Critics and audiences don’t always see eye-to-eye, and there are plenty of great sci-fi movies that fans love despite their poor reviews. There are several metrics that can be used to measure how people respond to a movie, and these statistics often highlight themovies that create a rift between critics and fans. Audiences are generally more appreciative of sheer entertainment value, while critics place more emphasis on character and original storytelling.
Sci-fi movies vary wildly between artistic high-concept dramas and big-budget blockbusters. Many of the highest-grossing movies of all time are sci-fi movies, which shows the genre’s potential to appeal to massive audiences. However, there are plenty of sci-fi movies which attempt to appeal to audiences at the cost of turning critics away. Most of the time, box office success is more valuable than critical acclaim.
Nowadays, sci-fi fans have come to appreciate all three of theBack to the Futuremovies as a trilogy, but original reviews forPart IIwere somewhat mixed. The sequel was seen as a step-down in quality, and the choice to journey into the future instead of the past was also criticized.Part IIis best when it can be judged alongside the other two movies in the trilogy. In this context,Part II’s concerns with Marty’s legacy mirror the original movie’s focus on his origins.
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Back to the Future Part IIhas only gotten more popular over the years, partly because of its place within the trilogy, but also because the hilarious vision of a distant 2015 has given the movie an added nostalgic tinge. Some of the tongue-in-cheek predictions have actually come true, although most of them are laughably off base. TheBack to the Futurefranchise has maintained a devoted fan base ever since its inception, even if the critics haven’t always been so passionate.
2024’sVenom: The Last Dancesaw the franchise go zero-for-three with critics, but the poor reviews have done very little to dampen audience enthusiasm for Tom Hardy’sSpider-Manspinoffs. The massive divide between critics and audiences is perhaps most evident by looking at the Rotten Tomatoes scores for each movie.Critics have rated everyVenommovie as rotten, while audiences have rated them all as fresh, with none of them dropping below 80% on the Popcornmeter, which measures user reviews.
Ultimately, theVenomtrilogy’s box office speaks for itself.
Critics and audiences mostly agree when it comes to Marvel movies, but theSony’sSpider-Manuniverseis a different story, andVenomis the ultimate example of the disconnect. Fans love the wild action and the quippy humor, but many critics have pointed to these exact details as examples ofVenom’s silliness and lack of originality. Ultimately, theVenomtrilogy’s box office speaks for itself.
Michael Bay’s moviesare infamous for their overblown, chaotic action and their bizarre plots, and this has earned him a dreadful reputation with the majority of critics. Fans don’t seem to mind, however. In fact, the things that make critics turn their noses up at Bay’s movies are usually just what fans buy tickets to see.Armageddonis typical Bay, with a plot full of holes that still sets up a fast-paced thrill ride.
Armageddonfollows a group of oil drillers who are recruited by NASA to help destroy a massive asteroid headed towards Earth. Logically, NASA should probably train some astronauts to operate drilling equipment, rather than doing things backwards, but this strange logic sums upArmageddon’s mindless fun.It became the highest-grossing movie of 1998, proving that critics couldn’t ruin its broad appeal.
TheJurassic Worldfranchise has consistently turned out huge box office hits, but the newer generation of movies haven’t recreated the quality of Steven Spielberg’s originalJurassic Parkmovie. The cutting-edge visual effects haven’t been enough to capture the same sense of excitement, wonder and fear.Jurassic World Dominionreceived a particularly frosty response from critics, but its box office total still eclipsed $1 billion.
Jurassic World Dominionreceived a particularly frosty response from critics, but its box office total still eclipsed $1 billion.
Jurassic World Dominionis a long way removed from the interesting sci-fi concept that kick-started the franchise. It’s much more concerned with stringing together big action set pieces and introducing bigger and scarier dinosaurs than ever.Jurassic World Rebirthwill try to reboot the franchise in 2025. It will probably be another commercial success, but it needs a fresh direction if it’s going to avoid another critical shellacking.
Space Jamhas become an icon of ’90s nostalgia, and this has ensured that it has maintained plenty of admirers over the years. The odd combination of Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes turned out to be an inspired one. Add to this a raft of fun cameos and some classic cartoon shenanigans, andSpace Jamis an enjoyable children’s sci-fi movie that feels like a product of its time in the best way possible.
