Negative Dark Knight Rises Review Results in Death Threats

[Soviet Heavy]

Christy Lemire, a smart and respected critic for the AP, didn't like The Dark Knight Rises. Her review [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/16/review-batman-series-ends-as-epic-letdown/] was well-written and reasonable. When she posted it on Rotten Tomatoes she was greeted with comments like this:

The Bat Jihad strikes again. Lemire isn't the only victim; Marshall Fine was the target of a ton of abusive language and death threats. Reports Matt Singer at Critic Wire: [http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/dark-knight-rises-critic-receives-death-threats#.UATrEZG3P4E]

Some commenters approached their death threats with a wink, quoting Bane's line to Batman that Fine's punishment "must be more severe" and that they didn't give him "permission to die" yet. Others were more direct in their hatred. One comment, since removed, kindly requested Fine "die in a fire." Another from "Jake B," showing remarkable restraint under the circumstances, just fantasized about beating Fine "with a thick rubber hose into a coma." Way to take the high road, Jake.

Several Rotten Tomatoes commenters vowed to destroy Fine's website, Hollywood and FIne, and they appear to have succeeded, at least temporarily; the site was unavailable for much of the afternoon, no doubt thanks to the massive influx of server-crushing traffic. As of 3:00 PM, the site was back up, and Fine's review ("The third Batman film in Nolan?s trilogy and also the weakest") was still standing.

Rotten Tomatoes was forced to go to tweet a reminder that any commenters who broke their basic terms of service (which I'm sure include things like 'Don't make death threats') would be banned from the site. That they would feel the need to do this only hours after the first negative reviews hit shows the force of the onslaught. There are thousands of hate comments still standing, with many having been deleted by a surely overworked moderator. And the Mujahabateen keep coming.

I'm familiar with these people - they've been coming after me ever since I dared find Batman Begins disappointing and subpar. I cemented the problem by giving The Dark Knight a radically low 8.5/10 instead of the only acceptable score, a 10/10. And they've been sharpening the knives in anticipation of my coming The Dark Knight Rises review - you may have seen one of them spamming the comments on multiple articles with a treatise that begins "DEVIN FARACI IS A ****."

We joke about furries and hentai pervs and steampunks as awful fanbases, but in reality they don't hold a candle to this special and disturbing group. Ignorant, enraged, often misogynistic and fundamentalist to the extreme - James Rocchi's 3 star review of the film at Movies.com has led to a deluge of commenters furious he only said the movie was good, not the greatest thing to ever grace screens - this modern Batman film fanbase has actually become frightening.

This is the end game of the sickness of fandom. Passion is one thing, but it can be twisted into something dark. That's happening here. These people have tied their identities and self-worth into Nolan's Batfilms so strongly that the smallest slight feels like a deep, personal attack. These sad, mentally unhygienic people lash out with fury. It's ugly and sad and makes me ashamed to be a nerd, to share a pop culture space with these people.

I know that our fan culture can be better. It can be supportive and inspiring at the best of times. But every year I see less of that and more anger and hate and ugliness. I want to remind you guys of my Take Back The Nerd: Five Ways To Be A Good Fan piece from back in May. Let's aspire to be a great community that, at the very least, doesn't threaten to kill people who don't like movies we haven't even seen yet.

UPDATE: Rotten Tomatoes has turned off commenting on reviews for The Dark Knight Rises. They will be instituting a Facebook-based commenting system to make sure cowards can't spew hate behind anonymity.

Source [http://badassdigest.com/2012/07/16/batman-fans-lose-their-minds-over-negative-dark-knight-rises-reviews/]

I think the last time this happened was when Toy Story 3 got two bad reviews that prevented it from getting the perfect score of it's predecessors. People build something up so much that their expectations outstrip what they end up getting. Instead of listening, and hearing opposing viewpoints, they see anything dissenting as something to be stamped out and destroyed.

What do you think of her review? Do you find the level of negative response is justified?

EDIT. Please, read her review first. I found it informative, and hearing more than one side of the story means you are less likely to argue like a jackass.

 

[shrekfan246]

Childish fanboys strike again!

I'm not going to read the review itself, even if it's spoiler-free, because I want to go into the movie without any knowledge of it whatsoever, but any of those "serious" death threats and insults are just another instance of the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory at work.

Even if I absolutely adore this movie and think it's the greatest cinema-going experience I'm ever going to have in my entire lifetime, it still doesn't affect me in any way, shape, or form that this person didn't enjoy it.

 

[Coolshark]

It's moments like this when I realize that not everyone on the internet is either a stoner or a brony.

Or a Stoned Pony.

We need to relax.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Childish fanboys strike again!

I'm not going to read the review itself, even if it's spoiler-free, because I want to go into the movie without any knowledge of it whatsoever, but any of those "serious" death threats and insults are just another instance of the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory at work.

