Alan Ritchson’s Playdate Lands Among 2025’s Most Criticised Films

The annual round-up of the year’s least celebrated films has arrived, and it’s not the best news for Alan Ritchson. His recent release, Playdate, has been singled out as one of 2025’s most poorly received titles, sitting just beneath the year’s lowest-rated production, a new adaptation of War of the Worlds. Both have been met with a rather frosty reception from critics and viewers alike, with Playdate earning a particularly lacklustre response.

Critical Reception and Notable Casts

Playdate, a buddy action-comedy directed by Luke Greenfield, features Ritchson as Jeff Eamon, a notably energetic stay-at-home father who’s just moved into the area. He stars opposite Kevin James, who plays Brian Jennings, a recently redundant forensic accountant struggling to adapt to domestic life with his stepson. Their chance meeting soon spirals into chaos, as the pair find themselves pursued by a group of determined mercenaries.

The ensemble cast also includes Sarah Chalke, Alan Tudyk, Benjamin Pajak, Banks Pierce, Hiro Kanagawa, Stephen Root, and Isla Fisher. Despite this line-up, the film failed to impress, securing a 20/100 score on Metacritic and drawing criticism for its lack of spark and uninspired narrative. One review described it as having “no energy, no wit, just a tasteless and tacky sequence of events.”

War of the Worlds and the 2025 List

Meanwhile, War of the Worlds—the latest screenlife take on H. G. Wells’s classic—has fared even worse. Directed by Rich Lee and starring Ice Cube as a government computer security analyst, the film follows his character’s struggle to fend off an alien invasion while uncovering hidden government secrets. Despite a cast featuring Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage, Henry Hunter Hall, Iman Benson, Devon Bostick, and Michael O’Neill, the film was panned, earning a mere 6/100 on Metacritic. Critics were particularly scathing, with one remarking on 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.”

These two titles top a list of 15 films that struggled to win over critics this year. Other entries include Nicolas Cage’s Gunslingers, Sylvester Stallone’s Alarum, Rebel Wilson’s Bride Hard, Josh Hutcherson’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Kerry Washington’s Shadow Force, and Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 2. Even with star-studded casts, these productions failed to escape harsh reviews.

Metacritic’s Rankings and Viewer Reactions

The full ranking, based on Metacritic scores, places War of the Worlds and Playdate at the very bottom, followed by Gunslingers, Alarum, Bride Hard, and others. Notably, some films, such as The Electric State and Smurfs, also made the cut, despite featuring well-known names like Millie Bobby Brown and Rihanna. The list suggests that even the most recognisable faces can’t always guarantee critical success.

Public response to the rankings has been mixed. Some viewers agree with the placements, while others are surprised by certain inclusions or omissions. On social media, reactions have ranged from bemused acceptance to outright disbelief. As one user put it,

Ice Cube fighting aliens via Zoom while plugging Amazon Prime deliveries? Finally, a War of the Worlds where the tripods win by boredom. Peak 2025 cinema! 😂

Another commented,

hard to believe anything was worse than the strangers chapter 2

and yet another lamented,

I watched electric state and I wish I never watch electric state. It will make your IQ drop 20 points.

Debate Over the List’s Selections

Some fans have defended their favourites, with one remarking,

Bro take five nights off here 😭

while another praised the animatronics in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2:

Like it or not you gotta admit the animatronics in the fnaf 2 film are amazing

Others questioned why certain titles were left out, as seen in the comment,

How TF is Snow White not on this list???!!?

Meanwhile, a few have taken the list in good humour, with one user sharing,

five nights at freddy’s 2 is the best film of the year

and another expressing surprise at seeing their preferred film included:

Me, who really enjoyed "Five Nights at Freddy's 2," seeing it on this list:

Whether these films deserved their places or not, the debate continues among audiences, with opinions as divided as ever.