Space Jamhas become an icon of ’90s nostalgia, and this has ensured that it has maintained plenty of admirers over the years.
The dreary reception to 2021’sSpace Jam: A New Legacyhighlighted the original movie’s status as a cult classic. While it seems unlikely that people will be watchingA New Legacya few years from now,Space Jamcould have more life in it yet. Its enduring popularity is down to a combination of nostalgia and hilarious Looney Tunes humor, even though critics weren’t enthusiastic about it back in 1996.
During the 1990s and 2000s, Will Smith struck box office gold with pretty much every movie he appeared in, even those which critics didn’t appreciate.I, Robotis one such movie,raking in $353.1 million at the box office despite its mediocre reviews.Although it’s named after a collection of stories by Isaac Asimov,I, Robotis an original story that merely uses some of Asimov’s ideas as a jumping-off point.
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I, Robotisn’t one ofWill Smith’s best movies, but it still delivers plenty of thrilling action, and it’s a departure from some of his other roles. Although the aesthetics and the specifics ofI, Robothaven’t held up particularly well, with the visual effects seeming a little too sleek and shiny, the core of the story is becoming increasingly relevant as concerns about artificial intelligence rise.
Chaos Walkinghad the potential to be a big hit, and it could have started a franchise if it hadn’t had such dismal timing. Ultimately,Chaos Walkingwas one of many movies that suffered a terrible box office return in 2021, as movie theaters were struggling to recover from pandemic lockdowns all over the world.Chaos Walkingis based on the first novel in Patrick Ness' popular young-adult series, so it presumably could have had a sequel or two if it had been a success.
Despite its poor commercial performance and some negative reviews, those who did manage to seeChaos Walkingwere largely positive.
Despite its poor commercial performance and some negative reviews, those who did manage to seeChaos Walkingwere largely positive about the movie, andit holds a 71% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, dwarfing its 21% critical score. With Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley in the two lead roles, there’s also a chance thatChaos Walkingcould be revisited in the upcoming years.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empireis not the first movie to show the two iconic movie monsters on-screen together, and this could explain why critics were generally down on the concept.It was derided in some quarters as a mindless blockbuster of little substance, but audiences overwhelmingly approved of the formula.Godzilla x Kongsoared to $571.8 million at the box office, earning positive reviews from audiences in the process.
Godzilla x Kongsoared to $571.8 million at the box office, earning positive reviews from audiences in the process.
Sci-fi is capable of producing some mind-bending concepts and intriguing theoretical conundrums, but it’s also capable of delivering unrivaled spectacle.Godzilla x Kongis clearly more interested in the latter, with the human characters often holding secondary importance only. The upcomingGodzilla x Kongsequelwill probably give fans more planet-smashing action, whether critics like it or not.
65is an unusual movie, and it isn’t quite what it appears to be. Although it initially looks like a simple movie about Adam Driver blasting dinosaurs away with a laser gun,65is often slow, thoughtful and surprising. Its strange tonal dissonance explains some of the mediocre reviews it received, but audiences were generally more forgiving of65’s style.It could easily grow in popularity over the next few years if it gains traction on streaming platforms.
65does deliver plenty of exciting action as advertised, but there are also some scenes of nerve-wracking horror as Driver’s character desperately tries to save the life of a child, the only other survivor of his spaceship’s crash. The wordless relationship between the two main characters creates some interesting scenes, as they form a rudimentary, animalistic understanding with one another as they fight for their lives.
1The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
The Prequels Have Become More Popular Over Time
At the time, theStar Warsprequels were derided by audiences and critics alike, butthe trilogy has undergone a revival in the eyes of the fandom.There are still some divisive elements, like midi-chlorians, some grating dialogue and Jar Jar Binks, but overall, the trilogy is much more popular now than it used to be. This means that a large chasm has opened up between critics andStar Warsfans.
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The negative reaction to theStar Warsprequels was partly driven by comparisons to the original trilogy. Now that enough time has passed, fans can appreciate the prequel trilogy as a separate entity. The prequels have more of a political focus and some interesting ideas about the Jedi. What’s just as important is that the prequel trilogy has some great action scenes, like the battle with Darth Maul, Obi-Wan and Anakin’s duel and theBen-Hurinspired podrace.