Even if I absolutely adore this movie and think it's the greatest cinema-going experience I'm ever going to have in my entire lifetime, it still doesn't affect me in any way, shape, or form that this person didn't enjoy it.

The review doesn't say much more than what we already know, except now we also have the time period. About eight years after the last film took place.

Also, is that the U.S.S Defiant?

 

[Vault101]

regardless of hood good/bad or if you love/hate the movie this kind of crap is insane

like If somone were to hate Mass Effect that doesn tmake them deserve death threats

well ok in Mass Effect cases it does but anything else no

 

[shrekfan246]

The review doesn't say much more than what we already know, except now we also have the time period. About eight years after the last film took place.

Also, is that the U.S.S Defiant?

Eight years? Wow. Still, reading the article would likely put some niggling thoughts in the back of my head while I'm watching the movie, it's why I'm probably going to avoid "Escape to the Movies" this Friday if MovieBob does Batman, as well.

And it most certainly is. With Deep Space Nine in the background.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

The review doesn't say much more than what we already know, except now we also have the time period. About eight years after the last film took place.

Also, is that the U.S.S Defiant?

Eight years? Wow. Still, reading the article would likely put some niggling thoughts in the back of my head while I'm watching the movie, it's why I'm probably going to avoid "Escape to the Movies" this Friday if MovieBob does Batman, as well.

And it most certainly is. With Deep Space Nine in the background.

I preferred it when it was Terok Nor. That was a cool episode. But that's also me going on a tangent. Back to Bane breaks Bat.

 

[shrekfan246]

I preferred it when it was Terok Nor. That was a cool episode. But that's also me going on a tangent. Back to Bane breaks Bat.

I thought the Mirror Universe episodes were always pretty sweet.

And what's that?

Spoiler: Bane breaks Bat?

What are the chances of them actually ending the movie that way?

 

[xDarc]

What happened to the days when death threats used to be something along the lines of I'm going to come to your house while you sleep and slit your fucking throat?

Saying I hope you die is a death threat now?

Really?

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Let's cheer up with some awesome metal remixes.

 

[Kolby Jack]

What happened to the days when death threats used to be something along the lines of I'm going to come to your house while you sleep and slit your fucking throat?

Saying I hope you die is a death threat now?

Really?

No, not really. People just blow things out of proportion these days and it gets carried on the tsunami that is the internet.

I read TIME's review today and the reviewer said it was by far the greatest superhero movie ever made. Better than TDK, better than the Avengers (though he doubted it would gross as much), better than X-men: First Class. He called it Shakespearean in its tone and delivery, though he didn't spoil anything beyond what's shown in the first couple of minutes. Will I think it was that good? I doubt it, but I'm sure I'll love it regardless of what any critic's opinion on it is.

 

[aba1]

This is what happens when people identify themselves to strongly with branding and products. They take disliking something like this movie and see it as a attack against them as a individual because they associate themselves so heavily with it.

 

[Tanis]

So you give a death threat over a movie review?

Yeah, but, yeah...

I got nothing but say...
'The more people I meet, the more pro-choice I become.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Let's cheer up with some awesome metal remixes.

Yay! Someone else is familiar with Eric Calderon, aka 311Erock!

 

[feeback06]

I'll never understand why people honestly care if someone doesn't enjoy some form of entertainment that they did, especially when they won't even see the people who disliked it.

 

[Frankster]

As someone who despises nolan's batman films (bunch of pretentious garbage with a batman dressing that doesn't feel like batman) I'd love to meet these people, im sure we would get on fine ^^

So its not just with big popular videogames, now its with films too? Lame.

 

[CODE-D]

Now Im not saying I think she should fall down a well and die Im just saying I wouldnt help her.

But if your putting your review on rotten your asking for it.

And come on, the dark knight rises cant possibly be bad enough to give a highly negative review. If she thinks that she needs to watch more shitty movies.....*cough* green lantern *cough*

 

[Rednog]

Now Im not saying I think she should fall down a well and die Im just saying I wouldnt help her.

But if your putting your review on rotten your asking for it.

And come on, the dark knight rises cant possibly be bad enough to give a highly negative review. If she thinks that she needs to watch more shitty movies.....*cough* green lantern *cough*

I think it is just reviewers nerd baiting to get views / attention. It happens with every big movie, there is a certain set of people who will always go out and claim it is the biggest piece of garbage they ever saw. Instead of just saying meh it was ok, I personally didn't find it to be that great they shift gear and start trashing it because meh reviews don't get attention.

 

[The Human Torch]

Now Im not saying I think she should fall down a well and die Im just saying I wouldnt help her.

But if your putting your review on rotten your asking for it.

And come on, the dark knight rises cant possibly be bad enough to give a highly negative review. If she thinks that she needs to watch more shitty movies.....*cough* green lantern *cough*

No one "asks" to be receive death threats. If a review has merit, and plenty of solid points, than The Dark Knight Rises should not be above criticism. No movie is above judgment, and if some people cannot handle this, then they should step in the fire.