What Is the Critic Score for Parasite on Metacritic

The 97/100 score becomes even more significant when considering what it predicted about the film’s future.

Released in 2019 and directed by South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, *Parasite* went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020, plus three additional Oscars for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.

It became the first non-English-language film ever to win Best Picture, marking a watershed moment for global cinema in Hollywood’s most prestigious awards ceremony. This article explores what the 97/100 Metascore means, how it reflects the film’s critical reception, and why this score matters in the broader context of film criticism and awards recognition.

Table of Contents

• What Does a 97 Metascore Actually Mean?
• The Mechanics Behind Universal Positive Reviews
• Why Critical Acclaim on Metacritic Predicted Awards Success
• How Parasite’s Score Compares to Other Best Picture Winners
• The Significance of Non-English Language Critical Recognition
• Bong Joon-ho’s Direction and the Sources of Critical Praise
• The Lasting Legacy of Parasite’s Critical Success
• Conclusion

What Does a 97 Metascore Actually Mean?

A Metascore of 97 indicates “universal acclaim” according to metacritic‘s rating scale, which brackets scores into categories: 81–100 is universal acclaim, 61–80 is generally favorable reviews, 51–60 is mixed reviews, and below 51 is generally unfavorable reviews.

The numerical score itself is a weighted average calculated from professional critic reviews, not audience ratings—this distinction is crucial, because Metacritic separates critical consensus from audience opinion. In *Parasite’s* case, the 97 represents the consensus among film critics who were professionally reviewing the film, not casual viewers posting opinions online.

What sets the 97 apart is not just its position in the “universal acclaim” category, but its near-perfection within that range.

Most films that receive mainstream critical praise typically fall in the 70–85 range. To break into the 90s requires not only positive reviews across the board but reviews that consistently highlight excellence without significant reservations.

The fact that all 56 reviews counted toward *Parasite’s* score were positive—meaning no critic gave it a negative rating—is vanishingly rare. For context, even widely beloved films like *The Godfather* (92) or *12 Angry Men* (96) sit slightly below *Parasite’s* benchmark, making a 97 an elite placement that few films achieve in any given decade.

The Mechanics Behind Universal Positive Reviews

Achieving a 100% positive review rate—where every single critic who reviewed the film gave it a favorable assessment—demands that a film appeal across different critical sensibilities. Some critics prioritize technical filmmaking; others focus on narrative and character development; still others consider cultural impact and originality.

*Parasite* succeeded in satisfying these varied perspectives simultaneously. The film is a black comedy thriller that blends genre conventions (heist elements, social commentary, sudden violence) in a way that didn’t alienate any particular school of film criticism.

However, it’s worth noting that Metacritic’s inclusion threshold can affect these numbers. Not every review published counts toward the Metascore—publications must meet certain editorial standards to be included.

This means that some less-established or non-professional reviews are excluded from the calculation, which can actually make the consensus seem more universal than it might appear if absolutely every written opinion were counted.

For *Parasite*, 56 reviews from major publications all trending positive created an unusually clean critical consensus, but this reflects both the film’s genuine quality and Metacritic’s curation of which critics count toward the official score.

Why Critical Acclaim on Metacritic Predicted Awards Success

The relationship between a high Metascore and awards recognition isn’t coincidental—Academy voters and other awards bodies often pay attention to critical consensus as one data point among many.

A 97/100 score signals to industry insiders that a film has resonated across critical communities, suggesting it possesses qualities beyond mere entertainment: artistic merit, cultural significance, originality, or technical excellence. When *Parasite* arrived at the 2020 Academy Awards season with its 97 Metascore already established, it entered as a film with documented critical credibility.

What makes *Parasite’s* journey remarkable is that it achieved this critical consensus while being a non-English-language film entering a historically English-language-dominated awards landscape. Previous non-English films had received critical acclaim and even individual Oscar nominations, but breaking through to Best Picture—the Academy’s most prestigious category—had never happened before.

The 97 Metascore served as evidence to Academy voters that this wasn’t a niche or regional success; it was a film that international critics, American critics, and critics across different specializations had all validated as exceptional.

How Parasite’s Score Compares to Other Best Picture Winners

Comparing *Parasite’s* 97 to other recent Best Picture winners reveals its critical standing. *Parasite* ranks among the highest-rated Best Picture winners in modern cinema. For reference, *Moonlight* (2017) holds an 81, *The Shape of Water* (2018) holds an 87, and *Green Book* (2019) holds an 69. Looking further back, *Spotlight* (2016) achieved an 93.

