Why Movie Critics Are No Longer Trusted - Video Essay

For over one-hundred years, film critics have been ones that we could turn to for a thoughtful review, analysis, and understanding of what’s new in cinemas near us. They would help us decide if a film was right for us, give us a general idea and understanding of what to expect, and to give us insight on its storytelling, its writing and direction, cinematography, characters and their development, and usage of literary and visual elements. These individuals usually had a deep understanding of filmmaking, good storytelling, and the film industry as a whole. But as time’s have changed and evolved, so has cinema. In the present day, why is it we don’t look towards film critics as we used to? Why do they receive so much backlash for their reviews? Why is it that film critics are no longer trusted?
Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below. Let me know if you agree or disagree with the points made in this video, and if you trust film critics or not. Also leave a like on this video if you enjoyed and be sure to subscribe for many more video essays coming your way. Be sure to check out my last one going over why ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ was a success and why the 2016 reboot was a failure. Thanks everyone for watching, stay safe, and have a great day.
DISCLAIMER: I believe and want to uphold that all content used falls under the remits of Fair Use. If the content owners of anything found to be infringing is in this video, I will immediately remove said content upon being contacted. It is not my intent to in any way infringe on content ownership. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to give you the proper credit for your work in the description. -Fennett
All images and videos used in this video are courtesy of their respectful owners. All images and videos have been transformed in some way by me for the video and were taken directly from Google or screenshotted from their movie or trailers, respectfully. I do not claim them as my own, and they're all used under the Fair Use Act. This video and its content is meant for informative, educational, critiquing, and entertainment purposes.
This video was written, narrated, and edited by myself.
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_criticism#:~:text=The%20earliest%20artistic%20criticism%20of,by%20the%20Bioscope%20in%201908.
uk.movies.yahoo.com/film-critics-out-touch-public-opinion-113718721.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABaO6r3tZqlCO5UKCSxo5drsXLsJy6tWfiupWv22P4PpFvz4b7spHkkbWfE7md9i4n_lCwVT22TuBfYqcQIXV5DNgyea77Pq0W9U5vXEkBmAGV4MgR6PD4oxXS5h4YZoLNrSlPrY24Dox_hGMq3rM88gAult5oE_Ug42m-pgtT4s
screenrant.com/film-critics-right-wrong-movie-reviews/2/
journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1043659617713566
www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/11/ghostbusters-afterlife-jason-reitman-paul-rudd-review
www.cinemablend.com/new/American-Psycho-Ending-What-Really-Happened-70126.html
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/home-alone-3-1997
Business: [e-mail]
#VideoEssay #MovieReview #MovieReviews #Critics #MovieCritics #RogerEbert #FilmCritics #FilmCriticism #MovieCriticism

[@FSCFilms]

Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below. Let me know if you agree or disagree with the points made in this video, and if you trust film critics or not. Also leave a like on this video if you enjoyed and be sure to subscribe for many more video essays coming your way. Be sure to check out my last one going over why ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ was a success and why the 2016 reboot was a failure. Thanks everyone for watching, stay safe, and have a great day. -Fennett

[@mohitrawat5225]

You should check out Deepfocuslens.

[@Freshpbilliondollar112]

Don't trust critics. If you trust critics , you'll never watch any movie

[@ossra100]

Especially nuts like Doomcockhead and Nerdrotic.

[@ProbablySoon-pv6ee]

Audience critique movies too

[@HalloweenLover51326]

Critics really need to touch grass.

[@davekisman2763]

Critics love to hear themselves talk about how people are bad at everything. They think they're better at everything? Yeah, right. They can't even look at their own flaws of failure.

[@pikachuuprising637]

A lot of critics have only given good reviews when it supports their politics or when the people involved have a good rep.

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Considering how most movie critics throw a jab at the _Super Mario Bros. Movie_ while everyone actually like it, they have proven your points even further.

[@jesusrivera521]

There's a hierarchy when it comes to how good movies are. What did you rate it and why?

