I've seen a lot of movies lately and I can't help but notice that no matter how good reviews they've gotten, they're considerably less awesome now than they were back when I was under fourteen or so. I'm pretty sure this is a universal phenomenon, because a lot of people I've talked to like to reminisce on how every movie was amazing when they were a kid.
It's not the same when you get to an age where you're able to view films critically and "develop taste." Somehow, people seem to think that getting less joy out of movies is an improvement.
Throughout my childhood my parents tried convincing me to see "good" movies and that most of the movies I loved actually sucked. I remember I was always confused about how movie reviews worked because to me, almost every movie was good.
It's pretty peculiar that people who hate movies so often decide to become film critics.
Oh, because it's a sign that they have selective tastes. Kind of like how picky eaters are here to demonstrate that spaghetti with butter and salt is the superior food.
I understand it though. I've read too many reviews on rottentomatoes and gotten into too many fights on IMDb. I watch movies partly for the sport. People argue over how the director did and go through point-by-point problems with the film's structure. It's a pageant.
I think that if we still had the power to really enjoy movies like a kid does, we'd realize that "it made me laugh/cry/get excited" isn't a poor argument in favor of a film at all. A more accurate movie critique would be based on polling of audiences, not the deconstruction of the few.
If I'm going to be honest with myself though, I'm going to go back to judging movies like a 1337 right after I see something that's out. Judging feels good too. It's a completley different type of feel-good from the one that watching a movie can give, but if I get robbed of $10 by seeing a movie I hate, I can enjoy passionatly hating on it on the Internet.
Win-Win.
While I think you have some point, I also think you should bear in mind that as you're older, you have something to compare those movies to. When you're young, it's all so new and there's always some nostalgia with new things - I notice I get that sense as I look back when I first started playing a game I really like, when I first started a job, going to my university, etc. Movies, I think, work in a similar regard.
ReplyDeleteBut don't worry, as you get older, I find when you look back at movies (like movies about high school stuff), you get a sense of nostalgia just watching those and like it even more than you would at the time. That's how it is for me it seems like.