{"id":33170,"date":"2026-08-08T20:40:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=33170"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:40:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:40:33","slug":"netflixs-high-concept-sci-fi-thriller-defies-polarizing-reviews-with-streaming-dominance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=33170","title":{"rendered":"Netflix&#8217;s High-Concept Sci-Fi Thriller Defies Polarizing Reviews With Streaming Dominance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Netflix&#8217;s new sci-fi thriller is pushing its way past negative reviews to achieve streaming success.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>For many, Netflix remains a go-to streaming service, offering not only countless licensed titles, but also a plethora of original shows and movies. In terms of sci-fi content, <em>Dark<\/em> remains one of Netflix&#8217;s most celebrated offerings, and other titles like <em>Stranger Things <\/em>and <em>Black Mirror <\/em>have also been wildly popular. In terms of feature films, recent releases include <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/war-machine-netflix-2026-movie-review\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>War Machine<\/em> (2026)<\/a>, <em>Spaceman<\/em> (2024), <em>Atlas<\/em> (2024), <em>They Cloned Tyrone<\/em> (2023), <em>Spiderhead<\/em> (2022), and <em>I Am Mother<\/em> (2019). Now, another sci-fi thriller is here.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                              \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"netflix-most-watched-movie-each-year-2017-2025\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>                                                                                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/netflix-most-watched-movie-each-year-2017-2025\/\"><br \/>\n                        <img width=\"440\" height=\"248\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mira, Rumi, and Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters.\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mira-rumi-and-zoey-in-kpop-demon-hunters.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=124&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mira-rumi-and-zoey-in-kpop-demon-hunters.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=220&amp;h=124&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>Related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \">\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/netflix-most-watched-movie-each-year-2017-2025\/\" title=\"The Most Watched Netflix Movie Each Year Of The Past Decade\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tThe Most Watched Netflix Movie Each Year Of The Past Decade<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t<\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Each year, at least one Netflix original movie becomes a huge hit for the streaming service, racking up hundreds of millions of hours watched.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Following its release on August 7, Netflix&#8217;s     <span class=\"display-card-hyperlink display-card-hyperlink-no-vignette\" data-id=\"3705807\" style=\";  ;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/db\/movie\/the-last-house-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Last House<\/a><\/span> now stands as the number one most popular movie on the streaming service in the U.S. The movie, which hails from director Louis Leterrier, comes ahead of other titles like <em>In the Land of Saints and Sinners<\/em> (2023), <em>72 Hours<\/em> (2026), <em>Minions<\/em> (2015), and <em>His Hers &amp; Ours <\/em>(2025).    <\/p>\n<p>Starring Wagner Moura and Greta Lee, <em>The Last House <\/em>follows a family of four who become trapped within their home with no way out when a mysterious threat looms outside. Though the film is clearly proving enticing to subscribers, its streaming success comes amidst lackluster reviews.<\/p>\n<p>On Rotten Tomatoes, <em>The Last House <\/em>currently holds a negative critics&#8217; score of 38% from 29 reviews. The audience-driven Popcornmeter score, generated from over 250 reviews, is even worse at only 26%.<\/p>\n<p><em>ScreenRant<\/em>&#8216;s own <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/the-last-house-movie-2026-review\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Last House<\/em> review<\/a> by Alex Harrison was overwhelmingly negative at only two out of 10. Harrison calls the sci-fi &#8220;<em>one of the worst movies of the year so far<\/em>,&#8221; praising the production value while taking issue with just about everything else. He writes:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The script, by Matthew Robinson, elicits many different types of groans. It&#8217;s overly cheesy at times, awkwardly expository at others. Leterrier&#8217;s hurried pacing ensures that we never really feel the gravity of the situation they&#8217;re in, and the bouncing cuts are a constant irritant at best, actually disorienting at worst. Together, these things kill any interest in the bigger picture.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>When reviews are this poor for a film, it&#8217;s possible that viewership success will be short-lived. <em>The Last House<\/em> clearly won&#8217;t be benefiting from any word of mouth, and unlike poorly reviewed Netflix movies like <em>Red Notice<\/em> (2021) and <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/the-gray-man-2022-movie-reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Gray Man <\/em>(2022)<\/a>, there aren&#8217;t any major movie stars to make up for shortcomings in the filmmaking or storytelling.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Last House<\/em>, then, may currently be a viewership success, but it&#8217;s continuing a disappointing Netflix trend. <em>72 Hours<\/em>, another Netflix original, was lambasted by critics last month, while originals like <em>Enola Holmes 3<\/em> and <em>Apex<\/em> were met with a more lukewarm reception.<\/p>\n<p>It remains to be seen whether <em><strong>The Last House<\/strong><\/em> will continue its domination of the Netflix top 10 chart, but, reviews aside, the movie is clearly off to a strong start. This viewership success, however, only makes it more disappointing that the movie itself isn&#8217;t better.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card type-screen large\" data-show-streamrentbuy-links=\"true\" data-include-community-rating=\"true\" id=\"68c3-440a-8feae13496e4\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content\">\n<div class=\"display-card-content image-column\">\n<p>                        <!--    Rating block community and brand ratings --><br \/>\n                        <!--  Image --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-img \" data-stnl-group-once=\"J1xMSuheU3\">\n<div class=\"body-img portrait \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  img-article-square\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"the-last-house-poster.jpg\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2026\/07\/the-last-house-poster.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!-- User Rating widget --><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"display-card-content info-column\">\n                                                                                                                            <!--  Display card tags widget --><\/p>\n<p>                                                <!--  Display card community and brand rating widget --><br \/>\n                                                                <!--  Display card main info widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-info main-info\">\n<dl>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Release Date<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 7, 2026<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Runtime<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t110 minutes<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Director<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLouis Leterrier<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!--  Display card media widget start --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card media widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Cast widget start --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-cast\">\n<p><h3 class=\"info-title\">Cast<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<ul class=\"cast-tab-list\">\n<li class=\"cast-tab full-width\">\n                                                                                <img width=\"100\" height=\"130\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Headshot Of Wagner Moura\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/instar53613579.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=65&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/instar53613579.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=65&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"cast-tab full-width\">\n                                                                                <img width=\"100\" height=\"130\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Headshot Of Greta Lee\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/instar53504321.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=65&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/instar53504321.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=50&amp;h=65&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!-- Cast widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to watch button preview --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-listing-generic-cta w-where-to-watch\">\n<div class=\"preview-links\">\n<ul>\n<li>\n                                                                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81914143\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow sponsored\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n                                                                                                                                                                                    <img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Netflix Logo\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/netflix_logo-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=75&amp;h=75&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/netflix_logo-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=75&amp;h=75&amp;dpr=2\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                                        <\/a>\n                                                                                                    <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>                            <!-- Where to watch button start --><\/p>\n<p>                                <!-- Where to watch button end -->\n                            <\/div>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to watch preview end --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <!-- Extra content section, display hidden by default --><br \/>\n            <input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"extra-content-68c3-440a-8feae13496e4\" name=\"extra-content-68c3-440a-8feae13496e4\" class=\"expand-extra-info-checkbox css-menu-checkbox\"\/> <!-- Checkbox: control the expandable behavior  of the extra info --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- Display card footer --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- PROS and CONS section --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Netflix&#8217;s new sci-fi thriller is pushing its way past negative reviews to achieve streaming success. For many, Netflix remains a go-to streaming service, offering not only countless licensed titles, but also a plethora of original shows and movies. In terms of sci-fi content, Dark remains one of Netflix&#8217;s most celebrated offerings, and other titles like&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a-red-and-blue-netflix-logo.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}