X-MEN: THE LAST STAND Director Brett Ratner Thinks Rotten Tomatoes Is the Worst Thing to Happen to Hollywood
Director Brett Ratner thinks Rotten Tomatoes is the worst thing that has ever happened to Hollywood. That makes sense, as he directed X-Men The Last Stand, Rush Hour 2&3, Movie 43, Double Take, Money Talks, and a handful of other films that are on the lower end of the review aggregator's spectrum. While he does have some fresh films, his highest achievement, Red Dragon, sits at 69%. Now that you know that, take a look at what he says about the site to EW:
“I think it’s the destruction of our business. I have such respect and admiration for film criticism. When I was growing up film criticism was a real art. And there was intellect that went into that. And you would read Pauline’s Kael’s reviews, or some others, and that doesn’t exist anymore. Now it’s about a number. A compounded number of how many positives vs. negatives. Now it’s about, ‘What’s your Rotten Tomatoes score?’ And that’s sad, because the Rotten Tomatoes score was so low on Batman v Superman I think it put a cloud over a movie that was incredibly successful.”
No, making a shitty Batman and Superman movie put a dark cloud over a film that was incredibly successful. Success is not equal to quality. Everyone knew years before it's release that a Batman and Superman film would make truckloads of money regardless of how you did it. They're two of the biggest pop culture icons out there. It was a given this film was going to be a financial success.
Given that, Batman v Superman has 63% approval rating from general audiences. That's fine if you like the movie, but just going off the general public's opinion, Brett Ratner, the world awarded that film a low D percentage on the grading scale. Compare that with critics, who put the film at a considerably lower 27%, and I don't think your complaint is that reviews are meaningless. It's that people have more access to them.
Look, I work in media, and I'm reminded every day that people would rather read a one sentence headline and give me their opinion than they read an article. Just because a bulk of the world would rather take a quick look at a number than a two-page review that essentially says "it's crap" doesn't make Rotten Tomatoes a villain. Although... you know, I still wish you guys would read my stuff.
I guess the point I'm making is Brett Ratner wants to push reading... because he knows a bulk of you won't read. Rotten Tomatoes is not a bad thing and is a good resource for someone who needs to make a quick decision as they're out on a Friday night. Far from the worst thing ever.