Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB Scores And The Like.....

[Deleted]

Does it affect your decision in watching films or tv shows?

[DayoRemix]

imdb was good for one thing..The beloved message boards..Otherwise, occasional trivia..never even look at the scores..RT is a decently convenient way to gather up reviews in one place. Not sure the actual score make much difference..

[Half Machine Lipschitz]

Not in the least. I watch based on interest and friend/colleague recommendations. I've always thought that, for the most part - at least when it comes to films and music - points-based scoring systems are, um, pointless.

[Stacy Heydon]

Jul 13, 2023 16:34:46 GMT Half Machine Lipschitz said:

Not in the least. I watch based on interest and friend/colleague recommendations. I've always thought that, for the most part - at least when it comes to films and music - points-based scoring systems are, um, pointless.

That's obviously a much better way, but sometimes when you're faced with a load of films that you've not heard of on some streaming service, a quick look at aggregate scores can be a quick and useful way of filtering out the crap or mediocre and finding something to watch. That's all I mainly use them for though, I don't set great store in critics opinions these days (although Bradshaw in The Guardian usually gets it fairly right).

[Mr. FOLLARD]

Yeah, I look at RT (not IMDB) and if the audience AND critics scores are particularly high or low, then that'll influence what I choose to see, quite often. Especially for new films.

But - probably needless to say - lots of things I really like have only got, like, 62%, and I've seen a SHITLOAD of mediocre films that have scored highly on RT and similar sites.

I don't find I'm even generally in agreement with any major critics, either. Definitely not Bradshaw or Kermode.

[Deleted]

I don't really trust them, extremely good or bad reviews could be down to nefarious actions by people or film companies depending on the film and any political or social stance it might be taking.

[Stacy Heydon]

But if a film has a very low mean score from both the critics and the audience, then it's likely to be a poor film that you'd waste your time watching. That's all I use them for.

[toomanyhatz]

The reverse is also true - if both critics and audience score something universally high, it's likely to at least be well-made. Yes, there are universally acclaimed films that aren't fully deserving, and good ones that people can miss out on, but it's one thing, among many others, that can be used as a hint. I would also add that previews are ridiculously easy to find, so that's another tool that can be used.

I'm still going by 'what I'm into' as the main basis - I much prefer literary works or psychological thrillers to 'action films,' but if something that's seemingly not what I'm into but is universally acclaimed, I'm still more likely to check it out than I would be otherwise.