Complaining that critics don't like movies.

[darthdenim]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8I1UueJbWc

This guy perfectly sums up the fanboy reaction whenever critics mostly dislike the latest tentpole movie.

 

[tippy2k2]

Here's the video for people who don't just want to click on the link. Also, you really should sum it up because I'm guessing most people are not going to watch the video like me...

To give my opinion on complaining that critics don't like movies, I would think it's pretty obvious why critics don't like the super popular stuff. The super popular stuff is (generally) pretty basic and/or brainless. It's the lowest common denominator factor and while there are super popular movies that break that trend, most are not great (that doesn't mean they can't be entertaining but for most critics, it takes more than that)...

EDIT: Yeah, I just watched a minute of him and had to turn it off. Holy fuck kid, critics don't like the movies you like. Protip; Critics not liking a movie doesn't mean you're not allowed to like it. Quit yer bitchin. I review movies myself (which you should totally go read in the "User Review Section" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/index/326-User-Reviews] because I don't have shame so I will shamelessly [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.938757-tippy2k2-tells-you-what-to-think-Captain-America-Civil-War] plug [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.937798-tippy2k2-tells-you-what-to-think-The-Martian] it [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.937192-tippy2k2-tells-you-what-to-think-Creed]) and I've never once worried about what people will think when I give my movies scores.

 

[Parasondox]

Well we do live in an age where 8/10 or 9/10 in game reviews is not good enough and seen as "bad". I just think sometimes some people can't think for themselves when it comes to their own personal judgement of something and need a close hive minded echo chamber as validation.

In terms of movies, mostly blockbuster, comic book, super hero movies? Well, Check out comicbookmovie.com and see how heated and ugly that can get.

Why does Rotten Tomatoes hold so much weight in terms of movie ratings?

 

[darthdenim]

My favorite part is when he says that people who didn't like Dumb and Dumber 2 should be handed over to Isis and beheaded because they don't appreciate America.

 

[Chanticoblues]

Why does Rotten Tomatoes hold so much weight in terms of movie ratings?

I think because its a really popular site and it's an aggregate. It has a veil of legitimacy or consensus, although it clearly has a lot of problems.

Personally, I really dislike Rottentomatoes, and I'm constantly surprised by how poorly its managed.

 

[Marter]

"User Review Section"

What's that?

OT: He's complaining that people - and not just critics - aren't liking a thing he hasn't yet seen, and that if the majority doesn't like something that means he isn't allowed to like it. That's such an odd thing to think. But you see it from time to time, both with movies and with games. Often it'll be someone complaining about a score that's been given - and they haven't even seen/played it yet.

I also never understand this "Critic X must hate [medium]" mindset. The person whose profession it is to play/watch/read/whatever a ton of something doesn't like it? That just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Why does Rotten Tomatoes hold so much weight in terms of movie ratings?

I think because its a really popular site and it's an aggregate. It has a veil of legitimacy or consensus, although it clearly has a lot of problems.

Personally, I really dislike Rottentomatoes, and I'm constantly surprised by how poorly its managed.

I was about to say the very same question.

I mean especially when websites constantly reference it. I mean look at this forbes article regarding the Warcraft movie which had a then 18% rating:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2016/05/31/the-warcraft-movie-is-now-reviewing-worse-than-doom-better-than-super-mario-bros/#4ccb32b51d1f

But then he updated showing the rating at a 21%.

Now its a 25%, So please why are you wasting out time with this article Forbes about RottenTomatoes rating on one movie especially considering the ratings may go up and down?

 

[Hawki]

Now its a 25%, So please why are you wasting out time with this article Forbes about RottenTomatoes rating on one movie especially considering the ratings may go up and down?

24% now.

Anyway, Warcraft, for better or worse, was always going to get a level of attention. For those hoping for it to break the "videogame curse," there was reasonable expectation it would do so. For those confident that it wouldn't, it would generate satisfaction to see it crash and burn.

RT I think has its pros, in that it at least helps indicate what people think of a film, so it provides a benchmark for popular consensus. No-one's obliged to agree with the ratings (goodness knows I don't agree with critical consensus all of the time - I doubt anyone does), but it does establish a benchmark as to where you're at.

I can't help but have some hope for Warcraft - Angry Birds was over 60% at some point before reaching around 44%. But even if I like the film (which I probably will), even if I declare it to be the first bona fide "good" VG-based movie (fairly less likely), I'm not counting myself on being in the majority.

Edit: Oh, and while I'm here, there's nothing that's going to shut your credibility down faster than by saying that the critics are out to hate something, or people "just don't get it." Having an opinion is one thing, bolstering that opinion by lambasting all others is another.

 

[Elfgore]

Well that was the longest two minutes of my life. Seriously, that felt like ten minutes. I also have to wonder if that person ever sits down and realizes the things he has just said and how stupid it sounds.

As someone who enjoys movies completely panned by critics, the Transformers series, I realize that what critics are saying is usually the truth. The Transformers series are bad movies. Doesn't make it wrong to enjoy them on a personal level. So long as you enjoy it, you shouldn't care what critics think.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I really thought it was going to be worse than it was. I kind of feel sorry for this guy. I don't know who he was more upset with. The critics who panned the movies, or the movies being disappointing. I think he just wants everyone to lighten up a bit. I don't think his sentiment is bad. How he framed that sentiment was problematic.

I think the OP could find a better example of unjust fanboy rage than this.

 

[FalloutJack]

In defense of some fans and some films, I tend to believe the lampshading from the guys of MST3K in regards to Leonard Malton. There is no way that the stuff they've been watching is equal to or better than a number of other notable films.

