award-winning stage production of the same name, Matilda the Musical is an all-singing all-dancing retelling of the beloved Roald Dahl book. It sees Alisha Weir play the eponymous young child who is neglected by her parents and mistreated at school by the sinister Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson) but develops magical powers that help her overcome the obstacles in her life. With new songs written by original composer Tim Minchin, Matilda the Musical is sure to be a family favorite for years to come. – RM

Genre: Musical Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Stream it on Netflix

 Enola Holmes (2020)

Enola Holmes follows the teenage sister of world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes as she attempts to strike out on her own and prove herself equally adept at solving mysteries. But what starts out as a search for her missing mother soon becomes a whole lot bigger as a plot that threatens the entire United Kingdom comes to light. Millie Bobby Brown, most well-known for her role in Stranger Things, stars in the eponymous role while Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin and Helena Bonham Carter also feature. Plus, if you enjoy this zippy mystery film, it's now part of a franchise. Enola Holmes 2 was released on Netflix last year and pulled an even more impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes . – RM

Genre: Adventure Rotten Tomatoes: 91% Stream it on Netflix

Miss Americana (2020)

Taylor Swift continues to be one of the biggest stars in the world, and this 2020 documentary offers an exclusive sneak peek behind the scenes at her life. It primarily covers a tumultuous period of Swift’s career that saw her struggle against a sizeable social media backlash as well as voice her political opinions in public for the first time. There’s also a smattering of behind-the-scenes concert footage from Swift’s 2018 Reputation Stadium tour, and plenty of insight into the recording of her seventh studio album Lover. One of Netflix’s best biographical docs to date, this slickly-presented film just might convert you to a Swiftie, if you're not one already! – RM

Genre: Documentary Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Stream it on Netflix

Read next: I canceled Netflix for these three streaming services

Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team. 

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30 Highest Rated Movies of all Time: Movies With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

For 23 years, Rotten Tomatoes has been the go-to for those looking to get the scoop on what is new in movies. Aggregating opinions from fans and critics across the country, Rotten Tomatoes uses its “Tomatometer” system to calculate critical reception for any given film. If 60% of reviews are positive, the movie is given a “Fresh” status, but if positive reviews fall below that benchmark, it is deemed “Rotten.” A popular piece of media will typically fall between the 70-90% range, but rarely, a project will receive a 100% score. This means every last review from critics was positive.

Close to 480 films with at least 20 reviews have achieved a 100% score, with many coming very close. Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” had a 100% rating with 196 positive reviews before a critic submitted a negative one, knocking it down to 99%. The immortal classic “Citizen Kane” had a 100% rating until a negative review from a 1941 issue of the Chicago Tribune was rediscovered, revoking its 100% status.

Here are Rotten Tomatoes’ highest-rated movies that have managed to maintain a 100% score and have the highest number of reviews.

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

“The Philadelphia Story” is based on the 1939 Broadway play and follows a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the arrival of her ex-husband and a tabloid magazine journalist. Directed by George Cukor, he film stars Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart and Ruth Hussey.

“It’s definitely not a celluloid adventure for wee lads and lassies and no doubt some of the faithful watchers-out for other people’s souls are going to have a word about that,” Variety ‘s review said. “…All of which, in addition to a generous taste of socialite quaffing to excess and talk of virtue, easy and uneasy, makes “The Philadelphia Story” a picture every suburban mamma and poppa must see – after Junior and little Elsie Dinsmore are tucked away.”

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Christmas musical film “Meet Me in St. Louis” follows a year of the Smith family’s life in St. Louis leading up to the opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, in the spring of 1904. The film stars Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, Marjorie Main, June Lockhart and Joan Carroll and directed by Vincente Minnelli, who Garland later married.

“‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ is wholesome in story [from the book by Sally Benson], colorful both in background and its literal Technicolor, and as American as the World’s Series,” Variety ‘s review said. “Garland achieves true stature with her deeply understanding performance, while her sisterly running-mate, Lucille Bremer, likewise makes excellent impact with a well-balanced performance.”