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

​@@jesusrivera521 The movie is a love letter to people who grew up with Mario. It's not perfect, but at least it's solid even for Illumination standards.

[@pinkpineapple9502]

Even more so with the new fnaf movie

[@jesusrivera521]

​@@poweroffriendship2.0it has an average rating of 5.8 on rotten tomatoes with critics. It seems that the critics agreed with you, but you're rating for the movie, whatever it may be, would be too high to actually align with your thoughts on the movie. Watch a wide range of films (in terms of great to awful, and you'll be right there with the serious critics

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

@@jesusrivera521 The 59% critic score doesn't change the fact that the film becomes a box office success. Doesn't matter because Rotten Tomatoes isn't always considered a "reliable source" anyways.

[@PenciltipWorkshop]

we also have to keep in mind the internet was able to "level the playing field" in terms of sharing opinions. The average person no longer needs to be a professional film critic to give their thoughts to the masses about what they think about a movie.

[@jesusrivera521]

I see what you're saying. If we can enjoy bad movies, we too can enjoy badly written reviews.

[@G3ROMofficial]

Most Critics nowadays are just so claimed critics themselves without any proper knowledge and history of knowing. There're not professionals just like AI or NPC's characters

[@t.williams3553]

A few years ago i got into an argument with a film reviewer who hated action and horror movies. I asked them why are they reviewing movies that they do not like? She trashed every one of those type of movies and gave high reviews to comedies and romantic movies. I contacted the company she worked for and they removed her from reviewing action and horror movies and had someone that liked all movie genres to give a fair review.

[@prehistorichero2755]

“Nobody trusts anybody now. We’re all very tired.” -R.J. MacReady, The Thing

[@hahanah1463]

You only got to look at rotten tomatoes and see how audience rate films so different to pathetic critics. Sound of freedom is the prime example

[@Patrick-wl6pw]

I don't care rotten tomatoes I know bribe

[@coryjamieson3171]

I've enjoyed movies that movie critics hate, for me those movies are fun to watch. ❤

[@namelastnamefirst4520]

Even The Emoji Movie, Norm of the North, and 365 Days?

[@coryjamieson3171]

@@namelastnamefirst4520 Haven't seen those movies, but I know these movies are hated by apparently everybody.

[@caffeinated4671]

@@namelastnamefirst4520 If critics and audiences think a movie sucks, chances are it usually does. If critics hate a movie but audiences like it, that movie is usually entertaining, but might have technical flaws. If both critics and audiences like a movie? It's probably both technically competent and entertaining.

[@jesusrivera521]

They're called "guilty pleasures", or others could be called, "so bad they're good". There's a hierarchy. Tune yours!

[@wet-read]

​@@jesusrivera521 Exactly. It is perfectly ok to have those!

[@jacoblofthus7908]

Straight up, I couldn't give less of a rat's keister what ANYONE thinks of a movie, critic or otherwise. I just don't have the time, energy or motivation.

[@alucardlennox2010]

I ignore critics and their stupid opinions and watch whatever I want without those yap lords screaming in my ears telling me to stop having fun.

[@michaelharrington4503]

According to Dave Barry in a book he wrote on bad songs, he claims that it is possible for an opinion to be the "wrong" one. It is brought up at the beginning of the book, in which he complains about ballad-type songs by Neil Diamond, which he doesn't like and adds, "In matters of musical taste, everyone is entitled to an opinion, and yours is wrong." Then, at the end of the book, he brings up the idea of "wrong" opinions one last time: "Music is SUBJECTIVE. There is no 'good' or 'bad'; there is only personal preference, which varies from person to person. If person A likes the song 'My Sharona' and person B hates it, who is to say which one is right? I am, that's who. Person B is right. 'My Sharona' sucks." So what Barry said suggests that, yes, it is possible for someone to be wrong to like something.

