So you are scrolling through numerous lists on the internet trying to decide what movieto watch, whether it’s on Netflix or if you should just start another binge-watching TV series. It’s likely you’ll search up your next movie on Google to see basic info or ratings. When you do this two (or more) scores should come up alongside the title, release year and plot. The two most common scores used by Google are imdb (Internet Movie Data Base) and rotten tomatoes. In this article, we will discuss the explain difference and workings of both.
The IMDB rating system works by collecting scores by both viewers and critics.
For example “Toy Story” received overall positive ratings from all critics and viewers landing it a solid 8.3 on IMDB. On Rotten Tomatoes because it was all critics who viewed it positively it gained a 100 percent rating on that site
The IMDB scores give you a rating on how good the movie is.Rotten Tomatoes scores give anestimate based on how likely it is you will enjoy/like the movie. So next time you are browsing the internet for every possible recommendation, list or ranking for the Movies you’re interested in and you come across IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes here’s a simple guide-
IMDB
- Below 7 on IMDB- Most likely not worth watching (read: everyone only scored below 7 out of 10)
- 7-8 on IMDB - Usually these will be good movies that there’s a good chance you will like.
- Above 8 on IMDB- Almost certainly a great movie. Most movies over 8 are on IMDB top 250 list.
- Above 9 on IMDB- There are only 3 movies that skyrocketed this high (Shawshank Redemption, Godfather, Godfather Part II)
Rotten Tomatoes
On Rotten Tomatoes the scores are more sensitive.
- Above 50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes - An interesting movie that has split critics down the middle, one-half claiming its good, the other bad. Below 50 percent downright a bad film.
- Above 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes- An alright movie that most critics believe to be great but some disagree.
- Near 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes - This does not mean this is one of the best movies ever, it could just alright movie that has caused all critics to give a positive review. Circumstances differ.
If you are using scores to determine a movie's value compared to another I recommend using IMDB.
RT gave “Citizen Kane” 100 percent, it also gave “Inside Out” 100 percent While "Inside Out" is not as great (still great) as "Citizen Kane" they still managed to receive all positive reviews.
Disclaimer- If a movie has been released recently (within a month or so) it’s IMDB score will be higher than deserving. Scores come down after more ratings are added in.
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