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

The musical romantic comedy “Singin’ In the Rain” follows three Hollywood stars in the late 1920s dealing with the transition from silent films to talkies. Starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor, the movie was one of the first 25 films selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

“‘Singin’ In the Rain’ is a fancy package of musical entertainment with wide appeal and bright grossing prospects,” Variety ‘s review said. “Concocted by Arthur Freed with showmanship know-how, it glitters with color, talent and tunes, and an infectious air that will click with ticket buyers in all types of situations.”

Seven Samurai (1954)

Epic samurai action film “Seven Samurai” follows the story of a village of farmers in 1586 who seek to hire samurai to protect their crops from thieves. The film was the most expensive movie made in Japan at the time.

“Director Akira Kurosawa has given this a virile mounting,” Variety ‘s review said. “It is primarily a man’s film, with the brief romantic interludes also done with taste. Each character is firmly molded. Toshiro Mifune as the bold, hairbrained but courageous warrior weaves a colossal portrait. He dominates the picture although he has an extremely strong supporting cast.”

The Terminator (1984)

Sci-fi action film “The Terminator” follows a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose son will one day save mankind from extinction from artificial intelligence, Skynet. Co-written and directed by James Cameron and co-written and produced by Gale Anne Hurd, the film topped the U.S. box office for two weeks and grossed $78.3 million.

“‘The Terminator,’ which opens today at Loews State and other theaters, is a B-movie with flair. Much of it, as directed by James Cameron (‘Piranha II’), has suspense and personality, and only the obligatory mayhem becomes dull,” wrote Janet Maslin in a New York Times review. “There is far too much of the latter, in the form of car chases, messy shootouts and Mr. Schwarzenegger’s slamming brutally into anything that gets in his way. Far better are the scenes that follow Sarah (Linda Hamilton) from cheerful obliviousness to the grim knowledge that someone horrible is on her trail.”

Toy Story (1995)

Animated comedy film “Toy Story” follows the first adventures of cowboy doll Woody and space cadet action figure Buzz Lightyear. Owned by a boy named Andy, Woody and Buzz are a part of a group of toys that spring to life when humans aren’t around. Birthed after the success of Pixar’s short film “Tin Toy,” “Toy Story” was the first feature film from Pixar and the first entirely computer-animated feature film.

“To swipe Buzz’s motto –“To infinity and beyond”–“Toy Story” aims high to go where no animator has gone before,” wrote Leonard Klady in a 1995 Variety film review . “Fears at mission control of the whole effort crashing to Earth proved unwarranted; this is one entertainment that soars to new heights.”

Toy Story 2 (1999)

“Toy Story 2” continues Woody and Buzz Lightyear’s journey as the co-leaders of the toy group. When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and the other toys must find set out to find him. During his time with the collector, Woody meets Jessie and Stinky Pete, other toys also based on characters from the TV show “Woody’s Roundup.” The animated film was originally supposed to be a direct-to-video sequel, but was upgraded to a theatrical release by Disney.

“In the realm of sequels, “Toy Story 2″ is to “Toy Story” what “The Empire Strikes Back” was to its predecessor, a richer, more satisfying film in every respect,” wrote former chief film critic Todd McCarthy in a 1999 Variety film review . “The comparison between these two franchises will be pursued no further, given their utter dissimilarity. But John Lasseter and his team, their confidence clearly bolstered by the massive success of their 1995 blockbuster, have conspired to vigorously push the new entry further with fresh characters, broadened scope, boisterous humor and, most of all, a gratifying emotional and thematic depth.”

Deliver Us From Evil (2006)

“Deliver Us From Evil” is a documentary that follows the case of convicted pedophile Oliver O’Grady, who molested approximately 25 children as a priest in northern California between the late 1970s through early 1990s. Filmmaker Amy Berg tracks O’Grady down to Ireland, where he was deported after being convicted of child molestation in 1993 and serving seven years in prison.

“Given how strong this kind of testimony is, “Deliver Us From Evil’s” decision to hype it more than it needs to be is unfortunate,” L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan said about the film in a 2006 review. “The film has a weakness for over-dramatization, for unsettling music and portentous close-ups of O’Grady’s hands and lips that are distracting and unnecessary.”

