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The assessment aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has turn into a quick and useful method for audiences to take a look at the consensus of flicks and TV reveals as all of us slowly drown within the ever-increasing quantity of “content material.” Not solely that, nevertheless it has additionally turn into a testomony to the divide between critics and audiences. And it’s a divide that occurs surprisingly usually. The newest challenge to fall into this chasm is a brand new motion thriller sequence from Prime Video…and the 2 teams couldn’t disagree with one another extra.

The sequence, which is titled The Murderer, follows a mom, Julie ( Keeley Hawes), who makes an attempt to reconnect together with her estranged son, Edward (Freddie Highmore). Nonetheless, when the retired killer’s harmful previous catches up together with her, she should resurrect her explicit set of expertise to maintain them protected.

Sounding so much like a gender-swapped Taken, it seems that The Murderer is way extra divisive than anybody may have anticipated. The motion sequence presently stands at a powerful 88% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with this “contemporary” rating holding agency alongside a savage 29% from audiences on the Popcornmeter. However how may this tried-and-tested story of a former killer have lower such a transparent divide between the 2 teams?

Turning to the critics, David Opie of Empire heaped reward on Hawes within the lead, teasing that The Murderer is a surprisingly distinctive tackle the motion thriller arrange. “You’ve got by no means met an murderer like Keeley Hawes’ Julie, and for that matter you’ve got by no means watched a thriller like this both. Come for the cutthroat motion and keep for the chopping dynamic at its core,” he stated. Awarding the sequence an ideal 5/5, The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan concludes, “It’s a lot enjoyable. Hawes is so good, so humorous, Highmore so nimble and completely pitched and everybody else delivering sensible performances.” To date, so promising, nevertheless it’s the following crucial reactions that would supply some thought of why The Murderer has confirmed so alienating for audiences.

What Do You Imply It is ‘Mamma Mia!’ Meets ‘Taken’?

Sabrina Barr of metro.co.uk calls the present “Mamma Mia mixed with Taken, with a splash of Black Doves thrown in for good measure,” with Anita Singh of The Day by day Telegraph equally saying, “The Murderer… is Mamma Mia! with a sniper rifle, and it’s a deal with.” Notably, each critics awarded the sequence a near-perfect 4/5.

It is tough to work out what precisely Mamma Mia! meets Taken actually means (is it the sunlit setting? Do they break into music?), nevertheless it’s clearly an strategy that has put audiences off. “What was all of the fuss about? Unusual disconnect between for instance the assessment in The Guardian and the precise factor. How may anybody, particularly knowledgeable reviewer, assume this amateurish mish mash is any good?” stated one consumer on Rotten Tomatoes. “Painfully tacky. Making an attempt to be humorous, however lacking the mark. Odd tone, concurrently darkish and foolish,” provides one other, maybe hinting the tonal modifications that happen as Mamma Mia makes method for Taken. Lastly, “That is most likely the worst sequence I’ve seen in over 60 years,” largely sums up how audiences really feel.

Greater than most, it appears like The Murderer is one we’ll all want to take a look at for ourselves. Which is ideal, as a result of it’s now streaming on Prime Video.

Supply: Rotten Tomatoes