Experiencing things for yourself is fine if it’s free. If I’m gonna lay down $10 I want some level of indication that I’m not better off spending that money in a bar. Some movies I’ll go see no matter what the reviewers say because they’re topically in my wheelhouse, some movies I won’t see regardless of the reviewers because they aren’t. The rest of the pack I look up the rotten tomatoes collective data, maybe read a couple of reviews, just to get a feel.
I've never in my life had enough free time to get past the "movies I’ll go see no matter what the reviewers say because they’re topically in my wheelhouse" stage. If there's nothing on I want to see I just don't go.
If I had listened to Rotten Tomatos, I would have gone to see Cabin In the Woods (91% good), but not Act of Valor (26% good). Instead I saw both, and with Cabin, the only thing I really lament isn't the $10 bucks, but the two hours lost out of my annual movie theater alottment, which is sparse. If you can spend an hour reading the reviews, why not just go anyway and save time.
I'm glad the Act of Valor did well despite the ridiculous overemphasis on reviews. I'll listen to friends and colleagues occasionally, but not online strangers or movie critics. Never trust the opinion of anyone who gets paid to sit in the dark and watch movies all day, even on movies.