“There is nothing over-dramatic, however, about the deeply painful testimony of the adults who were victimized as children and their still traumatized parents,” he continued. “’He was the closest thing to God that we knew,’ one mother says. ‘I let the wolf in through the gate.'”

Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)

“Taxi to the Dark Side” is a documentary film directed by Alex Gibney about the 2002 killing of an Afghan taxi drive named Dilawar, who was beaten to death by American soldiers while being detained without a trial and interrogated at a black site, a detention center operated by a state where prisoners are incarcerated without due process or court order.

The film was a part of the “Why Democracy?” series, produced by The Why Foundation, which consisted of 10 documentary films examining democracy.

“Gibney (“Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”) has crafted more than just an important document of systemic abuse — he’s stripped the rhetoric from official doublespeak to expose a callous disregard for not only the Geneva Conventions but the vision of the Founding Fathers,” writes Jay Weissberg in a Variety film review . “All enemies in wartime are perceived as animals, but Gibney uncovers the ways the White House and Pentagon have encouraged torture while distancing themselves from responsibility.”

Man on Wire (2008)

James Marsh’s “Man on Wire” documents the death-defining hire-wire stunts of Philippe Petit, who in 1974, performed a tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. “For contemporary audiences, Petit’s moment of mastery is inevitably shot through with a sense of loss; the following scenes, which reveal the band’s subsequent dissolution, reaffirm the bittersweet truth that triumph is but fleeting,” wrote Catherine Wheatley, who reviewed the film for Sight and Sound in 2010. “The film’s vision, though, is ultimately uplifting: relationships, like buildings, can collapse into rubble, but as [Annie Allix] tenderly puts it, sometimes ‘It is beautiful that way’.”

Poetry (2010)

Lee Chang-dong’s “Poetry” chronicles the life of Mija, a Korean grandmother who is simultaneously dealing with an early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis and the violent crime committed by her teenage grandson. “Now is the time to bestow on yourself the gift of one of the most, well, poetic films of 2010,” Lisa Kennedy wrote for the Denver Post in 2011. “And by ‘poetic,’ we mean rich with soulful pauses that are at once visual and aural and deeply observant of the dance of routine and quiet surprise.”

Waste Land (2010)

Lucy Walker’s “Waste Land” follows modern artist Vik Muniz to Jardim Gramacho, Brazil, the world’s largest landfill. There, he photographs the work of “catadores,” men and women who collect the refuse to recreate classical art. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times in 2011, “I do not mean to make their lives seem easy or pleasant. It is miserable work, even after they grow accustomed to the smell. But it is useful work, and I have been thinking much about the happiness to be found by work that is honest and valuable.”

The Square (2013)

“The Square” is a documentary film by Jehane Noujaim, which follows Egyptian revolutionaries during the Egyptian Crisis, a period that started with the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 at Tahrir Square and lasted for three years. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won three Emmys.

“Continuing to follow a group of activists as they rally against the undue powers of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Army, ‘The Square’ understands that the Revolution itself is a work in progress, and while its immediacy means it, too, will soon be superseded, it stands as a vigorous, useful account,” writes Jay Weissberg in a 2013 Variety film review .

Gloria (2013)

Sebastián Lelio’s “Gloria” follows the relationship between an aging divorce and an amusement park operator after their chance encounter at a singles disco. “With someone else in the central role, ‘Gloria’ might have been cloyingly sentimental or downright maudlin,” wrote Joe Morgenstern in his 2014 Wall St. Journal review. “With [Paulina García] on hand, it’s a mostly convincing celebration of unquenchable energy.”

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2014)

Isao Takahata’s “The Tale of Princess Kaguya” tells the fable of a beautiful young woman who sends her suitors away on impossible tasks in hopes of avoiding a loveless marriage. In a 2015 review for Sight and Sound, Andrew Osmond wrote, “While the characters feel very simplified at times, there are scenes that put great weight on performance and subtle expressions, in a way that’s nearer to the classical Disney tradition than most Japanese animation.”

