why isn't this a ten


I've asked this questions about other movies - why 8.3?????? What was wrong with it?????

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I don't think any movie is going to average a 10, because some people have different expectations of what a film should be. 8.3 is pretty high by IMDb standards. Even the Godfather is 'only' 9.2. If you look at some of the 1 star reviews you will find that some people found Chinatown boring and without enough action. There's no pleasing some people!

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Even the Godfather is 'only' 9.2.


What do you mean by EVEN The Godfather? Why is that the gold standard for movies? Like somehow Chinatown is inferior to The Godfather.

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

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Just citing it as an example. It's pretty widely lauded as being one of the best films of all time, which has nothing to do with me. You're taking offense for no reason.

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Sorry about that

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

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Oh, quite alright! And by the way, Chinatown is my favorite film. I also love the Godfather, but not quite as much.

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you are saying a TEN on IMDb is virtually impossible because some one or more find what they consider a flaw - Out of curiosity is there a Ten for any movie on IMDb or is the Godfather 9.2 the best possible??????

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I don't know if there is a higher rating than 9.2. I only used the Godfather as a reference because it is much more commonly cited as the best film evah (see also Shawshank and Citizen Kane) but it is not a 10 on here, either.

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As long as the raters on IMDB are to a substantial part made up of teenagers whose favourite films are The Transformers and the like, no film that takes maturity of mind to enjoy fully will ever get a ten. Even myself am an example: I was 18 when I first saw it, and though I liked it a lot, it wasn't until I watched it at 25 that I fully realized its greatness.

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I completely identify with your experience. I first watched Chinatown on television in my teens, and while I liked it—and was particularly struck by the ending—I didn't recognize its greatness until years later, after seeing it at the cinema (and no doubt paying much closer attention the second time around). I've now seen it six times on the big screen and each time there are new things to appreciate in it. I agree that it's a masterpiece and, if there are very few perfect films out there, it is certainly one of them.

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if the movie is truly good then even modern day teenagers will like it

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It's an average of all the user ratings. Did you think 100% of users were going to give it 10/10?

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To me it is a 10.

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I have rated it a 10.

Forget it Jake. It's Chinatown.

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1. Moves way too slow.
2. Story is obscure.

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Don't be f-cking daft.



"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan

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I'm hammered, but this film has been on for over an hour now. It seems to be just Jack Nicholson talking to people. About what, I couldn't say. So dull. Must sleep now.

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This film is a definite 10 in my eyes. I would not change one thing about it.

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