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Tell us how you decide if a movie or show is worth watching for $2

Posted by Alex Sinclair in Film & TV

Do you have your own personal formula for deciding if a movie is worth watching? Do you trust IMDB reviews more than Rotten Tomatoes for some genres and not for others? Perhaps you only consider watching a movie if you receive two personal recommendations.

It's estimated that there are over 500,000 films to choose from, and that's before we even consider series. With so many viewing options available, we want to know how you decide which to give your precious time. Tell us about your approach or formula using 50 words or more.

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Created at 10:28am, 8th March, 2024. Page last updated at 2:42pm, 16th May, 2024.
Deadline at 12:00am, 14th March, 2024.

Josh B 3/13/2024, 11:24:49 PM

I usually use a few things to help guide my choices.

I generally pay more attention to scores on metacritic; both critic and viewer reviews as I find rotten tomatoes somewhat unreliable because of the way they aggregate scores to give a fresh or rotten rating. That being said, some critics clearly just have beef with certain actors and actresses (Shia Labeouf always comes to mind - he seems to get a lot of excessive hate despite actually helping lift some of his movies out of the mundane) and score the movies unfairly.

Saying that, I would never just go with an aggregate score site if it was a movie I was unfamiliar with. Some you just know are going to be good based on cast and directors but others you have to judge just based on their likely 'popcorn factor'.

These are the movies where their score maybe 6's or 7's out of 10 but you just know they are going to be fun and silly and not really about plot. Ricky Stanicky comes to mind for this watched on the weekend and was generally panned by critics but you see the cast and just know the movie is about the laughs and not really much else!

Lanah Tyra 3/12/2024, 11:00:28 PM

One thing is for sure, it's not the rating the movie received. If it's an adaptation of a book (or comics if Marvel) which I have read, then I'll most likely watch it.

The other important factor is the cast, if it has one of my favourite actors in it or was directed by someone who's work I usually like, I will watch it.

If it is something completely unknown to me, then I decide by the trailer. As someone who also makes videos, I love a good trailer and if the editor did a good job, it will capture enough from the atmosphere of the movie for me to decide if it's something I would enjoy.

And since I don't really pay attention to scoring and such, going to the cinema was mostly my way of discovering new things to watch from the trailers shown before the movie. Since lockdown I haven't been out that much though so I'm sure I missed out on a lot, as the information just doesn't come through the mediums I'm active at, and I really should go out more.

So currently, I go by the recommended by a friend method and then see if I have chosen my friends wisely 😂

Emilia 3/12/2024, 3:10:29 PM

I think the most influential thing regarding movies/shows is the opinions of my friends. If I'm recommended something by someone I trust has good taste I am much more likely to watch it. I'm also influenced extremely easily by the presence of my favourite actors in a movie/tv show or directors (I'll watch anything by Sofia Coppola or anything with Ryan Gosling in) :0 Also Netflix recommendations can be great sometimes!!

FUN INC 3/11/2024, 10:53:37 PM

If we are at home, my Mrs has something called the 10min watch test. Basically, if after 10mins you are not engaged, turn it off!! Seems to work the majority of times!

Sturmer 3/11/2024, 5:47:48 PM

My approach to choosing movies underwent a significant change about six months ago, and I’d like to share this shift in perspective.

Like many others, I’ve found that movie ratings and critic reviews don’t play a major role in my decision-making process. I’ve encountered numerous instances where movies with poor ratings turned out to be fantastic, and vice versa.

I also tend to avoid trailers and teasers as they often give away too much of the plot. However, I recently stumbled upon a new method: watching short clips from movies posted on social media. These fragments, typically 60-90 seconds long, are like mini-teasers that provide a glimpse into a single scene. This approach has been incredibly effective in maintaining the mystery of the plot while giving just enough insight into the film’s style and substance, characters' motivation, etc.

Through this method, I’ve discovered numerous outstanding movies that I might have otherwise overlooked. It’s a way of engaging with a movie’s essence without the risk of spoilers, and it has revolutionized the way I select what to watch. My recent playlist is now full of rediscovered 60-80s movies, all thanks to this practice of reposting short movie fragments.

avrona 3/10/2024, 12:09:22 PM

For me personally the title image and blurb they often use doesn't do much for me unless it's very much about a subject I already liked. I discovered quite a few shows I loved just from seeing some keyword in the description or whatever that instantly convinced me that this is a show for me.

I think that I and a lot of other people nowadays just use online sentiment from others to gauge if something is worth watching or not, and can also help discover plenty of new shows as well. If one day your entire Twitter timeline is just people banging on about how good some new movie or series is, you of course have to check out what the hype is about.

FirestormGamingTeam 3/8/2024, 7:36:07 PM

For me, I never, ever listen to critics, and they labeled the World Of Warcraft movie a complete "waste of time", which was wrong on so many levels, I loved every second of it. This being said, if it's not gaming or book-related, I have a very simple system.

If it's a Tv program, you have 3 episodes to grab my attention, if by episode 3, I am still bored, I a moving on, we all know pilots can be boring or not fulfilling, however, they normally nail it by episode 3.

If it's a movie, whether it's action, a chick flick, romance, or thriller, you have 30 minutes to grab my attention, if I get to that mark and it's still boring me, I simply go find something else to watch, in a film setting I think 30 minutes is more than enough to grab my attention.

So yeh, that's my system :) I have to say, I am often not disappointed.