[@nelisezpasce]

Ebert got ratio'd

[@Ceolskog-Folk-Metal-Hiking]

Honestly I usually add the critic score and the audience score together, then half it to find the balanced score. If it is 65% or over, I find it's usually good. So that is what tends to work best for me. Not always, but usually.

[@writeralbertlanier3434]

Having previously been a film critic and reviewer for a few years in the past, Ill admit I havent thought much about the state of film criticism these days. From what little i do see, its basically an era where actual film criticism barely exists and generally online fandom masquerades as film reviewing. Film reviewers dont seem to be writers and journalists like me but hobbyists and genre fanatics with you tube and tik tok channels. Its more about the triumph of pure marketing and promotion over anything else.

[@moonlitequimby847]

Watch Whatever YOU What To Watch Regardless Of What People Say.

[@MrPelltiboy]

Ok so as of this year i have become one of those film critics and i feel like i can throw in my two cents. I actually agree with a lot of what is being said here but i have a few things to add. I apologize in advance for the grammar, i mostly write in french as it is my first language. First off, i think it's fair to say that the internet has changed the way we consumed media a lot! When going to the movies or the video store was something special and a bit more rare, it left people more time to reflect on the film they had just seen, discuss it a bit and even analyse it from time to time. But now with all the streaming platforms available, movies are just another form of content. We watch it and immediately move to another thing without really engaging with what we've just seen. Now i know this isn't how everyone watches movies, but a lot of people do, including myself here and there. Basically, a lot of people have stopped seeing cinema as an artform and even if that makes me very sad, i fully understand it. Also, critics watch a lot of movies. Like, a lot. So of course we will notice more problems with every aspect of a film. It's like if you're a chef who specializes in soups. (sorry for the poor analogy) You've made tons of them, tasted tons of them to the point where soup is your livelyhood. The more you make it and eat it, the less impressed you will be with it. The more you realize how the soup is made, the more you can see the flaws within it. I hope that was somewhat clear. Personally i try to engage with films on their own level. Meaning i won't shit on a film for what it isn't I will try to understand as much as i can what the director eanted to do and then i'll ask myself if he succeeded. For exemple, The fast and the furious franchise wants to be an over the top, ridiculous and fun franchise with engaging characters and the exploration of family. Do they succeed at that? Yes, for the most part! I will judge the film based what it wants to be and on wheater or not it succeeds. A lot of film critics do not do that and of course if you look at F9: The Furious Saga the same way you look at Bong joon Ho's Parasite, you will probably hate it. The bottom line is that everyone looks at film differently and your appreciation of a film will depend of a lot of things; From the cirumstances of the viewing, to your personal taste, to the way you lean politically, etc... I love what i do, but the truth is most people don't give a shit when i talk about the deeper meaning of a shot or the subtext within a film, cause a lot of people are just looking for fun and escapism and that is just as valid as a person who wants a more profound experience. The one thing i'd like to end this long ass comment with is a little piece of advice. Be curious. Go out of your comfort zone from time to time when it comes to the movies you watch. Try something new and you may discover that you love it.

[@warmonger2500]

There are certain critics who’s opinion on movies is close enough that I would be willing to watch a movie they praise even if I’m not otherwise interested in it. Generally I watch their review of movies I want to see to make sure it isn’t a dud that otherwise looks interesting.

[@jesusrivera521]

Maybe you read them because you actually like how they write, and not on whether or not they like a movie.

[@warmonger2500]

The ones I follow are on youtube, I don't read any paper reviews anymore. @@jesusrivera521

[@natashalopez1453]

I don’t listen to the critics and I also don’t listen to the audience reviews. Audiences can also be biased too. I make my own judgements and if it looks like a fun movie then I’ll see it. It’s also how you go into the movie with your mindset. Like Godzilla x Kong I came into the movie thinking that it wasn’t gonna be like Godzilla Minus one and I had a fun time watching it. Another example is the movie 65. It promised Adam Driver fights dinosaurs and it delivered that promise. And I thought it was a fun mindless popcorn movie

[@CPN467]

I’ve made it a point to watch all the movies the critics told me to avoid. To me, watching even the worst films is more productive than listening to what critics have to say.

