A new National Geographic documentary portraying Dr. Anthony Fauci as an American hero and one of the country's most dedicated public servants is getting mercilessly shredded by critics online.

What are the details?

The documentary, simply titled "Fauci," aimed to show off the shrewdness and brilliance of the longtime National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases director known for managing America's national response to the AIDS epidemic and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

But based on early reaction, that objective was a complete miss. Since debuting in select theaters on Sept. 10, the film has garnered nothing short of an embarrassingly negative response.

As of Monday afternoon, a trailer for the documentary posted on YouTube showed 59,000 dislikes in comparison to just over 4,000 likes.

The documentary is similarly unpopular on IMDB.com, where more than a thousand users have given the project an embarrassing 2.1/10 rating.

Fauci | Official Trailer | National Geographic Documentary Films www.youtube.com

The film's failure, however, may have less to do with the quality of the production and more to do with its slanted admiration for the unpopular subject.

According to one reviewer, the film is "clearly enamored with its subject who has attained movie-star-level fame." But that is not a sentiment shared by many.

Fauci, despite being revered by progressive lawmakers and mainstream media figures, has long since fallen out of favor with much of the American populace, who are tired of his support for draconian health guidelines, endless economic shutdowns, and vaccine mandates.

That's not to mention the fact that many Americans justifiably hold some level of suspicion towards Fauci over his involvement in funding risky gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, where the virus originated.

What are people saying?

Comments posted on YouTube and reviews posted on IMDB drip with vitriol towards the documentary and its portrayal of the infectious disease expert. Below is just a small sampling:

• "Pure garbage: Worst doc ever, I would give negative stars if it were possible."
• "You've got to be kidding: This man belongs in prison. He's literally lied to Americans and destroyed lives. How in god's name is anyone making a movie idolizing this criminal?"
• "Absolute garbage. Can't even believe this is a thing."
• "Propaganda 101. Prop em up on a pedestal and shine a big bright light on them to blind us from the lies. Glad to see from the rating and comments, the public is more awake than I thought."
• "He used US money to pay China to develop this virus. It's his fault we are in this mess. We demand justice."
• "This man is one of the worst humans to ever walk the Earth. His lies, deceit, and empowered mistruth by the current administration does not deserve a documentary."
• "If this is not damage control, I don't know what is..."
• "Props to the camera crew for being able to keep the tail and horns out of frame for the whole movie."
• "Quite literally nobody wants to see this fraud depicted as something he isn't."

Another YouTube commenter noted the irony of a line used in the film, which says, "If you are a public servant, you don't do it for the money." As the commenter went on to point out, Fauci is the highest paid federal employee, making $417,608 a year.

As if frequent interviews with Fauci were not enough to turn off critics, the producers trotted out notable controversial figures such as Bill Gates and Susan Rice to say nice things about the public health expert.

Despite their best attempts, it seems, America's opinions on Fauci are settled. The only thing that remains now is to see how large the dislike count will grow.