Seymour: An Introduction (2014)

Ethan Hawke’s documentary “Seymour: An Introduction” chronicles the life of Seymour Bernstein, a concert pianist who, at age 50, gave up performing to become an educator and composer. “Coming off of his superb one-two performances for Richard Linklater in ‘Before Midnight’ and ‘Boyhood,’ Hawke continues to work at a creative high level,” wrote Bruce Ingram in his 2015 review for the Chicago Sun-Times. “He demonstrates a rapport and openness with his subject that proves exceptionally affecting.”

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014)

From directors Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz, “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” follows an Israeli woman’s three-year battle to separate from her husband who refuses to dissolve their marriage. “Ultimately the movie is wearying, but then it’s likely supposed to be,” Tom Long wrote for Detroit News in 2015. “If Viviane’s going through the wringer, you’re going through the wringer too.”

One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Shin’ichirô Ueda’s “One Cut of the Dead” follows Director Higurashi and his crew who attempt to shoot a zombie movie at an abandoned WWII Japanese facility. Things go wrong when they realize they are being attacked by real zombies. In his 2019 Los Angeles Times review, Carlos Aguilar called the film, “A master class in endless narrative inventiveness and an ode to the resourceful and collaborative spirit of hands-on filmmaking, ‘One Cut of the Dead’ amounts to an explosively hilarious rarity.”

Leave No Trace (2018)

Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” follows a father and daughter hiding in the forests of Portland, Ore. When a misstep tips off their location to local authorities, they must escape and find a new place to call home. Peter Travers wrote in his 2018 Rolling Stone review, “Debra Granik’s drama about a damaged war vet (Ben Foster) living off the grid with his teen daughter, brilliantly played by breakout star Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, is hypnotic, haunting and one of the year’s best.”

Summer 1993 (2018)

Carla Simón’s “Summer 1993” is told through the eyes of six-year-old Frida, who watches in silence as her recently deceased mother’s last possessions are packed into boxes. “Some creatures are able to grow new limbs,” wrote Joe Morgenstern in his 2018 Wall Street Journal review. “Frida, given more than half a chance after demanding it, achieves something no less remarkable. She grows new joy and hope.”

Minding the Gap (2018)

“Minding the Gap” follows the relationship of three boys who use skateboarding as an outlet to escape their hardships at home. “The film captures more than a decade long documentary footage showcasing their friendship. In some documentaries, the filmmakers attempt to make themselves invisible. Despite Liu’s camera-shyness, he never pretends to be anything other than a part of the story, hitting his subjects with direct, deeply personal questions,” wrote Peter Debruge, who reviewed the film for Variety in 2018.

Honeyland (2019)

“Honeyland” is a Macedonian documentary film that was directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. The movie follows a woman and her beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey in the mountains of North Macedonia. Guy Lodge from Variety describes “Honeyland” as it begins as a “calm, captured-in-amber character study, before stumbling upon another, more conflict-driven story altogether — as younger interlopers on the land threaten not just Hatidze’s solitude but her very livelihood with their newer, less nature-conscious farming methods,” he said.

Welcome to Chechnya (2020)

“Welcome to Chechnya” released in 2020, exposes Russian leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his government as they try to detain, torture and execute LGBTQ Chechens. “A vital, pulse-quickening new documentary from journalist-turned-filmmaker David France that urgently lifts the lid on one of the most horrifying humanitarian crises of present times: the state-sanctioned purge of LGBTQ people in the eponymous southern Russian republic,” wrote Guy Lodge from Variety in 2020.

Crip Camp (2020)

“Crip Camp” is based on Camp Jened, which was a summer camp for teens with disabilities in the ’70s that inspired real-life activism. The film eliminates stereotypes and challenges the way people think about disabilities. “It may be startling for those who haven’t spent time with people with cerebral palsy or polio to see how a paraplegic gets from his wheelchair into the pool,” wrote Peter Debruge for Variety in 2020. “On closer inspection, it becomes clear that these teenagers…are having the time of their lives.”

