Are Rotten Tomatoes Movie Ratings Completely Rotten?

Understanding Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes is a platform that aggregates movie reviews from critics and audiences to provide an overall score. However, many people assume that this score is an absolute measure of a film's quality, which is a common misconception.

The RT score is defined as the percentage of critics who thought the movie was better than acceptable. It does not reflect how much critics enjoyed the film, just their overall sentiment. This can be misleading for viewers who are trying to gauge the film's quality.

Usefulness of the Aggregate Score

The aggregate score can be quite useful in certain situations. For example, if you are planning a night out with friends or colleagues and you don't know their specific tastes, the aggregate score can serve as a decent predictor of whether they will enjoy the movie. It suggests that if the majority of critics found it at least watchable, the film is likely to be tolerable for the majority of viewers.

However, it's important to note that a high aggregate score does not guarantee that the film will be a favorite. Instead, it indicates that the film will not cause dissatisfaction among a significant portion of the audience.

Real-World Application of Aggregate Scores

The concept of aggregate scores can be applied to a wide range of scenarios. Consider a group of friends with diverse tastes: Jim loves Mexican food, Mary can't eat it, Susan loves sushi, and Hank doesn't understand or eat raw fish. Jeremy loves pizza, but Susan is lactose intolerant. In such a situation, even though no one's top pick was available, the group might settle on a burger joint. This is because even though it wasn't anyone's first choice, it was the place where the most people in the group could eat something they liked.

Limitations of Rotten Tomatoes Ratings

Despite its utility, Rotten Tomatoes ratings can be unreliable, especially when it comes to highly polarized films. For instance, the film “Midsommar” received a high score on Rotten Tomatoes, yet it was a widely criticized and controversial movie. The heaviest sex scene in the film was almost laughable due to its unrealistic portrayal and lack of character development. Critics' scores can sometimes be influenced by factors outside of the movie's quality, such as a shared experience or a broad consensus during a reviews period.

The fact that many top-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes turn out to be subpar can be attributed to various factors. These factors include the critical consensus, release dates, and marketing strategies. In some cases, a film might receive a high score simply because it was released during a highly positive period for the critic, making it appear more favorable in retrospect.

In conclusion, while Rotten Tomatoes can be a useful tool for gauging the overall response to a film, it should not be seen as an absolute measure of quality. It is important for viewers to consider the context and the specific tastes of the critics who provided the reviews, rather than relying solely on a single number.