Bob Wetherell

Based on the overwhelming reaction to my comments about INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINTY here on Twitter, I’ve been thinking a lot today about this phenomenon we’ve seen in recent years, where professional critics are quick to weigh in with their expert hot takes on a film, but then the larger audience reaction ends up being something very different. And here’s what I think is going on… Most professional critics today are lifelong fans, first and foremost, who don’t just review movies but spend most of their time professionally covering, opining, and obsessing over the sausage-making process of the movie business—the messy behind-the-scenes rumors, the irksome quotes of stars and producers, the perceived politics or agenda of the studios and filmmakers, the disastrous in-fighting and terrible test screenings, the rumored alternate endings that would have been so much better, the people who had to be brought in to save the film, etc. Why? Because it’s great click bait. Anytime you can use an unflattering picture of Kathleen Kennedy (Photoshopped look like the shocked kid from Home Alone) or Jon Favreau (with fake tears streaming down his face) as the thumbnail for your latest YouTube rant, you’re sure to guarantee a strong response. And in doing all of this—day in and day out, year after year—said critics (who live and die on being perceived as experts on the subject matter by their readers and viewers) inevitably form very strong opinions about all of it. So much so that by the time they actually see the movie, they’re no longer able to be objective. They’ve already decided they’re going to hate it. And rather than giving the film the fair shake that every film deserves—which should be the hallmark of a professional critic—seeing it is just a miserable process of confirming their worst expectations. They’re not actually reviewing the film itself, they’re reviewing the much better version they’d imagined or hoped for, and all of that other stuff too. When you see a movie as a professional critic, you should always go in an open slate, willing and able to give the filmmakers a fair chance of winning you over with their actual work, regardless of the circumstances of its creation. Maybe they will, and maybe they won’t. But you have to be able to set your fandom aside and try to be objective. And then, you bring your professional experience and knowledge to bear in an effort to analyze the work and try to figure out what went right or wrong, so you can explain that to your readers. For you younger folks, it might seem inconceivable to know that there was ever a time when we didn’t know almost literally everything there is to know about a film before its release thanks to the Internet. But Gen X and Boomer readers will remember what it was like to walk into a theater with no more than a vague idea of what you were about to experience. That wasn’t a mark of ignorance; it actually ensured that every film and filmmaker had a fair chance. The other thing I think happens a lot these days is that fandom so revolves around online communities and identities, that there tends to be a “group think” effect. People want to maintain their status and favor within the community, so they tend to ascribe to whatever the community has decided about a film project over months of debating every little leak and detail online before its release. I’ve personally been to many press screenings in this industry and after almost every one, I see fellow professional critics walk out, give each other cautious sideways looks, and say, “What did you think?” as if they’re not entirely sure about their own opinions or they’re afraid to be the first to voice them. Because if you actually risked being honest about how you feel before you’ve heard what your peers think, you could be singled out as a shill, or a troll, or worse yet an idiot by your community. But in a social media environment that seems to thrive on instant reactions and hot takes, it’s easy to forget that sometimes a person actually needs to think about what think before sharing it. And that’s not only okay, it’s a good thing. Of course, conversely, there are also those folks who wait to see what everyone else thinks, and then immediately take the contrarian position because that’s good click bait too. From my perspective, having been a professional film critic for almost thirty years now, here’s my advice: Never let other people make up your mind for you. You know what you like and don’t like, you know what you want from a movie experience and don’t. Take the time you need to process your feelings and thoughts. Never let a person who hates a film—no matter how expert they may seem—ruin your enjoyment of something. And if you didn’t like something that everyone else seems to enjoy, that’s fine too. When people disagree with you, that’s not an offense against your person. You don’t need to defend yourself to anyone. People aren’t all the same, and have different tastes, and that’s okay. But my lifelong experience is that it’s always better to go into a movie or a TV series, or any kind of entertainment really, with an open mind. That’s a big part of what made the late 1970s and 1980s such a delightful time to be a moviegoer. And it might actually help you to remember why you loved the moviegoing experience to begin with. Just my two cents. -BH PS: Because we critics do thrive, or not, based upon people reading our words, if you liked what you just read, please feel free to follow me here on Twitter and share this post with your friends. I can’t promise that you’ll always agree with what I post and share, but I can promise that I will always endeavor to be thoughtful, fair, and rational in doing so. Cheers!