Why You Can’t Always Trust Movie Reviews
I remember the exact moment I stopped trusting movie reviews.
It was the day I saw that Rotten Tomatoes didn’t give Interstellar a perfect 100% score.
It wasn’t even close to 90%.
At that moment, I knew the movie review system was flawed.
On the flip side, a movie like Get Out received a 100% rating.
That movie didn’t deserve such a high rating.
This disparity between Interstellar and Get Out made me lose faith in movie reviews.
What’s ironic is that I sometimes provide movie reviews myself.
How can I say movie reviews aren’t trustworthy when I write them?
These ideas can co-exist.
I believe it’s smart to be selective with which reviews you consult.
Other people’s opinions will never perfectly align with your subjective desires, so even though movie reviews can be helpful, they aren’t everything.
How I Consume Movie Reviews
When I check reviews, I do it strategically.
First, I look at what the professional critics say, and then I check the audience reviews.
If both the critics and the audience give high ratings, it’s usually a safe bet the movie is worth watching.
For example, if Rotten Tomatoes shows an 85% critic score and an 86% audience score, the movie is likely to be good.
However, there are cases where the critics and audience disagree.
Rotten Tomatoes might give a movie 15%, while the audience gives it 90%.
In these situations, I always trust the audience.
The reason?
Critics can be influenced or bought, while the audience usually has a decentralized perspective.
That’s not to say audiences are always right, but you need to learn how to balance reviews.
No matter how carefully you analyze the data, there will always be times when you love a movie, but the reviews don’t reflect your feelings.
As an example, I’m a huge Adam Sandler fan.
I love his movies because I know their purpose.
They’re not meant to be thought-provoking pieces of art, but lighthearted entertainment that lets me relax.
To me, most Adam Sandler movies are 85% or higher.
But if you check the reviews for his films, both critics and audiences rate them badly.
Those reviews don’t reflect my experience, and that’s why I don’t let them influence how I feel about his work.
The Cheat Code: Watch, Then Read Reviews
One of the best ways to avoid getting muddled by reviews is to consume them after you’ve watched the movie.
For instance, I recently watched a movie called Presence.
I had no idea what to expect.
I thought it was going to be a scary movie like The Grudge.
But it turned out to be more of a family drama.
Because I had no preconceptions, I truly enjoyed the film.
Afterward, I read reviews and analyses.
Overall, the feedback was positive, but if I had read those reviews beforehand, they might have biased my experience.
When you watch a movie first and read reviews later, you lead with your own judgment.
As a storyteller, this is key!
You need to trust your own analysis over someone else’s.
Be Your Own Critic
Over time, you’ll learn to be your own critic.
The more you consume content from your own perspective, the more you’ll refine your taste and preferences.
You’ll begin to recognize what you like, what you don’t, and most importantly…what you would have done differently.
When you start analyzing films with this mindset, you’ll discover different ways to view storytelling.
You’ll no longer be reliant on what critics think.
Instead, you’ll learn to appreciate movies for your own reasons, and you’ll know what works for you.
Who knows…
Maybe one day, you’ll create your own version of Rotten Tomatoes.
For more insights into storytelling, check out the Art & Science of Storytelling Book
✨Ebook
✨Paperback/Kindle
✨Audiobook
– ArmaniTalks 
