People Don’t Pay Attention To Critics Anymore? BULLSHIT

John Campea 74 Comments

It’s become the cool thing in movie fandom circles to say “I don’t pay attention to critics”. Oh I have no doubt at all that for SOME people that is true, but there seems to be a prevailing idea out there these days that critics are pretty much ignored and that everyone is far too cool to listen to anything they have to say.

Now, I’m no film critic, but even I have known this idea was bullshit. If I ever had any doubt whatsoever that this idea was bullshit… the last few days have cleared that up for me.

Case in point: G.I. Joe

Up until about a week ago, the vast general sentiment online amongst film fans was that the trailers and casting and images from the upcoming G.I. Joe movie absolutely sucked and sucked hard. Yes there were some people still excited about seeing the movie (like me… because I’m stupid), but hope that the film would be any good whatsoever was slim.

In the span of 1 solitary week… that sentiment online has ALMOST entirely changed. Paramount even pulled the old “let’s not show it to critics” trick, except for a few hand selected critics who are generally fans of this genre (some people make the lame argument that because some of these critics didn’t like Transformers 2, that means they’re not pre-disposed to being fans of the genre… which is total nonsense. I didn’t like Transformers 2 either, but I’ll tell you right now I’m predisposed to liking comic book/sci fi/ action adventure genre films in a heart beat).

So what happened that suddenly changed the entire perception online of this film from resoundingly negative to almost universally positive? Critics.

The opinion of basically 4 critics who were allowed to see the movie (all guys by the way that I really respect) came out and said they liked-really liked the movie.

That’s it. No new trailers. No sudden revelations. No new pictures of Cobra Commander or Destro. Just the word of a couple of critics who saw the movie and said it was good has single handedly changed the entire perception of the online world about this movie.

I’m CERTAINLY NOT saying this is a bad thing. On the contrary as a matter of fact.

But seriously… for those of you who may disagree with what I’m saying… you can’t deny there is a massive perception shift of the movie from about a week ago to today. That’s indisputable. You also can’t really deny the only thing that has changed from then to now is the word of a small handful of online critics. Nothing else new has happened.

So the next time someone tells me “Critics don’t mean anything”, I’m just going to politely smile, but in my head scream out “BULLSHIT”.

Personally, despite my excitement to see the film I have no doubt whatsoever the film will suck. Hopefully I’m dead wrong and friends of mine from CHUD or Latino Review are right. But this post isn’t about if G.I. Joe will be good or bad. It’s how the word of just a few critics has shifted reality and changed how the online universe perceives a movie in just about a week’s time. Don’t tell me no one listens to critics… because my friends, we clearly do.

Now, off to get my tickets for Joe tonight.

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74 thoughts on “People Don’t Pay Attention To Critics Anymore? BULLSHIT”

  1. Ha let people say what they like about movies, we all have are “opinions” so many times people would say this movie is awesome. Then I watch it and it is terrible so I just justify the movie based on my views no one else’s… I would love to be movie critics I love all movies even the shitty ones and I have see pretty much everything so 2 thumbs up to critics.

  3. True that, John.

    I thought GI Joe was going to be horribly panned. But when I started reading reviews on IGN, I was surprised.

    My modus operandi is sligthly different.
    I trust reviews a lot(the only time I ever felt cheated was in The Host, a movie that was praised by many critics).

    I ussually browse through reviews before a movie’s just to get the feel for it, I don’t read them all because I’m afraid to stumble upon spoilers.

    The rotten tomatoes wesbite helps.

    Now after I see the movie, I read the full reviews to see if what’s on there I agree with or not.

  5. It’s about what critics you listen to. If I had listened to Rotten Tom’s, I wouldn’t have went to see Orphan. Thatnk god I didn’t listen to them, because I loved Orphan. Instead, I read Fangoria, and Bloody disgusting for my reviews, and got the info i needed.

  7. I don’t really care about how a car works, unless I need to fix it. I don’t have fun talking about the details of a car. Therefore I don’t care what a car guru thinks about my car as long as it gets me from point A to point B comfortably, and/or looks cool.

