1 Message
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70 Points
Feature Suggestion: Requiring Detailed Reviews for Low Ratings (1-Star Reviews)
Dear IMDb Team,
I am a long-time user and an avid fan of IMDb, relying on your platform to discover and evaluate movies and TV shows. I am writing to propose a feature suggestion aimed at improving the fairness and accuracy of user ratings.
Recently, I have noticed an increasing trend of "review bombing," where users leave 1-star ratings without providing any constructive feedback or context. What is particularly concerning is that even highly-rated classic movies and older acclaimed TV episodes are now falling victim to targeted review bombing, which artificially drags down their long-standing scores.
This practice skews the overall score, misleads genuine audiences, and is unfair to content creators who put immense effort into their work.
To address this issue, I suggest implementing a policy where users leaving a rating below 5 stars—and specifically 1-star ratings—are required to submit a written review of a minimum word count (e.g., 200–300 words).
Requiring a brief explanation for extremely low ratings would:
Discourage automated or impulsive 1-star spamming.
Protect legacy films and top-rated episodes from unfair score degradation.
Ensure that low ratings are backed by genuine, constructive criticism.
Help maintain a fair, transparent, and accurate rating ecosystem for both viewers and creators.
I believe this update would significantly enhance the quality and reliability of user ratings on IMDb. Thank you for your time and for continuously improving the platform.
Best regards,
MAthePA
2.2K Messages
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59.7K Points
1 month ago
Well sinking our luxury boat. This will turn IMDb into Titanic. The competitors could not hope for such a luck. I did not count the words but guess this detailed review has enough volume to prove I was serious when voted "1 of 10" for the idea.
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frostrose
1 Message
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60 Points
29 days ago
No thanks. That will just make it even harder to use this site, which is getting increasingly worse and worse to use to leave honest reviews and scores on.
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bluedusk
30 Messages
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420 Points
28 days ago
There is already a minimum word count for all reviews. A 1-star review should require no more words than a review with a higher rating. My experience is often there is not that much to say about a movie or show you disliked so much that you only gave it one star.
You need to remember, too, just because a film or show is a "classic" or "acclaimed" does not mean everyone will or should like it. Newer generations can have newer likes and dislikes. In my opinion, no films or TV episodes should be provided with more rating "protection" than any others.
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