For decades, Hollywood has trembled at the mercy of the aggregate percentage. A “Rotten” splat on Rotten Tomatoes can instantly kill a film’s box office momentum, leaving multi-million dollar investments out in the cold. Yet, every so often, a movie comes along that completely defies the critical consensus, proving that everyday viewers care far more about pure entertainment value than arbitrary scores.
This is where action legend Sylvester Stallone comes in. While he is currently riding a triumphant wave of television success with three highly successful seasons of Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King under his belt and an upcoming spinoff, his recent filmography makes it look like he has fell into B-movie territory. His 2024 action thriller, Armor, was utterly savaged by critics upon arrival. But despite a painful 0% critical score, the film is currently dominating the streaming charts, proving that a bad review cannot keep a good action hero down.
Why Did Critics Hate ‘Armor’?
Armor stands as Stallone’s lowest rated film yet. While he has fell under scorching fire by critics many times in his career, this one takes the biscuit as an actual cinematic disaster. The first issue with this film was that it bypassed a wide theatrical window. Limping through an incredibly limited cinematic release, it only managed to bring in just shy of $1 million globally. While this quiet rollout is typical for modern, low-budget action thrillers, things got much worse when the reviews finally dropped.
The film achieved the rare, embarrassing distinction of a 0% critical approval rating. Reviewers seemed to gather to bash the movie for its predictable tropes, low-budget production value, and formulas that felt decades old. Many also pointed out how Stallone barely graced the screen. Despite being heavily featured in the marketing and receiving top-billing and a poster forefront, he reportedly only worked on the film for a single day of shooting. But what left a major sour taste in many people’s mouths was the rumor that he was paid a staggering $3.5 million for that single day’s work. So, ultimately, for many film journalists, Armor was written off as just another uninspired, direct-to-video paycheck for a legendary star.
The Streaming Second Wind
If the industry relied solely on glowing reviews to judge a movie’s life cycle, Armor would have been buried and completely forgotten by the public. However, it has resurfaced as a B-movie that action fans appear to be enjoying for what it is. It isn’t trying to be a blockbuster epic, and if you go in with this in mind, you might just end up having a good time.
While critics wanted nothing to do with this closed-door thriller, audiences at home had a completely different reaction. After landing a spot on free ad-supported streaming television (FAST), Armor rapidly transformed into a massive hit. It skyrocketed up the charts on Tubi in the United States and successfully fought its way into the Top 10 streaming movies on Starz internationally. These metrics prove that everyday moviegoers judge a film based on its baseline entertainment value rather than its artistic perfection. Of course, Rotten Tomatoes holds immense sway within Hollywood boardrooms, but on the ground level, casual fans are more than happy to ignore a 0% rating if it means spending an evening watching an action legend break some rules.
Is It Worth a Watch?
The first major selling point of a Armor is seeing Sylvester Stallone in a rare villainous rendition. Across his five decades on the silver screen, he has charmed us with characters like Rocky Balboa and thrilled us with characters like John Rambo, but he has never played pure evil until now. Whatever the critics say about this movie, they can’t deny that Sly has some serious chops for menace. His performance is quiet and subtle in a brooding way, but explosive in the right moments, no matter how small is screentime is.
Much like the film’s name, the plot is straight-forward and to the point. Trying its best to be a contained thriller, the chaos slowly unfolds for two security guards (played by Jason Patric and Josh Wiggins) who are forced onto a closed, decrepit rural bridge after a vehicle ambush led by Rook (Stallone). When they decide to fight back, this cat-and-mouse thriller explodes into a fast-paced actioner with a surprisingly rewarding showdown. When all is said and done, Armor delivers exactly what it promises on the cover: Sylvester Stallone going against type, some fun explosions, and a simple, high-stakes story that doesn’t demand any intellectual heavy-lifting. To some, it may land in the “so bad it’s good” category, but at least it will be remembered in some way or another.
Read Next: How the Oscars Broke Sylvester Stallone with Rocky
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