We love being fans. It doesn’t matter if it’s fans of a movie (Star Wars shall rule forever), fans of a sports team (Maple Leafs shall rule forever), fans of software (all hail Linux), fans of a music group (U2 shall also rule forever), fans of comics (Age of Apocalypse baby!), fans of a video game (StarCraft and Unreal Tournament are still my favorites of all time) or fans of a website (Three cheers for The Movie Blog!!! Anyone? Anyone?).
The interesting thing is that in all of the examples above, there is an element of debatability (yeah I know I made that word up). There is no real objective measuring stick to say yes, this one is BETTER than that one. It’s not like a who is tallest competition in which all you have to do is pull out a measuring stick and there is a clear winner where the results can’t be debated. 1 Million is more than 1 dollar. 10 feet is more than 3. 100 degrees is hotter than 30 degrees. These things can be objectively measured and settled. Not so with film.
My motto on The Movie Blog has always been “The most beautiful thing about film is the pure subjectivity of it“. And that’s true. The value or quality of a film can’t be measured or weighed or counted to any sort of objective conclusion. It’s a subjective medium that touches us all in different ways. And therein lies it’s real magic.
Movies transcend the limits of height or weight or measurement. They can’t be chopped up and quantified. The TRUTH and VALUE of a film totally lies within the impact and impression it leaves on me… as an individual. This impact and impression willbe different for everyone the film comes across. And for me personally, no movies in history have had the impact or left the impression on me that can equal the original Star Wars trilogy. That statement can not be argued or debated or disagreed with. It is… the truth.
However, if you tell me that Star Wars did not make that impression or have that sort of impact on YOU… then I can’t debate it. Only you know the true truth of that statement. And there it is… the beauty of film. It’s pure subjectivity!
What fun would film be if it’s quality could be measured and quantified? There could be no discussion. There could be no debate. There could be no insight. 50ft. is taller than 40ft. There is no room for dialog or discussion on that. No opportunity to gain some insight from another person with a different point of view or way of looking at things. There is… no beauty.
It’s this subjectivity that makes things like a Top 10 Best… Anything list fun. If it was a Top 10 most expensive movies list… then there can’t be any discussion. It’s measured. It’s calculated. It’s objective. However, a Top 10 Best Animated Films of All Time list is subjective! That can be discussed and talked about and debated. People can offer different points of view and share different ideas and options. We can disagree and exchange ideas and thoughts and experiences. You just can’t do that with a measuring stick.
It’s this subjectivity that makes me laugh when I see some people on this site and others write things like If you think that’s the best you’re stupid. If you like that you’re an idiot. People who say things like that they don’t understand that film is subjective. People won’t feel the same way they do… and having a positive or negative feeling or impression about a film is neither right or wrong… it’s subjective.
Say you disagree… say why you disagree… talk about your points of view and why a film struck you (good or bad) the way it did. Debate, discuss and disagree. That’s part of the beauty of subjectivity.
If I think a film is Great, then I am neither right nor wrong. Maybe many will agree with me… maybe none will… but that won’t change how a film impacted, entertained or made an impression on me. Or you. And therein my dear friends lies the true beauty of the movies.
Cheers!
~John
(This post was originally written back in 2005. I came across it today and just felt like reposting it)
An excellent point! I couldn’t agree more. For me, it’s all about the experience, and sometimes, those cheap movies that only air on the Sci-Fi (I guess it’s Sy-Fy now) channel at 2 am give a great experience, and there is nothing wrong with that!
“Each is entitled to their own interpretation, but not his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Amen to that.
I’m probably in the minority but I enjoyed Terminator Salvation more than Star Trek, I think it’s even a better film(seen it 4 times now as of last night), not sure how anyone can be disappointed by any part of it, just my opinion though.
Star Trek was amazing, Wolverine was awesome. I’m pretty tolerant of movies though, and I hope Bruno is good, because Borat in my honest opinion was the least funny movie in history just below Sex And The City but thanks to the subjectivity of film I can say that. And thanks to John’s awesome website I can post about it.
I thought Terminator Salvation was awesome. A lot of people surrounded it with negativity unfairly.
Hey John, nice little piece!
i love reading the moving blog, and how you’ve gone along over the years to creating this film that will be coming out is inspiring to someone as young as me who is just going through all the steps to become what i want in the film industry,
i hope your film hits it big! and you do to, and i hope you’ll always run this site, thanks!
Aaron
Love it John. I totally agree. Lists are the business and there is no need to destroy somebody just cause they disagree with you….although anybody who dis’s Pixar deserves a beating. Also I’m Irish and I’m very happy that U2 got a mention!
(Clap)
Well said, John!
(slams tankard of mead on table before chugging)
I do love being a fan, a fan of movies(Star Wars is immortal-Epsidoe 3 is my favorite though), a fan of a sports team (I love the Yankees and everyone hates me for it), a fan of TV shows (The Office is amazing), a fan of Music (Linkin Park enthralls me), a fan of video games (Halo 3 will never die), and a fan of a website (The Movie Blog got me interested in movies beyond just a casual liking and I thank you John for that).
But anyways this is a nice post thanks for reposting it, and I do realy love your top 10 lists alot.
Hey John! How about a quick Mailbag edition? Yay, nay???
