So what do critics know? Well, actually, quite a bit.

I enjoy the Rotten Tomatoes site, because it acts as a great normalizer. For every ax-grinding anti-fan elitist sourpuss, there's a fervant unapologetic gusher/suspect corporate lackey, thus cancelling out both extremes. Then the more mainstream critics chime in, often painting an accurate picture as to whether a movie is worth the cost of admission.

So, with the claim in mind that movies are worse than ever before, I thought I'd take a look at the year's major releases, and see what scored what. The process debunked a few myths, like the argument that critics hate anything popular like a mass-appeal block buster.

Hardly. Look at the most well-reviewed movies this year. Blockbusters are well represented in those ranks. And the critically acclaimed limited release Crash only scored 77%, much less than a raunchy comedy about virginity, that turned out to be one of the most well-reviewed movies of the year.

So, here are the letter grades for the major releases of this year so far, compiled from Rotten Tomatoes. I wonder if the median score is getting higher or lower each year...


Disclaimer: The middle of the spectrum gets really fuzzy, because the percentile only represents a movie's ability to please a lot of people. A substantive, quality film with a contentious message could split the audience, driving its total numbers down. However, the 80-100% and the 0-30% are probably very accurate assessment of the movie's quality.


A+ movies (90% or Higher)
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit - 95%

A movies (80-89%)
A History of Violence - 86%
The 40 Year Old Virgin - 84%
Batman Begins - 83%
Cinderella Man - 83%
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - 83%
Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith - 82%
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - 81%
Hustle & Flow - 81%
Red Eye - 81%
The Constant Gardener - 81%
Corpse Bride - 81%
Serenity - 81%


B movies (70-79%)
Sin City - 78%
Pooh's Heffalump Movie - 77%
In Her Shoes - 74%
Wedding Crashers - 74%
Land of the Dead - 73%
War of the Worlds - 72%
North Country - 71%

C Movies (60-69%)
Sky High - 69%
Hitch - 68%
Unleashed - 67%
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story - 65%
Coach Carter - 64 %
Roll Bounce - 64%
Fever Pitch - 63%
Robots - 62%
Mr. and Mrs. Smith - 61%
The Greatest Game Ever Played - 61%
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - 60%
Assault on Precinct 13 - 60%

D Movies (50-59%)
The Interpreter - 59%
Shopgirl - 58%
The Weather Man - 57%
Lord of War - 57%
Jarhead - 56%
Because of Winn-Dixie - 55%
Madagascar - 54%
The Devil's Rejects - 53%
Just Like Heaven - 53%
Ice Princess - 52%
Four Brothers - 51%
Lords of Dogtown - 52%

F Movies (40-49%)
Transporter 2 - 49%
Prime - 49%
Constantine - 45%
The Exorcism of Emily Rose - 44%
Guess Who - 43%
The Jacket - 42%
Beauty Shop - 40%
Bad News Bears -47%
High Tension - 43%
Dark Water - 42%
Kicking and Screaming - 41%
Herbie: Fully Loaded - 41%
The Island - 40%
The Skeleton Key - 41%

Z Movies (30-39%)
Kingdom of Heaven - 39%
A Lot Like Love - 39%
The Brothers Grimm -39%
Dear Wendy - 39%
Chicken Little - 39%
Saw II - 38%
Sahara - 38%
Flightplan - 37%
Racing Stripes - 36%
Must Love Dogs - 36%
The Great Raid - 35%
Waiting... 32%
Hostage - 32%
Be Cool - 30%
The Longest Yard - 30%

Sub-Z Movies (20-29%)
Elizabethtown - 29%
Mindhunters - 28%
Bewitched - 26%
Fantastic Four - 25%
House of wax - 24%
The Legend of Zorro - 24%
Stay - 24%
Cry_Wolf - 24%
Valiant -23%
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo - 23%
The Amityville Horror - 22%
The Pacifier - 21%
The Ring Two - 20%
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D - 20%
Into the Blue - 20%
Two for the Money - 20%

What Were They Thinking? (10-19%)
Monster-in-Law - 17%
Doom - 17%
The Dukes of Hazzard - 17%
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous - 16%
Diary of a Mad Black Woman - 16%
XXX2: The Next Level - 15%
Cursed - 14%
Boogeyman - 14%
Rebound - 14%
The Cave - 14%
Domino - 14%
Stealth - 13%
The Man -13%
Hide and Seek - 13%
Are We There Yet? - 12%
The Honeymooners - 12%
The Wedding Date - 11%
Man of the House - 10%
Venom - 10%

Induce Vomiting (0-9%)
White Noise - 9%
Underclassman -8%
The Fog - 8%
Elektra - 7 %
The Perfect Man - 6%
A Sound of Thunder - 6%
Undiscovered - 5%
Son of the Mask - 4%
Alone in the Dark - 1 %
King's Ransom - 0%