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IMDb vs Rotten Tomatoes vs Metacritic:Which Movie Ranking Site Is Better?


Thanks to online ratings, it's easier than ever to know if a movie is worth watching. A quick Google search brings up many websites offering their opinions on the latest movies.

SummaryAdvantages of IMDbDisadvantages of IMDbAdvantages of Rotten TomatoesCons of Rotten TomatoesThe advantages of MetacriticThe disadvantages of MetacriticWhat is the best movie rating website?Personal taste always matters the most

The three most popular are IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. But how do these sites differ and who should you trust for movie information? Here's everything you need to know.

IMDb vs Rotten Tomatoes vs Metacritic:Which Movie Ranking Site Is Better?

While scoring a A as 100 percent makes sense, note the scores for B- and F , for example. A score of 67% for a B- seems a bit harsh. In most schools, a score of 67% is closer to an F it's a B- .

And mark an F because 0 percent seems unfair. Something like 20 percent for an F might be more appropriate. Since each site has different rating scales (some may not even use pros and cons), this could skew a reviewer's original meaning.

Also, unlike Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic seems to have few public standards. There is no detailed information on the origin of the reviews. So the score potentially doesn't carry as much weight as Rotten Tomatoes.

What is the best movie-review website?

So now we've looked at IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic, and listed their top pros and cons. As you might have guessed, there is no one website for everything.

However, we can recommend each of these sites for different reasons:

  • IMDb is ideal for seeing what the general public thinks of a film. If you don't care what critics say and want to see what people like you thought of a movie, you should use IMDb. Just be aware that fans often skew voting with 10-star ratings, which can inflate scores somewhat.
  • Rotten Tomatoes offers the best overall picture of whether a movie is worth watching at a glance. If you only trust the opinions of top critics and just want to know if a movie is at least decent, you should use Rotten Tomatoes. While the Fresh/Rotten binary can oversimplify critics' often complex opinions, it should still help you weed out lousy movies.
  • Metacritique offers the most balanced overall score. If you don't care what critics' opinions go into the final score and prefer to see an overall average, you should use Metacritic. Its standards are mostly unknown, but Metacritic makes it easy to compare professional and user reviews side-by-side.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with checking out these three sites every time you're thinking about seeing a movie. Over time, you should figure out which site tastes most closely match your own; then you will know what is best for you personally.

Personal taste still matters most

Remember that film scores aren't everything. For example, these three sites don't paint an accurate picture of movies that are so bad they're good. Because these films are objectively terrible, they have low scores even though they have ironic value.

Moreover, it is impossible to summarize the complex opinions of dozens of people in a single number. And no matter what critics or the general public think, your preferences may be totally different anyway. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a movie that most people find silly. So while these sites are helpful, don't take them too seriously.

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IMDb vs Rotten Tomatoes vs Metacritic:Which Movie Ranking Site Is Better?