Disney's most recent and possibly one of the best live-action adaptations of a beloved animated classic, The Little Mermaid, has made a splash in theaters worldwide. But amidst the excitement, fanfare and the film swimming to the top of the box office, the movie has fallen victim to review bombing. For those not in the know, review bombing occurs when organized campaigns are started aiming to generate a mass of dislikes for a movie or propriety, usually driven by dissatisfaction with the content or casting in an effort to make it one of the most disliked or worst reviewed movies. It’s a technique we have seen used in the past with female-led superhero movies. Despite this, popular movie sites have taken a stand against the current wave of negative ratings the Halle Bailey-led film has been receiving.
If you look closely at the user ratings on the popular Internet Movie Database for The Little Mermaid, a staggering 40% (over 13k) of the votes are one-star ratings. This overwhelming surge of negative feedback has raised eyebrows and sparked concerns about the integrity of the review system. In response, IMDb has implemented measures to address the issue and ensure the reliability of their rating mechanism. The site issued the following warning:
Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title. To preserve the reliability of our rating system, an alternate weighting calculation has been applied.
What exactly does an “alternate weighting calculation” mean? Well, according to reporting published by Deadline, IMDB says:
Although we accept and consider all votes received by users, not all votes have the same impact (or ‘weight’) on the final rating. When unusual voting activity is detected, an alternate weighting calculation may be applied in order to preserve the reliability of our system.
IMDb has not disclosed specific information regarding the methodology employed to calculate the rating, but according to the same Deadline report, the warning can be viewed on the US, Canada, UK, Brazil, and Mexico versions of the site.
AlloCiné, a French site, put out a similar and even more direct note, saying, “We are currently observing an unusual distribution of scores which demands the need for caution. We encourage you to make up your own mind about the film.”
There does seem to be something fishy going on regarding Mermaid’s IMDb user votes, as the movie has garnered predominantly positive reviews from critics, attaining a 65% critic score on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator. Many critics have commended the performances of Halle Bailey (CinemaBlend’s Corey Chichizola called her a “bonafide superstar”), and a lot of love has been shown for Melissa McCarthy’s take on Ursula. The audience score is even more impressive, with a remarkable 95% based on over 5000 verified user reviews.
Review bombing has become an unfortunate trend in recent years, with various films, like Godzilla vs. Kong, falling victim to organized campaigns aimed at manipulating their ratings. As platforms like IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes are open to anyone, it has become increasingly hard to monitor what is a sincere negative review, or someone simply pushing a personal agenda. The Little Mermaid’s lead actress Halle Bailey received racist backlash for her casting as Ariel. It’s not hard to imagine many of the 1-star reviews coming from this outspoken minority of people.
IMDb’s action in addressing review bombing is the latest development in a continuous struggle against online review platforms and internet trolls who maliciously target projects for their own ulterior motives. Metacritic, a well-known review aggregator, has decided to combat review bombing by announcing its plans to enhance moderation measures and implement stricter processes. This decision comes in response to trolling that targeted the Burning Shores expansion of the PlayStation 5 game Horizon: Forbidden West on the platform, primarily due to a lesbian kiss featured in the game.
Although the impact of Metacritic’s revised review policy is yet to be observed, it would be wise for other platforms to consider following suit. IMDb’s response to The Little Mermaid showcases their dedication to combatting such practices and providing an unbiased forum for movie enthusiasts.
Despite being the target of trolls, since hitting the 2023 movie release schedule, The Little Mermaid is poised to achieve one of the most successful Memorial Day weekend openings in history. Make sure to check your local listings for showtimes so you can make up your own mind regarding the film.