AlexGoesTheWorld 3/8/2024, 3:25:05 PM

It's usually a mix of a few factors in no particular order with weights that varies depending on the subject of evaluation:

The topic/theme of the film/tv series
The genre of the film/tv series
The actors that are in there
My own mood of the day
The rating on the web

For example, I've been watching some Harrison Ford's films I never watched, even if they are "serious" films, but there the weight of the actor was higher than the others. A pair of weeks ago I watched a film of high school lesbians which was … well, passable, nothing breath taking, but I was in the mood for that, so the topic/theme together with my moods weighted more.

0ffworld 3/8/2024, 2:22:47 PM

Out of all possible factors that influence my decisions, I find myself mostly going with the flow of my mood. At least when it comes to movies that aren't being shown in cinemas right now! Once in a while, I try to go out of my way to watch something unusual for my tastes, too. I don't want to only watch movies that are generally regarded as good movies. I think that approach limits how much you can appreciate them.

Posters - I have a history with image creation and editing. A good poster design that's not simply your typical arch of main actors around a shot depicting one of the movie's main scenes will always at least capture my initial interest.

Ratings - The importance of scores has lessened over the past years. However, most of the time you can still trust a surprisingly high score on e.g. IMDb - or on trakt.tv which is the website for movie and series tracking I use. Unless you have a special interest in the subject, a high score can still sway me to watch something that's popular.

Cast - I've watched a lot of movies and I have a few actors I really like. Sometimes, seeing a favorite actor star in a movie is enough for me to check it out, regardless of scores on rating websites. Even if the movie's not great because of a bad script or other factors.

Trailers - To my own surprise, I tend to avoid trailers if they aren't the first thing I see posted somewhere. For a while, trailers had evolved into the best bits of the movies stitched together. Some still do this and spoil everything. Things are slowly improving again and trailers have become tools for building intrigue again.

90% of my movies I watch at home, making use of various streaming platforms. a comfy couch and my 1000 watts speakers. I like it comfy, I won't lie! But going out with friends or family to see something like Dune Part Two (Did that this week - the movie is immense!) on the big screen with some popcorn is still as fun as ever! 🍿

mar1gold 3/8/2024, 12:05:33 PM

Letterboxd ratings for films - I always take them with a bit of a pinch of salt though so if something is above 3.5 I assume it's going to be good.

For TV shows I just decide based on what friends are recommending me :) I have certain friends who if they recommend me something, i KNOW im gonna like it cos we have similar tastes

Kane Carnifex 3/8/2024, 11:02:45 AM

By IMDB Rating:

+7 could be ok in 80% In Between here it is kind of a lottery, but if it's your fav genre you will be fine. <2 This so Trashi which it must be awesome*

—---------------------

But then again somehow i have ended up with stuff like this:

These are all below 7 but above 2.

John Dies at the End This movie explains itself.

Rubber A rubber with telekinetic powers

Space Tours: Mission E.V.A. Pure Space Travel Trash for tourism,<3

Boogie, el aceitoso Darker as Dark, this like South Park just worse.

Turbo Kid Bleed like Quentin

Mad Heidihttps://madheidi.com/de-de

Why you should watch it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9tt0RH0dN4

Conclusion:

There is no real system, if the movie doesn't hook you somehow you will not like it. Are you not hooked by the Fondue Boarding?

Sturmer 3/8/2024, 6:19:08 PM

Kane Carnifex

haha Turbo kid in my current shortlist!

BoomerMod3/12/2024, 12:56:57 PM

Kane Carnifex

I highly recommend adding Go, Goa, Gone to your list. and Horror and Cats might enjoy it as well! It is amazing and terrible in all of the best ways 😝 Content warning: drugs and violence [trailer]

Horror and Cats 3/8/2024, 11:00:30 AM

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I honestly give quite a bit of weight to box/poster art if I’m looking for something to watch. Art direction is immensely important and if they don’t even apply the proper attention toward their advertising, chances are the film is a massive pile.

I also don’t trust critic reviews. Horror has never performed well critically as an entire genre to the point where when a critic DOES like a horror film, they have to qualify it by calling it “elevated horror.” I do give a bit of weight to user/community reviews, however.

Most importantly, title is a big giveaway in many cases. In what way is case by case, but I can nearly always point out a bad movie knowing nothing about it just by seeing title and box/poster art together. Though, it’s not fool proof. I’ve proven myself pleasantly wrong a few times.

Philip 3/8/2024, 11:19:38 AM

If I'm looking for something to watch on Netflix, I let it play that short trailer. If it grabs me I watch it.

I mostly check out movies and shows in the recommended and popular sections. However if I'm feeling like a particular theme such as sci-fi I'll head to that selection wheel.

Paul 3/8/2024, 3:17:47 PM

I give it a little time but If a film dosent intest me in the first half hour to 45 min then im done and with a tv series, the first two or three eppisodes. Life is to short.

The only time I went against this was WonderVision but thats because I was still interested in the MCU, I gave up on Loki however.

I also do this with video games, a friend said I would love World or Warcraft after level 80...I guess we'll never know.

Dean 3/12/2024, 2:52:37 PM

Rotten Tomatoes and friend recommendations. This combined with general hearsay and advertising on how it looks compared to my tastes.

FluXHound 3/13/2024, 11:31:14 PM

EAsy.

I dont judge a film on cast or rating. If it looks good. Im down

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