Movies News Talk
Claiming the top spot on Rotten Tomatoes' most popular streaming shows chart, "The Acolyte" has emerged as an unexpected triumph in spite of a tsunami of negative reviews and a concerted effort to discredit its reputation. This surprising victory is a strong evidence of the show's natural attractiveness and its capacity to resist coordinated attempts to damage its reputation.
With a major review-bombing campaign aiming at "The Acolyte" on websites like Rotten Tomatoes, the show's controversy started even before it aired. Driven by more than 25,000 negative reviews, this combined effort produced a declining audience score, lowest of 13 percent. Many of these evaluations were uploaded prior to viewers' even having access to the episodes.
"The Acolyte" has bucked the negativity and steadily raised its audience score—which right now is 17 percent. Although this score is still low, given the initial flood of negative reviews, it shows an amazing recovery. The fact that the show is ranking highest on Rotten Tomatoes suggests that more and more people are interacting with "The Acolyte," value its original story and contribution to the Star Wars universe.
The popularity of "The Acolyte" shows that audience taste is not readily changed and that real quality comes through even in well planned efforts to discredit it. It is noteworthy that the show's popularity results from its natural appeal as much as from its resistance against review-bombing. The show's gripping narrative, its examination of the dark side of the Force, and its deft portrayal of a period in Star Wars history that is rather understudied enthralls viewers.
The popularity of the Acolyte emphasizes the need of discriminating criticism and the influence of personal perspective on forming society narratives. It reminds us that coordinated negativity cannot overwhelm real audience response. The success of the show on the top of the charts benefits viewers who are ready to develop their own ideas and value the complex universe of Star Wars in addition to the creators.