I recently dealt with the second scenario, and was asked that the web outlet pull the review entirely. Don’t ever do this. That is taking a big giant dump on the free press.
Call your mom and sob. Go out for lots of drinks with your BFF and talk about how the critic is a scourge on humanity and an imbecile to boot. Throw darts at the critic’s picture. Exercise your right to not purchase the newspaper or visit the website. Hope their traffic plummets and ad dollars dry up.
Scream, cry, and rage as if they stole your dragons.
But don’t ask that for the review to be pulled.
Or, can you re-read the criticism as objectively as you can and ask if there is something valid about what the critic said. Was there something that still needed work? Or, can you simply accept that someone didn’t like what you did. You don’t get a rave for simply showing up.
Creative folk usually rally against censorship. Asking for a review to be removed is exactly that. Think about it.
Put on your Big Kid Undies and take the bad reviews with the good. You may actual learn something from them.