- 6/19/2025
Discover the movies that Rotten Tomatoes got wrong, from cult classics to beloved blockbusters. Join us as we count down the certified rotten films that deserve a higher score, including sequels, fantasy epics, and iconic comedies. With charismatic stars, stunning visuals, and memorable moments, these movies have been reappraised over time and are now cherished by audiences. Find out which films made the list and why they're due for a reappraisal, featuring movies like "Blade II", "Legend", and "Top Gun".
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I feel the need, the need for speed.
00:05Ow!
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the certified rotten movies
00:11that deserve a much higher score on the Tomatometer.
00:14Jumanji.
00:17Oh.
00:19It's Jumanji.
00:20Number 10. Blade 2.
00:22The lethal half-vampire returns in this 2002 sequel.
00:26In it, Blade teams up with other vampires to vanquish a supernatural enemy.
00:32When they have finished with us, who do you think they'll turn on next?
00:37You're precious humans.
00:41Not one of them will be left.
00:44We spent two years training a small tactical unit, the Blood Pack.
00:48We want you to lead them.
00:50Two years?
00:51Despite impressive fight scenes and lots of style, the critical consensus seemed to be
00:56that this sequel was mediocre at best.
01:00Many fans take umbrage with its 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
01:04You know, Whistler, there's an old saying.
01:07Keep your friends close.
01:10Keep your enemies closer.
01:13You might want to remember that.
01:14With a star as charismatic as Wesley Snipes, and a director as gifted as Guillermo del Toro.
01:21Blade 2 is more than just another superhero sequel.
01:24Film critic Roger Ebert gave it one of its more glowing reviews, calling it even better than the original.
01:30What do you think about that, man?
01:32Two things.
01:34One, I've been onto you since they turned you.
01:41Two, it's not a dud.
01:46Not great.
01:48Number 9. Legend.
01:49An early career Tom Cruise headlines this mid-80s fantasy epic about unicorns, fairies, and ogres.
01:57Nothing is more magical.
01:58As long as they roam the earth, people can never harm the pure of heart.
02:06Legend was renowned for its stunning visual elements, even scoring an Oscar nomination for makeup.
02:11Alas, it was far from a massive hit with audiences or critics.
02:16Reviews cited its sets, effects, and the performance of Tim Curry as the big bad
02:21to be the film's only redeeming qualities.
02:24Beneath the skin, we are already one.
02:32Was it not your sin trapped the unicorn?
02:36Even now, the evil seed of what you've done germinates within you.
02:43While its 43% on Rotten Tomatoes says a lot, it's the 73% audience score that tells the real story.
02:51Legend has since found a new life as a cult classic and is overdue for a reappraisal.
02:57You belong here.
03:01You're my prince.
03:06I'm only Jack.
03:08Number 8. Showgirls.
03:10Depending on who you talk to, it's either the worst movie ever made or a cinematic touchstone.
03:16That's severely misunderstood.
03:17The initial critic's reaction to Showgirls is still reflected in its 23% Rotten Tomatoes score.
03:24One, two, three, four.
03:26Thrust it. Thrust it. Thrust it. Thrust it. Thrust it. Come on, thrust it.
03:32Fuck. Okay.
03:34That's enough. Thank you, ladies.
03:35Like many satirical movies, time has been much kinder to it.
03:39Following a wannabe showgirl as she discovers the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas, the movie takes a lot of big and vulgar swings.
03:48Let's just say its reputation as a major bomb precedes it.
03:52You ever been in one of these?
03:54No.
03:56I always wanted one.
03:59It's a car, isn't it?
04:01It doesn't suck.
04:02Whether you like it for its campy excess or its genuinely sharp cultural critique,
04:07Showgirls isn't just worth another look.
04:10It's time to realize how ahead of its time it was.
04:13By being in Showgirls, whether it was a good movie or a bad movie, everybody was talking about you.
04:18That's true.
04:18And for all the criticism at the time, like here we are a year later and they still talk about it.
04:22Yeah, and you probably thought...
04:23They hated it so much.
04:24And what did they say?
04:25Showgirls and Elizabeth Berkley.
04:26Right.
04:26You have total name recognition.
04:28Number seven, Grease 2.
04:30Some movies are undercover masterpieces.
04:33And then some are just so entertaining, it's hard to knock them for not being perfect.
