Ever since its release, In the Lost Lands has been getting bashed by critics, continuing a shocking Rotten Tomatoes streak for director Paul W.S. Anderson. While Anderson tends to direct movies based on video games, for In the Lost Lands, he instead adapted a short story by acclaimed author George R.R. Martin. The story of In the Lost Lands follows a witch named Gray Alys, who hires a guide to Boyce to travel with her into the Lost Lands to retrieve a power.
In the Lost Lands has an intriguing premise and blends several different genres, but it has impressed practically nobody. Reviews for In the Lost Lands have been terrible, with Screen Rant’s own Alexander Harrison giving the film a disastrous score of 2 out of 10. In the Lost Land’s negative reviews have cemented it as one of the worst movies directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. However, the filmmaker is used to his films receiving negative reviews. In fact, every movie Anderson has ever made has a “Rotten” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In The Lost Lands’ Director Paul W.S. Anderson Has Only Made “Rotten” Movies Over The Last 30 Years
All 15 Of Anderson’s Movies Are Rotten
To achieve the unwanted Rotten status on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, a movie needs to have an overall score of less than 60%. Anderson’s 30-plus year streak means that he has never made a movie that has received mostly positive ratings, which is shocking. Other than directing the recently released In the Lost Lands, Anderson is best known for helming 1995’s Mortal Kombat, several Resident Evil movies, and 2020’s Monster Hunter.
|
Every Paul W.S. Anderson Movie |
RT Critics Score |
|---|---|
|
Shopping (1994) |
49% |
|
Mortal Kombat (1995) |
47% |
|
Event Horizon (1997) |
35% |
|
Soldier (1998) |
17% |
|
The Sight (2000) |
37% |
|
Resident Evil (2002) |
36% |
|
Alien vs. Predator (2004) |
21% |
|
Death Race (2008) |
41% |
|
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) |
21% |
|
The Three Musketeers (2011) |
26% |
|
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) |
28% |
|
Pompeii (2014) |
27% |
|
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) |
38% |
|
Monster Hunter (2020) |
44% |
|
In the Lost Lands (2025) |
24% |
Since he has directed 15 movies over the course of his career, it is hard to believe that none of his films have been viewed in a positive light. Even though he has only made Rotten movies, Anderson has still found success in Hollywood and garnered a fan base. In fact, several of his movies have cult followings. However, his unique directing style has clearly never impressed critics.
Paul W.S. Anderson’s Career Is Still Successful Beyond Rotten Tomatoes
A Lot Of Anderson’s Movies Have Been Box Office Successes
Even though critics have never been fans of his work, Anderson has continued to work in Hollywood and doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all. While his films may not have positive Rotten Tomatoes scores, they typically don’t require huge budgets and tend to do well at the box office. For example, all the Resident Evil movies that Anderson directed had budgets from $35-65 million, but all made well over $100 million at the box office (via The Numbers). His final movie in the franchise, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, actually made an impressive $314,101,190.
Therefore, even though his films have not performed well critically, most of Anderson’s movies have had commercial appeal. Since his movies have tended to be profitable, it is understandable why he still manages to get projects greenlit. Overall, even though some of his movies, such as In the Lost Lands, receive horrible reviews, Anderson has successfully sustained a directing career for over three decades.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
