The term guilty pleasure arises when certain snobs, like some of the writers on this site, make you feel guilty for liking something.

Oh, God, the only thing that’s going through my head to describe this movie, it’s like sex with an orgasm at the end of it! Whereas the first four movies were like you have sex but you never get the orgasm. A lot of stopping and starting but… oh, I wish I hadn’t said that.

The trailers didn\’t help. Portman\’s most recent pic was a flop and they\’re keeping her hidden now. And Thor\’s \”elevated\” dialogue and approach could turn off the FF crowd. Plus, the public spent their hard earned dollars this weekend on FF. Will they do it again for Thor next weekend? Can they afford it, especially at 3D prices?

I\’m not saying that Thor will be a complete flop, but it could be Marvel\’s first true disappointment. Let\’s face it – if they didn\’t need Thor for The Avengers, this movie would\’ve never been made.

I was thinking more domestic for Thor. Yes, sequels do better overseas, but what\’s shocking is that FF did so well here. For a fourth sequel, very shocking.

If audiences are loosening up their wallets, it could bode well for Thor. But I still think it\’s not going to be a major blockbuster. Hopefully I\’m proven wrong.

Also… \”critics.\”

I stand corrected on foreign b.o. Last I checked (recently), it wasn\’t ahead of FF given that it\’s a new franchise and not a sequel. I\’m a big comics fan, so this actually makes me happy. (Self-admitted geek.)

However, I still fear it won\’t connect as well here. I again hope I am wrong. I just wonder if it will be another Tron: Legacy in that it does OK, but doesn\’t meet Disney/Marvel expectations. But if foreign b.o. is any indication, maybe the tide has turned.

Also, the main reason there was a downtrend from Friday into Saturday is the midnight number.

At least the person who reviewed the movie here has an understanding of the term guilty pleasure.

Yeah I feel the same way. I hope it connects but fear it might not. I and a friend of mine have been saying all along that this is not the easy sell for marvel that Iron Man was. And the other fear is that fast five wasn\’t a start to a box office uptick and people are going to be hit and miss all summer or only go to the movies every few weeks. We will see.

79% Tomatometer doesn\’t mean everyone thought the movie was great. It means some thought it was great, some thought it was passable, and some were probably pressured into giving a good review. Do you look at a number, or do you actually READ the reviews?

Most of the Fast Five reviews seem to be, Well, it\’s a summer blockbuster, and things explode. Because, for some critics and audiences, that must be all you need. And if you REALLY REALLY love movies (like we do), you\’d like a lot more bang for your buck. Understand that I don\’t speak for the entire staff in regards to Fast Five, but I saw it last week, and I\’ve already forgotten everything about it.

So please, all due respect to this conversation, but there\’s a difference between \”all the critics love it\” and \”there\’s a corresponding number on some website the shows just how many people didn\’t hate this movie!\”

If I HAPPEN to look at the tomatometer, I read the reviews to understand WHY the number is what it is. And guess what? A lot of the times, they select one quote from the full review that has ONE positive word about the movie, and give it . . . well, a ripe tomato or whatever you want to call it. Or vice versa. So you can\’t even trust the site to use its own aggregation system correctly!

I studied film theory and you\’d think these reviewers never saw a film in their life, let alone understand the history of film. It\’s sad. Most of them, I can only assume, are bough reviews. (Remember the scandal when some of the studios fabricated reviews?)

I used to go to see movies ALL THE TIME. I think in the last year or so, I\’ve only gone twice. That\’s how disinterested I am in the batch of films that have gone out lately. Now yes, I\’m a self-admitted geek and like the comic book movies aka tentpoles as well as indies, but I still don\’t go to all because a lot of the time, they\’re not good! (Forgive me, I\’m complicated.)

Yes, sometimes I disagree with the reviews here. Sometimes I think, \”Why, that\’s a bit snooty.\” But guess what, if you get me talking about film, I\’m a bit snooty too! It\’s just me spouting my opinion.

But if I\’m called out on something, if I\’m proven wrong, I\’ll admit it. But reviews are OPINIONS, and hopefully based on some knowledge. If you back up your argument well, I\’ll keep reading your reviews.

Hence, I come back here and read a lot. And comment more than I do anywhere else.

And what a refreshing site this is that we\’re debating true film commentary!

(Just want to say I can\’t comment on FF – I haven\’t seen it, don\’t plan to. I guess I\’m not the demographic.)

Maybe they should realize that Gabe Toro, the guy who gave the review and the site do not all share a brain, but I guess you would be ok to excuse people with functioning frontal lobes for thinking that.

…

I do not understand this logic.

i read reviews sir. i also know a couple things about film. i didnt feel like writing a thesis about the true critical consensus of \’fast 5\’

my point was that the movie has garnered plenty respect and doesnt deserve to be talked down to. if the movie ended with…. \”a michael mann film\” you would be treating it differently. so please spare me.