After the screening of the 2010 Predators film, I walked out of the theater with a strange feeling.
You see, I have a simple principle. Whenever I hear of a new movie coming out, I always check out the Internet Movie Database, or imdb.com, to see how they’ve rated it. If it’s rated at 6.5 (out of 10) or higher, I’d be more than willing to fork over my money at the box office and the 2 or so hours sitting in the theater to see it.
Usually, imdb’s rating system, aggregated over its user base, is bang on the money. The Dark Knight holds one of the highest ratings of all the films, the same goes for Toy Story 3 (9.1/10), and the reverse is true for Predators, which at the time had a 7.9/10 rating, yet I walked out of there wishing I had just waited for the pirated DVD.
Which brings me to the point. Being car reviewers, we get to test many types of cars over time. We get a feel for them, analyze their position on the market, observe how the features, ride, power and everything else come together, and then ultimately publish our reviews via our various media outlets for you, dear reader, to read.
Thus, many friends and relatives have asked me which car I would pick or if this car is better than that car. The strange thing is, after I give my opinion, some of them go and buy the other one. What gives?
You see, for all our experience in our various fields, what you think, dear car shopper, comes first. And often we can’t change that. Some try to sway you to a certain car; perhaps it may suit your needs better, perhaps it has better fuel economy, or it may just be a better car overall in our eyes. However, most already have a car in mind and just need some validation on their choice, even if that validation wasn’t given.
We like to think that we’re making a difference, giving the lowdown on each car and sorting out the good ones from the bad eggs so that you, dear car shopper, won’t have to waste your hard earned money on a substandard product and point you in the direction of a good one.
For whatever reason, there are so many considerations for buying a car. Does it feel right for me? Is it economical enough? Has it got 4 wheel drive? Will it look good in my garage? Was it made in Japan, Korea, America or Europe? Do my kids, or better, does my wife like it?
We can’t admit to be the ultimate authority because we all have differing views and backgrounds. Some of us are racecar drivers, and thus tend to gravitate towards fast, exciting rides. Some of us are tuners, and like cars for its tuning potential. Some of us are car fans or even fans of certain brands, and thus have very particular and obvious biases.
I like to think that I balance my reviews. I can appreciate a great sportscar just much as I can enjoy going off the beaten path in a 4×4 or tooling around the city in an cheap econobox. What you can expect from my point of view is that I like to look for value for money, because someday I hope to be the one who’s putting my money down and hopefully getting my money’s worth; whatever the car type or class. But that’s just me.
Maybe you walked out of the movie house after Sex and the City 2 and liked it, maybe you watched Toy Story 3 and abhorred it, regardless of what Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic may say about them. Whichever the case may be, it all boils down to you.