When I listen to certain podcasts and read certain articles online, I am noticing a trend. Many critics and writers have been insulting audiences for watching movies. When Transformers 2 came out and just blew up the box office I heard many critics and writers saying things like “I am very disappointed with America” or “How stupid can people that live in the middle of the country be to actually like a piece of crap like this movie”.
I would like to take this time to address some things and hopefully shed some light on these people and explain to them something. When you work all day long 9-5, and then go home and do family stuff, and then wake up the next morning to it again. There are a lot of people in this country who want to get away from this for a couple hours and enjoy themselves. So this is what we like to call escapist entertainment. Do we know the movie is not Citizen Cain? Of course we do, but that’s not why we go to the movies. We go to see something really fun that makes us smile.
Calling people names because they like a certain movie is ridiculous and silly and will never sway someone over to your side of an argument. When you do that in your reviews or discussions it sounds petty and immature. I believe there is plenty of space in cinema for every movie no matter your tastes.
Transformers 2 was universally panned by movie critics and writers. If America had the same viewing habits as the critics then how did the movie make $817 million worldwide? It may have been crappy story wise but it was a feast for the eyes and ears. We all know Michael Bay is not the best director in the world, but he knows what we like to see and gives it to us every time. We watch his movies because for two hours we can escape from our everyday lives and lose ourselves in this action movie. We are not looking for cinematography or editing. The movie makes us smile and have fun therefore we like it.
Now there comes a movie every so often where critics, writers, and moviegoers see eye to eye. A recent example of this is The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight, in my opinion, may be one of the best movies ever made. There is another time when I agree with the critics on The Departed. To this day it is one of the best acted and made movies I have ever seen. It was not popular at the box office even though it made 289.4 million on a shoe string budget. Everyone I talk to says that movie is one of there favorites.
So in the end of it all it comes down to personal taste. No one should make anyone’s interest in a particular type of movie. Whether it’s men making fun of chick flicks, or women making fun of action movies. It is all from your own personal interest.
*The following was written by my husband, Chris. He has always been a movie nut and enjoys PC gaming. Currently he is playing Starcraft 2 and awaiting the release of Civ V.