[@jesusrivera521]

That's a strange way to use your time. I agree though, bad movies are really interesting.

[@uranovayakilka2484]

Maybe try watching some movies critics like

[@endresee]

If you view films primarily as art, trust the critics. If you view them primarily as entertainment, trust the audience. I tend to trust critics more than the audience and am not persuaded by the reasons for not doing so highlighted on this video. Yes, critics are biased-but so is everyone else. For instance, lots of people give reboots with diverse casts-like 2016 ghostbusters or the new little mermaid, say-negative reviews online without even seeing them because they just think old movies shouldn’t be changed that way. If some critics overcorrect in the opposite direction, they’re no more untrustworthy than the audience. But rarely will a critic praise a movie *just* because it’s diverse. It’s just that-unlike many in the audience-they’re willing to entertain a purposeful attention to diverse casting as a valid artistic choice. That’s not bias, it’s the opposite. And if you follow a critic, you at least know their biases and can correct for them, whereas it can be hard to know the biases shifting an audience score up or down. And typically a critics bias is not as crude as, say, not liking any horror or action movies. Most critics become critics because they love movies, not because they love one very specific kind of movie. And any critic worth their salt will understand that a fair critical appraisal involves evaluating a movie on its own terms, in addition to applying broader critical standards. So I just don’t think critical bias is the problem people seem to think it is. As to the notion that everyone has an opinion so why trust the critic’s: an opinion from a smart and experienced critic is likely to be better informed, more well-reasoned, and better expressed than the opinion of most members of the general public. You trust the critic because they have more knowledge and experience than most on the topic of movies and are therefore better positioned to evaluate them. Not all opinions are created equal. Anyway, everyone should do whatever works for them, but this is why I tend to trust critics. Of course, that doesn’t mean *agreeing* with the critics, it just means I give more weight to their thoughts about movies.

[@kevin___]

Could it also not be that critics don't move along with the audience. What use is a critic if people don't care about what they have to say?

[@danielramsey6141]

I am So Glad that videoed like this and “Curb your film Criticism” by Nutsa exist. There are WAY TOO many Overly Critical People online now. It was all fun and rather light at the start when channel awesome use to be a thing. But so Many New Reviewers and Movie critics out here, and just plain ol Movie goers are flooding the scene with some really Shitty opinions about certain movies I like. I won’t deny that there hasn’t been a Bad Movie, Tv Show, Video Game, or a Comic that could a verbal Beatdown once in a while. But damn, it’s been so Often and feels unfair to certain mediums I do enjoy or have built whole hobbies around! Godzilla being One of them! I won’t lie, I had a fair amount of heat towards how toothless the 2014 Godzilla Movie felt. It wasn’t a Bad movie, but the Death Brian Cranston’s character, the fact the Nuclear Bomb Test were re-historically labeled as Godzilla Killing devices that The USA was trying to kill him with, as well as how awful those cutaways from the action, just really soured my response to it. Thankfully, that’s all it was, a response. And before long the King Kong Film, KOTM, and the Two GvK & GxK movies have softened my outlook. What also helped, was that Godzilla Minus One came into existence and fixed that Issue I had with the 2014 film by giving us what That film tried and Failed to do, genuine Human interaction with Godzilla as a Part of that Discussion! So while there will always be bad films, we should never Throw the Good stuff about those films under the bus just to get KZbin Views!

