Motivations of Professional Movie Critics

[JustDave]

I always check out the composite scores of new films on Rotten Tomatoes, and read a few of the abbreviated clips of most of the critics. Even the best films will have three or four scathing negative reviews. I think mostly I do it to get a feel for what the movie is about and to a lesser extent whether the movie is worth seeing. While doing this, I get an overall impression that the critics are falling all over each other trying to compete for the most snazzy and poetic metaphors and clever quips, especially when they want to slam a film.

Today's eye catchers include:

"As much depth as a tortilla." OK, that one was worth a chuckle.

"Filled with shootings, stabbings, choppings, beatings and slicings galore but for all the brutality that it doles out, none of it ultimately proves to be nearly as excruciating as the film as a whole." OK, I had to think about that for a while to even understand it.

Positivity or not, there may be more creative writing in a movie review than in a best selling novel, but for the first time today, I realized it's getting boring. To wax poetic myself, Rotten Tomatoes is becoming a mortuary of metaphors. So there! Take that.

 

[officerripley]

Every time a read a review like that, I'm always reminded of that quote attributed to Dorothy Parker (supposedly about Katharine Hepburn): "She ran the gamut of human emotion from A to B."

 

[Nathan]

Movie critics can be so pompous. Sometimes a movie can be enjoyable without engaging the viewers higher levels of enlightenment.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

I use IMDB more than Rotten Tomatoes, and I prefer the User Reviews instead of Critic Reviews. Critics have seen so much that they tend to be overly critical, and, just as you said: "falling all over each other trying to compete for the most snazzy and poetic metaphors and clever quips."

 

[feywon]

I used to watch Siskel & Ebert years ago, when my my kids growing up to get a feel for the content of a film. Watching a clip and listening to them helped me choose, especially once VCR renting became an option. Ebert's taste was usually not always closer to mine than Siskel's.

But the opinions of people i know well were a factor too. My brother, 16 yrs younger than me, helped me appreciate fairly shallow but often comic and with some moral questions raised 'action' movies. When my boys were about 11 Jason convinced me to let them watch Commando (the one where his daughter is kidnapped).

You have understand i often used conversations about movies and books to discuss topics i wanted to with them but.without it being a lecture. Generally, if they were real excited after watching something they'd initiate the conversation, which helped me understand my kids better-- hearing their opinions. By the time the boys were in early teens they had strong.opinions about what i should allow their 8 yrs younger than them sister to watch.

 

[feywon]

Movie critics can be so pompous. Sometimes a movie can be enjoyable without engaging the viewers higher levels of enlightenment.

I agree, sometimes we just need to laugh at a comedy or enjoy the adrenalin rush of an action one.

 

[feywon]

These days we can often find more than one trailer for a movie on YouTube. I also watch some YT reviewers, tend to prefer Flick Connections, especially his top picks for ones coming to various streaming outlets. He an be fairly objective about main tone and the pacing of movie even ones not that appealing to him.

 

[JustDave]

I use IMDB more than Rotten Tomatoes, and I prefer the User Reviews instead of Critic Reviews. Critics have seen so much that they tend to be overly critical, and, just as you said: "falling all over each other trying to compete for the most snazzy and poetic metaphors and clever quips."

I always compare user reviews with critics reviews on RT. If there is a wide disparity, it points out the critics don't process films like users do. But that doesn't mean they process at some higher level either.