THE QUESTION
- Do you read them before hand so you know what you're getting into?
- Or do avoid all reviews and read them only afterward? (to see if people agree with you or just out of interest)
Most of us are able to decide which movies might interest us without help. And usually a negative review cannot stop you eventually seeing something you are genuinely interested (even if you know it's crap). But the question is when do you read reviews? And why?
PERSONAL OPINION
Maybe it's just that most reviewers can't help spoiling something (intentionally or not). Or maybe it's because they often stamp their opinion so hard on something that I find it impossible to watch without thinking, "Really they liked/disliked this bit/character?" Either way I have to avoid all reviews before I watch anything.
However, one of the things I enjoy most about watching any movie, good or bad, is reading the reviews AFTER I've seen it. I know that's not really what reviews are for, but -
(a) I hate having a reviewer's opinion in my head as I watch a film and,
(b) If you watch enough films you really don't need to read a review to get an idea of what a film is going to be like (at least 90% of the time, 100% if we're talking Hollywood films).
(c) I love to see how other people have interpreted what I have just experienced.
Games, because they're so much more expensive, are a different story. (For those I skip to the score but ignore the review until after I've played it).
- Do you read them before hand so you know what you're getting into?
- Or do avoid all reviews and read them only afterward? (to see if people agree with you or just out of interest)
Most of us are able to decide which movies might interest us without help. And usually a negative review cannot stop you eventually seeing something you are genuinely interested (even if you know it's crap). But the question is when do you read reviews? And why?
PERSONAL OPINION
Maybe it's just that most reviewers can't help spoiling something (intentionally or not). Or maybe it's because they often stamp their opinion so hard on something that I find it impossible to watch without thinking, "Really they liked/disliked this bit/character?" Either way I have to avoid all reviews before I watch anything.
However, one of the things I enjoy most about watching any movie, good or bad, is reading the reviews AFTER I've seen it. I know that's not really what reviews are for, but -
(a) I hate having a reviewer's opinion in my head as I watch a film and,
(b) If you watch enough films you really don't need to read a review to get an idea of what a film is going to be like (at least 90% of the time, 100% if we're talking Hollywood films).
(c) I love to see how other people have interpreted what I have just experienced.
Games, because they're so much more expensive, are a different story. (For those I skip to the score but ignore the review until after I've played it).
