‘Paddington 2’ Is No Longer The Best Reviewed Movie Of All Time On Rotten Tomatoes
Back in January of 2018, the family film sequelPaddington 2became thebest reviewed movie of all timeon Rotten Tomatoes. With 163 reviews from critics (at the time), the movie managed to maintain a 100% score. Even in the years since then, the movie reached over 240 reviews and kept a perfect rating. That’s no easy feat when there’s so much subjectivity involved in film criticism. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, because a recently posted negative review has ruined the 100% critical rating thatPaddington 2earned, and the movie is no longer at the top of the pack.
The Hollywood Reporterpoints out that the Rotten Tomatoes score forPaddington 2dropped to 99%when a new review by critic Eddie Harrison was posted toFilm Authority. Here’s a snippet of the scathing take that lashed out at the beloved family film:
Well, that’s certainly an opinion, and it’s on the verge of being comparable to the contrarian takes of infamous film critic Armond White, wholoved Adam Sandler’sJack & Jillandhated Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight. This also appears to be an active decision by Harrison to take down the movie, because he preemptively defended himself at the end of his review, “I reviewedPaddington 2negatively for BBC radio on release in 2017, and on multiple occasions after that, and I stand by every word of my criticism.”
If he felt so strongly aboutPaddington 2, then why not put down these words at a time when it clearly isn’t a desperate attention grab? This feels like a decision that was inspired byCitizen Kanerecently havingits perfect Rotten Tomatoes score ruinedby the inclusion of a review published all the way back in 1941. Harrison probably wanted some time in the spotlight, and now he’s got it.
At the end of the day, this doesn’t diminish the perceived greatness ofPaddington 2. It’s still a movie that’s been loved by many, and will continue to be enjoyed by the masses who don’t care what the critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes may be. But it does mean that there’s a new best reviewed movie of all time at the review aggregator.
Toy Story 2has taken the top spot once held byPaddington 2at Rotten Tomatoes. It currentlyhas a 100% ratingwith 169 reviews from critics. But who knows how long that will last. Some kid named Sid will probably come along and publish a negative review on a website called Film Trash or something like that.
