Ritchson's Film Lands on 2025's Worst Movies List
A major Hollywood star finds himself among cinema's biggest disappointments this year, with his latest project earning brutal reviews from critics and landing just below the year's most hated film.
Hollywood heavyweight Alan Ritchson has found himself in an uncomfortable spotlight as his recent film secures a spot among 2025's most critically panned movies. The action-comedy "Playdate" has earned the unfortunate distinction of ranking second on Metacritic's list of the year's worst films, trailing only behind the catastrophic "War of the Worlds" remake.
The buddy comedy, helmed by director Luke Greenfield, features Ritchson as Jeff Eamon, an athletic stay-at-home father who's new to his neighborhood. Kevin James plays Brian Jennings, a recently unemployed forensic accountant struggling with his new role as a stepfather. Their chance meeting spirals into chaos when dangerous mercenaries begin hunting them down.
Critical Reception Proves Devastating
Despite boasting a talented ensemble cast including Sarah Chalke, Alan Tudyk, Benjamin Pajak, Banks Pierce, Hiro Kanagawa, Stephen Root, and Isla Fisher, "Playdate" failed to impress reviewers. The film earned a devastating 20 out of 100 score on Metacritic, with critics describing it as having "no energy, no wit, just a tasteless and tacky sequence of events."
The movie that claimed the top spot for worst film of 2025 is "War of the Worlds," a screenlife science fiction adaptation of H.G. Wells's classic 1898 novel. Directed by Rich Lee, this version stars Ice Cube as Will Radford, a government computer security analyst whose routine life gets turned upside down by an alien invasion. While he's used to handling digital threats, this extraterrestrial attack pushes him into uncharted territory while uncovering potential government conspiracies.
Star Power Fails to Save Productions
"War of the Worlds" assembled an impressive cast featuring Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage, Henry Hunter Hall, Iman Benson, Devon Bostick, and Michael O'Neill. However, critics showed no mercy, awarding it a brutal 6 out of 100 Metacritic score and crowning it the platform's official worst movie of the year. Reviews slammed the production for its "hodgepodge of shoddy CGI and dead-eyed reaction shots from Ice Cube that make you feel like you can identify individual brain cells mid-death cycle."
The complete list of 2025's worst films according to Metacritic reveals that even A-list talent couldn't save these productions from critical disaster. Other notable entries include Nicolas Cage's "Gunslingers," Sylvester Stallone's "Alarum," Rebel Wilson's "Bride Hard," and Josh Hutcherson's "Five Nights at Freddy's 2."
Mixed Fan Reactions to Rankings
Social media users have expressed divided opinions about the rankings. While some agree with the placements, others question certain inclusions and suggest additional films that deserved spots on the list. Several fans defended "Five Nights at Freddy's 2," praising its animatronics despite the poor critical reception. Others wondered why certain high-profile disappointments didn't make the cut.
The rankings demonstrate that star power alone cannot guarantee success, with established actors like Johnny Depp, Christoph Waltz, and Millie Bobby Brown also appearing on the list for their respective projects "Modi – Three Days on the Wing of Madness," "Old Guy," and "The Electric State."