Alien Movie Universe

IMDB debacle. Users furious. Please leave your feedback!

Alien-Covenant.com/forum/
Forum Topic
8054 Views18 Replies

joylitt

MemberNeomorphDec-23-2017 10:59 PM

IMDB.com (I guess I don't need to explain who they are) has recently announced changes in the way users' reviews are organized. Basically, they have removed the filters that used to allow anybody to search reviews according to certain parameters such as date, positive, negative and mixed reviews. Currently, reviews are sorted out exclusively in descending order by their "helpfulness" (those reviews with most likes from other imdb users are considered to be the most helpful). To make things worse, they have removed their index, so you cannot click on a link and go any individual page and find what you are looking for. The problem with this update, which most users see as a downgrade, is that right now, the 1 Star "hate reviews" for divisive films like "Star Wars the Last Jedi" and "Alien Covenant" get to be prominently featured, while mixed and positive reviews are very difficult to find. I predict this is going to discourage many long time collaborators from posting an honest review on this website, since they won't be able to reach their readers. On the other hand, anybody trying to find an honest recommendation won't be able to find it. I think this change fuels polarization and a kind of "mob mentality", giving a platform to groups who campaign to bring down certain movies or studios because they don't like the movie they got. All this is very unhealtly for both the movie industry and the audience alike. IMBD is currently asking for feedback regarding the changes they have introduced. I invite everybody in this forum who are imdb users (and even if you are not, it is very easy to create an account), to use the link I provide so you can read their announcement and leave some feedback. I think they should at least provide the type of navigation that would allow you to sort  out the user reviews by Score in decreasing order, as an alternative to their default "helpful" parameter.

https://getsatisfaction.com/imdb/topics/update-to-user-reviews?utm_source=notification&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new_comment&utm_content=reply_button&reply[id]=19188413#reply_19188413

18 Replies

joylitt

MemberNeomorphDec-23-2017 11:14 PM

This is how the users reviews are sorted out for both "Alien Covenant" and "Star Wars The Last Jedi" on imdb:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2316204/reviews?ref_=tt_ov_rt

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527336/reviews?ref_=tt_ov_rt

dk

MemberTrilobiteDec-23-2017 11:18 PM

I only use IMDB for referencing actors with movies. For reviews it seems like a crap shoot but I will check out Rotten Tomatoes at times. Even then, it seems like reading Yelp reviews from self proclaimed "foodies" who are probably self important people with smart phones who like to take picture after picture unwrapping a "hand crafted" burito. TBH, I trust this forum way more than other sites. Sorry if I took you on a weird trip to elaborate my point.

joylitt

MemberNeomorphDec-23-2017 11:28 PM

dk haha... well you need to know where to look... you can find users with similar tastes to yours. While browsing lists made by other people, I have been able to discover really good movies I had no idea existed. To me, IMDB is a marriage between the critic and the user scores from Rotten Tomatoes (nobody prevents professional critics from contributing as well). In a way, it is also like wikipedia, because you can interact with it, fix mistakes, etc. But this latest chage they have made has the potential to render this up to this point uselful tool useless.

dk

MemberTrilobiteDec-23-2017 11:39 PM

joylitt With respect, I don't wish to seek a site that has my tastes in mind if that makes sense. I cannot emphasize enough that I trust forum members more than other sites. Sure, I could create an account and mingle- get to "know" members, but I don't have the time or interest. I am a happy camper right here. Sometimes it is cool to jump into a movie on a whim- love it or hate it- without hearing what others have to say about it. That said, I will ask members for opinions on things and I have not been disappointed on guidance.

joylitt

MemberNeomorphDec-23-2017 11:53 PM

dk I understand. Well, imdb is not really a forum, and it definitely does not have your tastes in mind. You can use it in that way if you deliberately go looking for movie lists that correspond with your personal taste. That is why I call IMDB a tool: you can use it in many ways, including your way, which is just searching info on actors. It is not a place where you can interact with other people like on here, but I have a special attachment to it because it is one of the first websites I ever used.

joylitt

MemberNeomorphDec-23-2017 11:53 PM

Double post

I.Raptus

ModeratorPraetorianDec-24-2017 1:09 AM

ignorantGuy

MemberChestbursterDec-24-2017 1:34 AM

joylitt

It's rather annoyed that IMDB filters were removed from the UI (but judging from the URL it is still there on the back end), but please give me a brake with this haters non-sense. Judging by the fact that many praising reviews are pompous words more akin to pr than to genuine people, I think that those "haters" are real people expressing real dissatisfaction with the movie. Should they be objective, of course NOT, it's not their job.

joylitt

MemberNeomorphDec-24-2017 1:37 AM

IRaptus It really is a bloody outrage. It's really bad to see things you took for granted go down the drain. If they keep things as they are right now, I think many users are going to stop using the website, and it will be more polarized. Eventually even the current movies on the Top 250 are going to be replaced by films that are not necessarily good and not voted based on their quality, but more out of fanatism.

joylitt

MemberNeomorphDec-24-2017 1:39 AM

red0guy I understand that. But I like to have a choice too see all of the reviews, not just some.