    I am an independent a.k.a. wannabe filmmaker. I have studied filmmaking just the same as many critics have. I tend to be someone who weighs heavily on writing and acting for a good film. Two things that most regular movie goers are forgiving to. I listen to a lot of critics because they get the films I am into. Not to be cheesy but they have the capacity to be moved by a great performance.

    The reason I personally like John’s Reviews is because he also seems to understand these elements but as a blogger he freely expresses his interest in films like The Punisher: Warzone.
    I live in Los Angeles, It usually costs me about 11-12 bucks to see a movie, if I am on the fence about a movie, trust that a critics review will go a long way.

    If a movie like GI:JOE only gives me a shitty trailer AND they won’t let critics see it, Im only showin up to the theater if it was my professional duty or I have “Knowing is Half the Battle” tattooed on my ass cheek.

  8. I listen to critics but I don’t give a shit. Most of them give negative reviews to fun action films. I make up my mind about what movies I will see, if I like it, I like it. Like, The reader is an oscar winning movie but I hated it so much u cannot even imagine.

  9. I don’t listen to critics at all. I do see how a movie is holding up though. But whether a critic or a lot of critics liked the film or not. Does not effect my decision to see a movie. Which is basically what they are there for. If a movie looks interesting to me then I will go see it and make up my own mind on if it sucked or not.

    On a side note there are some critics who I feel like to give a negative review just because it will get them noticed. I’m not saying they can’t have their own opinions. But it seems some of them try and bash a film because its popular.

  12. I have no interest in seeing this movie because it doesn’t even resemble G.I. Joe in my eyes.

    Also, I only listen to critics to get a general idea if most people (them) hated the film or not. I

  13. Okay John, you have a point. However, when people say they don’t listen to critics, what they mean is if a critic smashes a movie, they wont care. Because if they were already interested in seeing it in the first place, they are still going to go see it despite what some guy who watches and reviews movies professionally has said.

    Now if a critic says a movie is great or good or something along those lines, people listen because people’s perception of critics is that they are disgruntled old fat white guys who are IMPOSSIBLE to please. So if THEY liked the movie even a just a little bit, it must be alright or pretty good. But then there is also another side to that coin because if a “disgruntled old fat white guy who is IMPOSSIBLE to please” really really really likes a movie, it’s probably some boring ass art film or some sloooow super mega drama that nobody in their right minds should enjoy.

    But people love it when critics like their favorite movies. And they’ll say “Aw man! The critics are goin NUTS about this movie! This movie is gonna make BANK! Shit, I wanna see it AGAIN!”

    So you are right. Critics DO have an effect on how well a movie does…in a way. But it’s not just black and white.

  15. I’m of the mind that I will read what critics have to say, but I won’t let it sway my opinion. In that regard, I don’t care what critics say. Opinions are opinions, and I want to be able to have my own opinion.

  16. it’s dropped to 59%.
    maybe Paramount is doing the right thing by not showing it to critics.

    I still hope it makes a ton of money so we can get GI Joe 2.

  17. all I know is this about 70 percent of the time I disagree with “mainstream” critics, especially when it comes to movies.
    I’ve been a music reviewer/journalist for over 15 years so I likle to to think I understand both sides of the debate.

    That said, I just think as the internet continues to be a dominant promotin tool and the rules will continue to change, the press is not respected as much now that anyone with a middle school school education can post a review.

    Being a critic is fun but it’s not a job for the thin skinned. Really waht is boils down is my personal taste when it comes to weather I like a movie or an album or whatever. If I or anyone else can put a little food on the table (And I do mean a little!)by sharing my impression of somethin with out being hateful (Many critics go way overboard these days, IMO, like with personal attacks, I.E. comments about Megan Fox for example)so be it.

    I will reserve judgement for G.I. Joe until I personally see it and form my own opinion, thanks. This is what separates the fans from the fanboys.

  18. If it’s a film I want to see, I’ll listen to any advance review. I just may not pay attention to it. There’s a difference.

