Hideo Kojima Reviews Netflix’s New Sci-Fi Thriller That Polarized Critics

Published Aug 16, 2026, 9:45 AM EDT

Abigail is an editor for ScreenRant, currently writing and editing movie news. You may also have seen her thoughts on animated television, musical theater, and fantasy literature in Paste Magazine, Fantasy Hive, or The Oxford Blue. She has also written SR lists and op-eds covering movies, TV, and books as well. She is an English major through and through, having graduated with a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and an MPhil from Oxford University.

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Hideo Kojima enigmatically comments on the new Netflix movie that has proved to be a critical lightning rod.

Louis Leterrier's The Last House, starring Wagner Moura and Greta Lee, premiered on the platform on August 7. The sci-fi thriller follows a family who must fight to survive when they are trapped in their own house by an eldritch nightmare. Despite themes that speak to the experience of the pandemic, many critics have denounced it, with Kojima not exactly rushing to its defense.

Via X, Kojima delivered a brief comment after watching the movie: "I watched The Last House. Isolation? Loneliness? There were parts that felt a little like Death Stranding." As the video game Death Stranding, developed by Kojima and his production company, is set in a future apocalyptic version of the U.S., it aligns with The Last House's depiction of survival and isolation.

In comparison to Kojima's lengthy, glowing review of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, his clipped response to The Last House suggests he didn't find much praiseworthy, or even worth having a conversation about; he was at best mildly amused by the things that reminded him of his own creation. Ironically, Death Stranding was a divisive release, largely due to its pacing issues.

In contrast, at the time of writing, The Last House has a Rotten Tomatoes critics' score of 27% and an audience score of 28%. Taken at face value, this tells us that the movie isn't really dividing people: It is just bad. Yet The Last House has also become an instant streaming hit, currently the No. 1 movie in the U.S. and globally on Netflix.

In ScreenRant's review of The Last House, Alex Harrison states: "The ultimate reason for the family's confinement is interesting in principle, but a mix of underexplored and nonsensical in practice. The ending is bafflingly insufficient. The only mystery worth pondering once The Last House rolls credits is how all this potential resulted in a sum far lesser than its parts."

The review begins with the question "Who trapped Greta Lee and Wagner Moura in this movie?" when these talented lead actors are doubtlessly part of its appeal. Likewise, AV Club's Monica Castillo writes that "Even if Lee and Moura work overtime to sell the terrifying scenario these parents find themselves in, ridiculous lines and worse decision-making takes us out of the moment."

The Last House has the makings of a buzzy new Netflix release owing to its genre and cast, but it seems likely to be forgotten in a few weeks. Kojima's brief review sums up the experience of watching the movie, noting a few things that are, luckily, interesting when the consensus is that there is not much else going for it.

The Last House is now available to stream on Netflix.

Cast

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  Wagner Moura

  Jason

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  Greta Lee

  Ann

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