These 17 Films Got Such Different Reviews From Critics And Audiences, I'm Not Sure They Watched The Same Thing

    Let's see if you agree with the critics...or the masses.

    Benjamin Dzialdowski
    by Benjamin Dzialdowski

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Rotten Tomatoes may be the go-to website to find out how good a film is but sometimes there's a massive difference between the critics and audience's approval rating.

    NBC Universal Television Distribution

    So I found some of the biggest disparities, and saw how they compared to my own opinion.

    1. The Greatest Showman

    20th Century Fox

    Critics score: 57%

    Audience score: 86%

    All I can say are the songs are fun I guess... But I feel like they paper over the cracks of a rushed plot. My main problem with this film is it glosses over the real P.T Barnum, whose fame was built more on exploitation and enslavement than glitz and glam (his first-ever 'exhibit' was an enslaved woman whom he'd bought and claimed to be 161 years old). Perhaps if it was The Most Questionable Showman I'd prefer it, but I feel like I have to side with the critics here. 

    2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

    Universal Pictures

    Critics score: 50%

    Audience score: 89%

    I always assumed that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was a chaotic but well-liked film, although that's probably just because of its cult status among some film fans. It definitely doesn't fit into the 'easy watch' category, but I wouldn't say it's that bad. At the same time, 89% feels way too high for a film that is both interesting and sort of boring at the same time...? I'm somewhere in the middle here. 

    3. We're The Millers

    Warner Bros. Pictures

    Critics score: 49%

    Audience score: 72%

    I feel like both sides were too stingy here, it's actually a little gem. It's one of those movies that I'll just throw on if I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself. With a stacked cast and a simple but smart script, We're The Millers is silly yet hilarious. Sorry critics, you're clearly taking yourself too seriously here. 

    4. The Lion King (2019)

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture

    Critics score: 52%

    Audience score: 88%

    The critics were clearly scoring this against the original, and so they should! I'm not so sure about these live-action remakes. I think that the more real people there are in the film, the more worthy of a remake it is. Aladdin – worthy, The Jungle Book – just about gets away with it, The Lion King? – I just didn't really see the point. I mean there are literally NO humans in this film, so they're essentially just swapping the animation for CGI? I did love the casting, but the movie? Not so much... 

    5. Venom

    Sony Pictures Releasing

    Critics score: 30%

    Audience score: 81%

    I was shocked when I saw how low the critics scored this and personally, I'm with the audience all the way. While I didn't love Venom, I found it quite a fun take on a superhero film, and Tom Hardy never disappoints. The plot was fairly simple and Riot wasn't the most amazing baddie, but come on guys, this isn't The Godfather we're talking about, 30% is a bit dramatic... 

    6. Zombieland: Double Tap

    Sony Pictures Releasing

    Critics score: 68%

    Audience score: 88%

    Somehow the audience scored this higher than the first movie?! Some films require sequels. Some sequels can make movie franchises even better. This one not so much... I loved the first, but realistically this is just some more zombies and some more alive people, with not much else going on. I thought the critics were being on the kind side TBH. 

    7. Black Panther

    Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures

    Critics score: 96%

    Audience score: 79%

    I know, I know, this isn't a huuuge disparity and it was well-liked by both, BUT for the critics, it scores so high that it places second in Rotten Tomatoes' 'best movies of all time' list. As for the audience, it scored six percent lower than Happy Gilmore... (no offense to Adam Sandler). Some viewers seemed to be underwhelmed by 'plot holes' and thought it lacked 'logic' (it's a superhero film...  logic isn't the USP)! For me, Black Panther is one of Marvel's greatest showpieces. With the late great Chadwick Boseman putting in an epic performance, I'm with the critics on this one! 

    8. Chicken Run

    Dreamworks Pictures

    Critic score: 97%

    Audience score: 65%

    I'm assuming that the 35% of audience members that voted this incredible film negatively only did so because it made them feel guilty about eating chicken. Chicken Run is stop-motion's answer to The Great Escape and they couldn't have done a better job, another point to the critics from me!