76 Days (2020)

“76 Days” is a documentary released on Netflix in 2020 that shows the struggles of medical professionals and patients in Wuhan, China dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. “As an artifact alone, the result is remarkable, capturing all the panic and pragmatism greeting a disaster before its entire global impact had been gauged, while strategies and protocols are adjusted on the hoof,” wrote Guy Lodge for Variety in 2020. “That it’s so artfully and elegantly observed, and packs such a candid wallop of feeling, atop its frontline urgency is testament to the grace and sensitivity of its directorial team, not just their timely savvy.”

His House (2020)

“His House” is a horror movie that initially released on Netflix and terrified audiences. The plot follows a refugee couple that try to create a new life for themselves in an English town by escaping South Sudan but find their new home is haunted. Jessica Kiang reviewed the film for Variety in 2020 and wrote “‘His House’ is at its most persuasively terrifying when it gets out of the house and into the existential terror of reality. Out there are aspects of the refugee experience that contain greater horrors and mortifications than all the blackening plaster, childish ghostly humming and skittering presences in the walls could ever hope to suggest.”

Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)

“Quo Vadis, Aida?” documents the journey of Aida, a translator for the U.N. in Srebrenica interpreting the crime taking place when the Serbian army takes over the Bosnian town. “This is not historical revisionism, if anything, ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ works to un-revise history, re-centering the victims’ plight as the eye of a storm of evils — not only the massacre itself, but the broader evils of institutional failure and international indifference,” wrote Jessica Kiang, who reviewed the film in 2020 for Variety.

Hive (2021)

“Hive” tells the true story about a woman, Fahrije, who becomes an entrepreneur, after her husband goes missing during the Kosovo War. She sells her own red pepper ajvar and honey, and recruiting more women to join her. “Within the heavily patriarchal hierarchy of the country’s rural society, this places these maybe-widows in an impossible situation, especially when, like Fahrije, they have a family to care for,” writes Jessica Kiang for Variety . “They are expected to wait in continual expectation of their breadwinner-husbands’ return, subsisting on paltry welfare handouts, because to take a job or set up a business is looked on not only as a subversion of the natural order, but as a sign of disrespect to the husband and possibly loose morals.” 

Descendant (2022)

Netflix described its 2022 film, saying, “Descendants of the enslaved Africans on an illegal ship that arrived in Alabama in 1860 seek justice and healing when the craft’s remains are discovered.” “This past remains present, Brown shows, as activists explain how the land on which Africatown (formerly Magazine Point) was established once belonged to Meaher, who sold some of it to former slaves.,” wrote Peter Debruge for Variety . “Talk of racial injustice calls for nuance, and it’s impressive just how many facets of the conversation Brown is able to include in her film.”

20 Days in Mariupol (2023)

“20 Days in Mariupol” tells the story of a group of Ukrainian journalists who are trapped in Mariupol during the Russian invasion and struggle to continue documenting the war. The film is directed by Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian director and it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 2024. “Powerful as those glimpses were to international viewers, Chernov doesn’t spare his documentary more brutally sustained moments,” wrote Dennis Harvey for Variety . “There’s no political analysis or sermonizing here, just a punishingly up-close look at the toll of modern warfare on a population.”

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Against gossip & scandal, independent media network, global stories from local perspective, factual culture news, how to understand rotten tomatoes: an in-depth guide to help you decide what movies to watch next.

Caroline is currently a writer and contributor for Hollywood Insider. She believes in constant critical thinking and applied analysis when it comes to media consumption. Her goal aligns with Hollywood Insider’s mission statement, and she strives to educate readers on the nuances of the entertainment industry and to hopefully encourage them to form their own opinions on the media they consume daily.

Mar 10, 2021

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In 2020 alone, there were more than 320 films released in the United States and Canada. That was with the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent movie theater closures. The year before, there were over 800 films released. With the ever-growing number of films to watch both in theaters and on streaming platforms , it’s becoming a harder decision for viewers to pick what they want to watch. The overwhelming nature of choice has dominated the movie market for years now, but the aim of critical review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes , is to help make that choice a little easier. 

