To make a slightly cleaner version of a classic quote, “opinions are like pulses; everybody’s got one”. The internet these days is full of reviews from anyone who owns a keyboard, something that long-time online film fans will be painfully aware of. If you’re having a tough time spotting the good from bad, here are a few telltale signs you should be looking for.
Reviewer Authority
The first thing you should always do when you start looking at a review is to check that the person writing actually knows something about the topic. In some cases, these are easy to spot, with ‘Dave from Manchester’ unlikely to be a professional. However, even sites that look somewhat professional can be poorly informed, so more context could be needed.
For example, say you’re looking at casino reviews. You’re looking for both a professional site as well as a reviewer with plenty of experience in the field. If you find an extensive and well-structured review on Nordis Casino at a site like CasinoStake, you know that it is backed up by a proven track record of both the site and staff and that should instantly give the details included more weight.
Specific Details
There is nothing that should turn you off a review faster than seeing it full of vague information or unprovable claims. The more vague a review is, the more likely it is to be from a random customer than a proper reviewer. In the world of film, this is one of the biggest indications of things like review bombing or bot reviews, where every entry ends up being two words or less.
Remember, a good review should go into the tiniest possible detail on as many points as it can fit. Movie critics in particular, like famous reviewers Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, were often disagreed with but very rarely were they ever accused of glossing over critical information. If it doesn’t cover the plot, the characters, and the core themes at the minimum, maybe give it a pass.
Balanced Opinions
No matter if it’s movies, casinos, or any other kind of review, it should be fair and balanced throughout. Even the most scathing take on a topic should include at least a few positive points sprinkled in, otherwise it just sounds angry and personal. Oddly enough, the opposite is even more damning, as a review piece that is nothing but positive can come off as disingenuous when there are no negatives to balance it out.
As social media business experts Ethical Influencers explain in more detail, it is a requirement by law to say if any content an influencer makes is sponsored, especially reviews. Usually, this is done by marking it clearly at the top of a document or the start of a video, whichever medium is being used. Just be wary of anything that seems a little too glowing either way.
At the end of the day, it comes down to vigilance. As long as you don’t believe the first opinion you see, whether it’s a movie or anything else, a little bit of research can go a very long way.