Love them or hate them, film critics are here to stay. Whether they sing the praises of your favourite movies or get on your nerves by slating them, they're always there ready to spout their opinions on the latest releases, whether welcome or not. On the whole it is fair to say that critical reaction to most films is fairly accurate - you only have to compare the average ratings listed on websites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic to see that their collective judgement is often sound. Many people would much rather go by the critical consensus than, say, the opinion of the general public as found on sites like IMDB. Some critics have earned a reputation as the go-to person for opinions on the latest movies - in Britain, Mark Cousins, Mark Kermode and, in previous years Barry Norman have achieved a status as minor celebrities in their own right, while in America the late Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael have become almost as legendary as the filmmakers whose works they appraise. For the most part, when it comes to great movies the critics recognise quality when they see it. But occasionally they get it very, very wrong, slamming a masterpiece and inevitably looking rather foolish in the aftermath. Here are ten examples of classic movies which were completely slammed by critics. Sometimes all those years of experience can count for very little.
