Ben Affleck film Animals gets criticism after Netflix release on 10 October 2026
Ben Affleck’s Netflix film Animals is drawing criticism from reviewers and viewers, while the AI angle remains unclear.
The film is being linked in coverage to Affleck’s interest in AI, but the available information does not show which AI tools or workflows were actually used in production.
According to the supplied sources, Animals is getting negative reactions from critics and online viewers, while exact Rotten Tomatoes scores are not mentioned in the text provided.
What happened
Animals is a 2026 Netflix film directed by Ben Affleck, who also plays one of the lead roles. In the plot, Mark Kimball, a mayoral candidate who is behind in the polls, and his wife Abigail, played by Kerry Washington, try to raise ransom money after their son is kidnapped. The external context also names Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun in the cast and describes the film as a crime thriller.
The reporting places the film in the context of Affleck’s pro-AI stance in Hollywood. At the same time, it remains unclear whether the production actually used specific AI tools, or whether the film is mainly being framed that way by the angle of the article. The supplied source does say it is unclear what Affleck would have used AI for in the production of Animals.
The reception appears weak so far. The supplied source mentions negative criticism of the characters and dialogue, and also refers to online reactions to the shot composition. A Rotten Tomatoes page for Animals (2026) exists, but the exact critic and audience scores are not included in the provided text. Forbes also says Rotten Tomatoes critics are panning the film, without giving numbers in the snippet provided.
Timeline
9 October 2026: online criticism of Animals appears, including a tweet trashing the film; the shared text explicitly names ANIMALS and dates the post to 9 October 2026.
9 October 2026: the film is described in the supplied material as an Affleck-directed thriller about Mark Kimball, a mayoral candidate trailing in the polls, and the kidnapping of his son.
9 October 2026: the video description in the supplied context repeats that Affleck directs and stars in the film, and that Mark and Abigail try to secure ransom money without hurting the campaign.
10 October 2026: coverage of the negative reception and the unclear AI involvement around Animals is summarized.
Background
Ben Affleck is presented in the source as someone who has long argued for AI in entertainment, with an emphasis on responsible use and respect for creative rights and intellectual property. The supplied text does not include a full quote, but it provides enough context to say the film is being placed in that broader debate. The fact report also says Affleck has reportedly been advocating for AI in Hollywood for more than a year.
The external context confirms that Animals is a Netflix crime film starring Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, and Steven Yeun. The film’s description explicitly combines an election race, a kidnapping, and an attempt to raise ransom money without damaging Mark Kimball’s campaign. IMDb also summarizes the film as a story about a desperate attempt to pay ransom while hidden secrets come to light.
The available source material also shows that the discussion around Animals is not just about the plot, but mainly about the reception. The Kotaku source cites negative reactions from critics, with references to thinly drawn characters and stiff dialogue. The same source says online viewers have also criticized the shot composition. In the supplied tweet text, the Arabic post says the film is reason enough to hate the new Affleck movie, underscoring the negative tone of the online reaction.
At the same time, an important part of the story remains unconfirmed in the supplied material. The sources mention a Rotten Tomatoes page for Animals (2026), but do not provide exact scores. It is also not possible to determine which AI tools, generative workflows, or post-production processes may have been used. As a result, the link between Affleck’s pro-AI stance and the actual production of Animals remains more of a framing in the reporting than a fully documented production fact.
Sources
- Kotaku: "Ben Affleck’s ‘Ethical AI’ Vehicle Failing To Impress Human Viewers"
- Rotten Tomatoes: Animals (2026)
- IMDb: Animals (2026)
- Forbes: "'Animals' Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Bash Ben Affleck Crime Thriller"