Influence of Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes is just one of the many websites where people can post reviews about different movies. I see it as an excellent resource to figure out which movies are worth seeing. I also like it because anyone can put their opinions on the site. I've seen people ranging from professional movie critics (who usually work for a newspaper) and the everyday movie lover. That can be helpful because it won't be as bias. I think, for the most part, you’re getting a pretty reliable view of what the majority truly think.

However, sometimes I wonder if people’s opinions are shaped based on these types of reviews. For instance, if everyone is talking about Harry Potter and how it’s the greatest movie of the century you may force yourself to like the movies even if it’s just an unconsciously decision. I know that in a lot of situations people will watch things just so they can be part of the group and be able to talk about it. They may not have been interested in it without influences from other sources. That’s why I wonder if movies truly become popular because most of the people who watch it REALLY love it, or is it just because we feel like we’re supposed to like it.

I know it’s a farfetched thought, but it’s just something I’ve considered. Just think, when someone says they don’t like a movie that “everyone” likes then there’s automatically something wrong with them. People are like, “How could you not like that movie?!” With that in mind, it would make sense that people would force themselves to love these movies. In the end, Rotten Tomatoes would just end up being one of those influences that shape our opinions of movies. Who knows though?

What do you think? Am I just looking too deep into this?

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Below is the link to the Rotten Tomatoes Reviews for Twilight. I'm actually suprised that it got a 5.5/10 because there are SO MANY young fangirls who are usually on these sites raving about the movie. Anyway, take a look:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/twilight/