Everything is subjective
I just watched the 2009 psychological horror movie “The Box“. A movie which I had seen many very negative reviews about when it was released but also some positive ones praising it for the same sort of reasons it was getting stick for. I decided to watch the film to see where I stood in this scale, and while trying to work my rating out I had a thought.
Who exactly is to say whether a film, song or anything else is “good” or not? Movie’s that divide critics like this come along every once in a while, generally for their strange take on movie making. Some don’t like the idea of shaking up everything that traditional film-making is about or plots that don’t seem to make any sense, and some love anything out of the ordinary or mysterious. Film’s are often slated by critics and take a disappointing profit at the box office on release, then are accepted as cult classics years later. So who is right? Who or what decides if something is a masterpiece or trash?
I am as guilty as the next man for bad-mouthing popular movies I consider to be inferior to what I like. I’m sure if 100 people were asked if they considered the universally admired Goodfellas a better film than, say, the likes of Epic Movie, the results would be pretty one-sided. Or would they? If a target audience can get as much enjoyment out of either film, how can we judge which one is best overall? Perhaps renowned cinema critics like Mark Kermode or Barry Norman are better qualified to decide what we should watch than the rest of us. But does studying a lot of movies really make them any better than a friend for recommending a DVD to you?
When you think about things in this way it kind of makes any award show or movie rating redundant. I think the only real way to rate or decide whether to recommend a movie or not depends on the person you are recommending to and how well you know their tastes. It is just not practical to universally rate a movie to everyone at once, knowing the differences of interests and opinions people will have about the same piece of film. Doesn’t mean I will stop doing it though.
As for The Box? I liked that it was filmed like a 1970’s horror (think Wicker man or Kubrick-esk), had some creepy bits in the middle but for me, a slightly disappointing end. Like a previous Richard Kelly film Donnie Darko (one of my favourites) I think it will continue to divide people down the middle. A real love or hate one. Ultimately – I would watch again.
*** – 3 stars
Image: Filmcritic.com
Kickstand's Korner 