Ciara Long ’29
Guest Writer
When I watch a movie and I feel something, whether that is discomfort or sadness or enjoyment, to me that’s all that matters. I don’t care if movies are critically acclaimed or marvelously directed or even that good, as long as it makes me feel. But unfortunately the online ratings and critiques for every movie in the media have become overwhelming to the point that it causes people to avoid or have negative views on movies they would have enjoyed, had thought for themselves and not been swayed by critique culture.
Watching movies has morphed from an immersive experience to a project to rip apart, dissecting the plotlines, scoffing at every perceived cliche and critiquing online. Enjoyment has become judgment, and the critiques that were fed to you before the movie even was watched in full led to you tearing fantasy apart, instead of escaping reality, which is what television has always been meant to do.
When your friend recommends a movie, you find yourself typing its title into Google before you even consider it. You read the scalding reviews and opinions of people who think that anything that isn’t the Godfather or Shawshank Redemption is a waste of time that’s not worth consuming. You see that the movie is rated less than four stars, and you think, why even bother watching?
You let your opinion solidify before even playing the movie, you read all the flaws and all the ways it could be better, and you find yourself deciding you will never watch it. And, even if you do, you too will be tainted by the opinions pressed upon you by some random person online. After all, it was only rated 58% Rotten Tomatoes, whatever that means.
You haven’t escaped the shadow cast by other’s opinions even after you watch the movie. Conformity, whether we are aware of it or not, controls how our minds work. If we perceive that the masses hated a movie that you didn’t feel too strongly about when you watched it, your mind automatically shifts to hating it as well.
So, I challenge you, next time you get a movie recommendation, turn on the TV and sit there and watch it. Don’t let other people’s reviews destroy your critical thinking or influence your enjoyment. Instead open your mind and let yourself laugh and cry and feel and let yourself feel. Transport yourself to a world that can let you escape reality or reflect upon our society. Don’t regurgitate opinions that were given to you before you even watched the movie for yourself.
Copy Edited by Lauren Zerella ’29
Featured image courtesy of Jay L. Clendenin of the L.A. Times
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