How to Interpret Critics' Movie Ad Blurbs

Movie ads often quote reviews. To avoid wasting time and money in your local theaters, learn how to interpret those blurbs. They can be deceiving.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• DVD Players
• TVs
• VCRs
• Magazine Subscriptions
• Newspaper Subscriptions
• Internet Access
• Computers

1. Check the movie ads in your newspaper.
2. Be suspicious of those that quote no reviews at all.
3. Be skeptical of critics' comments that are surrounded by ellipses (three dots). A word such as "spectacular" with three dots on both sides could be lifted from a sentence such as "This film is a slick, silly, spectacular flop."
4. Rely more on the blurbs that contain complete sentences.
5. Pay attention to which critics - and which publications - are quoted. The best reviews appear in major newspapers and magazines.
6. Ignore, for the most part, an ad sprinkled with one-word "quotes" from obscure radio and television stations - and ignore the film.
7. Choose movies that earn legitimate "rave reviews."

Tips & Warnings

• Check movie reviews on the Web for reviewers' complete opinions and to avoid being fooled by clever ad writers.
• Find a newspaper critic you trust and rely on his or her reviews.
• Never underestimate the value of word-of-mouth opinions about films.
• Ads containing only a couple of quotes often indicate that most reviews were negative.
• Some so-called critics who appear on television seldom do anything but praise movies. Their opinions are virtually worthless.