    For what it’s worth, I’ve just seen ‘G.I.Joe’ and I thought it was huge fun.

  20. You make a great point, John. When Roger Ebert posted his review of Transformers 2, there was an uproar among fans online. Being the graceful man that he is, he responded with an article called “I’m a proud brainiac”, in which he shared not only the reasoning behind his review, but his overall system for film critique. The point I’m trying to make is, even if the general public disagrees with a critic, a critic’s opinion is almost always taken into account, regardless.

  21. Just FYI,

    Over night, G.I. Joe went from 91% (with their hand picked critics) to 64% (as other reviews start coming in).

    Please note, “hand picked” does NOT mean the critics who saw it were bias… just that they represent the type of film fan who are more likely to enjoy this sort of film. Big difference.

  22. I hope not being invited to the screening will not color the critics reviews of this movie. Maybe it will for some of them. I know many of them are pissed off though. This decision by Paramount may backfire on them…but then again, it may not. They may go into the film with such low expectations that the film will surprise them. I’m trying to be optimistic.

    I’m rooting for this movie. I’m pretty sure it will be successful commercially, but critically, it will probably get bashed pretty good.

  23. People listen to critics far more than they think thet do. A lot of movies make money despite critics disliking the film because they already have a set fan-base that will go see the film no matter what. Family films and such are formidable box office contenders as well. Regardless, box office success in no way indicates that critics are irrelevant. Lots of people can go to see a movie but not end up liking the movie. For instance, tons of people went to see Transformers 2 but most people did not think it was a very good film.

    1. exactly, just because a movie makes a lot of money doesn’t mean people loved it. most people will go to see a movie even if they know it will be bad, just because they want to see it.

    2. aHEM. I’m gonna have to go ahead and…sort of…disagree with you there…yeeeea ummm. I saw Transformers 2 TWICE in two different movie theaters a few days apart and the crowds that I saw the movie with LOVED IT. Sooooo….yeeeea….

    3. So you and this crowd represent the majority of movie-goers?

      In that case, the crowd I was with in the theatre and I must represent the majority as well, because we were bored out of our mind with nameless robots, cheap jokes and action scenes where you can’t tell who’s fighting who. And after that we all left quietly and quickly.

      There’s a general consensus that Transformers 2 was not very good.

  24. I think the broader point you raise in your article is that now it seems that the trailer is losing it’s importance. A bad trailer used to bury a movie, but now, even though the G.I. Joe trailer sucked, this selective screening they did seems to have completely washed away the bad taste.

  25. The good thing about most movies is that they’re predictible enough that you already know if they suck just based off the trailers. As soon as I saw the first G-Force I knew it was going to be terrible, and it was.

  26. Of course people listen to critics. More often than not, I find that audiences and critics tend to agree. I often find that movies which have received poor critical reviews usually have a short burst of success then a fairly quick drop-off whereas movies with positive critical reviews tend to have longer legs at the box office.

    I usually listen to critics who tend to share my personal opinion on movies and who I usually agree with. Often they can put my sentiments about movies into words where I can’t.

  27. In some ways I have to disagree. I speak for myself and not the masses that visit you site on a daily basis (like myself). I was going to see G.I. Joe even if it was the biggest piece of shit since terminator salvation. I became more excited to see it when I heard the critics liked it. Now when it comes to critics every critic bash ts and tf2 but I went to see them anyway cause I’m a fan of the franchises. Now you have HP6 which critics loved and I hated and still can’t understand why people like it when it has the best and meatest part of the book cut out. I usually rely on my gut feelings and have been disapointed time and again this summer I hoping the critics are finally right with joe.

    1. Hey Chancho,

      You ignorantly said:

      “I think that you will think the movie sucks regardless. You’ve already made up your mind.”

      What kind of stupid ignorant bullshit is that?

      I am ALWAYS fair and open minded when I see a movie.

      I said for a YEAR that I thought TMNT was going to suck hard… and I ended up liking it and admitted so on the site.

      I said for a LONG time that the new Punisher movie was going to suck and I ended up liking it (look up my review).