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Rotten Tomatoes was launched in August 1998 with the goal of merging critical reviews into an easily-readable and understandable score that viewers could use to determine whether a movie was worth their time or not. It is important to note that, in 2016, Fandango , a movie ticketing company, acquired Rotten Tomatoes and now displays their scores next to films when you’re deciding on which tickets to purchase, so to say that Rotten Tomatoes scores are incredibly influential would be an understatement. They, in front of IMDB , are one of the most trusted sources for accurate, critical ratings on all your favorite movies. But where exactly do all the critical scores come from? And what do they mean? Let’s break it down.

What Are Critical Scores? How Are They Calculated?

When you click on a movie on Rotten Tomatoes, the first thing you see are two independent scores. One signifies an aggregation of critical ratings of a film (the “Tomatometer” ) and the other, denoted by a popcorn bucket, displays audience consensus on a film. In regards to critical reviews, there are three categories that a film can fall under: rotten, fresh, and certified fresh. To put it simply, if a film is marked as “rotten”, it means that under 60% of the total reviewers left a positive review. A positive review is usually marked by a score of 6 or more out of 10, but there is also room for interpretation as to what a positive score can be due to the wide variety of rating systems that critics use.

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Some critics use a letter grade such as “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D” to judge films and others use a rating system out of 4 instead of 10. Ultimately, it falls to the curators of Rotten Tomatoes to clarify whether a review is positive or negative, and categorize it as such. As a side note, the overall percentage that you see at the top of the screen is the total amount of reviewers that scored the film positively. For example, ‘Coming 2 America’ currently holds a critical rating of 52% on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning that of the 182 reviews, only 52% of them ranked the film positively. Got it? Great, let’s move on. If a film qualifies as “fresh”, that means that more than 60% of reviewers ranked the film positively.

That number increases to 75% or more if a film is “certified fresh”, however, that title is also accompanied by a different set of qualifying rules. For example, the film in question must have been reviewed 80 times or more, as well as have reviews by five of the “top critics” to qualify as certified fresh. But let’s back up even further to examine who these critics are and what qualifying categories they have to meet in order to be accepted into the Rotten Tomatoes club.

Who Are the Critics?

Rotten Tomatoes deems that all critics meet a set of eligibility guidelines that are meant to exemplify that this person or publication is influential (and experienced) enough to write well-articulated reviews. They do this through an application-based system with some of the requirements being: you must have been writing reviews for at least two years that are being published through a non-self-published source, whether that be online or print. For social media influencers, these qualifications are different in that you must have a subscriber count of at least 30,000 to be considered “widespread” enough in your audience scope. To put it simply, most Rotten Tomatoes reviewers are qualified to review films and have already been doing so, consistently, on a different platform. 

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Once a critic has been approved to write for Rotten Tomatoes, they either self-submit reviews to the website or continue to publish reviews via the medium they were previously published through. In the case of the latter, Rotten Tomatoes has a team of expert curators determine whether or not the review is “fresh” or “rotten”. This team of curators poses a morally gray area as they introduce a middleman who opens the reviews to the possibility of misinterpretation. Mostly, however, Rotten Tomatoes critics submit scores themselves in order to rule out any areas of miscommunication. 

Audience Scores Versus Critical Scores: Different Guidelines

Let’s switch gears a bit to talk about what an audience score is and what it means. Similarly to critical scores, the percentage at the top of the page (next to the popcorn bucket) represents the overall number of audience members who gave a film a positive review. However, it’s important to note that audience reviews have a different rating system than those described for critics, one that is universal and easier to aggregate. All audience reviews must score the film in question out of 5 stars. This shifts the rating system to a 3.5 out of 5 counting as a positive review while anything below that counts as a negative review. In this instance, and throughout this article, I’ve been using “positive” and “fresh” interchangeably as well as “negative” and “rotten” interchangeably too. Just a side note for anyone who feels confused! Luckily, the rest of the audience rating system is easier to digest. There’s a full popcorn bucket for any film that receives 60% or higher positive reviews from audience members while a spilled popcorn bucket denotes a film where less than 60% of reviewers scored the film positively.

