Really great article. I agree with you. There is a pattern. Critics don't judge movies by what's on screen they judge movies by what they expect. I hate the line "I watch 100 movies a week." Just because you drive door dash all day does not make you a race car driver. Critics need to study and do critical analysis and use criteria. They are killing movies. And it's getting worse, the movie Mercy was dead on arrival with 25% RT critics score and an 82% audience score. I heard critics say it was going to suck before they even saw the movie.
Great list...particularly "The Thing" which is truly impossible to see as anything but exceptional today.
I would add "Apocalypse Now".
Universally considered a masterpiece today, such was not the case in 1979. Having seen it in the theater and been stunned by its excellence, I remember the decidedly mixed reviews at the time as well. Critics felt the film was too long, too weird, incoherent and plodding with a deflating ending.
Time and reflection have corrected these misperceptions.
In Norway 'The Shining' was a hit with the public and the critics from the start. Possibly because the concept of being snowed in resonnated with Norwegians.
'And that is one of my favorite things about movies - a film doesn’t live or die on its opening reviews, as sometimes it just waits, and then, years later, it gets the recognition it deserved all along.'- Yes, the magic or tragedy of all artistic works
Fantastic article Arthur! It’s stories like these that are always in the back of my mind when a new movie I love is generally disliked by critics and even early audiences. The Bride! comes to mind as something that could be re-evaluated in the coming years.
Thank you. And yeah, I always ignore reviews anyway, but the early audiences I always ignore both ways, but, especially if they are overly dramatically positive, as you know they aren't entirely honest.
I think watching the Melania movie should be mad mandatory for all American adults because MAGA would completely disappear, thereby making Melania the greatest cinematic achievement ever.
Really great article. I agree with you. There is a pattern. Critics don't judge movies by what's on screen they judge movies by what they expect. I hate the line "I watch 100 movies a week." Just because you drive door dash all day does not make you a race car driver. Critics need to study and do critical analysis and use criteria. They are killing movies. And it's getting worse, the movie Mercy was dead on arrival with 25% RT critics score and an 82% audience score. I heard critics say it was going to suck before they even saw the movie.
When you're right, you're right.
Agree 100%.
Great list...particularly "The Thing" which is truly impossible to see as anything but exceptional today.
I would add "Apocalypse Now".
Universally considered a masterpiece today, such was not the case in 1979. Having seen it in the theater and been stunned by its excellence, I remember the decidedly mixed reviews at the time as well. Critics felt the film was too long, too weird, incoherent and plodding with a deflating ending.
Time and reflection have corrected these misperceptions.
Thanks! And yeah, that's another good shout too. I might do another list at some point too as definitely are more examples.
In Norway 'The Shining' was a hit with the public and the critics from the start. Possibly because the concept of being snowed in resonnated with Norwegians.
Interesting to know - thanks.
'And that is one of my favorite things about movies - a film doesn’t live or die on its opening reviews, as sometimes it just waits, and then, years later, it gets the recognition it deserved all along.'- Yes, the magic or tragedy of all artistic works
The lesson, I think, is to not trust critics, which I didn’t to begin with
Fantastic article Arthur! It’s stories like these that are always in the back of my mind when a new movie I love is generally disliked by critics and even early audiences. The Bride! comes to mind as something that could be re-evaluated in the coming years.
Thank you. And yeah, I always ignore reviews anyway, but the early audiences I always ignore both ways, but, especially if they are overly dramatically positive, as you know they aren't entirely honest.
I'd like to throw Damien Chazelle's Babylon in this camp. Horrendously misunderstood film and deserves way more praise than it got!
Great article as well!
Thanks - Yep, definitely a lot more movies that could be included too. Thanks for reading.
I think watching the Melania movie should be mad mandatory for all American adults because MAGA would completely disappear, thereby making Melania the greatest cinematic achievement ever.