Do You Listen to Critics and Reviews?

I'm going to divide this into two parts. Feel free to discuss one part and ignore the other, or discuss both. Whatever you want.

1) Do you ever listen to critics or read reviews for movies? If so, do they ever affect what movies you watch? Also, do you let advice from friends affect what movies you watch?

2) Do you think critics are even necessary? Often, critics will bash a movie, but it will still do well at the box office and even be liked by a lot of people. (Alvin & the Chipmunks is a good example of this.) Furthermore, people like different things in movies, and desire different things? Is it possible for many people to agree with one person's assessment of a movie?

Personally, I love watching review shows and sometimes reading reviews in a magazine or online. Trailers never paint an accurate picture, and reviews tend to tell you exactly what type of movie it is and what you'll experience while watching it. However, I rarely go to the theater, or even rent movies, so these reviews don't affect me much. I only pay to see a movie if I'm sure that I want to see it, and if I really want to see a movie, I can dismiss whatever negative things are said about it.

As for whether critics serve a real purpose, I think they do. As I said above, a review can tell you loads more about a movie than a trailer can. But I do think a lot of critics are too specific in their reviews. Because people have such varying degrees of taste, the critic should be broad in his review, say that something might scare the audience, instead of saying that it will or will not scare them. Less is more when it comes to reviewing a movie. If it needs to be seen by most people, say that; if it needs to be skipped by everybody, say that. If it's somewhere in the middle (as most movies are), simply highlight the highs and lows and general feel of the movie.

Not really. If it looks to be worth it, I'll check it out. And if I was wrong, $5-7 isn't really that big of a deal to see a movie.

But I suppose it depends on what. For anime and the like I do indeed check out some reviews and the like before I watch it. Though I have ignored them before, and found the show to be badass, despite their opposite thoughts.

Whatever peaks my interest, I will watch it firt before reading critic's reviews. Usually I just agree or disagree with them, depends on what I felt and saw as a movie-goer

Close enough to what I was going to say. Does not matter to me, If it looks good will go see it. It sucks then it sucks all well.

This. I do hate it when critics give a crappy movie a good rating.

"2012 sucked ass! It doesn't deserve 5 stars!"

That's why I use Yahoo's movie page. It got a glorious 'C'.


As for me, I always look at the critics before I watch the movie (even before borrowing a DVD. Yes, I'm cheap), because most of the time when I don't, I always have tendency to be disappointed (Flyboy, Cloverfield, etc.).

For the answer to the second question, yes, I believe that critics are required. As a filmmaking/psychology major,

.. screw that. why am I on fakku when I'm suppose to write a goddamn script.

i never listen to what people say about other things
it is I who decides if it is good or bad

Never have and never will. Those fuckers don't know what they're talking about.

You knw I love you for making this topic because yesterday for shits and giggles I decided to see how AnimeNewsNetwork reviewed Strawberry Panic. I like ANN because they were a great source for info, but do you know how I feel about them now? They're dead to me now. Fuck Craig or whatever the fuck that guy's name is that does the reviews. Like I said above, these people don't know what the fuck they're talking about.

I personally don't read/listen to professional critics. This is 1) Because I am not like the "average" person in my tastes (not to say my tastes are incredibly weird) and 2) Because these people usually seem to have a set bias in favor of or against certain types of movies or subject material rendering their critique meaningless (sometimes I have the suspicious that some of their opinions are in fact monetarily (or some other benefit) based).

I do however listen to what my friends say about a movie. I also make sure to keep in mind my friends' tastes in movies though. Mainly I just go with my gut feelings about a movie and that's usually correct.

I don't think professional critics are necessary. There is a need to sometimes check with other people about a movie just because trailers often don't accurately represent the movie (for example: Bee Movie looked terrible and not funny at all from the ads for it but was in fact really funny). There is no reason for me to trust a professional over a friend or even some random person online. In fact here in the Entertainment section I've seen multiple people state their opinions on a movie and I've found these opinions to deal more with specifics without spoiling stuff and give more general reviews that are more helpful than professional critics who discuss something in length that really could be summed up in a couple words. And really why should I pay someone to give me something that's of lower quality than what I can get several times at higher quality for free?

I listen to Critics and Reviews like this guy

Nope, but sometimes i read articles about game or movie. I prefer my opinion neither someone's else.
Critics are great and they're professionals (more of them xD) but when you saw or played by yourself, only then you can really say that this thing is awesome or may be it suck's ))

I rarely read critics, and even when I do, I just dismiss them...
Unless they say a movie is particularly bad, then I might watch one based on the their reviews, out of curiosity.

most of the time they are guides.I rather follow what the general consensus though.
Then again i have found certain movies to be nice or okay but most people dont like.