The Jambar
For decades, when forming an opinion about a movie released in theaters, a person would have to purchase a ticket and give one to three hours of their time to watch it.
Now it seems all that a person needs to form an opinion on a movie is to read a handful of reviews on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, or social media, without ever seeing it. This creates a discourse when criticizing movies from a second-hand opinion that doesn’t always give thoughtful film analysis.
Presumably, one contributor to this is that people simply cannot afford to dislike a movie. This year, the average movie ticket price is $16.30, according to CableTV, while the average price in 2019 was $9.37, per IMDb article. With such a dramatic price increase over seven years, who could go see a movie they don’t know they’ll like?
To this issue, society has responded in one of two ways — subscribing to countless streaming services or following others’ opinions of the films that can influence their own, often in the form of movie ratings.
The intention of movie ratings is to give moviegoers an overview of what to expect. However, it seems that movie ratings are now the be-all and end-all in determining if a film is worth a watch.
This not only says something about the U.S.’s current economic situations but speaks volumes as to how society views art.
How is a nameless review on Rotten Tomatoes or talk on social media supposed to determine how someone feels about a movie?
According to Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Robert Ebert from 2005, “For me, the movies are like a machine that drives empathy.”
What’s interesting about people is not every person will empathize the same way, so then as the moviegoer, why allow some online rating to make the decision to see a movie?
The point is it’s imperative to see the movie even if unsure. See the movie that seems a little obscure. See the movie that has the name of an up-and-coming actor. That movie with what the general audience might say is subpar, might just be a new favorite.
This returns to society’s views on art. Because even if someone didn’t enjoy that movie, they still become more media literate, more critical of their preferences and biases and will have supported the work of the filmmakers who put effort into making that film.
Being able to watch a movie and give thoughtful criticism is not only an inherently human trait, but it is also what keeps movies worth watching. Without valuable judgment, people will lose their ability to empathize with others.
When it comes to films, the only thing that matters is that at least one person was driven to show empathy to someone else, even if a critic gave that movie one star on Letterboxd.