10 Decent Films With Scores Under 30% On Rotten Tomatoes

Since its inception back in 1998, Rotten Tomatoes has grown to become one of the biggest review aggregator sites in the world. In more recent times, though, the site has come under fire, with many proclaiming it as the architect of "the death of cinema and film criticism." Our resident movie buff, Matt Donato, already tackled this issue in-depth recently, so I'm not going to get into the pros and cons of the famed Tomatometer. What I am going to do is look at some of the instances where the RT approval score hasn't told the full story. Naturally, this isn't the site's fault, since it can only aggregate what's out there. It could be that several media outlets didn't post reviews, or maybe the films just weren't critical darlings. Whatever the case is, hindsight provides the best clarity here. So, without further ado, here are 10 decent films with scores under 30% on Rotten Tomatoes. Remember though, this doesn't mean the films in question are masterpieces by any means - only that the scores aren't necessarily a fair reflection of the overall quality of the production. The Boondock Saints (20%) Here's the perfect example of critic Kryptonite. Hated by reviewers but now a beloved cult classic, The Boondock Saints shows that the audience knows best. If you disagree with this statement, remember that this crime film has a lower score on RT than Sharknado (82%), proving that the world already went mad a few years ago. It's hard not to cheer for the vigilante twins as they decide to rid Boston of all evil. Supporting the charismatic leads are sensational performances - from the likes of Billy Connolly, David Della Rocco and Willem Dafoe - and highly quotable dialogue for you to impress your friends with. There's action, drama, and even a fair amount of comedy (mostly provided by Della Rocco). What's there to dislike besides the fact that it wasn't directed by Quentin Tarantino? The sequel, 2009's The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, is another story. Avoid that film like you would anyone peddling Twilight fan fiction. It's pure trash. 8MM (22%) Maybe 8MM received so much stick because the world wasn't ready to forgive director Joel Schumacher for his previous film, Batman & Robin? If so, it's a real rotten shame, because this controversial picture was way ahead of its time in 1999 and is actually a pretty enjoyable watch. Starring a slightly saner than usual Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, and the late James Gandolfini, the two-hour flick pulls you in and takes you on a torrid ride through the ugly side of life. It's uncomfortable, violent, and not something you could (or should) watch too often, but it's still a thinking man's movie that deserves more recognition. You have to wonder what the reception would be like if this film were released today. We're living in a time when the hard R-rating is celebrated, so it's likely a lot of the original criticism would fall away. Also, we've had two decades to forget about Batman & Robin. Taking all that into consideration, would 8MM be better received? Most likely. Pearl Harbor (25%) "The effect of watching a Michael Bay film is indistinguishable from having a large, pointy lump of rock drop on your head." That's a quote from The New Yorker's review of Pearl Harbor, by the way. Note how it's geared more towards the filmmaker than the actual product. If you didn't believe confirmation bias existed, there's your answer. Put aside that Michael Bay directed Pearl Harbor and think back to the first time you saw it. Huge visuals, a fantastic score by Hans Zimmer, a heart-wrenching love story, and a hotshot cast featuring the who's who of Hollywood in the early 2000s. Doesn’t sound so bad now, does it? Is it as good as the film it tries to imitate, 1997's Titanic? No, probably not. But you could also do a lot worse than Pearl Harbor, like watching Titanic 2. Yeah, that exists. The Karate Kid Part III (16%) While it's undoubtedly the weakest entry of the original trilogy, The Karate Kid Part III still had more kick (kick, get it?) than any other martial arts films in 1986 (there were quite a few). It also had a lot of heart and an unabashed feel-good nature - something you just don't find in movies anymore. Focusing more on the strained relationship between Daniel-san and Mr. Miyagi, there were a plethora of moments that hit you right in the feels. When you see Miyagi crying after Daniel screams at him... I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING! Then, to top it all off: we see Okinawa's most-famous son take down Terry Silver and John Kreese, simultaneously. Sorry, but this just proves that Chuck Norris isn't even good enough to be Miyagi's pet turtle. End of story. The fact that 2010's The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith, ranks as 'fresh' shows that there's a need for an FBI investigation here. First, the film stars Jaden Smith, which is a problem in itself. Second, he's learning kung fu, not karate, so shouldn't this be called The Kung Fu Kid? The joke writes itself. Save yourself the hassle and watch The Karate Kid Part III instead. Assassins (15%) An action film directed by Richard Donner, based on a story by the Wachowskis, starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas, and it's sitting at 15% on RT? Get outta here. Sure, the plot's weird and confusing as hell, but it's an action flick – it's meant to be completely bonkers! Thankfully, this wasn't the last time we got to see the ultimate machismo of Stallone and Banderas together on screen. They teamed up again in Spy Kids 3D and later in The Expendables 3. To quote my girls Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston (R.I.P.), "there can be miracles if you believe." Nonetheless, 1995 ended up being a dark time for poor ol' Sly. Not only did he get two Razzie noms – one for this film and the other for Judge Dredd – but the year seemed to mark his decline as an A-list actor in the nineties. Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (28%) You knew this one was coming, didn't you? Let's say it together now: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is far from perfect, but it's also far from terrible. It's the hype that murdered this film, and the reaction was based more on what it wasn't versus what it is. When you sit down and watch it now, you're likely to forgive or even overlook the negatives. The story and editing are super messy, for example, but there's still a lot to savor. From Ben Affleck's bruising Batman to the spectacular visual feast, there are many diamonds that sparkle in this tale featuring DC's most popular superheroes. If you don't believe us, just give it another watch - and try to do so with an open mind. More importantly, there's no way that Spider-Man 3 (63%) or X-Men Origins: Wolverine (38%) deserves a higher score than this. We need to face the facts here: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn't that awful. Jingle All The Way (17%) Christmas movies always get a hard time from the Grinch-esque critics over the holiday season. Perhaps it's because these films prey on our fragile heartstrings and pander more to emotion than reason. Thinking about it now, every plot is a story about redemption in some way or the other, so there's a valid point. 1997's Jingle All the Way, however, is one festive comedy that never gets old - not even 20 years later. Apart from Arnold Schwarzenegger's solid performance as Arnold Schwarzenegger, this film also contained the talents of the late comedic great Phil Hartman and a pre-Star Wars Jake Lloyd. Bursting with zany characters and strong family values, this remains a popular Xmas flick for the whole family to watch together. Also, who wouldn't want a Turbo Man action figure after seeing how cool it looked on screen? Sadly, we're living in the era of Madea, whose soul-destroying films get higher scores than Jingle All the Way. Go home, critics; you're drunk. Event Horizon (24%) This is another one of those films that found more success on home video than it did at the box office. Money aside, it still deserves more than the 24% approval rating it has. I'd go as far as saying Event Horizon is probably director Paul W.S. Anderson's best movie to date (if you dare to argue that any of the Resident Evil entries are better, you will be redirected to Comedy Central's website, you joker you). It may not be Alien-level great, but there's a menacing and disturbing darkness to this sci-fi horror. That said, the film did suffer from post-production problems - most notably in the editing phase - but the overall result wasn't as bad as some of the trash horrors released in the same period. Reading some of Anderson's comments about what didn't make the final cut, though, is hilarious - although, there's a part of me that would like to see the director's cut. Overall, it's a supernatural extravaganza that painted a different horror in space. That alone should convince you that Event Horizon is actually Event Awesome. Smokin' Aces (29%) If Smokin' Aces had Guy Ritchie's name attached to it, we wouldn't be having this discussion now. It's difficult to fathom why the reception towards this crime film was generally negative, when it does so much right. Out of all the movies on the list, this one is possibly the biggest head scratcher. The stars in this picture brought their A game - none more so than Jeremy Piven who gave one of his best on-screen performances to date. Competing against the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Andy Garcia, and Ben Affleck, Piven stole the show in every scene he was in and dripped charisma like a seasoned pro. Also, the killer soundtrack deserves a special mention for beautifully complementing the nonstop, breathless action. There's so much to love about Smokin' Aces, and it goes down well in a triple-threat marathon along with Snatch and RocknRolla. Don't let the score deceive you here, because this is one must-watch movie. Along Came Polly (25%) Ben Stiller's biggest fault might be that people confuse his films with Adam Sandler's. While they both do predominantly comedy, there's a difference: Stiller is actually still funny and didn't lose his way in the late nineties. This is why Along Came Polly's approval rating baffles slightly. Undoubtedly, the sex humor probably triggered the pre-SJW reviewers, but there was still a sweet romcom underneath the whole 'my wife left me for a nudist' premise. Heck, even the late Philip Seymour Hoffman popped up to deliver some of the best comedic moments of his career in this film. Along Came Polly might not be Stiller's finest, or even second-finest, work, but it's far from the rubbish it's made out to be. It's decent enough and proves that the actor is definitely no Adam Sandler. Tell us, are there any other poorly rated films on Rotten Tomatoes that you enjoy? As always, let us know in the comments section below.