Metacritic takes reviews from professional critics and averages them into a single score out of 100. It does the same for user reviews, which are shown separately. The result is two numbers that often tell different stories — a film can be critically acclaimed but divisive among audiences, or vice versa. The site covers movies, TV shows, music, and video games, and it's been a reference point for years.

Some people treat the scores as a quick filter when deciding what to watch or play. Others use it to see how a release was received compared to expectations. The site also links to individual reviews so you can read the reasoning behind the numbers. It's not a replacement for reading a full review, but as a summary of critical consensus, it's one of the most established sources.