Film Criticism Has Lost Its Meaning. Here’s How To Fix It. - Opinion
From Shane Conto
What comes to mind when you think about film critics? Most younger people will probably think about older, snobbish types who don’t even seem to like film. You know…like Anton Ego from Ratatouille. But the world of film criticism has evolved so much over the last decade or so. Rotten Tomatoes. IMDB. Letterboxd. The rise of TikTok film influencers. Especially YouTube. I myself have been reviewing films since January 2016 which started on FaceBook and quickly shifted to YouTube. I write for a few different websites. This has become a large part of my life. But I am hesitant to call myself a “critic” because of the judgment from audiences and the gatekeeping from professional critics. I have spent years studying film from all around the world and from throughout history. I would like to think that my thoughts matter to those who watch my channel and read my work. But something has really shifted in the way films are judged and critiqued.
What is the biggest take away from all of these changes? Oddly enough, film criticism has somehow turned into a numbers game. Don’t get me wrong…I love numbers. I have a Master’s in Accountancy and I tutor and teach mathematics (specifically statistics) to business majors for a living. But something feels so wrong about boiling a work of art down to a singular value like that. A letter grade. A Letterboxd score out of five. Or a score out of ten. You might even have a fun reframing of a system with levels like “Love it”, “Opening Weekend”, or even a poop emoji. But what do these things really mean? Can you really boil film down to a simple system that all films fit into. That is the problem. It is art, not a math equation. Sure, I have a Letterboxd and will rate movies (mostly because that is expected). I used to put grades on my YouTube videos because everyone else did. I will throw scores onto my articles if that is the expectation of the site. But the most liberating moment of my time reviewing films was when I threw away the grades and spoke about films on their own. What worked for me? What didn’t work for me? What audience might appreciate this film? Just let the films and your thoughts speak for themselves.
But why are we so obsessed with these numbers, grades, and fun little ratings? To be honest…they are just easier. Why listen to a whole video or read a whole article when you can get an easily digestible piece of information that allows you to make a decision with. But what is the problem? Film is subjective. My “Love It” or 5/5 might be completely against your tastes. The words and breakdown of a full review can help you make a more informed decision that lets you feel out the elements of a film. But that is more time and effort. In a world with instant gratification, that is a hard sell. An aggregate score like Rotten Tomatoes is a lot easier to digest instead of reading through the 100+ reviews that might be submitted to the site. Going on your Letterboxd account and scrolling through your friends’ activities to see the quick scores makes your job so much easier. That process might even be more fun than the alternative when the review has fun quippy ratings. But all of this does no justice for the films you are hoping to watch. Find reviewers who have similar tastes and whose opinions you trust and actually process their thoughts. Leaving this obsession with numbers and ratings will be better for the art of film. That is what we should want as cinephiles, right?
But what else is disrupting the system of film criticism? Rotten Tomatoes has had a horrible and unintentional effect on film. Society is obsessed with the Tomatometer and “Certified Fresh” ratings. Recent reports of paid off critics is also not a great sign. But the real problem is ignorance of what Rotten Tomatoes really is. “100%” on their site is not a rating of 100/100 for a film. That does not mean it is absolute perfection. That means every critic who posted a review for the film thought it was at least a fine movie. But that is still no measure of the overall quality of a film. A singular value like that can never be that. But IMDB has a bigger issue when it comes to their user ratings. Ever since the site started to be weaponized to attack perceived shortcomings of the film that literally have no bearing on the film, IMDB’s scoring system has become completely pointless. Racism, homophobia, and plenty of other bigoted perspectives had bastardized any value that IMDB could have provided. Many of those ratings come from people who have never actually seen the film. That is a problem as others take it to be a meaningful measure of cinematic quality.
Where else on the web has film criticism become complicated? YouTube is probably the biggest issue. Certain channels have created unexpected changes to the perception of film. CinemaSins was and still might be a largely influential source of criticism. Running through a film to nitpick every tiny thing wrong with it belittles the enormity the filmmaking process is. Not film is technical perfection. It just cannot be. Making a film is too hard for that. I have seen the push back that CinemaSins is a satire but I never once felt that watching the video. They might tell you that it is but you should not have to say it. I don’t recall Mel Brooks introducing Blazing Saddles by telling us “Don’t forget this is a satire (I am not racist)!”. This purposeful negativity along with videos like “Top 10 Worst Films of the Year” have created an unfortunate fascination with being overly critical of film. But the most challenging contribution of YouTube and podcasting platforms is just the sheer saturation of critics and reviewers. Who is legitimate? Whose opinions should be relied upon? I will never go out and tell people “I am sufficiently knowledgeable and well-informed so my opinions matter more than most”. I just love films, want to share my thoughts, and discuss them with people. But I am contributing to this influx and saturation of the film criticism market.
What is the biggest contribution from audiences? People need to stop getting obsessed with theories and predictions about films. Expectations are the most influential aspect of our film experience. If you go into a film planning to hate it…you probably will. If you want a film to go a certain way and it doesn’t…your disappointment might cloud the fact that it is a quality that accomplishes greatness. The amount of articles, videos, TikToks, and other media that is specifically focused on brainstorming theories and predictions for the biggest films out there is quite insane. It is almost impossible for filmmakers and creators to craft a film beloved universally because so many people are obsessed with what they want to happen and what they think will happen. That is a serious problem. The audience members are not writing these films. These are not their ideas or properties. The artists need to be able to create their vision and should be judged based on what it actually is. There is a growing issue with reviewers especially when it comes to big franchises. Just because it did not pay off the insane amount of theories on the internet or go exactly how you wanted it does not make it “mid” or a bad film.
What is the solution? Society needs to take a step back and refocus its approach to film. Films should be judged as a whole and in a nuanced way. Stop focusing so much on easily pulled grades or ratings. Audiences need to find their critics or reviewers who meet their tastes and they trust. Read or listen to their whole reviews and make a decision. We all have different tastes and want different things out of our cinematic experiences. You cannot discern any of that from a singular number or letter. Spend less time theorizing what might go on in the film and spend less time watching trailers. Go in with an open mind and as minimal expectations as possible. Judge and critique film for what it is…not what you want it to be or what you think it should be. If we can keep this all in mind, film criticism can have a chance to be more meaningful again.