    9. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

    Warner Bros. Pictures

    Critics score: 84%

    Audience score: 68%

    Before watching the first Lego Movie I had no expectations and it delivered in so many ways – everything was actually awesome. I was super excited for the sequel but after watching it I was fairly underwhelmed. It kept its familiar ironic charm but the storyline didn't compete with the first film, I'm part of the crowd with this one, 68% is about right. 

    10. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

    Paramount Pictures

    Critics score: 78%

    Audience score: 53%

    78% for this...? Coming 20 years after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (perhaps that should have been the last crusade), the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull really let me down. It's somehow a bit too cheesy and the CGI just didn't work for me. Hopefully, we'll see a return to the norm with the fifth in the series that comes out next year (although realistically how often does that happen, maybe it's time to hang up the whip). 

    11. Us

    Universal Pictures

    Critics score: 93%

    Audience score: 59%

    While Us doesn't cut quite as deep as Get Out, it is most definitely still a great (but creepy) film. I was a bit disappointed after the first watch, but this for sure fits into the 'better the second time' category. The fighting-dance scene to that string version of "I Got 5 On It" is a work of art and the ending still gives me goosebumps. I can safely say that the critics were spot on with this one and I cannot wait for Peele's new Horror Nope in Cinemas next year! 

    12. Captain Marvel

    Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures

    Critics score: 79%

    Audience score: 45%

    Captain Marvel seemed to split opinion from the outset, but 45% is way too extreme. Okay, it's not one of Marvel's standouts, but Brie Larson does an excellent job of making Captain Marvel a captivating character and an enjoyable watch. I found the movie fun and visually entertaining, and it was about time the MCU had a female superhero!

    13. Hail, Caesar!

    Universal Pictures

    Critics score: 85%

    Audience score: 44%

    Hail, Caesar! is clearly a divisive film, but I don't know why. Maybe people had a problem with the lengthy dance numbers, but I found the whole movie a busy bundle of joy! I don't know if viewers were expecting a Fargo or a No Country for Old Men-type thriller, but it was about time the Coen brothers had some fun, which this film most certainly is! 

    14. The School of Rock

    Paramount Pictures

    Critics score: 92%

    Audience score: 64%

    This was my reaction when I saw that one of my favourite films as a kid (and to this day) scored a mere 64% with the audience. Okaaay, it may essentially be a movie about a washed-up musician who illegally manipulates a school class into competing in a rock competition... But it's one of the most joyful, funny, and quotable films out there. Thankfully the critics have my back. 

    15. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

    Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture

    Critics score: 91%

    Audience score: 42%

    Visually, this film could be considered a success, but that's about as good as it gets. There are way too many plot holes and there seems to be a strange rejection of all the character development that had been done by the previous trilogy (they also pretty much trashed Luke's character). Also who TF thought flying-Leia, massive CGI dog, and space-casino were good ideas?! Siding with the audience here I am. 

    16. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

    Warner Bros. Pictures

    Critics score: 83%

    Audience score: 51%

    I think 51% is being a bit harsh but realistically, living up to Gene Wilder was always going to be too much to ask. I'm also not sure how the critics gave it 83%... All I can really remember about this film is it changing my opinions on squirrels, which says a lot, right? I think Tim Burton's style worked fairly well with Roald Dahl's world of pure imagination, but nothing really stuck with me which is weird, because I've always loved chocolate. 

    17. The Green Knight

    A24

    Critics Score: 88%

    Audience Score: 50%

    Without a doubt the best film based on a 14th-century poem I've ever seen... (shoutout to O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and The Nightmare Before Christmas for other notable poem-inspired films). Seriously though, I sort of get the disparity on this one. From the outside, it seems more classically 'questy' and magical, but it's actually a wonderfully weird and beautifully shot journey, and who better to take you on that journey than Dev Patel? 

    So, are you more of a critic or part of the audience? Let me know who you side with more!