Andy Serkis’ New Dystopian Movie Based On 81-Year-Old Book Harshly Divides Critics & Audiences On Rotten Tomatoes

Andy Serkis‘ new dystopian adaptation has divided opinions.

Over the last two decades, Serkis became the leading advocate for motion capture performances, thanks to his work as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings franchise and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy. However, in the last decade, the acclaimed British star has also shown interest in directing movies, which started off strong with the biopic Breathe, starring Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy. Despite a strong directorial debut, his following efforts received a more mixed reception, including his latest adaptation of a well-known 1940s novel.

Serkis’ latest directorial project was the adaptation of George Orwell’s book, Animal Farm, which follows anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human oppressors to build a community that pushes for equality, freedom, and happiness. However, a group of pigs challenges these hopes and dreams by taking over the farm and placing it in a dystopian state. It’s the third attempt at the book, with previous versions released in 1954 and 1999.

Unfortunately, critics were not too kind to Serkis’ efforts in adapting the highly controversial story, which led to a 25% Rotten Tomatoes score based on 51 reviews. With the animated film now in theaters, however, Animal Farm has won over most moviegoers, as the audience score is fresh enough for a 61%. This is at least better than John Stephenson’s 1999 version, but just below Joy Batchelor’s 1954 movie.

According to some reviews, Serkis’ new movie is entertaining and is fueled by important life lessons. However, some book readers are mixed about the movie changing key parts from the book, with some finding it to be a good modern update, but others argue that it takes away from the novel’s key themes.

The nature of Orwell’s book is highly controversial since the story is a satirical allegory and critique of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Stalin era during the Soviet Union. It sets the message that even revolutionary and socialist ideals can be corrupted when people become hungry for power. However, the 2026 iteration alters this narrative with a coming-of-age story with an original protagonist named Lucky.

Unfortunately, those deviations became the source of criticism towards Serkis’ movie, with the argument that the political allegory has been watered down. Despite attempts to make the story more modern, reviews of Animal Farm argue that it has a poor execution and tone, and the message is weak in contrast to the mature commentary in Orwell’s story.

One of the more significant changes involves Animal Farm‘s ending. While speaking with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley, Serkis changed the dark conclusion to a more hopeful one, citing that the real world “is so severe” that “I felt behooven to create a beat of hope that there is the possibility in this ever-evolving circle of history repeating itself that we have to keep trying.

Meanwhile, Serkis’ directorial history isn’t the most pristine since his debut. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle received mixed reviews, while audiences and critics were similarly divided towards Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Despite the shaky record, that won’t stop Serkis from continuing his directorial pursuits. In fact, he will soon helm the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie The Hunt for Gollum, in which he will also star as the titular hobbit. Filming will start this year, as it aims for a release date of December 17, 2027.

The Animal Farm cast features Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Steve Buscemi, Glenn Close, Laverne Cox, Kieran Culkin, Woody Harrelson, Jim Parsons, Serkis, Kathleen Turner, and Iman Vellan. Nicholas Stoller adapted the screenplay, while Angel Studios was the distributor.

Animal Farm is now playing in theaters.

Release Date

May 1, 2026

Runtime

96 minutes

Writers

Nicholas Stoller

Producers

Dave Rosenbaum, Jonathan Cavendish, Nicholas Stoller, Connie Nartonis Thompson, David Rosenbaum, Adam Nagle