10 Critically Abused Films That We All Loved Anyway (And Why)

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 48%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 84%

James Wan’s directorial debut was actually based on a screenplay written by the film’s co-star Leigh Whannell, with the two combining to bring the actor’s horrific vision to life in incredibly vivid fashion. 

When Whanell’s character Adam wakes up in an underground chamber chained up opposite another prisoner with a dead man lying between them, their prospects do not look good. Together, Adam and Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) begin to realise that they are going to have to put themselves through hell if they ever want to see the light of day again.

What The Critics Said:

While Associated Press reviewer David Germain questioned how such a cruel, empty and infantile movie even managed to get made, other critics slated the film for excessive violence and the performance of Cary Elwes, who was described as (among other, even less complimentary things) as a whimpering little girl. 

James Wan was also put under the spotlight for overusing flashbacks and ruining the building claustrophobia that could have been the one redeeming feature of his film.

Why We Loved It Anyway:

The film’s twist also came under fire from top film critics, but in cinemas across the world the average movie-goer was in awe. The person responsible for their imprisonment was in the room the whole time masquerading as a dead man, and even if you saw it coming it was still a brilliant moment. 

Yes, the film is very, very violent, and it might not have been the best performance of Cary Elwes’ career, but blood, guts and hammy acting are all part of the horror tradition, and the purists were able to see Saw for what it is – a gory treat for genre junkies.