discuss Do you read reviews before you watch a movie?

[NatureFreak]

Having been a victim of watching some terrible movies in the past, I have cultivated the habit of looking for the reviews of movies before watching them.
No I don't usually get spoiled, basically I just try to get what others have to say about it, whether it was great or not.
That has helped me to filter out those movies I would have hated from the ones I would love.
What about you?

 

[ActionAce]

I like to read reviews because it helps to avoid disappointment. This allows me to avoid some movies. But before I take reviews seriously, I consider the authenticity of the source because some critics may have different tastes.

 

[Harsh World]

The first thing I do is compare the IMDb score with the number of reviews that support it against the Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter — as their critic's Tomatometer is junk with biases — to see if it's in alignment and at least a 4.8 or 50% and higher respectively.

Then, to not spoil the movie too much, I watch a trailer or two.

If I'm still having doubts about watching something by then, I'll read the first five or so top-rated reviews.

Doing it this way gives me the best idea of whether or not I'll like a film going in, but it doesn't necessarily mean that I'll like it when it's over.

 

[Bawse]

No I usually don't read the reviews. I usually watch a trailer before I check out a new movie. I try to avoid comments for spoilers.

 

[Harsh World]

I usually watch a trailer before I check out a new movie.

Trailers are so misleading though.

It's very noticeable in the Red One trailer compared to how it really plays out, as that's the most recent example I can think of.

I try to avoid comments for spoilers.

This is hard to balance. I don't want to spoil anything, so I try to read reviews versus the comments, but sometimes they're one and the same as reviewing is open to everyone and they comment on it instead of reviewing it.

With the reviews I do in Movie Night, I try not to spoil anything, giving the basic overview of a movie that you could probably gather from the trailer and description. But, reading over my previous sentence, I need to be more mindful of how I review things just in case as I wouldn't want to spoil a movie, but rather entice you to watch something that you might not otherwise.

 

[Reelz]

I do read reviews but not all the time. Sometimes, I just hop on the movie, mostly after watching the announcement trailer. I just want to go into it with an open mind and no expectations.

 

[Immortal]

Yes, I frequently read reviews to make a decision about movie. However, sometimes I don't read reviews and watch the movie without reading reviews. These movies are usually from big directors or actors

 

[Reelz]

Yes, I frequently read reviews to make a decision about movie. However, sometimes I don't read reviews and watch the movie without reading reviews. These movies are usually from big directors or actors

That’s me, I mostly look at the general opinions but I have my exceptions based on some directors or actors I like. For instance, the films of Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino, no one will read critics on those creators, as it is always a different cinema experience for me every time.