Al Pacino’s The Ritual Faces Harsh Reviews—A Rare Misstep In The Hollywood Legend’s Storied Career

Al Pacino’s latest horror film, The Ritual, is drawing strong criticism—find out what’s gone wrong in this rare stumble for the screen icon.

Al Pacino’s The Ritual Struggles With Storytelling & Style(Photo Credit –YouTube)
The Ritual started off with a shocking 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes which is a first for Al Pacino’s long and respected career. This new horror film, directed by David Midell, features Pacino alongside Dan Stevens, Ashley Greene, and Abigail Cowen. The movie stumbled critically despite the star power and has only just climbed to 8% as more reviews have come in.

Critics Slam The Ritual’s Cinematography and Storytelling

Critics pointed out that while the actors tried to bring life to the film, the cinematography fell flat and was loaded with tired exorcism clichés that made the experience dull. Reviews also mentioned that The Ritual leaned heavily on familiar horror tropes without adding anything fresh or engaging.

Joel Harley of Starbust wrote, “If it possesses anything, it’s a well-sustained atmosphere of doom and gloom, but the ugly visuals and sleepy performances are about as exciting as a particularly dull sermon you’ve heard many times before.”

Helen O’Hara of The Empire Magazine voiced, “This attempts to unite period drama and demonic possession, but feels tired and overworked on both counts.”

Christian Zilko of IndiWire echoed, “The film’s greatest sin is how utterly boring it is.”

This is a sharp contrast to the 2017 horror film with the same title, which earned solid praise and holds a 74% critic score and 63% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is remembered as one of the better horror movies of recent years.

Al Pacino’s Other Low-Rated Movies on Rotten Tomatoes

However, according to Collider, having a film open at 0% isn’t entirely new ground for Pacino, though. His lowest-rated movie before this was Jack and Jill from 2011, which scored only 3%. In that comedy, Pacino plays himself, caught in a goofy storyline with Adam Sandler’s characters. Other low points include 88 Minutes from 2007, which scored 5%, and Gigli from 2003 with 6%. On the other hand, some films like The Humbling from 2014 landed in the middle with a modest 53%.

Despite these rare stumbles, Pacino’s legacy is built on many critically acclaimed roles. His work in classics like The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon, The Irishman, and Scent of a Woman remains highly respected.

The Ritual is currently playing in theaters.