Let’s be honest. A new movie, tv show, song or video-game comes out. We really want it or want to see it, but is it worth our money and/or our time? Who helps us in making our decisions? Critics. Critics are third-party persons or companies that will invest their resources, staff, and time into watching that movie, tv show or play that video-game and express their opinions so that we have an idea of what it is like, and if it is worth our hard earned dollars. But the question is, do we need to listen to the critics before you see that movie, tv show, or play that video-game? Do we really need to rely on them in order for us to make a decision, and the different types of critics. We will be exploring more in-depth about the critics and if they are more helpful or least effective in our decision and opinion making.

From Rotten Tomatoes to Gamespot, there are critics in almost anything in the entertainment field. Hell, critics even critique celebrities and people outfits when they go to award shows or even when they are “off duty”. Despite having a bad rep when they critique harshly, there are still pros of having critics around. Why? They get to see the movie or play the video-game a week or two earlier before you do and get to test and see how it is. They are there to make sure you do not waste your money, see if it is worthwhile your time and help us in deciphering what the plot is about. They try to understand the plot, how the characters connect with each other and how well they execute on screen for films. The same goes for television series. Video-games, they check for graphics, gameplay, plot, sound and how built the multiplayer is. They go in depth and try not to give away spoilers and ruin our experience if we see it or play it. (Sometimes they can’t avoid it)

There are big-time critics from news agencies, well-known bloggers and people in the entertainment industry. Then there are small-time critics such as bloggers, groups, small news agencies, enthusiasts and individuals who just love to express themselves and give their thoughts on it. Whatever it is, there’s a 99.9% someone has done a review on it. Big-time critics will go in-depth with their reviews and will have seen that film a couple of days before it’s release or play that video-game of up to a week or two or even more ago.

Big-time critics may not review everything, but that’s where the small-time critics come in. The small-time critics may or may not be getting paid, but they do it out of passion, and for the love of the entertainment industry. They may include things other critics may have missed. They do it based on their love of the subject matter. I think both critics are good, but I do believe the big-time critics can be biased when it comes to certain franchises, films, and video-games at times. For example, the Call of Duty franchise. The game series has been set from the WW2 era to Future warfare. Some fans have stated that IGN (Big-Time Critic) constantly gives the game high scores for the same type of graphics, mechanics, and gameplay and that the story is the only thing that changes. But as they always say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it am I right?

There are also loyal fans. These loyal fans are fans that love a franchise so much that they are willing to. buy something or see something, even after reading reviews because they either love a certain character or saw the film or played the video-game’s first title and loved it. They may or may not read reviews and will still purchase the game or see the film. I think there has to be some type of balance. We should read others opinions and check it out for ourselves, instead of being dissuaded and not see something cause the critics told us not to or when critics tell us to see something. Our own opinion is what matters in the end and how we judge or see it for ourselves. Everyone has different likes and dislikes.

As with everything in life, there are general cons. Critics are often said to be cruel and harsh in their reviews. A big example was the film, The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Some critics had given the film 9/10, and then some gave the film bad reviews. One critic even called the film, “bloated” and “overly-long”. CNN’s Tom Charity called the film, “disappointingly clunky and bombastic conclusion to a superior series” and called it Nolan’s worst film.” Fans were furious that they took to Rotten Tomatoes reviews and threatened to shut down critics websites. It was so bad that Rotten Tomatoes had to shut down its user review section for the film. This is an example that fans did not listen to critics and judged the film for themselves. The Dark Knight Rises still brought in over $1 billion worldwide.

I say critics are a valuable part of the entertainment industry. We need their input to give us some idea if a film or video-game is worth it. But should we always listen to them? No. If something piques your interest, I say go for it and see it or play it. Critics are just a guide and to give you a general idea, not to tell you what to do. The critics had recently saved fans recently. I mean look at the video-game Fallout 76 (2018). The video-game came out on November 14, 2018, with horrendous critic scores, as well as poor user scores. With no NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) and poor performance technicalities, the critics were able to save users from spending full price on the game. This was one of Bethesda’s worst Fallout games. The game is now getting proper patches and updates and may even go free to play.

Do you check out critic reviews of films, tv series, video-games before it comes out? Do you read reviews just for fun, or do you just blindside them and just follow your gut? Do you believe critics are needed in the Entertainment Industry or are we better off without them? Let us know!