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How You Can Use Rotten Tomatoes in Your Everyday Life

Okay, so now that I just rattled off a bunch of confusing numbers and percentages to you, let’s talk about why you should care. The main takeaway I hope you have from this article is that Rotten Tomatoes, at its core, is a review aggregator, which means that ultimately those percentages you see at the top of the screen are general estimates meant to give you an overall idea of what critics think about this film. Obviously, films with higher scores that are certified fresh, and films that fall to the other extreme of the rotten scale, are easier to judge because critical consensus is more unanimous. However, all these gray areas and film critics opinions shouldn’t matter to you unless you know for certain that you like their opinions. If you are a more traditional cinephile, aka a fan of the Criterion collection or HBOMax’s lineup, then you will probably benefit from looking at solely critical scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

For example, ‘L’Avventura’ directed by Michaelangelo Antonini in 1960, has a critical score of 94%, but an audience score of 88%. In a more abstract sense, if you prefer fun, entertaining blockbusters like the majority of the general public, you may not like this film as much as the professional critics who rated it very highly. At the end of the day, Rotten Tomatoes is in no way, shape, or form a Bible that determines a film’s quality. It is best used in a subjective way that accounts for nuances and personal taste. However, in this time of ever-growing film releases via all sorts of platforms, it can be helpful to look at a number and use it to make a quick judgment of a film before you dedicate an hour or more of your life to it. 

By  Caroline Adamec

An excerpt from the love letter:  Hollywood Insider’s  CEO/editor-in-chief  Pritan Ambroase  affirms,  “Hollywood Insider  fully supports the much-needed Black Lives Matter movement. We are actively, physically and digitally a part of this global movement. We will continue reporting on this major issue of police brutality and legal murders of Black people to hold the system accountable. We will continue reporting on this major issue with kindness and respect to all Black people, as each and every one of them are seen and heard. Just a reminder, that the Black Lives Matter movement is about more than just police brutality and extends into banking, housing, education, medical, infrastructure, etc. We have the space and time for all your stories. We believe in peaceful/non-violent protests and I would like to request the rest of media to focus on 95% of the protests that are peaceful and working effectively with positive changes happening daily. Media has a responsibility to better the world and  Hollywood Insider  will continue to do so.”

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Caroline is currently a writer and contributor for Hollywood Insider. She believes in constant critical thinking and applied analysis when it comes to media consumption. Her goal aligns with Hollywood Insider's mission statement, and she strives to educate readers on the nuances of the entertainment industry and to hopefully encourage them to form their own opinions on the media they consume daily.

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A forgotten Netflix horror with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score refuses to go unremembered

As popular as the genre has always been, horror isn’t generally the sort of medium to find itself showered in unanimous critical acclaim. Any movie that garners a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 100 percent – especially one with over 120 reviews being counted – should be lauded constantly as an all-time classic, but when was the last time you heard someone talk about His House ?

Arriving on Netflix in October of 2020 on the back of some seriously stellar buzz, writer and director Remi Weekes’ psychological supernatural nightmare did make an instant splash on the platform’s charts, which was no doubt due to the fact it premiered only a few days before Halloween.

Since then, though, it’s been allowed to fade from memory, when realistically any dread-inducing tale that’s accomplished the rare feat of notching a perfect approval rating on the aggregation site should be one that finds itself being constantly drowned in praise and enthusiastically recommended to anyone willing to listen, and some who aren’t so receptive to the notion of socially-conscious scares.

Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù and Wunmi Mosaku plays a Sudanese refugee couple trying to make a new life for themselves in England, but while trying to settle into their new surroundings, they begin to discover a sinister presence lurking within their home. There’s plenty more going on under the surface than that, with a third act twist in particular coming like a gut-punching shot out of the dark.

Even though it hasn’t attained the status is seemingly deserves based on how it was greeted by critics, Redditors are making a point to stir up some renewed appreciation from the film. Statistically speaking, His House of the greatest horror flicks of all-time, but you’d never have guessed given that it doesn’t hold dwell on a pedestal anywhere near that of many of its contemporaries.

