Rotten Tomato scores may not say everything, but they can certainly tell you a lot. For better or worse (mostly worse), the entertainment rating site (which is all Roger Ebert's fault) is seen as a status symbol for success and failure in modern cinema. You can use it to see which Christopher Nolan films are the best of the bunch or use it as proof that E.T. is still Spielberg's best movie 40 years after its release. You can also use Rotten Tomatoes to compare an ongoing series from one season to the next. Case in point: Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."

Season 1 of that serialized Middle-earth blockbuster rolled out to decidedly mixed feelings from both the diehard and fair-weather elements of Tolkien fandom. Those opposed were so intense in their reactions that Amazon delayed reviews on its own streaming platform to combat trolls.