Negative Advanced Reviews of The Dark Knight has caused Rotten tomatoes To Suspend user Commentary
This is the first time that the website ever had to do something like this. Apparently Dark Knight fans went a little off the deep end after some early negative reviews were posted regarding the movie. Some of the comments were rude, profane and threatening to the respected critics behind the reviews.
The site’s editor and chief, Matt Atchity says that the comments will probably be back up when the movie releases on Friday. The negative comments came so fast and furious that the staff couldn’t keep up. Atchity explained,
“The job of policing the comments became more than my staff could handle for that film, so we stopped the comments altogether, It just got to be too much hate based on reactions to reviews of movies that people hadn’t even seen.”
He thinks the site will go to facebook based commenting which will put faces to statements and stop ITGS (Internet Tough Guy Syndrome). The facebook commenting system posts the comments publicly with your face and your wall on facebook. It’s hard to make a threat, say something racist or homophobic when everyone you know will know that you were behind the comments.
Sites similar to Rotten Tomatoes don’t let the commentators comment on reviews before a film opens. This doesn’t seem like an effective solution but it really is. When the film opens you start to get viewers posting negative reviews that have no Agenda and now the critics are not alone in their opinions.
The Dark Knight has received a 84% fresh rating on the site, but some notable critics have been giving it “not so good’ reviews. Chrisy Lemiure from The Associated Press called the movie a “letdown”. But most reviews (Rolling Stone, CinemaBlend) say it’s one of the best Super Hero Movies EVER!
My question to you is, “would one or two bad reviews from notable critics of a movie as epic as The Dark Knight really stop you from seeing it for yourself?” NOT A CHANCE.
[more…]
