Netflix’s Top 10 does throw up some aberrations now and then. For instance, the current number one film on the service is a psychological thriller with a psychologically damaging Rotten Tomatoes score – 17% for those brave enough. The thriller in question is Fatal Affair, Netflix’s newly released original starring Nia Long and Omar Epps.
Haven’t heard of it? Not to worry, as we’ve got the plot synopsis for you down below:
“Ellie (Nia Long) tries to mend her marriage with her husband Marcus (Stephen Bishop) after a brief encounter with an old friend, David (Omar Epps), only to find that David is more dangerous and unstable than she’d realized.”
Of course, this is not the first time a critically snubbed movie has found a streaming audience. Polish erotica 365 Days stirred quite the response when it premiered last month and I also recall Michael Bay’s 6 Underground, which drew more lukewarm reviews, making it to number one last winter.
Either people have no taste or the Netflix top 10 isn’t as transparent as the company makes it seem. Option number 3? There’s some truth to both. I’ve never made a secret of my Netflix scepticism (not that I expect to see a referendum on the issue anytime soon). Fatal Affair has been out for one day and it’s the number one Netflix movie. Fatal Affair, a movie with no prominent stars, no media coverage, and stinking reviews. Seems convenient that Netflix’s most popular film of the day is Netflix-produced, doesn’t it?
Anyway, that’s enough conspiracy peddling for one afternoon. Counter arguments are encouraged in the comment section. Given there’s no summer trash-buster to watch in theatres at the moment, perhaps viewers are getting their fix through flicks like Fatal Affair. There’s no Transformers sequel, no hollow corporate reboot, not even a Fast & Furious. I mean, there’s always one of those, right?