04:38Grease 2 definitely belongs in the latter category.
04:50Starring an early career Michelle Pfeiffer right before she blew up,
04:55the retro nostalgia continues in this sequel set in 1961.
04:59Pfeiffer leads a new set of pink ladies through a mismatched love story,
05:04full of high school hijinks, motorcycle gangs, and some misplaced patriotism.
05:10I just seem to know a few big words to impress English teachers,
05:13like our friend Miss Mason, that's all.
05:15Well, you impressed me.
05:17While we can't say it's the best movie,
05:19Grease 2 does have enough memorable musical numbers
05:22and fun to recommend a higher rating than a measly 36%.
05:27Number six, Sucker Punch.
05:36If there's one director who's used to making movies that polarize audiences,
05:41it's Zack Snyder.
05:42Before he turned his attention to the DCEU,
05:46Snyder was trying out a different mode of superhero movie.
05:49You see your fight for survival?
05:52Starts right now.
05:55You don't want to be judged?
05:56You won't be.
05:58You don't think you're strong enough?
06:00You are.
06:01Sucker Punch follows Babydoll, a patient in a mental institution,
06:05who leads her fellow patients into a shared fantasy,
06:09where they are training to become warriors.
06:11The merging of fantasy and reality leads to some incredibly striking images.
06:16Don't get mad about this.
06:17About this.
06:18Largely hated upon release,
06:26critics agreed that it was incomprehensible,
06:29tasteless,
06:29and even boring.
06:31This hasn't stopped its fans from praising its themes of female empowerment.
06:35Go and live a normal life.
06:38Love.
06:39Be free.
06:42You have to live for all of us now.
06:44Number 5.
06:45Hocus Pocus.
06:46Oh, sweet revenge.
06:51Do you see, sister?
06:52My heart worked perfectly.
06:54Given how big it was for kids of a certain age,
06:57you'd be surprised that this witchy family movie from 1993
07:01wasn't well regarded upon release.
07:03Hocus Pocus is a light supernatural comedy
07:06about three 17th century witches transported to the modern day.
07:10To convey gorgeous creatures such as yourselves
07:12to your most forbidden desires.
07:17Well, Nancy, we desire children.
07:24Hey, that may take me a couple of tries,
07:26but I don't think that'd be a problem.
07:28I'll point up.
07:29Marvelous.
07:30For as iconic as Bette Midler,
07:32Sarah Jessica Parker,
07:33and Kathy Najimy are,
07:35they couldn't weave their spell over the critics.
07:38The movie got a major thumbs down from top critics
07:41like Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.
07:44I don't think that's funny.
07:45No.
07:45But then, what else is the movie about?
07:47There is nothing.
07:48Nothing funny in this movie.
07:50But 90s kids everywhere absolutely don't agree.
07:54The movie is beloved enough now
07:56to have gotten a sequel nearly 30 years later,
07:59and that movie somehow has a better Tomatometer rating.
08:02We're just like you guys.
08:03That's why we brought you back.
08:05You are our idols.
08:07My favorite word.
08:11God us, worship us.
08:14Of course.
08:15Number 4.
08:16Wet Hot American Summer
08:17Considering that this movie is like the Rosetta Stone
08:21for most of the comic geniuses of the 2000s,
08:24Wet Hot American Summer's 39% rating is crazy to consider.
08:29Set in the early 80s,
08:31the movie follows a group of immature camp counselors
08:34and staff on their last day of summer camp.
08:36I'm only speaking from personal experience,
08:38but if you can't carry a tune,
08:40don't come into the audition environment and waste your time.
08:42We're serious, okay?
08:43Okay, and bring a lot of movement clothes,
08:45aka jazz shoes, dance belts, lycras, et al.
08:48And seriously, FYI, you guys,
08:50this is not an excuse to get out of your regular activities.
08:53This is an excuse to do some good musical theater.
08:56Featuring a pre-fame Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper,
09:00the ensemble includes Paul Rudd,
09:02Janine Garofalo,
09:03and Molly Shannon doing some truly unhinged cringe comedy.
09:07This isn't my husband, Ron.
09:10You know?
09:11No, he's my ex-husband.
09:12From the jump, critics had no idea what to do with it.
09:16Audiences have since reclaimed it as a hilarious look
09:19at some of the best movie comedians of the past few decades.
09:23Can I talk to you for a second?
