Posing this question is damning because I critique films and other productions, but it is relevant. This past week, after the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Public Enemies, the issue of film critics came to a particularly strong head. I do not read film reviews. This is something that happens during the process of studying film. As we critics-in-training collected credit hours watching and analyzing countless "art" films and auteur films (and drooled over the likes of Francois Truffaut and Alfred Hitchcock), we got swelled heads, thinking we knew best.

Like literature majors, art majors, and their ilk, we think that this time and introspection into the world we devote our lives to (or, at least 4 years) gives us ownership over taste. Typically, this makes us somewhat difficult to deal with in terms of film viewing. We forget that we spent years learning the ins and outs of film production, narrative construction, genre, and so on (unlike our friends and family who still see film as pure entertainment).

After getting my undergraduate degree in film studies I took a step back to see where I stood amongst my colleagues. I was alone in the pack, a misfit who belonged on the Island of Misfit Critics. Why? Well, for one, my list of favorite films includes the likes of Jurassic Park, Sneakers, and Up Close and Personal - clearly not the stereotype of the art-film-loving-French-New-Wave drooler (a.k.a. the typical film critic). This is the crux of the problem with film critics and also why I chose to complete my graduate work within the umbrella of popular culture instead of pure film studies.

"Public Enemies" received great reviews, but only made $8 million on opening day

Image © Universal Pictures

Popcorn films, rom-coms, horror films, etc. are all necessary and fuel the continuation of cinema. Film is made for audiences to enjoy and to take pleasure in - not to just study with a furrowed brow. Critics' reviews do not a box office producer make.

This past week and a half is a strong example. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was not well reviewed. Eighty percent of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes panned the film. Granted, I could not even stomach it. However, did this stop the masses from running to the theater and almost beating the previous box office opening held by The Dark Knight? No. It made $60 million on opening day and over $200 million in just five days. That being said, "Public Enemies" was extremely well reviewed but only made $8 million on opening day. This opens a sort of battle of the Michaels (Michael Bay and Michael Mann). Anyone who thinks these two films can be compared or pitted against each other, needs serious help. But outside of various awards, these two films are equal in the eyes of distributors, production companies, etc. The cost of the ticket is the same.

Critics hated "Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen," but audiences paid $60 million to see it on opening day

Image © Paramount Pictures

While box office blockbusters may not be your thing, they still have a rightful place in cinema. What we need is a critic who actually plays to their audience. Art film does have a place, and people should always try new things, but tastes of all people should be respected. If you are searching for a good fun horror film for instance, you should be able to find an accurate review telling you as much. While no review is perfect, a reviewer should at least try to serve their audience; in the end, isn't that why reviews exist?


Story by Sarah Lafferty
Starpulse contributing writer

Follow Sarah on twitter at starbuckscout.