10 Highest-Rated Movies on IMDb With a 60 Or Less on Metacritic

When it comes to gauging public opinion on movies, both IMDb and Metacritic are many readers’ go-to sites. While the former averages the score of audience member users from 1 to 10, the latter averages the score of prestigious critics from 1 to 100.

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The ratings on these two sites don’t always overlap, though. There are some films with great scores on IMDb that audiences had nothing but love for, while critics weren’t so kind, giving the films a score of 60 or less, which Metacritic considers to be either mixed or unfavorable.

10) A Quiet Little Town — ‘Dogville’ (2003)

One of the most lauded films of controversial filmmaker Lars von Trier (at least as far as audiences are concerned) is Dogville, a unique drama about a woman (Nicole Kidman) fleeing from the mafia who’s taken in by a small Colorado town.

With a great score of 8.0 on IMDb, users thought that the film’s 3 hour runtime made for a brilliant exploration of human nature with astonishing visuals. Critics, though, found von Trier’s experimentation to be little more than gratuitously provocative, averaging a score of 60.

9) The Incredible True Story of Bruce Lee’s Teacher — ‘Ip Man’ (2008)

This incredibly entertaining martial arts film is a semi-biographical account of Yip Man (played here by Donnie Yen), the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun, focusing on events from the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Ip Man holds a score of 8.0 on IMDb, with reviewers praising its blend of exhilarating action and grounded melodrama. Most critics weren’t fans of the movie, though, as proved by its score of 59 on Metacritic. Even though they applauded the fun action scenes, they criticized the lack of heart and personality of the story.

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8) An Adventure As Big As Life Itself — ‘Big Fish’ (2003)

One of Tim Burton‘s most moving films, Big Fish shows Will (Billy Crudup) trying to piece together a true picture of his enigmatic and larger-than-life father (played in old age by Albert Finney and in flashbacks by Ewan McGregor).

IMDb users, who gave the movie an 8.0, love its beautiful visual atmosphere and tear-inducing story about a man and his dad. Those on Metacritic weren’t so easily moved, however, giving the film a 58 and criticizing its corny and saccharine nature.

7) Man Is the Warmest Place to Hide — ‘The Thing’ (1982)

Perhaps the most famous film of acclaimed horror filmmaker John Carpenter, The Thing is about a group of American research scientists in Antarctica who are disturbed by a vicious creature that starts picking them off one by one.

The movie’s Metacritic score is a lamentable 57, with critics calling it a simplistic gross-out excess. However, the movie surprised everyone by becoming a cult classic, holding an 8.2 on IMDb given by fans who applaud its perfect pacing, timeless special effects, charming characters, and Carpenter’s use of paranoia as the true main villain of the story.

6) An Event the World Never Forgot — ‘Judgment at Nuremberg’ (1961)

Judgment at Nuremberg is one of the most complex and powerful war films ever made, about four German judges who served during the Nazi regime, who are faced with a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity.

With a star-studded cast and a magnificently written script, the film got an outstanding 8.3 on IMDb. Critics, though, called the film insufferably bleak and insencere, and not even particularly well made. Because of this, its Metacritic score of 60 stands in stark contrast to the praise of IMDb users.

5) The Fall of the Empire and the End of the Original Trilogy — ‘Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

Originally titled simply Return of the Jedi, the sixth installment in the Skywalker Saga shows Luke (Mark Hamill) leading a mission to rescue Han Solo (Harrison Ford) while the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) seeks to destroy the Rebellion once and for all.

Even though Metacritic critics were tough on the film, averaging a score of 58 and criticizing it for being derivative and much more childish than Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars fans on IMDb have given it a score of 8.3 while celebrating its thrilling action sequences, fun visual effects, and triumphant tone.

4) Guy Ritchie at his Guy Ritchie-est — ‘Snatch.’ (2000)

British director Guy Ritchie‘s second film was the hilarious and entertaining heist comedy Snatch., about two overlapping stories: One about the search for a stolen diamond, the other about a boxing promoter who’s having trouble with a psychotic gangster.

Metacritic has Ritchie’s film at a mixed score of 55, with critics calling it superficial and excessively similar to his debut, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. IMDb users have been much kinder, giving Snatch. an 8.3 and talking fondly about its great cast, memorable dialogue, and insanely fun diverting storylines.

3) Put On a Happy Face, Critics — ‘Joker’ (2019)

Todd Phillips‘s controversial Joker is a crime drama about Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a mentally ill comedian from Gotham City who’s sidelined and mistreated by society.

IMDb users are as astounded by the film as they were back in 2019, giving it a phenomenal 8.4 for its outstanding performances and engrossing atmosphere. Critics weren’t so easily impressed, calling its tone cartoony, its script hollow, and Phillips’s directing extremely self-indulgent. Because of this, the film couldn’t get past a 59 on Metacritic.

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2) A Crowd-Pleaser That Couldn’t Warm the Heart of Critics — ‘The Intouchables’ (2011)

This heartwarming French comedy is about a quadriplegic aristocrat (Fraçois Cluzet) who hires a young man (Omar Sy) from a poor neighborhood to be his caretaker.

Although critics loved the two lead performances, they didn’t feel grabbed by the movie’s sentimental story, meaning a score of 57 on Metacritic for the final product. IMDb reviewers, on the other hand, found The Intouchables irresistibly hilarious, moving, and full of charming heart, giving it an 8.5.

1) When Love and Imagination Conquer All — ‘Life Is Beautiful’ (1997)

Very few WWII films are as creative and unique as Roberto Benigni‘s Life Is Beautiful, where an Italian father played by Benigni himself is sent to a concentration camp with his son (Giorgio Cantarini) and tries to convince him that the whole thing is an elaborate game.

Although the film won 3 Academy Awards, its Metacritic score is of 59, with critics feeling that the movie’s exaggerated comedy trivializes the true horrors lived in concentration camps. However, it’s the 25th highest-rated film on IMDb with an 8.6, where users fell in love with its genius structure and moving dramatic core at the center of a sweet, hilarious surface of imagination and innocence.

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