The website Rotten Tomatoes has had to shut down the comment boards for The Dark Knight Rises, the new Batman movie which is set for release this weekend. The site, which catalogs reviews from critics in a variety of media, had to take the unusual step after a critic gave the highly anticipated movie a negative review, and the boards erupted into infighting and threats of violence. These people had been driven to an angry froth because the movie didn't have a perfect score, and was merely very well reviewed.
This isn't the first time this has happened. Commenters were calling for blood earlier this year when a website gave the game Uncharted 3 a score of 80 out of 100. That's a good grade, but it wasn't a perfect one, which caused people to begin frothing at the mouth and demanding someone get fired. At the time, none of the angry people in question had played the game, for all they knew it was terrible, but they still wanted it to launch with a "perfect score," as though this is in any way important. This is the same situation, played out yet again for a different property.
None of the angry people have seen the new Batman film either, it's out this weekend. Personally, it does look like it'll be worth watching, and I'll likely be making a trip to the local theatre to see it. I can understand being excited about a piece of entertainment and anticipating finally seeing it first hand, especially something which has had a long development and is part of a well regarded series. What I can't understand is how people get into such an angry froth over it, because it's just a movie.
Yes, if you go to a good film you will be entertained for a couple hours. If it's especially good, you can discuss aspects with your friends and analyze different things the filmmakers were going for, as well as the message they were trying to send. This isn't diminishing the joy that can be brought from a great movie, and there's a good chance that The Dark Knight Rises could be a pretty great movie. Same deal with a game, if it's good you're going to have a fun time with it, and if it's really good it can spark discussion and bring people together.
It's when people start obsessing over scores or getting angry over perceived slights to the work that I begin to wonder why people are watching films in the first place. I love movies, I love the different experiences they can bring and I love how a great one can make one see the world in a slightly different way. I love games for the same reason, as well as a certain feeling of accomplishment that happens when one does something well. But I also recognize that they're not something that one should get angry about, because what I love isn't going to change by getting angry about stuff that doesn't matter.
When people get angry over review scores, or other minor things, I wonder about their motivation. The people behind the work are going to be fine if the reviews aren't perfect, they're much more interested in if the audience enjoys the work. The people watching the movies will be fine, and able to make up their own mind about whether or not it's good. The people who trust reviews will know a critic that they often agree with, so they'll make their plans accordingly. People only lose when they get angry over nothing.
