05/11/2024

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The Issue at Hand

  • Many people these days believe movies aren’t as good as they used to be.
  • Films have become more polarised than ever, with critics and audiences often at odds with each other.
  • But just how true are these statements? We shall investigate using IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
  • IMDB rates movies based on their quality from a scale of 1 to 10.
  • Rotten Tomatoes rates movies based on the proportion of viewers that liked the movie, irrespective of how much or how little they did.
  • We will begin by directly observing the progression of movie ratings through time.

IMDB Ratings of Blockbuster Films from 1980 to 2021

IMDB vs Rotten Tomatoes: Review Trends

What We Have Learned So Far

  • Contrary to popular belief, the 2000’s may have been the lowest-rated era for films. Most genres dipped in ratings in that time, but are increasing in the more recent years.
  • The industry has grown substantially, and more successful blockbusters are being released each year. Huge releases have become more frequent.
  • Both audiences and critics have grown more likely to carry positive reception towards films over the past decade.
  • Critics have historically been harsher than audiences. This is not a new phenomenon despite popular belief.
  • Despite all these positive attributes, people still believe the industry is declining. Why?
  • The answer lies in the correlation between these ratings…

The Progress of Conflict between Rotten Tomatoes Metrics

The Progress of Conflict between IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes

Concluding Thoughts

  • IMDB ratings indicate movie quality has been increasing from the previous decade, but has yet to reach the heights of the 80’s era.
  • Films have become more likely to be enjoyed by critics and audiences alike, and for the latter reaching the proportions of the 80’s.
  • Critics have always rated films lower than audiences, but there is an undeniable growth in the schism between them. Films such as The Last Jedi, Venom, Jurassic World: Dominion, and Where the Crawdads Sing were among the most divisive blockbusters ever released in history.
  • At the end of the previous decade, quality sharply dropped as an indicator of audience enjoyment. Notable examples included Sonic the Hedgehog, The Lion King (2019), and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
  • Overall, films have not become worse. But they generate more polarisation (not helped by social media), and there has been an increase in mediocre blockbusters that barely meet the expectations of an enjoyable experience.

References

References