Which criticism platform is the most useful?

[mwynn]

I will add a poll after opinions and options come in.

Cinemascore vs Metacrtic vs Rotten Tomatoes

Which is the most useful?
Which is the most useless?
If they are all useless what is the best option to get a good idea on the quality of a movie before you see it?

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by mwynn

what is the best option to get a good idea on the quality of a movie before you see it?

Go with your gut.

[BluBonnet]

I rely on Oscar, my goldfish, to know what movies are going to be good. Hasn't let me down once.

[Bubbles-11]

Why not just form your own opinion on the film?

[Jorvic]

I almost never consult any of Cinemascore / Metacritic / Rotten Tomatoes.

Not sure if this qualifies as the type of 'criticism platform' mentioned, but I do quite like reading the reviews of the New York Times film critics. Don't agree with everything they say, but they often provide a balanced and sometimes nuanced perspective on a given title.

I also have my own opinions on films though too.

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by Jorvic

I almost never consult any of Cinemascore / Metacritic / Rotten Tomatoes.

Not sure if this qualifies as the type of 'criticism platform' mentioned, but I do quite like reading the reviews of the New York Times film critics. Don't agree with everything they say, but they often provide a balanced and sometimes nuanced perspective on a given title.

I also have my own opinions on films though too.

Do you read those online or a physical paper?

[Jorvic]

Originally Posted by mwynn

Do you read those online or a physical paper?

Online.

[RossyG]

I check out the trailers and if they engage, I'll consider giving the film a go. My hit rate is about 85%. That's better than the reviews of any critic in any medium.

Telling people to form their own opinions of films is fine if they have the time and inclination to see every film released. Otherwise, there has to be some kind of filtration.

And Rotten Tomatoes and the like just gauge the mood of cinema goers. They don't help me pick a film.

[mastadge]

They're all meaningless. Find individual reviewers you vibe with in some way (or in some cases that you disagree with in usefully predictable ways). Review aggregators are largely useless unless you have particularly populist taste, or are trying to make lists not of your favorites but of things most likely to have wide appeal.

[The Sovereign]

Trailers, director, stars, and subject. If I look at reviews, it’s later, and never to form an opinion.

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by Bubbles-11

Why not just form your own opinion on the film?

Don’t know why it’s hard to understand that criticism =/= telling people what to watch. You can read criticism for various reasons, chiefly to get other perspectives, good or bad, on something that you like or didn’t like. You can take or leave anything you read or hear. You can make up your own mind on the film and make up your own mind on what other people have to say as well.

Also, hardly anyone explores anything without some sort of exterior opinion on the subject, be it an acquaintance, a teacher, random people on message boards, etc. so there’s nothing necessarily wrong with taking a hint from a critic. It’s the same thing.

In any case, I don’t care about Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes scores - the only thing they’re really useful for is linking you quickly to any of the actual reviews they compile.

[stvn1974]

I miss Siskel and Ebert. If they liked a movie I usually avoided it and vice versa.

[Batmon77]

I don't utilize any platform, but I do "like" reading what folks have to say here.

[stvn1974]

Originally Posted by Batmon77

I don't utilize any platform, but I do "like" reading what folks have to say here.

Same here. I don't think I have ever even been to rottentomatos site. I do like reading reviews and opinions from members of this site, even for films that I have no interest in ever seeing.

[tcripe]

Ive used RT ever since they started verifying the audience reviews.

[moreorless]

Originally Posted by DR Herbert West

Go with your gut.

One big advantage I'v found with age is that this has become much more successful, combined with recommendations from people whos opinions I trust it tends to mean I actually end up paying(so cinema of disk) for very few films I dislike these days.

[Zivouhr]

If I'm on the fence with a movie's trailer, not really sure if it's a type of movie I'd want to see due to the trailer, that's about the only time I look at film critic reviews and fan reviews. And even then sometimes I'll skip it if the trailer isn't the kind of film I'd want to see.

Otherwise, if I see a trailer and it looks promising enough to see, I'll go see it even if the fans/critics don't like that genre or style of film.

[ImBlu_DaBaDee]

Most useful for predicting word of mouth and box office - Cinemascore

Most useful for seeing what professional critics think - Metacritic

Most useful for causing drama in a movie forum thread - Rotten Tomatoes

[spider-neil]

CinemaScore is quite good. A good barometer as people are giving their immediate opinion on seeing a movie on the big screen. It's not like when the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes can be review bombed, to review bomb CinemaScore it would be very expensive.

[mwynn]

Isn't Cinemascore only done at a single theater?