Film criticism

Understanding Film Criticism: A Journey Through Time and Media

Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. It can be divided into two categories: academic criticism by film scholars who study film theory and publish their findings in books and journals, and general journalistic criticism that appears in press newspapers, magazines, and other popular media outlets.

Academic Film Criticism

Academic film criticism typically analyzes a film’s composition, place in its genre, industry, and film history. It aims to convey the difference between good and bad films. Film criticism is also associated with the journalistic type of criticism, which focuses on the media’s effects on audiences and critics’ judgments and choices influencing what audience members perceive.

Journalistic Film Criticism

In the current era, digital devices enable immersive analysis through visual and auditory methods. Film criticism is linked to cultural criticism, focusing on interpretations of directors and parallels between films and previous works deemed high quality. The history of film criticism dates back to the late 19th century. Early artistic criticism emerged in the early 1900s, with writers arguing that films could be considered art forms.

Early Pioneers

In 1911, Ricciotto Canudo proclaimed cinema as the ‘Sixth Art’ or ‘Seventh Art.’ Serious film criticism was spearheaded by Bengt Idestam-Almquist in Sweden. The industry faced challenges in establishing stable foundations for film criticism, limited vocabularies among critics, and intimidation tactics. In 1948, Eileen Arnot Robertson was forcibly removed from her job as a critic due to the film industry’s response.

New Forms of Criticism

Despite these difficulties, new forms of criticism emerged in the 1940s, characterized by essays with distinctive charm and style that aimed to persuade readers to accept the critic’s argument. Film was introduced in the late 19th century, but it took several decades for critics to analyze its merit and value.

Notable Journalistic Critics

The industry noticed sound’s impact on movie theaters, changing audience behavior to maintain silence and focus on films. Film critics review new releases, older films, and provide ratings, summaries, and verdicts to influence audience decisions. Journalistic critics include Vincent Canby, Mark Kermode, Philip French, Manny Farber, and others, while Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel popularized film reviews via television programs.

Online Aggregators

Research suggests that critical discussions in film criticism should be rational, analytical, scientific, aware of previous criticisms, and open to the idea that artworks have unclear meanings. Film critics are responsible for knowing the creators of films, stating their biases and preferences clearly, appreciating positive criticisms, enjoying and persuading others through their reviews.

Impact on Audience

Research studies have found a connection between film critics’ evaluations and audience reception, making reviews useful tools for audience decision-making. Online aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes compile film reviews to gauge general reception. Blogs and online platforms allow amateur film critics to engage with cinematic movies, while websites specialize in specific aspects of film reviewing, such as content advisories or science fiction depictions.

Challenges in the Digital Age

The rise of the internet has changed journalism’s purpose, presenting challenges for online film critics. Critics face challenges such as too many online critics preventing original statements, website thefts of ideas, and pressure to write hasty reviews due to internet users’ expectations.

Community-Driven Review Sites

Community-driven review sites allow users to submit personal movie reviews, often with ratings and rankings. These sites, including Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, aggregate scores from accredited critics and users. Research has found that moviegoers are more likely to leave reviews for films not in theaters or those earning less money. High-rated movies lead to increased reviews, which can persuade viewers to watch other films with similar themes.

Academic Film Criticism

Academic film criticism explores cinema beyond journalistic reviews, examining why film works, its aesthetic and political effects, and meanings. This type of criticism is published in scholarly journals and texts, often affiliated with university presses or up-market magazines. Academic film criticism follows a format including plot summaries, cultural context, major themes, and legacy discussions. It is divided into disciplines such as formalism, structuralism, and historical criticism, which analyze form, sequencing, style, and cultural environments.

Online Review Sites vs. Scientific Polling

Online review sites produce differing results compared to scientific polling of audiences. Reviews can greatly vary between different sites for the same movie, even when ratings are consistent across board. Research has also found that online reviews are influenced by factors such as a film’s box office earnings, with more reviews posted for high-grossing films.

Psychoanalysis and Political/Economic Analysis

Psychoanalysis breaks down unconscious experiences in film observation. Political and economic analysis examines how films affect their production and marketing. Academic film criticism is associated with formalism, structuralism, and film theory. Formalism involves visual aspects and rules for organization. Structuralism controls situations to make them coherent.

Notable Critics

Film critics consider various aspects of filmmaking, including camera work, lighting, and sound. They evaluate narratives, dialogues, themes, and genres in their critiques. Notable critics include André Bazin, Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Kristin Thompson, David Bordwell, Sergei Eisenstein, Reynold Humphries, Kendall Phillips.

Film Theory

Film theory is part of academic film criticism, including the part-whole theory and reality-based theory. Green film criticism focuses on eco-cinecriticism and environmental films. Film critics have influence over moviegoers’ viewing decisions and box office performance. Research shows that positive reviews increase earnings and negative reviews decrease earnings.

Industry Trends

The underperformance of films in 2017 was attributed to low Rotten Tomatoes scores. Studies have shown that younger viewers give the website more credibility, and fan-run websites now factor into public opinion on films. Academic studies on films were criticized for being overly traditional and emphasizing generalized statements. This has led to a decline in female representation in film criticism.

Gender Representation

A study found that 91% of top critics on Rotten Tomatoes are men, and women are underrepresented in film criticism across various platforms. The rise of the Internet has contributed to this issue, as it has led to a decline in jobs at small newspapers where women were more likely to review films.

Female Critics

Female critics may feel pressure to critique female-led films more harshly due to their gender. A study on 270 films found that 22% had female protagonists and critics are slightly more likely to rate these films highly if they represent women well. Mainstream moviegoers are not turned off by films with female protagonists. Movies that represent women well are just as likely to be profitable as movies that do not, and are less risky as business propositions.

Salary

As of 2021: $63,474 per year As of 2013: $82,000 per year Newspaper/magazine critics: $27,364-$49,574 per year Online movie critics: $2-$200 per review TV critics: up to $40,000-$60,000 per month