Animals review roundup: Ben Affleck's Netflix kidnapping thriller is a hit, but critics are cool
Ben Affleck directs and stars in Animals, a Netflix kidnapping thriller that has climbed to the top of the service's English-language film chart. Most critics, however, find it overstuffed and derivative.
The story (no spoilers)
Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate played by Ben Affleck, is in the final stretch of his campaign when his son is kidnapped. With his wife Abigail, played by Kerry Washington, he has to raise a ransom fast, without the police or the press finding out.
As the deadline closes in, the couple are pulled into a web of lies, and secrets they have been keeping from each other start to come out.
Where to watch or download
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The verdict
Fine as a weekend popcorn thriller if you like the cast, and some critics enjoyed it as guilty-pleasure fun. If you want a tight, original crime film, the reviews suggest your time is better spent elsewhere.
- 32%Rotten TomatoesTomatometer, 71 reviews, 18 Oct 2026
- 34MetacriticMetascore, 20 critic reviews, 18 Oct 2026
- 39%RT audiencePopcornmeter, 500+ ratings, 18 Oct 2026
What critics say
“Although audaciously plotted, the story risks becoming too frantic in its final third”
“This is mostly guilty pleasure fun, and Affleck is too good a film-maker (see Argo and Air) to produce a genuine misfire.”
“It has too many competing ideas.”
“‘Animals’ is cinematic table scraps, AI or no AI, and almost all of it is compostable.”
What works
- A strong cast, including Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun.
- Affleck's confident, watchable direction keeps it moving.
What doesn't
- Too many competing ideas and subplots.
- Borrows heavily from older kidnapping thrillers, especially Kurosawa's High and Low.
- A frantic final act that strains belief.
Animals premiered on Netflix on 9 October 2026, with a limited run in some cinemas the same day, and Netflix reports that it has led its English-language film chart. The reviews are a different story: it sits at 32% on the Tomatometer from 71 reviews and has a Metascore of 34 from 20 critics.
What critics liked
The kindest reviews treat it as entertainment rather than art. The Times called it mostly guilty-pleasure fun and argued that Affleck, the director of Argo and Air, is too skilled to make a true misfire. The Radio Times admired its audacious plotting, and The Hollywood Reporter found the cast highly watchable. The cast, which includes Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun, gets credit for lifting the material.
Where it falls short
Most critics feel the film tries to do too much. Collider said it has too many competing ideas, and Next Best Picture described a lot of movie with very little nuance. Several reviews note how closely the premise follows earlier ransom thrillers, above all Akira Kurosawa's High and Low, without adding much that is new. Even the Radio Times, one of its more positive reviewers, thought the story becomes too frantic in its last third. TheWrap was harsher still, calling it cinematic table scraps.
Should you watch?
If you are in the mood for a star-driven thriller and do not mind a busy plot, critics who enjoyed it suggest it works as a Friday-night watch, and it is included with a Netflix subscription. If reviews matter to you, critics rate it well below Affleck's best-known films as a director, such as Argo and Air.
Sources
This roundup summarises the reviews and reporting below. Follow the links for the full pieces.
- Animals critic reviews · Metacritic
- Animals (2026) · Rotten Tomatoes
- Animals: Release Date, Photos, Plot of Ben Affleck Thriller · Netflix Tudum
- Ben Affleck's R-Rated Netflix Thriller 'Animals' · What's on Netflix
ElysiumHub Screen Desk roundups summarise published reviews and reporting, and are written with AI assistance. Scores belong to the sites that publish them. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.