      So no, I have not “already made up my mind”. What a stupid ass thing to say.

    3. So Jennifer,

      What you’re saying is that if I like it, I’m open minded… and if I don’t like it, I’m NOT open minded.

      Ironically that is the most close minded thing I’ve heard anyone say all day

  29. Hey Jennifer Juniper

    You said:

    I do side with Paramount on not giving critics advance screening. Why would you invite people that you know will probably hate it?

    Why would you know in advance that critics will “hate” it unless it sucks?

    X-Men 2 is a comic book movie and has an 88% on Rotten Tomates.

    Spider-Man is a comic book movie and has a 90%

    Star Trek is a aci-fi action adventure movie and has a 95%

    So tell me again why you just assume critics will hate a comic/sci-fi action adventure film?

    If a film is good, it’s good. If it’s bad, it’s bad.

    1. Those films, like TDK, are exceptions and they are not “mindless”. Most (not all) critics tend to give “mindless” action flicks (such as those made by Bay, Emmerich, etc.) negative reviews. I think, like Sommers other films such as The Mummy, GI Joe will be “fun” but “mindless”. Nolan, Singer, etc…films tends not to be “mindless popcorn” like Bay or Sommers.

      Most of the time, critics will judge a film on whether it is artistically good or bad. But not on the “fun” factor. Like Armageddon or ID4, they are bad in term of story, acting, plot, etc., but it is fun and most people liked them.

    2. Jennifer,

      Are you saying the latest Star Trek wasn’t mindless? It was the most “empty” film of any from the Star Trek franchise. Horrible villain, lame plot… but it was all fun! And the critics raved about it. 95%.

      Fun can still (and SHOULD still) be “good”.

    3. I hope critics will give GI Joe the same considerations as Star Trek (but I don’t think they will). They are always hard on guys like Bay & Sommers.

    4. I agree with Jenn here John, haha though you probably could give two shits whether I care or not.

      Star Trek WAS straight fun and that’s all it was and everybody, including the critics, LOVED it. HOWEVER, Star Trek has a thing about it. Everybody loves the original characters and the old show was a HUGE success. When they made this new movie, they intelligently (not absent of mind) glued, tied (whatever) the original show with this new movie. It was so beautifully and gracefully tied in to the original show and it was so damn fun that the critics couldn’t deny that.

      The Bay movies never have had something like that to back them up. END

  30. I think GI Joe will receive negative reviews by most of the top critics, but like TF2, I think it will do very well at the box office. I do side with Paramount on not giving critics advance screening. Why would you invite people that you know will probably hate it? TF2 is a sequel and already has a strong following, but GI Joe doesn’t. I think it’s better to not generate a negative buzz because you know that what critics will do. It is smart business. If I was opening a new BBQ restaurant, I would not invite vegans and animals rights activist to create a negative buzz before the restaurant opens.

  31. I’m trying to sort through the evolving distinction between “critics” and “reviewers”. To me, it seems that critics are a legitimate position for people versed in the art and technique of filmmaking. “Reviewers” has devolved into an egalitarian mess of opinion made possible by the Internet and the public’s fascination with movies. That is, *anybody* can review a film, without any reason to form an opinion beyond their mood and personal taste.

    Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but the distinction should be made. There are thousands of reviews online that express nothing but personal opinion, and that seems to be separate from the few remaining critics who actually understand a basis for filmmaking and the language of film.

    And I guess for most people, a couple reviews from friends will always mean more than any analysis from a bona-fide critic.

    1. well I guess my friend is a super critic then because this guy is the hardest dude to please. He’ll fastforward through a movie he is seeing for the first time and say “this is all just filler.” A person who just wants to watch a movie and is not hell bent on judging the shit out of it will NEVER do something like that. Critics annoy the shit outa me.

  32. There was a screening of it last night here in miami. A bunch of people I know went, and they said it was really good…which surprised me. I don’t generally follow tons of critics, but there are a few who give valid reasons to not liking/liking a film. Most come off pretentious but I like Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, Roger Ebert, and Mick La Salle. There are a handful of others I like to read but I generally don’t let their negative/positive reviews effect whether I see the movie or not.

