Saying that I love film is quite an understatement. After all, I created this blog just to talk about films. I also love the fact that other people are able to create their own film blog and share their thoughts about films too. Because of the online film community, I have been introduced to so many great films. However, while there are great film critics and communities out there, I do have a few problems with some modern-day film criticism. While I am not trying to paint a picture that all film reviewers and communities are bad, but I have noticed a rising trend in film criticism that I would like to address.

           First, many people are often too critical of films. It is alright to be critical of a film if it was truly bad, but a person should step back before criticizing a film. I often see people criticizing a film because it was a “cliché” or it was too “predictable.” I honestly don’t see a problem with a film that is a bit cliché or predictable. Not all films have to be the next Citizen Kane or Godfather. Sometimes it is nice to relax and watch a film. I believe that people online are often hypercritical of films because they hope it will cause them to trend. This happened late last year when people started to review Cats. However, with Cats, it was understandable why critics were so harsh.

          Circling back to my previous statement of “cliché” and just enjoying a film, many great film critics believe this as well. Roger Ebert, who was highly-regard as one of the best film critics, would often write that even though a film was a bit cliché, he still enjoyed it. Ebert understood that not every film is supposed to be a masterpiece. Furthermore, the only time Ebert tore down a film was when it was truly bad. He never wrote a hit piece on a film because it was predictable and cliché.

            I think my final point I would like to make is that films are different for everyone. Everyone has different ways of watching films. Some people like to watch them early in the morning or late at night. I try to watch films in bed after a long day. We also all have different tastes in films. Some like dramas, some prefer comedies. The main message is that you can like or dislike whatever you want. My only problems are when people are too harsh on a film that wasn’t that bad for the sake of getting attention and when people attack others for their views on films. If someone doesn’t like the newest superhero film, it’s ok. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is if you felt the film was worth your time or not.

Banner Photo Credit: rogerebert.com