Ben Affleck’s ‘Animals’ Lands a Rotten Score as Critics Turn on His Netflix Thriller

Ben Affleck built much of his reputation behind the camera on crime stories. Films like ‘Gone Baby Gone’ and ‘The Town’ earned strong reviews and awards attention, and more recently ‘Air’ was a critical success, cementing his standing as a thoughtful filmmaker.

His latest project, ‘Animals’, marked a high-profile return to the thriller genre and his second straight Netflix film after ‘The Rip’ earlier this year. Affleck directs and stars as Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped, with Kerry Washington playing his wife, Abigail.

Now that the film has arrived, critics have delivered a harsh verdict. As of October 9, ‘Animals’ holds a 42% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 26 reviews, firmly in rotten territory.

The review embargo lifted on Thursday evening, and the film debuted at just 38% from 16 reviews. Its score has bounced around since, briefly climbing into the mid-40s before settling at its current mark.

New trailer for ‘ANIMALS’, directed by & starring Ben Affleck. The film follows a mayoral candidate who must steal money to pay a ransom after his son is kidnapped. Releasing October 9 on Netflix. https://t.co/bWPQvlZJTd

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 15, 2026

If the rotten score holds, ‘Animals’ will rank among Affleck’s lowest-rated films as a director. Only 2016’s ‘Live by Night’ fared worse, earning 34%. The New York Times’ Jeannette Catsoulis was among the top critics who panned the film, describing a strong cast trapped in an overwrought script that produces a flat political thriller.

Vulture went even further, calling it a catastrophe and criticizing its disjointed storytelling and underdeveloped characters. RogerEbert.com described it as Affleck’s weakest directing effort, taking issue with its handling of political hypocrisy and immigration.

The AV Club’s Jacob Oller also gave it a rotten score, referencing comparisons to the source material. The Associated Press’ Jake Coyle offered a more measured take. He praised Affleck as a savvy filmmaker but felt this outing was narratively underpowered and melodramatically forced.

Some critics also pointed to the film’s use of AI, which Affleck has confirmed was a tool used in production. Screen Rant’s review called the film unremarkable and at times boring. Not every review was negative.

The Financial Times awarded it 4 stars, calling it a tightly constructed thriller and singling out Gillian Anderson’s performance as a mysterious crisis fixer. The Hollywood Reporter found the cast highly watchable, suggesting the film works well as background viewing. Across many reviews, the performances were seen as stronger than the material.

‘Animals’ is a contemporary reworking of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime drama ‘High and Low’. When the Kimballs’ son, Denny, is kidnapped, the couple is drawn into a web of deception during a heated mayoral race.

The ensemble includes Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Ray Fisher, and Christopher Woodley as Denny. Affleck co-wrote the script with Billy Ray and Connor O. McIntyre, while Matt Damon is among the producers.

The R-rated thriller runs 1 hour and 46 minutes. It opened in select theaters and began streaming on Netflix on October 9. The Popcornmeter has yet to post a score, with fewer than 50 audience ratings so far.

Netflix films often rely more on viewership than reviews, so audiences may still give ‘Animals’ a warmer welcome. For Affleck, the reception is a rare stumble in an otherwise respected directing career. Whether viewers embrace the film could determine how this chapter is remembered.

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