Despite boasting several Oscar and Emmy-winning movie titles, Netflix also has an unenviable collection of low-rated movies that received fierce criticism from experts.
In recent decades, as digitalization is taking the world by storm, Netflix has emerged as a prominent streaming service provider that offers excellent movies and TV shows. Nevertheless, the platform has also witnessed a number of productions that went down like lead balloons. Here are the 5 lowest-rated Netflix movies of all time.
1. The Kissing Booth (2018)
The Kissing Booth trilogy was first introduced on Netflix in 2018, starring various teenage stars such as Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Meganne Young. The rom-com franchise tells the troubling relationship between Elle, a kinky teenager, and her two friends, Noah and Lee. According to StudyBreaks, while presenting itself as a cheesy, adorable tale of first love that ‘typifies a classic teenybopper flick’, the franchise was regarded as a cinematic disaster for both young, impressionable watchers and avid critics alike. ScreenCrush commented that ‘The Kissing Booth’ is just a monotonous plot with a repetitive and awkward portrayal of teenage love, which barely cloaked the inherent misogyny and genders stereotyping.
2. The Outsider (2018)
A charming and chiseled Jared Leto was not enough to prevent The Outsider from becoming yet another big flop and dealing a hard blow to Netflix’s ambition of original content. The movie features an American soldier in the post-World War 2 period who made his mark in a Japanese gangster community known as the ‘yakuza’. While being stuffed with horrendous and violent scenes, the movie failed to demonstrate the protagonist’s journey and its impact. Dailydot also accused the movie of being a cultural appropriation in that it gives a false depiction of Japanese society.
3. Polar (2019)
An Internet love for his flawless performance in the TV series Hannibal, this time Mads Mikkelsen seems to have made a false move when his Netflix thriller Polar received an unenviable 19% RottenTomatoes. The movie followed a retired, senescent hitman into his bloody, Rambo-style clash with an army of young, ruthless assassins. The rock-bottom rate of Polar stems from its gratuitous violence and amateurish direction, rendering the movie an ill-conceived story that fails to accentuate Mads Mikkelsen’s charm. The New York Times noted:
‘If it has any redeeming qualities, it chooses to keep them a secret.’
4. In the Tall Grass (2019)
This adaptation of the famous novel by Stephen King is just another tangled mess of a horror film. Despite the intriguing premise and consequent potential to be ‘unique’, In the Tall Grass is fraught with plot holes and confusing scenes that leave viewers dumbfounded. The only redeeming feature of the film is the top-notch delivery of Patrick Wilson in a villainous, insidious role. Given the huge potential of the movie, a 36% from RottenTomatoes makes it just as mundane as other failures in this list.
5. Red Notice (2021)
According to Forbes, Red Notice may be the worst ‘mockbuster’ Netflix has ever made. The movie followed former FBI agent John Hartley on a cops-and-thieves journey - representing a stereotypical big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. Unfortunately, Red Notice fails to highlight the uniqueness and development of characters, not to mention the terrible overuse of CGI technology. Banking on its ensemble of influential stars like Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot cannot prevent the movie from receiving an embarrassing score of 37% on Metacritic.
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