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How often do Reviews decide for you?

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How often do Reviews decide for you?

Old 09-16-07, 08:09 PM
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How often do Reviews decide for you?

Has a review ever changed a decision of yours to see a movie? For example, you've been waiting to see this awesome movie for a few months but then a DVDTalk Reviewer(Or any other Reviewer for that matter) said it was total crap. Would you skip that movie and see something else? Has that happened before? Im just curious how much impact reviews have on your DVD watching habits.
Old 09-16-07, 08:22 PM
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Speaking as a reviewer , a negative review won't convince me to pass on a movie I want to see. It can if I'm on the fence, though. I've been turned onto quite a few movies I probably wouldn't have seen otherwise through positive reviews.
Old 09-16-07, 08:28 PM
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I only let reviews sway me if every single review I read says the same criticisms and they all trash it.

That being said though, it depends on what type of movie it is. If the movie is supposed to be over the top and cheesy, I tend not to read the reviews anyway, knowing that most film reviewers seem to treat every film w/ the same criteria (this shouldn't be the case). I also don't bother reading reviews on horror films...
Old 09-17-07, 02:26 AM
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I have noticed that increasingly more often I check what the critical consensus is at Rotten Tomatoes (especially what their Cream of the Crop meter says), and make decisions based on that. While I won't stay away from a film I'm interested in just because it has got poor reviews, poor reviews will in most cases lessen my urgency to see the film, e.g. to wait until the DVD release.

My tastes seem quite similar to a majority of film critics, and therefore films with a Cream of the Crop consensus of 80% or more at RT are usually safe bets for me, while anything with under 10% is also worth seeing. It's not like I would enjoy every movie I pick in this manner, but it does help in choosing. Similarly, it is certainly not the only way I pick movies, but like I said, I find myself using the service more and more often.
Old 09-17-07, 08:12 AM
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Movie reviews have very little, if any, sway with me.

DVD reviews have a lot of bearing though.
Old 09-17-07, 10:08 AM
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If I'm on the fence about buying a particular DVD release, a review might sway my decision only if I agree with that reviewer on other movies.

But like Trevor said, "Movie" reviews generally won't sway me at all. Probably since I seem to like the movies that most reviewers trash and vice versa.
Old 09-18-07, 02:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Adam Tyner
Speaking as a reviewer , a negative review won't convince me to pass on a movie I want to see. It can if I'm on the fence, though. I've been turned onto quite a few movies I probably wouldn't have seen otherwise through positive reviews.
Agreed. If I want to see something, I'm going to go see it. However, there is so much content out there that it's impossible to keep up with all of it, and I've been directed towards some wonderful films by reviewers I respect.

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Old 09-18-07, 11:22 AM
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Bad reviews wont keep me from seeing a movie, but a number of good reviews may sway to something I may have missed or passed on.
Old 09-21-07, 06:52 AM
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Never, if I want to see something I see it. No matter how shitty someone else says it is, I want to experience the train wreck for myself.
Old 09-22-07, 03:53 PM
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sometimes they make me consider renting something. never have they swayed me to buy a dvd tho
Old 09-23-07, 09:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Layziebones
Has a review ever changed a decision of yours to see a movie? For example, you've been waiting to see this awesome movie for a few months but then a DVDTalk Reviewer(Or any other Reviewer for that matter) said it was total crap. Would you skip that movie and see something else? Has that happened before? Im just curious how much impact reviews have on your DVD watching habits.
It's never just one review, but word of mouth (which can be based on reviews that people have seen) can certainly put a dampener on something you're looking forward to.

Most recently for me was Knocked Up. I LOVED 40 Year Old Virgin. It is, to me, quite simply the best comedy made in the last decade, so I was very excited about Knocked Up. All the reviewers seemed to have gotten caught up in the same excitement prior to its release, too. Perhaps sensing that these guys were actually on to something, but when it came out, all I got from friends was "average" and "Superbad is better". Even from my girlfriend who, like me, loved 40YOV.

As such, I've skipped it and will wait for DVD.

Conversely, films that I know nothing about or have no expectations for, can often blow me away.
Old 09-24-07, 03:54 AM
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For cinema releases, I couldn't care less about what the reviewers have to say (although I like reading them, especially Roger Ebert)...if I'm interested in a movie, I'll go see it. I form my own opinions.

For DVDs, I'm more likely to seek out reviews by trusted reviewers, and I weigh their opinions before buying anything I'm on the fence about. Unless it's a review by DVD Savant...he's never steered me wrong yet, and I always come away from his reviews feeling I've learned something more than I would have if I read someone else's review.
Old 09-25-07, 01:37 AM
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I don't matter much if a movie has good or bad review. Purchasing a dvd is a lot different. It must have at least Recommended rating at DVD Talk before I decide to grab it.
Old 09-25-07, 02:31 AM
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Only if I'm on the fence, or if there's two movies that I want to see coming out at the same time.
Old 09-25-07, 03:59 AM
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Originally Posted by FantasticVSDoom
Bad reviews wont keep me from seeing a movie, but a number of good reviews may sway to something I may have missed or passed on.
Same here.
Old 09-25-07, 06:59 PM
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As everyone has mentioned, if I really want to see a film a bad review won't sway me from it.
Old 09-25-07, 07:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Dr. Calamari
For DVDs, I'm more likely to seek out reviews by trusted reviewers, and I weigh their opinions before buying anything I'm on the fence about.
Same for me. It all depends on who's doing the reviewing. There are a couple reviewers on this site that tend to have the same opinions as me, so I read those reviews closely. There are others that I ignore completely.
Old 09-25-07, 08:10 PM
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Nope, I think and decide for myself. A movie can be ripped apart by the majority but if I wanna see it I will. Likewise, if one is praised up and down by all, if the theme, plot, etc doesnt apeal to me, I aint gonna watch it.
Old 09-26-07, 07:14 AM
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Originally Posted by FlickMan
Nope, I think and decide for myself. A movie can be ripped apart by the majority but if I wanna see it I will. Likewise, if one is praised up and down by all, if the theme, plot, etc doesnt apeal to me, I aint gonna watch it.
I agree with the first part, but not the second.

I have been pleasantly surprised by opening myself up to trying movies that are not "my type". Reviews here, both the "real" reviews and comments/recommendations in threads, have steered me to dozens of great films.
Old 09-26-07, 05:16 PM
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The only times I'll ever pay to see a movie in the theater is if it's part of a franchise which I want to see no matter what (such as Live Free or Die Hard, which I loved btw) or if I've heard from friends or reviewers that it's worth paying to see. Otherwise, I can't spend so frivolously on something that I either no nothing about or have heard mostly bad buzz over.

But whenever I can catch something on TV or (even better) by borrowing the DVD from someone and I've got time, I won't pass anything up.


Now, this is speaking about movies, but DVDs are an entirely different matter. Ever since I discovered this website, I never make a purchase of a movie that comes in multiple DVD editions without first finding out which option is the best way to go, or even if there's a worthwhile release to buy in the first place. Most notably, this was especially helpful when it came to deciding which editions of Romero's "Dead" films to get. Thanks guys.
Old 10-02-07, 06:01 AM
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My colleagues have A) saved me from buying many a lame DVD, and B) pointed me towards several releases that I might have otherwise overlooked. So yes, my buying / renting / viewing habits are definitely influenced by film / DVD critics and their reviews.

More often, though, I'm just looking for information on DVD extras and/or quality of transfer. But, just this morning for example, I was catching up on some reviews and had a very good time reading 'our' reviews of Caligula, Bram Stoker's Dracula, From Beyond, FF2, etc.

I find that reading good reviews makes me a better writer.

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