  33. When it comes to big budget films people ARE NOT listening to critics anymore. I don’t know why studios are wasting their time showing these types of films before the release date. The world has shown they’re utter saps for this medium.

    The fact is most moviegoer gets excited about a movie based on the trailer. You always hear them talking in the theater after they’ve seen it. “Oh I’m defiantly going to see that” or “That shit looks crazy” etc.
    They’re basically looking for five key things.
    1. Is the brand familiar?
    2. They get a sense the film is action-packed?
    3. Is the lead character well known?
    4. Is the director known to deliver the goods?
    5. Who are the producers?

    Hitting a majority of this point will make a film opening very successfully. Word of mouth NOT what critics are saying is what sustains it.
    As for GI JOE I got really excited for this film about a week before the CHUD review. The last trailer (which was trashed by some on this site) and the director featurette was what did it for me. The CHUD review only helped to build my excitement but I was defiantly seeing it opening week.

    Anyway people can discredit this notion all they want but the numbers don’t lie. A quick research of box office numbers show dumb big budget films good or bad that are accompanied with the points I outlined are critic proof. Some people have a hard time swallowing that pill; I don’t because I’m not a movie critic.

    2. Absolutely spot on Chisox.

      Movies that get terrible reviews still rake in heaps of money. So how have reviews had any impact?

      The vast majority of the public are obviously telling the truth when they say they don’t listen to critics. They’re not just trying to be cool. The masses really couldn’t care less what critics have to say.

      I know that personally I don’t pay attention to critics. I pretty much don’t read reviews any more. If I do, it’s usually just to glean more information about the movie. I find too often reviews are of no relevance to me, so they’re a waste of my time. I know I’ll like a movie or not based on it’s own merits, not the opinion of someone I don’t know. So instead I spend my limited time reading things of more value to me, like news on upcoming films. With so much information available for the masses to consume, I know I’m not alone.

  34. I do listen to critics some, but if the trailers and plot of a movie I read about online seem interesting to me, I’m going to go see it most likely, no matter what ANY film critic says.

    Also, if it’s based on a comic book I like or think I would like, or things I grew up with, like Transformers, again, no matter what, I’m most likely going to go see it. But even though I grew up with G.I. Joe, I think I’m just going to wait for a DVD rental of it. It just looks that bad to me. The whole thing about them showing it to only select critics really threw me off from this film as well.

    I more just use critics now to get a little bit of an idea of that others think. But really you don’t ever truly know if the movie is going to be good or not until you see the film for yourself. I can’t tell you how many movies people have told me weren’t any good, but I saw them anyway and ended of loving what I saw.

  35. People DO pay attention to critics, but for MOST people, I don’t think it will influence whether they will see the film or not. MOST popcorn action, horror flicks, teen comedy, etc genre gets negative reviews and these are USUALLY the one that make $$$. MOST “artsy/dramatic/oscar worthy” films gets positive reviews, but don’t make much much $$$. Look at last year’s oscar films like Milk, Frost/Nixon, Reader, etc. they don’t make $$$ in their entire run combined than what TF2 make in a single weekend.

    Yes, I read the reviews, but it does not affect by seeing/not seeing the movie. I will see Transformers, GI Joe, Wolverine..etc (sci-fi/fantasy/action/comicbook films) regardless of what critics say. And this is true for MOST movie goers, as reflected by the box office #s.

    What is the point of movie reviews it it doesn’t have much affect on the movie going public? Like me, most people would sit through TF2 5 times rather than Atonement or The Reader. Like I said before, sending movie critics to TF2 is like sending a food critic to McDonald. What’s the point?

  36. Yea, I would like to say I never let a reviewer sway my opinion of whether to see a movie, but then I would be lying now wouldn’t I? I rely on reviews to let me know whether I should spend $10.00 at theater or not. Of course we all know its not 10 bucks anymore, you counter in the family and snacks and you are easily over 50 bucks for a movie.