[@abbysworld05]

I think it’s because it’s the critics job to look deeply into the movie,an example is when I was in 7th grade I was in a film theory class and for a while I could only look at the movie in the lens of how they filmed the movie like whatever it was called, to the point it was kinda annoying in a way when I watched movies but luckily it was only by the end of 7th grade or 8th grade I completely forgot everything I learned so I could watch movies the way I used to, but audiences don’t want movies with a critical eye and it’s based on the individual on if they like it or not,some have high standards but some have lower standards so even if the audience hates it,some audiences may still like it, I would say I have low standards cuz most of the time I only watch things I’ve watched before or I’m familiar with and rarely watch media Im not familiar with unless I’m forced to watch it

[@ursulazavala3104]

No. Incorrect. Obviously incorrect asf. It's because professional critics are paid off by disgusting, Anti-Life, Anti-God, child trafficking, sattanic peddofile global World Order Liberals. 🤦‍♀️ People have to stop playing fugging stupid.

[@christopherellis357]

cause film critics do not know what a good movie is.

[@fortisfortunaadiuvat9262]

Charles bramcaco is a joke critic who has no business even writing anything

[@starabit]

2:29

[@Cookie-Yeah197]

Most films critics don't understand the films they are watching. The recent Godzilla x Kong proves this fact. A superb film , well made , fun with a lot of heart yet to the critics ,it's just mindless trash.

[@bottomtext593]

I look at User scores instead

[@JohnSmith-jh6ey]

Critics just want to tear down comic book movies now

[@EDP2000]

As they should. They’ve oversaturated the market for well over 20 years.

[@pratyushjakka7347]

For algorithm

[@Mysticbladegod]

The value of art lies within it's own sake. We really don't need film/art/games critics now. Just let people decide for themselves.

[@Patrick-wl6pw]

To critics need really jobs or watch more

[@LiterallyGod]

Deserves more views. Maybe you got nerfed by the machine.

[@LinkMarioSamus]

Film critics are not meant to be trusted. They are meant as a very broad guideline for what movies to watch and what to skip. It has always been that way. People have just developed their tastes better is all.

[@jesusrivera521]

Critics (older critics) watch 250 movies a year and have seen many movies from the past. I would say they are the best people to jude the merit of a movie.

[@LinkMarioSamus]

@@jesusrivera521 I agree tbh.

[@cpdukes1]

Bias against crappy movies seems pretty reasonable.

[@truli91]

Sorry but it's no longer about critics analizing the story and the charcters now it's more about critics praising a political ideology and the mass is tired of that. Critics gave Cuties a 93% score, for real? that type of movie? Critics would give any movie with main cast as blacks actors a score over 80% cuz politics....

[@jesusrivera521]

Cuties had an average rating of 7.0 on rotten tomatoes. That's very respectable, but the 93% (which is 87% now) is very misleading. Look into the average ratlinh from now on. And cuties is not even American and came out just before the whole woke thing. If you hate cuties, you'll hate fight club though.

[@uranovayakilka2484]

Have you seen cuties? If not, then you shouldn’t judge it. Also there are a ton of movies with non-white protagonists that are critics generally don’t like. So your comment seems misguided at best and racist at worst

[@Jonnyr98]

I'm started to not trust the critics anymore because of their criticism of the Super Mario Bros movie the audience myself included love the film it's awesome, here are my favorite movies that the audience likes and critics hate Venom 1 and 2 Bullet train Where the crawdads sing Space jam The flash Uncharted And National Treasure, the audience score makes sense and the critics are wrong I agree because the critics hated fun and entertaining films, I'm on the audience's side now F**ck the critics💯👍

[@wet-read]

If critics only echoed whatever the audience thought, THEN they would be worthless.

[@uranovayakilka2484]

The critics hate fun, which is why films like Top Gun Maverick, Barbie, birds of prey, most marvel movies, John Wick 4, Spider-verse, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Dungeons and Dragons: Honour among thieves, most Mission Impossible movies are all very critically acclaimed

[@tonimashdane33498]

well they shitted on Sam Mendes, Edgar Wright, and Rian Johnson, you know, some of the greatest filmmakers of all time?

[@johnnelson1041]

Idk I guess it's bc I don't care about Ghostbusters in general I was entertained by the 2016 one.