Metallica is my favorite all time band and The Door, Godzilla is my favorite movie series, and my favorite sports team is The New England Patriots and The Ole Miss Rebels(yes even though they suck lately I still like them).
And since you mentioned them John, U2 SHALL INDEED RULE FOREVER. I’m going to see them live in October with my friend and I cannot wait!
Take me with you, I promise I’ll be good lol
Reminds me of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioUIF-hSXD8
Of course your right but its in our nature to be passionate about our opinions. I just watched Clearview Terrace on DVD over the weekend and thought it was great. For what it was trying to accomplish I was extremely impressed. So I go on Rottentomatoes to see what others thought of it and I see 48% positive. My first reaction to those people who knocked it was-are you stupid. Thats just the way our minds work.
chuck
John is gearing up for the release of Transformers 2. =)
Great article John. This truly is the beauty of film making. Dang deep stuff right there.
There can be a difference between whether or not you like a movie and its level of quality, if it’s ‘good’ or not.
There’s also a difference between a qualified and an unqualified opinion. One of the best areas you see this, where people are perhaps less aware of the notion at all, is food. But I see it all the time with movies. (Again, I’m talking about a film’s quality, not about its likeability or entertainment value.)
And this is where the average film-goer/commenter gets all pissy on the very notion of ‘critics’…
…and I can see I need to post a proper comment on my own blog, so as not to take up so much space here; God bless all the electronic trees that give their lives for prolixity…as well as the short attention spans of those who don’t have the endurance to read more than fifty words. LOL
So, John; I’ll agree. Up to a point.
Catwoman is the best comicbook movie ever.
That statement is wrong, it has nothing to do with being subjective.
lol
Im sure you can find somebody who did enjoy it and thinks it.
zing
You clearly don’t get it.
This is precisely John’s point. Someone MAY think that is accurate and could debate the point.
That you will have a hard time finding someone to agree with the statement doesn’t mean it is any less true or false.
People love the Jackass films. I don’t get it. That doesn’t mean I or they are wrong. They just feel differently about it.
Its all subjective.
I think I get the point, just don’t agree 100 percent. Some movies are not for everybody and some movies are just plain bad. If someone wants to say Catwoman, Wild Wild West, Batman and Robin, Battlefield Earth, Babylon A.D. etc, are OK films or enjoyable, that is one thing but it is another to say those movies are the greatest of all time. I don’t even know how anyone could argue a movie is great when the people involved in making it even say its bad.
And per Rodney’s comment, we should clearly add comedy to the subjective list.
cloud720,
My mom loves that movie(no joke).
One thing I have zero respect for, and I usually apply this to music, is someone not being able to tell the difference between something that sucks, and something that just isn’t their bag. You know those idiots…”Niel Pert sucks” or whatever. I hate Aretha Franklin, I can’t stand her music, but I would never be so naive or ignorant as to say “she sucks” I recognize that she’s good at what she does, it’s just that what she does isn’t my thing.
Contrast this to some of the punk band out there that can’t even play their instruments. They truly suck in a very non-subjective way. I can say “that band sucks” and have a non-subjective leg to stand on.
The same thing can be applied to movies to a great extent. You can say “I didn’t like The Godfather, wasn’t my thing” (I did, thought it was great) but if I say it sucks, then I think you have to question my objectivity.
Now if I say “Last Action Hero Sucks” well then you know I have a few brain cells to rub together and I’m not a total dufus.
So by an large I agree with you John, but some things are truly great, and some things truly suck.
That’s usually the case when you run into ‘snobs’
A movie snob will turn “What’s your favorite movie?” into the most loaded question you’ll encounter. If you answer with something you really enjoy watching such as Top Gun, they throw out AFI’s top 10 as their fav’s. You answer with Casablanca or Citizen Kane, they throw out an obscure movie nobody’s heard of and call you mainstream. Those are the people I dislike the most and avoid. You can usually identify them within the first 2 minutes of a conversation.
@ Jim
I agree in large parts with what you are saying. My “Top 10 Favorite Films of All Time” list would be quite different than my “Top 10 Greatest Films of All Time”, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people won’t recognize the difference between the two.
@ Roguepirate
Yeah, those people you mention are the opposite end of the spectrum, not the ones who say “Legend is the greatest film of all time” (failing to see that it’s actually their favorite, and that’s a different thing.) they can’t see that someone’s “favorite” film can be shit (in terms of filmmaking quality). Casablanca is popular, but it also is a fantastic film. That being said, I love many obscure films and a lot of the time it’s for what they have done for film as a whole (which my family can’t see how I honestly appreciate it, but I do) I don’t consider myself a snob though.
That is a good picture of you, just sayin’. I agree with you John, what you are saying makes sense.
But i only come to this site due to its CORRECT movie opinions. Are you saying the movie blog is fallible? If so i must start my search for the meaning of life
Themovieblog is not fallible!!!!!
lol.
John is infalible and to prove him wrong would mean the end of the earth and time itself will collapse.
I meant TheMovieBlog is infalible.
totally true john. There are no movies that will be 100% universally hated. Also, there are no movies that will be 100% universally loved. Hell, there are people out there who don’t like pixar films. We don’t really need any more proof than that of the subjectivity of films.