 

[Bilious Green_v1legacy]

I can never understand why people get so emotionally attached to a piece of media that they feel that a negative public reaction is an affront to them personally. I'm a longtime Warcraft fan, but I don't care if people say the movie is bad, I will still go see it and I will probably enjoy since I'm the target audience. If other people don't like it, that's fine by me. People who get worked up over this stuff just embarrass themselves.

 

[Dizchu]

People don't like it when critics hate films they love/when critics love films they hate because to them it comes off as elitism. People have these preconceptions of what films critics "like" and "dislike", they tend to like dramas dealing with complex themes and indie films and they tend to hate huge Hollywood blockbusters full of action and special effects. Now this is simply not the case. If it was your job to review films that means you end up seeing an awful lot of films. Because of this, cliches and poor writing really stand out and empty spectacle becomes less interesting. It's why they hate the Transformers films, Batman v Superman, Adam Sandler comedies, etc.

The average moviegoer sees at most a few films a month, but usually a film every few months or so. They're more invested in the experience because it's not something they do every day, when they go to see the new Michael Bay or Zack Snyder shlockbuster it's more than just seeing a film, it's a day out. I absolutely hate the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels but it'd be a lie to say that I didn't enjoy going to the city to see them.

But apart from that there's another reason, something more to do with denial. If you've invested your time and money into something you'll often try to defend it if it wasn't great. "C'mon don't be harsh, it's not like it was trying to be Citizen Kane! These critics expect too much." Often critics are wrong and films they initially slam become classics over time (the Empire Strikes Back for example), but I feel that this has become less common as time's gone on and for the most part I agree with the critical consensus with only a few diversions.

When it comes to video games however it's a completely different matter. Both players and critics overrate the shit out of video games but whenever critics love a controversial game a lot of gamers lose their shit.

 

[K12]

The most telling thing is when he complained that critics like things that he isn't interested in... not things he considers bad, just not his thing. How self-involved can you get?

He also seems to be completely ignorant of the fact that comedies are always reveiwed less positively than smallscale dramatic, social-commentary character pieces like "Nightcrawler" (which is really good by the way).

Plus comedy sequels are almost always disappointing. Of the top of my head the only ones I can think of that lived up to the original was "22 Jump street" and "Addams family values" which were both sequels to C+/B- films anyway.

 

[WonkyWarmaiden]

Yeah, I ain't watching that video but this is a common enough sentiment on the internet that I think I get the gist. Why can't people just like what they like and not worry about other opinions? I enjoy plenty of movies, video games, etc that have been disliked by various reviewers and I'm not going to stop enjoying them just because they get a 4 out of 10 or a 2 star review. Grow up, like what you like and don't tell other people what to like. Is it really that hard to understand?

 

[hermes]

God, that was unbearable. It is like he is confusing good with liked and bad with unpopular. All the time he is complaining about movies not being good because they are not well received by the critics or the public, instead of being because he thinks it is bad. If you are reading this, "Everyone hated it" is not the same as "not good"... grow some and get an opinion of your own. I have my share of disagreements with any critic I follow for enough time, doesn't mean I will stop following them, or going to change my opinion to suit this other person's mind. I have more respect for people that says "I liked TMNT" than those that say "people on the Internet don't like Alice, so it must be awful"...

On the topic of critics, I will just leave this here. Not always my cup of tea, but he is well articulated and has an insiders perspective in what means being a fan and being a critic:

 

[Wintermute_v1legacy]

I can only imagine some people want professional critics/reviewers to confirm their "good taste" in movies, games or whatever. Clearly critics must enjoy the same thing they enjoy, otherwise... nothing I guess, you can still enjoy whatever the hell you want.

 

[BrawlMan]

God, that was unbearable. It is like he is confusing good with liked and bad with unpopular. All the time he is complaining about movies not being good because they are not well received by the critics or the public, instead of being because he thinks it is bad. If you are reading this, "Everyone hated it" is not the same as "not good"... grow some and get an opinion of your own. I have my share of disagreements with any critic I follow for enough time, doesn't mean I will stop following them, or going to change my opinion to suit this other person's mind. I have more respect for people that says "I liked TMNT" than those that say "people on the Internet don't like Alice, so it must be awful"...

On the topic of critics, I will just leave this here. Not always my cup of tea, but he is well articulated and has an insiders perspective in what means being a fan and being a critic:

I wouldn't recommend getting advice from Nostalgia Critic at this time. Yeah, he's has point, but even he acts like a butt hurt asshole if you don't think Frozen is a good movie. The NC got more opinionated by 2013/2014, along with Spoony (I stopped watching him in 2012) and a few others, and became not fun to watch. And lately it seems like Doug Walker and some of his other buddies on Channel Awesome can't take criticism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8I1UueJbWc

This guy perfectly sums up the fanboy reaction whenever critics mostly dislike the latest tentpole movie.

As for that whiny *****; if the critics didn't like the movie and you did, why should you care? I thought the sequel to Dumb & Dumber was just average and kinda forgettable. I old enough know when I'm going to like something or not. There are times where I'm not sure, so I have to take risk in investing time and money to the product. That's life though, some things disappoint; some things exceed expectations. And some things match your expectations.

Why does Rotten Tomatoes hold so much weight in terms of movie ratings?

I think because its a really popular site and it's an aggregate. It has a veil of legitimacy or consensus, although it clearly has a lot of problems.

Personally, I really dislike Rottentomatoes, and I'm constantly surprised by how poorly its managed.

Agreed, Rottentomatoes doesn't tell you about the overall movie or experience. I've had movies that I didn't like get high scores and movies with low scores that I liked or at least tolerated. Especially if it was from the professional critics side of criticisms.