New Sci-Fi Thriller With Sherlock Holmes Alum Debuts To Disappointing Rotten Tomatoes Score

Published Aug 21, 2026, 12:17 PM EDT Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. One of the stars of Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes movies has a new sci-fi thriller out now, but the film debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a very unfortunate score. Downey Jr. played the titular detective in two movies: Sherlock Holmes in 2009 and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in 2011. Collectively, the two films grossed over $1 billion. The eventual Oscar winner starred in the franchise alongside such actors as Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace and Stephen Fry. The first Sherlock Holmes earned a 69% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, while the sequel received 60%. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Rapace's latest film. Now in North American theaters, Hot Spot just debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a 10%. Critics called the sci-fi thriller dull, aimless, wacky, and incoherent. Some reviews said filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska introduced intriguing ideas and that the movie is stylish, but the director's inability to shape her vision into something moviegoers could truly engage with meant Hot Spot failed to reach its full potential. On a positive note, one critic said that Rapace's performance was magnetic. There aren't enough audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes to generate a score on the Popcornmeter, but so far, it doesn't seem like the public has embraced the film either. Hot Spot takes place in the future, with a sentient artificial intelligence entity governing society. After a murder takes place, a detective shows up to investigate. Meanwhile, a local rebel group plans to enact a potentially catastrophic scheme that could wipe out the A.I. Rapace plays a refugee named Rana and stars alongside Andrzej Konopka, Reika Kirishima, George Aurimas Cris, Filippa Kaye, Niki Sereti, Rasmi Tsopela, Ektoras Liatsos and Eleni Tzangka. Ahead of its theatrical release, Hot Spot was screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival in the Compétition Cheval Noir category with movies like Corpus, Ferine, Freaks Part II and Someone's Daughter. Her Private Hell opened the festival. Now that it's showing in North American theaters, Hot Spot will next open in Poland at the end of September. Before this, Rapace was best known for playing Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. Two years after that trilogy ended, she appeared in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as Madame Simza Heron. Rapace's other film credits include Prometheus, Alien: Covenant and Stockholm. On the small screen, the Sherlock Holmes star appeared on Prime Video's Jack Ryan and Apple TV's Constellation, and has joined the cast of Netflix's upcoming adaptation of Assassin's Creed. Hot Spot is now playing in North American theaters. Release Date August 21, 2026 Runtime 101 Minutes Director Agnieszka Smoczyńska Hot Spot is set in a near-future world governed by a sentient artificial intelligence, where a private investigator is assigned to solve a murder that appears routine at first glance. The case soon leads him to a rebel movement capable of challenging the AI system that controls society, turning a single investigation into a conspiracy with far-reaching consequences. Writers Robert Bolesto Producers Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Bogna Szewczyk-Skupień, Gregory Jankilevitsch Main Genre Sci-Fi Executive Producer(s) Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Jan Naszewski, Marcin Czernik, Marcin Luczaj, Małgorzata Seck , Łukasz Poniński, Beata Rzeźniczek