What this comparison shows is that while Best Picture winners often receive positive critical reception, they don’t necessarily achieve the stratospheric scores that *Parasite* managed. A Metascore in the 90s is exceptional even among Academy Award-winning films.

This distinction matters because it separates “Academy favorite” from “critical favorite.” A film can win Best Picture through a combination of factors—industry relationships, campaign spending, narrative appeal—without necessarily achieving the kind of near-universal critical validation that *Parasite* obtained.

Conversely, films with very high Metascores don’t always win Best Picture; Academy voters and critics don’t always align perfectly. *Parasite* is unusual in that it achieved both: a 97 Metascore that places it among the most acclaimed films of its decade, and a Best Picture win that cemented its status in cinema history.

The Significance of Non-English Language Critical Recognition

The 97/100 score takes on additional meaning when understood in the context of *Parasite* being a South Korean film. Critical establishments in English-speaking countries have historically approached non-English films with varying levels of serious consideration.

A high Metascore from an English-language critical consensus (which Metacritic primarily represents) signals that American, British, Australian, and other English-speaking critics didn’t view *Parasite* as an international curiosity to be appreciated for novelty’s sake—they evaluated it by the same standards they applied to Hollywood productions.

This widespread critical validation was essential in making the case for *Parasite’s* Best Picture win. The film couldn’t have broken through the historical barrier of being the first non-English film to win Best Picture without arriving with credible evidence that it could compete artistically with English-language cinema. The 97 Metascore provided exactly that evidence.

Critics weren’t saying “*Parasite* is good for a Korean film” or “impressive for a non-English production”—they were saying it ranked among the best films of any language or origin, period.

Bong Joon-ho’s Direction and the Sources of Critical Praise

Director Bong Joon-ho’s vision is central to understanding why critics converged on such a positive assessment. Bong brought distinctive visual storytelling, tonal control, and thematic complexity to *Parasite*—elements that appealed to critics seeking originality and substance.

The film’s exploration of class dynamics, told through the lens of a genre thriller, gave critics multiple entry points for analysis: discussions of cinematography, sound design, screenplay structure, performances, and social commentary all had validity.

The film also benefited from being genuinely surprising to critics. In an era where plot summaries and trailers can telegraph much of a film’s content before release, *Parasite* managed to sustain mystery and deliver genuine surprises in its structure and tone shifts.

Critics often praise films that offer this kind of genuine unpredictability, and *Parasite* delivered on that front in a way that felt organic rather than gimmicky. This combination—artistic sophistication plus entertainment value plus cultural insight—is what typically generates the kind of consensus that produces a 97 Metascore.

The Lasting Legacy of Parasite’s Critical Success

The 97/100 Metascore has become part of *Parasite’s* permanent record as a landmark film in cinema history. For future audiences discovering the film years after its release, that score serves as a signal of quality—a critical endorsement that has aged well.

Unlike marketing copy or awards ceremony applause, a Metascore is a documented snapshot of professional critical consensus at a specific moment in time.

The fact that *Parasite* achieved this score in 2019 and has maintained its critical standing afterward (the score hasn’t degraded as some films do upon re-evaluation) suggests the assessment was sound. Looking forward, *Parasite* may serve as a reference point for how non-English films are evaluated by English-language critical establishments.

Its success—both the 97 Metascore and the Best Picture win—has opened pathways for international films to be considered seriously in awards contexts where they previously faced structural barriers.

Whether future non-English films achieve similarly high Metascores or win Best Picture remains to be seen, but *Parasite* demonstrated that it’s possible for international cinema to achieve both critical and commercial validation at the highest levels of the American film industry.

Conclusion

For audiences interested in understanding critical consensus and how films are evaluated, *Parasite* and its Metascore offer a clear case study.

The score represents not a marketing claim but a documented consensus among professional reviewers, making it a reliable starting point for anyone seeking genuinely acclaimed cinema.

Whether for film students studying contemporary cinema, casual viewers seeking recommendations, or critics analyzing the evolution of how international films are received, *Parasite’s* 97/100 stands as both a historical marker and an ongoing reminder of the film’s artistic achievement.

---

You Might Also Like

• What Is the Metacritic User Score for Parasite
• What Is the Critic Score for Interstellar on Metacritic
• What Is the Critic Score for Goodfellas on Metacritic

Browse more: Box Office | Entertainment | Film | Movie News | Movies