Summer’s Biggest Blockbuster Registers Unexpected Reviews & Rotten Tomatoes Score

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79% may not be the Tomatometer rating the Merc with a Mouth and his Adamantium-clawed friend were expecting. Nevertheless, the wait is over! Deadpool & Wolverine’s review embargo has officially been lifted, and the critics are reacting to director Shawn Levy and Marvel Jesus’ highly anticipated MCU entry. But Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s long-awaited team-up has resulted in a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 79%, against 117 reviews, at the time of this writing. MovieWeb’s own Julian Roman writes:

" It is an unabashed filet mignon of fan service ... The filmmakers assume the audience has seen every Marvel film and television series. It's an experience tailor-made for die-hard fans. This may be a misstep and overreach. This engineered euphoria can be viewed as cheap thrills that mask a lack of creativity. I have no doubt there were marketing studies about who would have the most impact. But there's also nothing wrong with giving people the candy they want."

Deadpool & Wolverine

A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox.

By comparison, Deadpool (2016) registers 85% on the Tomatometer, while Deadpool 2 (2018) clocks in at 84%. However, both films eclipsed $780 million each worldwide at the box office. Brian Truitt of USA Today calls Deadpool & Wolverine : “The best of the MCU outings since Avengers: Endgame .” And Peter Debruge of Variety adds in his review:

“The laughs are a given, but not the misty-eyed reaction to the final minutes of Deadpool & Wolverine, which is by far the most fan-service sequel released under the Marvel banner — and that’s saying something, since the comic book empire panders even harder to its flock than the faith-based industry does. In the past, such shameless give-folks-what-they-want-ism might have been a bad thing, but here, it serves as a welcome corrective to the superhero overload of the past 15 years.”

Who Is X-23 and Why Is She in Deadpool & Wolverine?

Dafne Keene is set to reprise her role as Laura, aka X-23, in Deadpool & Wolverine; here is everything you need to know about the fan-favorite hero.

Deadpool & Wolverine Brings Laughs & Plenty of Heart

Deadpool & Wolverine’s first reactions, which were limited to social media, dropped 24 hours prior to the official review embargo lifting, and all the hype surrounding those promising posts on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X and the like seem justified now that the critics are divulging their thoughts about Reynolds and Jackman’s MCU team-up. Tom Jorgensen of IGN writes:

“Jackman and Reynolds have been road-testing their chemistry on social media for years now, and Deadpool & Wolverine proves their catty one upmanship can sustain a feature-length adventure. There’s a trust and ease between the stars that puts their banter head and shoulders above most of their MCU contemporaries – again, years and years of de facto rehearsal and an R-rating give them a lot of leeway.”

Pete Hammond of Deadline adds:

“Teaming Reynolds with his personal good friend Hugh Jackman, as well as setting up Deadpool and Wolverine in a forced odd coupling, this all comes off like an inspired cross between Godzilla vs Kong and Midnight Run, a scenario in which two opposites are drawn together against any single natural instinct either one of them has. And guess what? It works beyond your wildest screen-team dreams.”

Deadpool & Wolverine Star Lied Like Andrew Garfield

The final trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine reveals the return of [SPOILER], who lied like Andrew Garfield did to keep her big reveal secret.

While Deadpool & Wolverine eyes a box office take which could eclipse $360 million worldwide over its opening weekend, it’s not all good news for director Shawn Levy and the film’s stars. As it turns out, some of the reviews are downright unkind. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune only gives the superhero flick a 1-out-of-4 rating. Phillips writes:

Deadpool & Wolverine settles for manic, gamer-style ultraviolence where death isn’t a thing, really, but where the grotesque sight gags start to feel not simply hollow, but kind of awful.

Tim Grierson of Screen International adds:

This comic-book pairing ultimately underwhelms, resulting in some touching moments and some anarchic humour in a picture otherwise dragged down by convoluted multiverse logistics and drab fan service.

Bottom line, based on the reviews, it seems like Deadpool & Wolverine is great for die-hard fans who love being catered to. However, it might come across as a bit excessive — possibly even hollow — for anyone who isn't already an MCU connoisseur.

Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theaters on July 26.

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Only Murders in the Building – Season 4, Episode 2

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