Andy Serkis Turns Animal Farm's Worst Reviews Into Marketing Gold

So, Andy Serkis — yes, Gollum himself — has finally released his long-awaited animated take on 'Animal Farm.' You would think that with a cast this stacked and a classic book as source material, it would be an easy home run. Well, not so much. The reviews are in, and the critics are letting this pig out to pasture.

From Anticipated to Anxious: What Went Wrong?

The hype was real: Serkis directing, a massive budget (about $35 million), and a voice cast that would make awards voters salivate — Seth Rogen as Napoleon, Glenn Close, Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, Jim Parsons, Kathleen Turner. It sounded bulletproof. But as soon as the film hit theaters last Friday, the reaction landed somewhere between shrugs and outright groans.

The main gripe? The movie just isn’t much like George Orwell’s book. Critics have called it everything from 'too disorderly to substitute for the book' (that’s Variety’s Peter Debruge) to a film that makes you 'feel trapped and punished through every phase of the story' (Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph). For a story about pigs taking over a farm and rewriting history, this version apparently rewrites the plot itself, and not in a way that makes fans happy.

How Bad Is It?

• Rotten Tomatoes critics score: A cringe-inducing 24%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score (a.k.a. the Popcornmeter): Not embarrassing — 62%
• Box office: About $3.3 million (way below recouping that $35 million budget)
• Change from the book: 'Unhinged mess' is the phrase being thrown around

Turning Bad Press Into Propaganda (Literally)

Here’s where it gets weird — and honestly, kind of clever. Angel Studios (the distributor) could have just kept quiet or tried to bury the reviews. Instead, their social media team leaned straight into the negative buzz. In a bit of spot-on meta humor, they posted a promo showing the film’s villain, Napoleon the pig, painting over the disastrous review scores in bright red, basically turning bad reviews into positive ones — at least, on the surface.

It’s not just an attempt at damage control. It’s totally on brand. For those who slept through English class: Napoleon is all about rewriting facts, suppressing the truth, and twisting reality — both in the book and on screen. So now, the marketing leans into the theme of propaganda by having Napoleon literally censor the movie’s own bad reviews.

'Bad press can be manipulated into praise, and parents can use that to teach the film’s messaging.'

Whether this self-deprecating campaign actually gets more people to see the movie or just adds to the memes, at least somebody in the marketing office is having a good time.

Bottom Line: Worth the Watch?

Look, you probably aren’t going to get the next animated classic here — unless you enjoy seeing the English literary canon bulldozed by some very weird creative choices. But as a case study in owning your bad press and turning it into a teachable moment (or at least a marketing punchline), this ‘Animal Farm’ is anything but boring.

Whether or not it earns a second life as a misunderstood cult favorite, or just becomes a trivia answer about what-not-to-do, is anyone’s guess. But one thing’s for sure: Orwell would probably have opinions.