Do Movie Reviews Matter?

In 2018, Statistica reported that 43% of adults are likely to read a movie review before going to the theater to see a given film.

With innovations in technology, the way readers consume these reviews is evolving. In 2020, audiences have numerous ways in which they can go about gathering a conscience of either critics or general audience members.

However, to film critics, movie reviews are much more than just telling audiences what films are good and which are bad.

Dan Murrell, a film critic, producer, writer, editor, and a key contributor to Screen Junkies, discussed the role that he feels movie reviews occupy in engaging with art.

“I think film criticism absolutely matters because criticism is an essential key to art, and I think that part of the cycle of art is that there's a conversation around it. You don't want to hang up a painting in an empty museum,” Murrell said. “Some artists I think probably we get satisfaction from the simple production of the art, but I think that most artists find the conversation around the art that they make to be important.”

This engagement with art can also potentially affect the financial success of a given film.

“As film criticism has been seen as this ‘consumer tool,’ I think that bad reviews can hurt a movie financially or at the very least can set the tone for how a movie is going to be received and how, when people walk into a movie, what they expect to see,” Murrell said. “But also, if it gets bad reviews, there're some people that are just not gonna go see it who would've seen it otherwise. So, I think that there's a definite financial influence.”

Some film critics also believe that representation in film criticism is important to connect with readers and offer new perspectives. Monica Castillo is a writer whose work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and many more.

Castillo spoke about how having diversity among film critics can bring about different contexts in a review.

“There are all of these different kinds of examples of things that especially resonate with some people because they have the experiences they have racial backgrounds that they can speak to,” Castillo said.

Leonard Maltin is a world-renowned movie critic and historian who has written numerous books such as “Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide,” “Hooked on Hollywood,” and many more. Maltin discussed how movie critics can remind audiences of standards that films should be judged by.

“At their best, I think a movie critic should and sometimes can remind people of a standard by which all films can be judged. There are no absolutes here, but if mediocrity and repetition go unchecked, then we're just gonna get worse movies year by year,” Maltin said. “I think an independent-minded critic can try to remind people that they shouldn't settle for anything less than good, if not great.”

Apart from praising or criticizing a movie, some critics feel that sharing a film with others is one of the best parts of their job.

“It’s definitely, for me, one of the highlights and why I keep doing it. I love finding a gem of a film that I absolutely love and I can't wait for everyone to see,” Castillo said.