I haven’t come across any movie critics nor any movie rating system which consistently delivers or meets my expectations, which is also true to most of my friends’ and acquaintances expectations. News paper and websites can be mistakenly lenient on some movie and incorrectly thrifty on some other, anyway now a days some paper has a floating rate system. If the movie does well in Box office, they have the provision for an extra star or half. As for the movie critic, most often, I find them trying to be too harsh (esp. the more popular Mr. Rajeev Masand or Mrs. Anupama Chopra), I mean if their analysis is exactly what their take on movies then seem to be a paradox: If a person has a SIX SIGMA rate of likeness on movies that are released then how does he/she become a movie critic?
I might be wrong, but it’s common sense that one has to be a movie buff first and after watching tons and tons of movies he/she is licensed to be critics. Its like, to comment and endorse the benefits of Green Tea, on should first experience the curative property, which comes only after consistent and prolonged consumption; else it’s just a sort of slip of tongue.
So if these critics loath most of the movie they watched then from where do they have the stamina and motivation to continuously watch those below par movies year after year? And we all know any art form is passion driven rather then need driven, to me movie critic will slant more towards art form then as an occupation. Let’s pause on this paradox here as the reason for this post is on the process rather then the analyzers, though we will cover the remaining in details someday.
In India, the concept of movie watching for family is a form of family outing, an event of fun and frolic away from home for the entire members. Even for single individuals, it has similar connotation though it could be more defined as in dating, won a free ticket, because the group says so, etc. Hence movie watching is not just about the movie per se, people have certain package expectations on the entire experience, e.g. If you go for a date you will go in a PVR and ensure you buy at least a popcorn box with a cola and preferably choose the last line, if it’s your gang you won’t mind a single screen, in the middle and with just nature break.
Therefore, rating score of critics, newspapers and website seems inadequate; they don’t factor the holistic expectations part which is important. They just focus on the movie per se, they dig deep on the unnecessary nuances which most audience would not even spot if made to watch more then a couple of times.
Here’s where there is a need in paradigm shift in the way our rating system works, people need a turnkey answers, which sadly is not available currently.
