Blu-ray Reviews That Make No Sense – A Collector’s Rant

I decided to write this post out of sheer frustration with the user review process that many DVD and Blu-ray retailers use. Don’t get me wrong, I like shopping online where reviews are visible. But too often I find myself getting angry at the nonsense some people leave behind.

How can the exact same Blu-ray receive both glowing 5-star reviews and scathing 1-star write-ups? After buying a few movies myself, I sometimes come to the conclusion that half the reviewers are either mad, clueless, or just full of it.

Note: This was an old post from 2012 that I have revised and rewritten. I hope it still has value.

Things I wonder about when reading reviews

Are they just promoting their own blog, business, or agenda?
Are they writing maliciously for the fun of it, or simply to stir controversy?
Do they even own a proper Blu-ray player and an HD-capable TV with surround sound?
Do they have good taste, or would they struggle to tell the difference between “shit and shinola”?
Or are they simply nuts?

The Simple facts

Some people just like to complain. Some are never happy. The problem is, how do I separate these reviewers from the handful of honest, intelligent ones—without spending ages reading through all the junk?

It doesn’t help that some sites automatically pull in old DVD reviews when a Blu-ray upgrade comes out. These rarely get removed, so it’s not unusual to find yourself reading reviews for the wrong product altogether.

The Search That Sparked This Rant

I was looking for a particular Blu Ray movie (Platoon) and I found the title on 2 of the biggest DVD sites, one site had 5 reviews which were all positive and the other had 46 which were mixed.

My only concerns when buying Blu Ray is that the picture and sound must be superior in almost every way to the original DVD releases and this is the rule of thumb that I use while shopping. More than likely I will have previously seen the movie on DVD so I don't need to know the synopsis and I don't want to read everyone's opinions of the plot.

My Suggestion

Why can’t the big sites introduce a separate 5-star rating specifically for upgrade quality—DVD vs Blu-ray? Keep the normal 5-star system for the movie itself, sure, but give buyers a quick way to judge whether the new disc is a real improvement. That way I wouldn’t have to trawl through conflicting, often irrelevant comments.

Rant over

I know this isn’t as simple as it sounds—what seems like a small tweak might be a coding nightmare on the backend. Still, it feels like a fixable problem, and I’d love to see it happen.

Until then, I’ll continue being quietly annoyed every time I shop for Blu-rays.

If you are as big a fan of movies as I am and this issue annoys you too, drop a comment below.

Thanks for Reading,

About the Author

I’m David Condon, a movie enthusiast from Tralee, Co. Kerry. I’ve been collecting DVDs and Blu-rays for years, and along the way my shelves have become a mix of favourites, hidden gems, and titles I occasionally decide to resell.

I’m not a professional critic — just someone who enjoys good films, well-made discs, and the odd rant about the quirks of collecting. This blog is where I share my thoughts, reviews, and experiences as a fan.

💬 Note from the Author
This blog is a hobby project where I write about DVDs, Blu-rays, and the ups and downs of being a collector. If you enjoyed this post, you might also like my other writing:

David Condon Finds – my lifestyle and review blog
David Condon Woodcraft – my main website focused on woodturning and handmade pieces

If you’d like to support the blog, you can do so through the Buy Me a Coffee button below. It helps keep this little side project alive — thank you!

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