Rotten Tropes

Rotten Tropes is a movie discovery tool that tags films with the narrative tropes they use and the cultural messages they promote. The site states that every movie is tagged with the narrative tropes it leans on and the cultural messages it pushes, such as hard work always pays off, the rich are the problem, machines turn evil, and power always corrupts. It presents itself as providing movie trope checks for deciding what to watch, and it encourages users to choose films by what they argue, not just what they're about.

The interface includes a search field for movies by title and a personal trope list labeled Your tropes, which shows 35 entries. Users can tap ♥ to love or ⊘ to avoid a trope. Avoided movies are hidden automatically, while loved ones float to the top. The homepage lists tropes with associated movie counts, including Humans Never Give Up (14 movies), Family Is Everything (12 movies), and The System Is Rigged (8 movies).

A Check Before You Watch section highlights new movies tagged with their narrative tropes and the cultural messages they push. Users can filter by 7, 30, 60, or 90 days and sort movies by popularity or newest first. Movie entries show release dates and associated tropes, such as The Runner (September 3, 2026) with Humans Never Give Up and Violence Gets Results, and Resident Evil (September 16, 2026) with Humans Never Give Up and Man-Made Monsters. The site also marks Charlie Harper with No Tropes!.