Across the Universe

• 2010-07-03

  

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  Movie Reviews - A Review

  I am pondering an idea I toy around with a lot. Does a bad movie review really hold much weight?

  I’m not downplaying the job of a film critic and I’m certainly not saying that they don’t know exactly what they’re talking about. What I am saying is that when you go to a movie do you let a bad review stop you from seeing the film? Does hearing that the storyline is slow and contrived turn you off to a movie that otherwise looked good? I appreciate the work of film critics, in a world where a startling number of movies are being released every year (558 in 2009) someone has to wade through the muck and the mire to pull out the true gems. But when does that opinion become one of someone who’s seeing the film through jaded eyes? How many great movies does someone have to see before everything else starts paling in comparison?

  As an example there is a movie reviewer for one of my local news stations. In the past 15+ years I have never seen that man say he liked a film. As a complete opposite there are very few movies I’ve seen that I didn’t like. What makes his opinion of otherwise loved movies more important than mine besides the fact that he gets a hefty paycheck every month from the local CBS station?

  I hold the belief that movies are meant to touch each of us in a different way, to reach in and grab a hold of something in our soul, if you will. None of us watch a movie through the same perspective, we don’t see the world though the same eyes. My experiences in life give me a different perspective than the person sitting in the theater next to me. Film critics are supposed to watch movies without any bias, but by doing that you take away the pure intent of the movie. And by watching every movie expecting the same effect aren’t you just setting that movie up for failure?

  If you watch an action movie expecting some sort of realization about human nature or the meaning of life, you’re going to be let down. Some movies are created just for escapism and fun, and the audience they are geared towards will leave the movie singing the praises of the big explosion or the sexy leading actress, rarely do they complain about the horrible dialogue or unrealistic plot that usually goes along with these movies. Some movies are meant to tug at the suffering everyone has inside them, whether in their past or their present and to exploit that suffering to help you connect with the characters. The average person isn’t going to think that such a move is cheap like reviews tend to, they are going to tell you that it made them cry like a baby.

  Look back on the movies you love, and spend a second just reading the reviews about that movie. Whether they’re good, bad or indifferent ask yourself if those opinions changed your mind about the movie. Odds are it won’t. So why do we put so much weight on the reviews of film critics?

  No review will ever equal the one you give the movie. In the end 25 million people may have gone out and watched the same movie as you did, but no one saw the same movie you saw.

  But that just my review…

• 2010-06-24

  Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,
  They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe.

  — John Lennon