Is Citizen Kane Now the 67th-Best Movie of All Time, Behind Films Like Paddington 2? It’s Complicated

 

The movie Citizen Kane turns 80 this September. It has enjoyed wild acclaim, widely referenced among film critics and fans as one of the best or the best ever made. But thanks to recently included review, it’s no longer in the 100% Club at Rotten Tomatoes.

The list consists of movies with a 100% on the Tomatometer, meaning there are no negative critic reviews. A perfect score. One that Citizen Kane, which tops AFI’s AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list, no longer enjoys. An almost 80-year old review was added to the 115 positive critical reviews for the film at Rotten Tomatoes. A blemish that cost the legendary film its rating.

A rating that is retained by true classic of the form Paddington 2.

So wait, does that mean the world’s greatest film is … Paddington 2?

Not exactly. It’s a decently big list. The Maltese Falcon is in that rare number. 1931’s Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff. Rio Bravo, The Terminator, Toy Story. Toy Story 2, even. It just means zero negative reviews.

Rotten Tomatoes does have Top 100 of All Time list, as well, which is calculated by some kind of magic formula that adjusts the raw rating. On that list, Citizen Kane is in a very respectable 3rd place; Paddington 2 a healthy 59th. The top two go to It Happened One Night and Black Panther.

Still, if anyone is interested in remaking Citizen Kane with an anthropomorphic bear in the title role, let’s talk it out.

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Caleb Howe is an editor and writer focusing on politics and media. Former managing editor at RedState. Published at USA Today, Blaze, National Review, Daily Wire, American Spectator, AOL News, Asylum, fortune cookies, manifestos, napkins, fridge drawings...