I used to watch movies straight away without regard to reading or watching movie reviews. I made the effort to watch them based on the simple fact of whether the trailer or storyline piqued my interest or if it was made by a filmmaker whose work I liked.
Nowadays with so many series and movies on the market (i.e. on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, etc.), I tend to read a lot more reviews to see if I should invest my time watching them given the plethora of options at my disposable.
In the past, I used to read movie reviews by Roger Ebert, who wrote concise and descriptive reviews that were engaging and well written. Whether or not I agreed with his reviews, I found them to be insightful regarding the storyline and the film’s technical merits. But nowadays, I mostly read customer reviewers that are listed on Amazon, iTunes, etc., given how many films and shows are out there.
After reading so many, good and bad, I can get a general sense of what would amount to be an average assessment of a film. There’ll be many fans of the movie who will write nothing but good things, and there are those that loathe it, who write nothing but bad things. Then there are those who are in the middle that list the pros and cons of that film–a more balanced perspective.
But the final assessment is when we actually watch the movie. I find that more often than not, my assessment doesn’t exactly align with what most of the reviewers say, and if it does, it’s for reasons different from what they stated.
In the end, movies are subjective experiences. I don’t think words can 100% capture/summarize what that experience is since movies are visceral experiences (an experience that is the sum total of the film’s editing, acting, lighting, camera angles, etc.).
A review is moreover a reflection of what that experience was for the viewer, not so much an assessment of whether that movie is objectively good or bad. Of course, a survey can be taken with an audience to determine the film’s overall quality (i.e. an 8 out of 10 or something of that sort), but does this necessarily match an individual’s experience of the film? If one were to give a film a 7 out of 10, what’s to say that assessment is incorrect from the average?
The viewers that liked a film saw something in it that others didn’t. Perhaps they appreciated the cinematography more, or the acting more, etc. Those that disliked it might’ve been focusing on the lack of plot, character development, or dialogue instead. Each person emphasizes different aspects in terms of what is good or bad to them. They are in essence assessing the qualities that resonate with them, which in turn, amounts to a positive or negative experience for them.
Aside from plot, acting, cinematography, each person has a preference for genre, whether it be science fiction or drama, etc. They might prefer movies by certain directors, actors, or studios. For example, one person might find a period piece boring but a mystery film intriguing (and vice versa). It’s one of those things where the value is already predetermined by the viewer/audience.
So this brings up the question of why one would ever read a review if the experience is subjective to begin with?
For me, I read movie reviews because I want to see if a film will resonate with me based on what was written about it. This is more like a gauge as to whether I’ll have a similar experience. Of course, I might have the opposite experience after I watch the film.
In the end, we’re all looking for and emphasizing different qualities as to what is good or bad to us. Maybe our goal is to be entertained regardless of how well-written the plot or characters are, or we want to be moved by values that are portrayed in the story. In the end, aren’t we the arbiter for what we seek in entertainment and art? Perhaps it’s just better to watch a film and judge it for ourselves.
Fallton Havenstonne 