Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Rotten Tomatoes change review policy following Captain Marvel trolls

Following an 'uptick in non-constructive input, sometimes bordering on trolling'

Jack Shepherd
Wednesday 27 February 2019 04:16 EST
Comments
Captain Marvel: 'Don't Give Up' - trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Trolls targetting Captain Marvel's Rotten Tomatoes page will have to wait until after the film's release as the reviews aggregate website has changed one of its major policies.

Rotten Tomatoes has revealed that their users will no longer be able to post reviews before a film's release, following an "uptick in non-constructive input, sometimes bordering on trolling".

Last week, reports circulated that Captain Marvel had been targetted by “fake” reviews posted by “sexist trolls”, with the audience score dropping from 96 per cent to as low as 54 per cent.

Brie Larson, who plays the title character, had sparked controversy by saying that she had spoken to an “overwhelmingly white male” ratio of film journalist while promoting her films.

"We are disabling the comment function prior to a movie’s release date," Rotten Tomatoes announced in a press release. "Unfortunately, we have seen an uptick in non-constructive input, sometimes bordering on trolling, which we believe is a disservice to our general readership.

"We have decided that turning off this feature for now is the best course of action. Don’t worry though, fans will still get to have their say: once a movie is released, audiences can leave a user rating and comments as they always have."

Other films to have been targetted on Rotten Tomatoes include the previously released female-led Ghostbusters reboot and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Those who have seen Captain Marvel have been full of praise, with Larson and Ben Mendelsohn's performances apparently being standouts.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in