Achieving a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes is quite a big blow to a film’s creators and cast. It means that out of all the critics that reviewed it, none liked it. Rotten Tomatoes usually weighs the sum of critics giving positive reviews against the total number of reviews then comes up with a percentage score.
Whether it’s a bad plot, poor acting or poor directing, films with a 0% score simply fail to measure up to whichever parameter is used to judge them. While some might have a decent audience score, most of them also failed to perform well at the box office too. Here are the most recent movies with a 0% score.
Gotti (2018)
John Gotti is one of the most infamous and flamboyant mobsters of all time, so it’s a shame that a movie about him did so poorly. You can’t help but get the feeling that with someone like Scorsese or The Coen Brothers at the helm, this movie would have turned out differently. Throw in Chazz Palmiterri or Robert De Niro as lead actors and you have yourself a Best Picture nominee.
Instead, Gotti starred John Travolta and was directed by Kevin Conolly who had only made two full-length films before. Travolta is a brilliant actor and if this movie came out in the 90s with him in the lead, it would feature in many top ten lists. Sadly, his star power has dwindled too much. The film was also in development hell for many years, having been first announced in 2010. Hopefully, a proper Gotti film will be made.
Cabin Fever (2016)
Five young friends in a cabin getting attacked by a flesh-eating virus? And it all resulted from one of them getting infected by his dead dog? That doesn’t sound like a bad spine for a horror movie. So, what went wrong yet it’s a remake of a similarly titled 2002 horror film that had 62% on Rotten Tomatoes?
The director of the original film also wrote the script for the remake. So, what happened? Just like the disease, this remains a mystery. What’s even funnier is that the critic consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “No need for a quarantine -enthusiasm for this inert remake is not contagious.” Ouch!
London Fields (2018)
Amber Heard might be in the news for unpleasant reasons lately but back in 2018, everything was going well for her. She appeared in Aquaman which grossed over a billion dollars. She thus must be wondering how the hell she found herself in this critically panned film in the same year.
London Fields is based on a novel which was also no well received, so director Matthew Cullen clearly set himself up for failure. The movie follows Nicola Six (Amber Heard) who has a premonition that tells her she will be murdered. She gets into relationships with three men, believing one of them will be her killer.
The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
The Ridiculous Movie would have been a better title which could have actually prevented the 0% rating. It could also have served as a message from the producers to critics: We are just joking here, don’t take us seriously. Sadly, it was intended to be a decent Western comedy and so, The Ridiculous 6 was the title.
The movie has a decent cast that includes Terry Crews, Owen Wilson, and Adam Sandler. It might be tempting to blame Sandler given that he has the most movies with low scores on Rotten Tomatoes but the biggest problem was simply the script, not the actors. The movie follows six strangers who believe they have the same father so they set out to find him in New Mexico.
Max Steel (2016)
With Marvel dominating the big screen, you can’t fault anyone else that tries to come up with something similar. Max Steel, which draws its inspiration from a late toy line revolves around a man called Max and a robotic alien called Steel.
The alien is capable of enveloping itself around Max, forming an iron suit. Basically, we have a combination of Iron Man and Venom here. The critics saw right through it. Direct imitation aside, a better storyline would have saved Max Steel but sadly, that was lacking too.
Precious Cargo (2016)
For Bruce Willis, old habits ‘die hard.’ The Die Hard star won’t stop making movies the same way he did in the 80s. Normally, the plot takes a back seat. What matters is the action. Fight, shoot and run until you can’t do it anymore. Sadly, critics seem to detest this formula.
The movie follows Willis plays a crime boss called Eddie. After a failed heist, he blames Karen, a skilled thief for failing him. In order to get back to Eddie’s good books, she brings in a former lover who is also a thief to help her steal precious gems. But things don’t go exactly to plan.
Stratton (2017)
What really kills Stratton is its low budget. Everything from the cars to the location appears to have been chosen with the aim of saving money. As a result, the actors have very little to work with. A lack of toys might work out for a movie like Room but for an action movie, it’s a recipe for a mega fail.
In Stratton, British Special Boat Service (SBS) operative John Stratton tries to destroy an Iranian bioweapon but fails. When he goes after a terrorist cell, he discovers a bigger conspiracy involving a Russian spy and an internal mole that made the first mission fail.
The Disappointments Room (2016)
In the movie, a couple moves into a new mansion with their young son. Soon, Dana (the wife) discovers a secret haunted room that’s slowly making her lose her sanity. She later learns that the previous owners used the room as a “disappointments room” where wealthy parents brought their deformed children to be murdered.
The film had a lengthy post-production process during which several crucial scenes were cut to reduce the running time. This ultimately damaged the quality. A director’s cut would do but not if there isn’t enough demand. A proper remake in the future would be much welcome.
A Thousand Words (2012)
Eddie Murphy is currently riding high with Dolemite Is My Name but we bet he’d like to forget the film that came a few years before that. After A Thousand Words, it took four years for another film to get a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the movie, Jack McCall (Murphy) is a persuasive literary agent. He tries to use guru Dr. Sinja for his own gain but the guru causes a magical tree to grow in his backyard. Every time McCall speaks, the tree loses a leaf. But if the tree ever loses all leaves, his life will end. He thus has to learn how to keep quiet.
Dark Crimes (2016)
Normally, when comedic actors take on serious roles, they tend to receive much praise. Think of Adam Sandler winning plenty of awards and narrowly missing out for an Oscar nomination for his performance in Uncut Gems. Also, think of Steve Carell in The Morning Show.
Sadly, Jim Carrey wasn’t so lucky when he appeared in Dark Crimes. Carrey plays Detective Tadek, a law enforcement officer trying to solve the murder of an influential businessman. He soon discovers that the murder is quite similar to one in a book recently published by an author known as Kozlov. He thus tries to connect the dots. Christoph Waltz was initially meant to play Tadek but it looks like he dodged a bullet.