    So yea, reviews are important to me. I dont wanna go to theater and spend that money and leave dissatisfied. If the reviews are just terrible all the way around I will most likely still see the movie, but save it for home rental.

  37. I can honestly say I never listen to critics, watch their show nor read their reviews. The only people I listen to that have seen a particular movie are my friends and family. Makes sense, since these people know my tastes more than any critic would.

    Regardless, I still watch whatever I’m in the mood for, whether I think/know it’ll suck or not, so I can form my own opinion and not say, “Oh, I didn’t see that one cause somebody saw it and told me it wasn’t good”.

  38. I think movie critics have a vital role in the Hollywood machine, and if more people would listen to critics, I think the movie spectrum would change significantly. Unfortunately there are hoards of people out there that do in fact like crap movies, that’s why we see more crap movies being made (Dance Flick anyone???).

    I know personally that I am heavily swayed by critics, I think it helps me save money in these hard times right now. I have to be discerning about what movies I’m going to see in the first run theater, and this summer I had a lot of movies to choose from. Now I will still see several movies at the dollar theater in town or wait for the dvd, but the critics help me decide if a movie is “first run worthy”. I was waiting to see Transformers 2, but bad reviews made me decide to see Up instead. I was going to wait for Star Trek on dvd, but I saw it at the IMAX instead and I’m happy with my choices.

    But we all know that despite what any critics may say, for some reason you may end up liking a poorly review movie. That’s an individual judgment we all must make. I’m one of the few people that actually really liked Speed Racer, which surprised the hell out of me.

  39. I’m not sure this is an example of ‘people listening to critics’ as much as it is an example of ‘people reading the blogs and articles written by people who quote critics’ and being swayed that way.

    Indirectly it’s the result of critical opinion, but it’s not quite the same thing. For example, I’ve not read one piece of critical review of the movie, but I read this blog which tells me critics think it was good. So now I think it might not suck totally, but not because I listened to critics, instead because I listened to you, who listens to critics.

    Does that make any sense?

    Critics have an impact, but most people listen to people who listen to people who listen to critics.

  40. I always listen to critics. Whenever they say a movie is terrible, it makes me definetely want to see it. Now if they say a movie is great, then I stay as far away from it as possible.

  41. I do listen to critics. That said, there are certainly a large number of movies that come out that are poorly scored by critics, but still pull in high attendance or vice versa.

    Following that, I still haven’t heard a resounding change of opinion from the people I discuss movies with, so I can’t say I share your opinion on the tide having turned thanks to 4 reviews.

  42. Yeah, I have to agree with you. I have been thrilled to read the positive reviews of the (a few more than 4) people who have seen the film. I was always going to see it opening weekend, but I have to admit that I’m a little more excited than I was before.

    While the perception of this film does seem to have shifted, though, I’m not sure it has changed quite as much as you suggest. Every single positive review I’ve seen seems to have had reader comments that lean more towards the “You’ve been bought, this movie sucks and you know it” than to the positive. And I’m not just talking about the ones on AICN, where I’d expect to see that kind of thing.

  44. I listen to critics, seems like tons of people around me don’t. Guess I’m one of the few ones that still do, however John your right that turn around was amazing but it has dropped on RT. I won’t go tonight but probably tomorrow. I’m still under the consumption that it won’t be good man.

    1. I think the bigger difference now is the growing “fanboy” mentality. People nowadays feel they MUST pick a side and if a review agrees with them then “critics are fine”, but if they disagree then it’s “What right do you have to judge” or the classic “Let’s see you do better. Yeah, didn’t think so!”.

      Rotten Tomatoes is the perfect example of this. Look for any movie that has superfans and glance at the review comments. Nobody comments on a positive review, but if it’s negative then you’ve got dozens of angry pseudonyms telling you to go to hell.

      Rotten Tomatoes: Half Blood Prince
      http://tiny.cc/rottenHBP
      Rotten Tomatoes: Twilight
      http://tiny.cc/rottenTWILIGHT

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