Fresh Or Rotten? Predicting The Rotten Tomatoes Scores Of Every Superhero Movie Coming In 2018
2018 is going to be huge for superhero movies but after that Rotten Tomatoes controversy last year, you'd best believe fans will keep an eye on those scores. Here, we predict those for every big release!
Fans have always taken issue with Rotten Tomatoes but 2017 was the year many decided to wipe their hands with the online review aggregator. While it's not the site's fault which scores are generated, there's no denying that it's an extremely flawed system which allows "critics" from publications most people have never heard of to essentially sabotage a movie's score to generate clicks/controversy.
The fact remains, though, that these "Fresh" or "Rotten" scores will continue to receive a great deal of attention in 2018 and will no doubt have an impact on how well movies perform at the box office.
With this year being such a great year for superhero movies (there are nine on the way), we have a lot of reasons to be excited but just how well will they end up faring with critics and what percentages are they most likely to ultimately score? Here, we take a look at each upcoming movie to generate some ideas of our own. Needless to say, we think you'll be pretty surprised by most of these...
Black Panther - 91%
Wonder Woman was groundbreaking for being the first major superhero movie to feature a female lead and Black Panther will no doubt receive similar acclaim for having an African American star (because most people have forgotten about Blade, I guess). Regardless, it's long overdue for a person of colour to get the spotlight in a big budget modern comic book adaptation and Chadwick Boseman is joined by a stellar supporting cast made up of names like Michael B. Jordan and Forest Whitaker.
Throw in director Ryan Coogler and visuals which are as unique as what we've seen in the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok and the signs are all pointing to Black Panther being another very unique Marvel Studios movie which is sure to please those who are still moaning about superhero fatigue. As a result, the reviews for this one being overwhelmingly positive is a given.
The New Mutants - 64%
This one could go either way but based on that first trailer, it appears as if The New Mutants could end up being little more than your typical teen-led haunted house movie, albeit with superpowers.
There's no denying it will probably be well-received for shaking up the genre and doing something new but jump scares and a somewhat stereotypical setting of a mental asylum probably mean critics will choose to ignore that in preference of comparing the Marvel Comics adaptation to the countless horror movies which have preceded it. Throw in the fact that a possible PG-13 rating will restrict just how much Josh Boone can push the boundaries here and The New Mutants runs the risk of being generic.
As a result, reviews will probably be somewhat favourable but this won't be Fox's Logan in 2018.
Avengers: Infinity War - 86%
Given how well-reviewed both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War were, the same being the case for Avengers: Infinity War is pretty much a given, especially as it will no doubt be a major improvement over Age of Ultron. Unfortunately, you can pretty much bank on some critics complaining about the number of characters and these movies becoming too complicated and crowded (thereby missing the point of what makes a release like this so special).
Still, the story will no doubt be strong enough to justify the score above, while the spectacle should ensure this is 2018's biggest superhero movie. However, seeing as this is essentially the first chapter of a two-part story, a non-conclusive ending could draw the ire of some impatient critics and that may have an impact on Infinity War reaching the same high scores as previous Marvel movies.
Deadpool 2 - 74%
The first Deadpool movie was more critically acclaimed than any of us ever imagined so the sequel faces a tough battle in the respect that it's inevitably going to be compared to what came before. On the plus side, the origin story is out of the way, it has a bigger budget, and Josh Brolin kicking ass as Cable, so that could be more than enough to ensure that reviewers don't focus too much on that point.
With a John Wick co-director thrown in for good measure, Deadpool 2 has all the makings of a stylish and unique superhero movie which can once again take full advantage of that R-Rating. The question is, will all those new characters overwhelm proceedings and give this movie a classic case of sequelitis? It's too soon to say, so for now, I'm betting it's only slightly less well-reviewed than the first.
Ant-Man And The Wasp - 77%
Ant-Man was a lot of fun but most critics couldn't quite get past the fact it wasn't being directed by Edgar Wright. Throw in your pretty standard origin story and a forgettable villain and reviews were positive but could have been better. Marvel Studios isn't dumb, though, so expect them to have learnt from past mistakes in order to deliver a real gem with this summer's Ant-Man and The Wasp.
With a female superhero getting top billing and Michelle Pfeiffer set to play a key role, this sequel has all the makings of a hit and will no doubt once again make good use of leading man Paul Rudd.
We've seen pretty much nothing from the sequel at this stage but with Peyton Reed back at the helm, we know if it's in capable hands. The question is, will it be inventive enough to stand alongside the likes of Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther? If the answer is yes, expect it to score the above and then some.
Venom - 41%
On the surface, Venom should probably be one of 2018's best superhero movies but I'm just not convinced. The fact it's being produced by Avia Arad and Matt Tolmach is definitely problematic as you just know they'll have thrown everything they want to see into the mix here regardless of whether or not it works (just like Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2).
I fully expect Tom Hardy to be praised but Ruben Fleischer is very much a hit and miss and regardless of whether or not it secures an R-Rating, the lack of Spider-Man and what appears to be an entire group of symbiotes for Venom to battle is pointing to this one having more in common with the subpar superhero movies of the mid-2000s than what we're used to these days.
It's entirely possible that Venom will surprise us but I think we should ready ourselves for disappointment and reviews negative enough to make Sony realise they NEED Marvel Studios.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix - 33%
Simon Kinberg hopes to redeem himself for past mistakes with X-Men: Dark Phoenix but you have to remember that he's a first time filmmaker who's only real directing experience is said to be those horrendous Fantastic Four reshoots. Throw in the fact that he penned X-Men: Apocalypse (a movie directed by someone far more competent but slammed by critics) and this is a recipe for disaster.
What we've seen from the movie so far hasn't been overly impressive either; the Phoenix is being brought to life with CGI as opposed to the costume most fans would like to see and the team will only head into outer space for an opening sequence set just above the atmosphere as opposed to the full-on cosmic adventure we expected. Simply put, it just doesn't look particularly good.
With that in mind, X-Men: Dark Phoenix has all the makings of an underwhelming disappointment which will make the same mistakes as its predecessors and disappoint critics used to Marvel movies.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse - 67%
There wasn't an awful lot of buzz surrounding this movie when it was first announced but the teaser trailer made it clear that the animation style is going to be a lot of fun and that there will be more than meets the eye to it than just a standard big screen adventure for Miles Morales. Animated superhero movies are something new for the most part too so that could mean Sony is on to a real winner.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse could wind up being something really special, especially if we end up meeting a multitude of different wall-crawlers. I see no reason why critics won't fall in love with this one, particularly if it really puts the spotlight on the fact that Miles is a young person of colour attempting to be a superhero. Providing it can avoid the trappings of most animated movies, this experiment by Sony could pay off but I'm still being cautious when it comes to how well it will score.
Aquaman - 80%
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were both slammed by critics, so the question now is whether or not Aquaman will be a Wonder Woman or Man of Steel for Warner Bros.!
With James Wan at the helm, my gut tells me it will end up on the higher scale as the filmmaker will likely redeem Aquaman after his mostly decent appearance in Justice League (also hated by critics) by getting stellar performances from the likes of Patrick Wilson and Nicole Kidman and delivering impressive action scenes which make much better use of Atlantis and the movie's underwater setting.
Unfortunately, I don't see this one being up there with Wonder Woman and many critics will likely be gunning for the next DC Comics movie after Justice League for any number of reasons (I'll leave those to the conspiracy theorists among you). So, a good score but not one which makes it the best of 2018.
What are your predictions for the Rotten Tomatoes scores of every 2018 Marvel and DC Comics movie? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.
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