The 10 Lowest-Rated Movies of 2025 According to Metacritic

While Rotten Tomatoes has solidified its place as the primary metric for distilled critical reception, seasoned cinephiles recognize that Metacritic often offers a more sophisticated perspective. Eschewing the reductive “Fresh or Rotten” binary, Metacritic synthesizes scores from a curated selection of reputable critics, assigning each film a weighted average out of 100. This methodology provides a more granular look at the critical zeitgeist, reflecting the intensity of opinions rather than just the volume of positive ones.

Of course, a numerical value is never the final word on artistic merit—engaging with the actual prose of a review remains the best way to understand a film’s impact. However, Metacritic excels at identifying universal disdain. By filtering for titles with at least seven reviews to ensure a representative sample, we’ve identified the most disparaged cinematic offerings of the year. Let’s examine the “Bottom Ten” of 2025 to see if these critical failures are truly as abysmal as their reputations suggest.

10 Regretting You

Metascore: 33

The Premise: A high-stakes romantic melodrama based on the Colleen Hoover novel, centering on family secrets that bubble to the surface following a devastating automobile accident.

The Critical Consensus: Bilge Ebiri of Vulture characterized the film as a “multicharacter wallow in uncontrolled emotions,” noting that the execution felt so disjointed it bordered on a fever dream. Remarkably, his assessment was among the more generous reviews.

The Verdict: Regretting You is undeniably flawed. It plays like an adaptation that lost its cultural footing during the transition from page to screen. The decision to have Allison Williams and Dave Franco portray their characters two decades younger is jarring, as they lack the requisite teenage buoyancy. While it serves as a bizarre form of kitschy entertainment, it lacks the intellectual ambition (and subsequent failure) of more “prestige” romances like Eternity.

9 Modi – Three Days on the Wings of Madness

Metascore: 32

The Premise: Johnny Depp returns to the director’s chair for the first time since 1997’s The Brave, chronicling a chaotic 72-hour window in the life of bohemian Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani.

The Critical Consensus: Writing for The Times (UK), Kevin Maher lambasted the film as a “cinematic abomination,” pointing specifically to a “shamefully inept” screenplay that lacks subtext or depth.

The Verdict: It is a struggle to endure the film’s self-indulgent pacing. Depp’s directorial vision immediately frames his protagonist as a misunderstood, wine-soaked hero—a trope that feels tired and unearned. The technical execution is remarkably clumsy, making it clear why Depp has spent nearly three decades away from the helm.

8 Smurfs

Metascore: 31

The Premise: Another big-budget attempt to revitalize the Smurfs franchise for a modern audience.

The Critical Consensus: Critics have described the film as a “randomized free-association” of animated clichés. The consensus suggests it is a frantic, “unholy mess” that lacks a coherent narrative structure.

The Verdict: It’s a strong contender for the most underwhelming studio animation of the year. The film feels like a victim of “development hell,” never quite deciding if it wants to be a full-blown musical—even with Rihanna leading the cast. While it feels more like a complete product than some of its direct-to-streaming competitors, it remains a hollow experience.

7 Juliet & Romeo

Metascore: 31

The Premise: A pop-infused musical reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy, aiming for the same cultural resonance as Broadway’s & Juliet but with an original soundtrack.

The Critical Consensus: Variety labeled the production “amateurish,” citing frantic editing and uninspired direction that fails to capture the energy of the musical numbers.

The Verdict: Despite featuring seasoned actors like Jacob Isaacs and Derek Jacobi, the film feels startlingly cheap. The aesthetic is loud but lacklustre, and the songs—largely tepid emo-pop ballads—are forgettable at best. However, the film’s most egregious sin is its attempt to “improve” upon Shakespeare’s dialogue, a move that feels less like a creative reimagining and more like an insult to the source material.

6 The Electric State

Metascore: 30

The Premise: A massively expensive Netflix epic set in a retro-futuristic dystopia where sentient robots and humans coexist in the aftermath of a failed rebellion.

The Critical Consensus: The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film’s “magic-less” visual effects and dismissed its humanist themes as hypocritical, given the algorithmic nature of its production.

The Verdict: The Russo Brothers continue their post-MCU struggle to find a creative pulse. The Electric State is a bloated, sluggish affair that fails to justify its staggering budget. After the failures of Cherry and The Gray Man, this attempted sci-fi classic feels like the final nail in the coffin for their non-Marvel aspirations.

5 Hurry Up Tomorrow

Metascore: 29

The Premise: A vanity project starring and produced by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, featuring Jenna Ortega in a psychological drama that plays like an overextended music video.

The Critical Consensus: Critics have panned the film as “vapid” and “meandering,” accusing it of mistaking silence for profundity.

The Verdict: The film’s only saving grace is its aesthetic; the use of 35mm film makes for a beautiful experience, and Jenna Ortega’s natural screen presence is undeniable. However, these elements cannot salvage a narrative that is fundamentally hollow and deeply self-indulgent.

4 The Strangers: Chapter 2

Metascore: 28

The Premise: The middle entry in a trilogy rebooting the 2008 home-invasion classic, expanding the lore of the masked killers.

The Critical Consensus: Many critics found the “bridge” nature of the story to be airless and unsatisfying, lacking a beginning or a definitive end.

The Verdict: This is a rare case where the critics may be too harsh. While it suffers from “middle-chapter syndrome,” director Renny Harlin delivers a stylish, dreamlike chase sequence that pays homage to 80s slashers. It’s a stripped-down, atmospheric horror exercise that—while incomplete—is far more competent than its score suggests.

3 Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

Metascore: 26

The Premise: A direct sequel to the box-office juggernaut based on the horror gaming franchise.

The Critical Consensus: Critics have described it as “bare-bones incompetence,” noting that the film prioritizes “Easter eggs” for fans over basic cinematic storytelling.

The Verdict: This is the unfortunate result of giving a game designer total creative control over a film. It is an inert, lore-heavy slog that feels less like a movie and more like a live-action reading of a fan-authored wiki page.

2 Bride Hard

Metascore: 23

The Premise: A high-concept action-comedy starring Rebel Wilson as a secret agent bridesmaid who must save a wedding party from mercenaries.

The Critical Consensus: IndieWire noted a startling lack of “functional jokes,” a fatal flaw for a film that bills itself as a comedy.

The Verdict: It is genuinely baffling how this film secured a theatrical release. It feels like a relic of the direct-to-video era, lacking the wit or the production value to compete with even the most mediocre streaming offerings.

1 War of the Worlds

Metascore: 6

The Premise: An H.G. Wells reimagining told entirely through “screen life” (computer monitors and webcams), featuring Ice Cube as a government analyst.

The Critical Consensus: Critics have shredded the film for its technical failures and its bizarrely pro-surveillance narrative, where a global alien invasion is thwarted by… Amazon logistics.

The Verdict: This is a catastrophic failure on every level. The film ignores the fundamental rules of its own “screen life” gimmick, often switching to angles that are physically impossible within its digital framework. With a Metascore of 6, it stands as a monument to cinematic disaster—a project that should have remained a discarded hard drive.

Source: Polygon