I went into college today.
In light of the critical slating people were asking me to message them friday night and let them know how the movie is. Becuase whilst people claim they will see the movie...they want to know if it sucks or not first. Apparently critics HAVE instilled some level of doubt

there are certain genres of films where i READ (i'm not saying listen) to the critics. because i'm interested in knowing what bothered them.

i have a limited budget and when the jury is out on whether to see it or not, i'll read what critics and people in general didn't like and more importantly what they didn't. for me, using a critic to decide if you'll watch a film or not doesn't make you a sheep, it makes you a smart. if the critic provides me with a reason on why the film wasn't funny (such as Date Movie where one guy said it looked like the type of movie where scenes were just stapled together), i know what hes talking about and i know i probably want to avoid it.

i usually neverread critics when it comes to certain genres. but sometimes, they've (particular ones that i prefer reading) saved me some dollars ... 99% of the time (Damn you Master of Disguise), they've been right.

I very much agree.

Some genres or types of films I know I can ignore the critics, but the critics are usually very helpful in showing me whether I should avoid a film or not. There are times when I think the critics are wrong, and I will later on discover a film I thought was great, and the critics were wrong. But it's not a coincidence that I usually don't have many, if any, D rated films on my film grades list until I start renting them, since I knew properly to avoid them in theatres, and I was usually aided by the critics.

It doesn't mean that I follow the critics like sheep. I just take the overall critical consensus as a guide in spending my money sometimes.

PEACE, Mike.

exactly .. and while there are some definete trends (films like AvP), what genres you follow for and which ones you dont isn't set in stone for everyone. I dont follow critics when it comes to stupid comedies and sometimes action sequels. MikeQ may not care about the opinions for drama and Korrgan wont care about horror.

we know what appeals to us. no critic can tell you that. but what they can do is provide you with signs of if what you like may/may not be getting catered in the film.

its going back to Batman Begins. Most people not only liked it, they loved it. Yet I can sit here and see people saying that they didn't like it cause it was boring. For some, a comic book film is action, for crazy fan boys like me, the mature yet more boring feel is the ideal thing. if i state my love for the film in my review and the reason, you can use my reasoning to gauge how you would react to it as well.

but no ... its now cool not to listen or hear out what someone else has to say.

Bad critical responses are less likely to stop me from seeing a film I'm anticipating. If I'm looking forward to a film, I'll watch it anyway - even if odds are it's going to suck.

But if critics unanimously praise a film I have no desire to see, it can get me jived up into seeing it. Had The Da Vinci Code got great reviews, I might've wanted to see it at the pics. As it is, the bad reviews are the final nail in the coffin for my anticipatory gland getting stoked. I imagine a lot of people will be like this opening weekend. It's exactly the sort of film where critics matter to an extent.

I'm not basing it on any forum, but Yahoo grades, Cinemascores, and Netflix ratings, all of which I think are good indicators of the general WOM. The ones in bold all were liked much more by audiences I'd argue. For example, which Closer had mediocre reviews the Cinemascore was terrible at a D.