09:24Sure.
09:25Okay, well...
09:26Time's up.
09:27You said a second.
09:28I want to ask you something.
09:30So you want to talk for more than a second?
09:32Yeah.
09:33What is it then?
09:34You think like a couple minutes?
09:35Number three, Miami Vice.
09:37What do you like to drink?
09:38I'm a fiend for mojitos.
09:45I know a place.
09:49What?
09:54I know what I'm doing.
09:56Michael Mann directed this adaptation
09:58of his decade-defining TV show from the 1980s.
10:02Miami Vice, the show was noted
10:04for balancing its crime stories with immaculate vibes.
10:07The movie, which holds a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes,
10:11was criticized for the acting of its leads,
10:14Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell,
10:16and its underwhelming story.
10:18So where have you been?
10:19I had a couple of jazz clubs fell back to her place.
10:21Where?
10:22Vedalo.
10:23Where's Vedalo?
10:24Suburbs outside of Valle.
10:25You miss out of Valle, Chuba?
10:26No, Valle, Louisiana.
10:28Can we have a meeting?
10:29You making moves on Montoya's woman?
10:30No.
10:31I did not make moves on her.
10:32We're making moves on each other.
10:34Oh, so that's supposed to make it all right?
10:35However, many fans of the movie see it as a triumph of neon-soaked vibes,
10:40style over substance,
10:41and intricate plotting.
10:43It makes you feel the story,
10:45rather than follow it.
10:46If you prefer a sensory experience over a tightly plotted one,
10:50Miami Vice is a must-see.
10:51She could be a white-collar money manager.
10:54She may even be true love.
10:59But she's with them.
11:04Like Trudy would say,
11:07I ain't playing.
11:10Number two, Jumanji.
11:12It's the movie that puts you inside the game.
11:15Afraid?
11:15You don't even know what afraid is.
11:20You will not last five minutes without me.
11:23So, you're gonna help us?
11:27Robin Williams does some great comic and dramatic work in this fantasy movie,
11:32co-starring Bonnie Hunt and a young Kirsten Dunst.
11:35As a man who was sucked into a board game when he was young,
11:39he returns 30 years later to finally finish the game.
11:42I'll be right back!
11:43I'm sorry, Angus.
11:52Harvest time!
11:54Jumanji has everything,
11:55from a stampede,
11:56to deadly spiders,
11:58earthquakes,
11:58to massive floods.
12:00Contemporary reviews cited the over-reliance on special effects over character.
12:05But there's a lot here about nostalgia,
12:07and growing up,
12:08that was overlooked when it was first released.
12:10Alan, you wrestled an alligator for me.
12:13It was a crocodile.
12:18Alligators don't have that little fringe on the handling.
12:21Come on.
12:23Before we continue,
12:25be sure to subscribe to our channel
12:26and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
12:30You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
12:34If you're on your phone,
12:35make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
12:38Number one, Top Gun.
12:41There's Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer,
12:44intense mid-air dogfights,
12:46and shirtless fighter pilots playing volleyball on a sun-soaked beach.
12:50Top Gun has something for everyone.
12:52It's a beloved classic of 80s action greatness,
12:55so why does it only have a critic score of 59%?
12:59Mitchell.
13:01I'm sorry about Goose.
13:07Everybody liked him.
13:14I'm sorry.
13:15This is definitely one instance where the critics got it wrong.
13:20Audiences came out in droves to see Cruise exemplify 80s coolness.
13:25You are direct, aren't you?
13:26I'm sorry, Alice Lee.
13:40I'm sorry for being direct.
13:43No apologies.
13:44This is arguably where he begins to build the action star persona
13:48he's carried on through the entire Mission Impossible series.
13:51Equal parts action thriller and time capsule,
13:54Top Gun deserves a massive bump on the tomatometer.
13:58You are still dangerous.
14:04You can be my wingman anytime.
14:08Bullshit.
14:09You can be mine.
14:10Do you agree with our picks?
14:11Tell us in the comments.
14:24We'll see you next time.
14:27Bye-bye.
14:29Bye-bye.
14:33Bye-bye.
14:34Bye-bye.
14:36Bye-bye.
14:44Bye-bye.
14:49Bye-bye.
Recommended
22:29
|
Up next
14:47
20:58
25:16
24:20
25:13
12:07
35:12
29:39
11:36
23:18