Turn Down The Reviewers
There’s no easy way to say this, but reviews kinda suck. They’ve managed to infiltrate a large portion of our daily lives – the things we eat, buy, and experience. It’s gotten so bad that something as routine as an oil change is met with a “ please give us your feedback.” Even a visit to the doctor isn’t safe. “I’ll tell ya, their service was A+++ and hey, the colonoscopy wasn’t bad either.”
It can feel overbearing at times, yet somehow it still makes sense. The consumer should have something to turn to when evaluating the quality of products and services. Perhaps, though, it’s time to turn it down a notch or, in the case of the entertainment industry like film and TV, slowly start to wean off.
Be honest with yourself. When was the last time you watched something without checking a review first? And yeah, even a little peek counts. Hell, it’s almost unavoidable when just about every streaming platform has review scores plastered right in front of you. Sure, it seems harmless, but there’s always a string attached. A low review score might influence your viewing experience in a negative way. And vice versa, a high score can create the expectation that you’re about to witness a masterpiece only for disappointment to set in when that expectation falls short.
Then there are the more in-depth reviews. Those rascals put everything out there for the whole world to see: character arcs, themes, plot structure, even comprehensive breakdowns of what it all could potentially mean. It’s like getting the answers to a test before taking it. Cool, you’ll get a good grade. The only thing is, you’ve only cheated yourself.
And what about the spoiler-free reviews? They’re not so innocent either. While trying not to give everything away, they still manage to reveal important character info, certain plot details and tease significant moments to the point that it eats away at that initial feeling of discovery.
Still, that’s not to say that reviews don’t have their place, because they do. They’re generally a good indicator of a project’s quality, as are certain accolades, ratings, and box office success. It's just not the end all be all. In other words, it shouldn’t get held over everyone’s heads. After all, what’s seen on TV and on the big screen is like any other form of art, it’s subjective. Personal tastes are going to differ. A film deemed great by some may not seem so great to others. And that’s okay. Really, it should be applauded, because there’s no advanced mathematical formula to this whole thing (unless AI has managed to come up with one).
Yes, there could be a critical or even popular consensus that labels that new Big Bang Theory spinoff as a heaping pile of trash that should never see the light of day, and yet, if just one lonely soul can extract some kind of enjoyment from it, then who is really to say?
As people, it’s easy to get caught up in what our peers are saying, what they like, what they think is cool. That’s just part of being human. Sometimes, though, these influences can shut you off from finding something that truly resonates with you. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters, not what the outside noise is saying. We’ve all seen the highly praised, critically acclaimed movie that you just can’t help but shake your head at. That’s the beauty of art, it doesn't always have to appeal to everyone, but everyone can usually find something.
So on that note, maybe turn off the Tomatometer, hit play and let your own eyes be the judge. Who knows, the experience might just be more enjoyable.