I.Raptus

ModeratorPraetorianDec-24-2017 1:46 AM

joylitt agreed! they are losing credibility and integrity by the boat load these days. Whats the agenda, I dont get it? IMDB used to be a reliable source

ignorantGuy

MemberChestbursterDec-24-2017 2:08 AM

joylitt

I also said that it is very annoying as I used to read the newest comments and now I can't. But you exaggerate with the top 250 movies, as the grading system is already flawed. Interstellar the best Sci-fi ever? that is a joke.

The way they score is computed is also interesting. You must understand that with very many votes the IMDB score should be the more or less the same with the average rate of the movie. but for star wars is 7.7 instead of the 7.3 average (so many bad scores were discarded, with 200k votes this being very fishy, as grade should be already in a normal distribution, statistically speaking and the average should describe the product better) and Bright is at 6.7 instead of the  7.2 average (this time good grades are removed, but the sample size is much smaller of about 22k, so maybe the discrepancy is justified, but still rather big).

Yes I want those tools back, but I don't see how the removal of those could affect how correct movies are perceived. 

joylitt

MemberNeomorphDec-24-2017 2:23 AM

red0guy I know you have to take the imdb gradings and scores with a grain of salt. And we know that Interstellar ranks so high because Christopher Nolan has a huge fanbase. But up to this point I knew what to expect from the website, I hope it does not become just a silly phone app.

ignorantGuy

MemberChestbursterDec-24-2017 2:45 AM

joylitt

We'll you did your part, now it's up to them.

ali81

MemberNeomorphDec-24-2017 5:42 AM

i don't bother with any of these sites tbh. if I like a film or I wanna watch a film, it doesn't matter to me what 'expert' (what does that even mean anyway?how does one become an 'expert'?) reviews say. plus u can have 2 different sites claiming to use the same source matter yet their top 10 differs

The_Foxcatcher

MemberOvomorphDec-26-2017 11:41 PM

Actually, its the dumbest thing IMDB has come up with. Whoever thought about it, has a two digit IQ. 

I mean, first thing, it shouldn't be 'helpfulness'. It should be based on 'agreement'. 

It makes sense only if it's 'do you agree with this review?' instead of 'was this review helpful to you?' 

When they say 'helpuful', it means that a guy who hasn't seen the movie, reads the review; let's sat that the review was positive one and he goes to watch the movie and he likes the movie. Then, he comes home, logs on to the IMDB website and searches for the review he read out of the many reviews. He might have to recollect the same words and lines and figure out that its the same review he had read. And then click 'Yes' to that review.  

The worst part is for negative reviews. If a guy read a negative review and he too disliked the movie, why would he click 'Yes'?. How was that review 'helpful' to him? It would've been helpful only if he doesn't go to see the movie and the review saved his time & money. But again, without seeing the movie, how would he ever know whether or not the film was bad. He then have to search a postive review he read and click 'No'. But what if he never read a positive review? It only works if he liked the movie and clicks 'No' to the bad review.  

 

The_Foxcatcher

MemberOvomorphDec-26-2017 11:41 PM

Actually, its the dumbest thing IMDB has come up with. Whoever thought about it, has a two digit IQ. 

I mean, first thing, it shouldn't be 'helpfulness'. It should be based on 'agreement'. 

It makes sense only if it's 'do you agree with this review?' instead of 'was this review helpful to you?' 

When they say 'helpuful', it means that a guy who hasn't seen the movie, reads the review; let's sat that the review was positive one and he goes to watch the movie and he likes the movie. Then, he comes home, logs on to the IMDB website and searches for the review he read out of the many reviews. He might have to recollect the same words and lines and figure out that its the same review he had read. And then click 'Yes' to that review.  

The worst part is for negative reviews. If a guy read a negative review and he too disliked the movie, why would he click 'Yes'?. How was that review 'helpful' to him? It would've been helpful only if he doesn't go to see the movie and the review saved his time & money. But again, without seeing the movie, how would he ever know whether or not the film was bad. He then have to search a postive review he read and click 'No'. But what if he never read a positive review? It only works if he liked the movie and clicks 'No' to the bad review.  

 

ignorantGuy

MemberChestbursterFeb-18-2018 2:01 AM

If anybody is curious, review filtering is back on Imdb, albeit in a simplified manner. You can now sort by date, usefulness, and number of votes (for all there are the ascending and descending orders).

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