Best Movie Review Sites
In the ever-expanding universe of cinema and television, finding the perfect film or TV show to watch can be a daunting task. With an abundance of choices ranging from the latest Hollywood blockbusters to niche art films, viewers need a reliable source to navigate the cinematic landscape. That’s where movie review sites come in, offering a wealth of detailed information, critic and user reviews, and insights into everything from new releases to classic favorites. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the best movie review sites, providing you with the tools to discover great movies, understand the nuances of film criticism, and make informed choices about what’s worth watching.
Here Are Our Top 5 Movie Review Sites:
5. IMDB
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IMDB is one of the most popular movies databases and movie review websites.
The website is most popular for its lists of movies and the people who worked on them. However, IMBD contains a few reviews from site users that give movie lovers an insight into the movie.
IMDB also has a rating scale that rates movies over time. However, because the ratings come from platform regulars, the IMBD score has some flaws. That said, this is still a great website to learn about the movies you are interested in.
4. Common Sense Media
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Just because a film gets glowing reviews doesn’t mean you want to view it alongside your in-laws or the kiddos. Back in the day, the MPAA rating system was the only guide discerning parents had to help them determine what films were family-friendly. Today, Common Sense Media offers reviews that note the amount of sex, violence, foul language, and substance abuse on a 5-point scale. The website even ranks appropriateness for specific ages from 2 through 17 and points out movies with positive messages and role models.
Although a popular movie review site, Common Sense Media also reviews other things like books, video games, and websites to help parents determine what kind of media content is appropriate for their kids.
CSM has their own ratings called the “Learning Ratings” to help access the educational quality within the different kinds of media. With over 60 million users on the website, the organization prides itself on being the “largest organization dedicated to improving kids media lives.”
Tired of movie reviews and want to just watch more movies in the cinema?
Get Tickets on Fandango3. Film Comment
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For moviegoers who long to sound as informed on films as an amateur, Film Comment’s reviews are chock full of in-depth analysis and insider information.
The Film Comment website was formerly the print magazine of the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. Today, Film Comment is the premier website to find professional critiques of indie and art-house films, as well as intelligent reviews of Hollywood blockbusters.
The popular movie review site, which was founded in 1962 during the era of New American Cinema (this involved independently produced works), started out as a quarterly magazine before it started publishing on a bi-monthly basis. Film Comment organizes the annual Film Comment Selects at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
2. Roger Ebert
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RogerEbert.com deservedly one of the most popular movie review sites in the world as well as one of the most respected, with the website ranking currently in the top 10,000 in the world, standing at #9,899 according to Alexa.com.
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert may now be attending his own premiere in that great movie theater in the sky, but his reviews haven’t been lost to the ages just yet. The Roger Ebert website has four decades’ worth of Ebert’s own reviews written before his demise in April 2013. The Chicago Sun-Times, which hosts the website, also keeps it updated with reviews of new releases. No, not via divine intervention—current films are critiqued by the website’s staff of writers who were handpicked by Ebert himself.
The website, which was relaunched under Ebert Digital, has one of the largest collection of expert popular movie reviews. Experts like Dissolve’s Noel Murray have praised its collection as “an invaluable resource, both for getting some front-line perspective on older good movies and for getting a better sense of who Ebert was.”
Also, the website contains some popular movie reviews that Ebert himself didn’t discuss publicly. While he was still in his twenties, Ebert allegedly wrote reviews for movies like Good Times and Chelsea Girls.
In addition, one of the distinguishing features of Ebert’s website is the diversified style of writing of the movie writers on the website, making it one of the top favorites for movie lovers and experts.
1. Rotten Tomatoes
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Rotten Tomatoes is one of the most popular movie review sites in the world.
The best place to go when you’d rather not rely on just one writer’s opinion, the Rotten Tomatoes website features a percentage-based rating system that averages ratings given by professional critics and ordinary moviegoers. The way Rotten Tomatoes does this is by compiling movie reviews from different top publications and calculating the average score for a movie. Also, Rotten Tomatoes collects reviews mainly from movie writers who are certified members of film critic associations. Critics have to get a certain number of likes from other users before they can be accepted on the platform.
At a glance, you can determine a film’s standing via the logos of ripe tomatoes denoting positive professional critiques and a rotten green blob marking the negative ones, with corresponding fresh popcorn and spilled popcorn logos for the moviegoer reviews. Along with the easy-to-understand logos, Rotten Tomatoes provides basic movie facts, a film synopsis, and quick links to the full reviews written by professionals.
The website was started as an afterthought by a student, Senh Duong, at the University of Berkley. Duong, a fan of the actor Jackie Chan, was inspired to create the website after collecting all the reviews of Jackie Chan’s movies published in the United States.
Rotten Tomatoes was an instant hit. Top websites like Yahoo, USA Today quickly featured Rotten Tomatoes in their media sections. The first film this website featured was Your Friends & Neighbours on the first week of its initial launch, the website had 600–1000 visitors daily. Currently, the website records 23 million visits monthly. Also, the site currently ranks in top 1000 sites in the world, with the site occupying #401 globally and #150 in the United States.
As we conclude our exploration of the best movie review sites, it’s clear that these platforms are more than just repositories of opinions. They are vibrant communities where film enthusiasts, critics, and casual viewers alike converge to share their love for cinema. From IMDb’s extensive database to Rotten Tomatoes’ iconic Tomatometer score, each site offers a unique perspective, enriching our understanding of films and helping us find those hidden gems that resonate with our personal preferences. Whether you’re looking for the latest buzz on upcoming releases, seeking to expand your horizons with foreign films, or simply wanting to revisit a classic, these sites are the perfect starting point for any movie journey. So grab your popcorn bucket, settle in, and let these top movie review sites guide you to your next great cinematic experience.
