Josh: Letting film critics tell you what to watch is smart!

We all have our pet peeves. Bad movies are mine. Within my circle of friends, I’ve become known as the bloke who won’t watch a film unless Peter Bradshaw gives it at least a four star rating. But I promise there’s more to my habits than just snobbery.

“You know the saying, ‘opinions are like belly buttons, everybody’s got one’? Well, film critics seem to just enjoy flaunting their midriffs more than most”

Wasting time is never a good feeling. Is there anything worse than a trip to the supermarket only to find that it’s closed? Or spending hours on a supervision task only to realise that you’ve answered the wrong question? So when I finally get a moment to properly unwind, it’s important that I really make it count. Why would I sit down and watch a movie knowing it might be a waste of time, when there is an endless sea of reviewers out there who can ward me off watching garbage? We’ve all got our own taste, and for you a ‘good movie’ could mean anything: who am I to judge if Cyberpunk or Lovecraftian Horror happens to be your thing? But every genre has its high and low points, and a film critic’s job is making sure that you’re never scraping the bottom of the barrel. After all, there’s nothing like a good five star rating to reassure you that you won’t, once again, bite into a rotten tomato.

A quick glance at the numbers isn’t all a review is good for; people tend to forget that film writers are literate too. Film reviewer’s normally give a vague sense of the plot and themes (good critics don’t write spoilers); going in with a rough sense of the storyline won’t guarantee a positive experience, but it’ll almost certainly tip the balance in its favour. And when you come out the other side having enjoyed the whole affair but not quite seeing eye to eye with a reviewer’s comments, isn’t it nice to have someone to disagree with?

Ultimately, there’s no denying that you’ll never know if you like something until you’ve tried it – but when you can keep the odds of getting it wrong to a minimum, why would you ever refuse?

Katie: Letting film critics tell you what to watch is stupid!

Film critics have been lauding their fancy ratings over us for years, writing articles as though they are the self-appointed gatekeepers of cinematic excellence. But I’m here to tell you why you should take their opinions with a generous pinch of salt and a side of popcorn.

“There’s nothing like a good five star rating to reassure you that you won’t, once again, bite into a rotten tomato”

Picture this… it’s a cold, damp November’s day, you have already spent an hour defending your opinions at the stake in front of a scathing supervisor and questioning your ability to even form a cohesive thought, and now you simply want to unwind by watching a film.

Maybe you’re feeling an arthouse flick that’s been showing in Picturehouse that comes recommended by that really cool barista, the sort of film that makes you want to start learning French. Or, as I often find, you simply want to watch Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson starring in a raucous spy-thriller-comedy meets romance, which you already know will probably be ‘awful’ in the eyes of a film critic, but fun is fun, and nothing else will hit the spot quite like it. Contrary to the snobbery of the film literati, it is actually possible to enjoy both without having to compare the two – it’s called balance.

Rotten Tomatoes may know a thing or two about how to judge a film – purportedly “the most trusted measurement of quality for Movies & TV”, according to its website – and yet the numbers often feel like they’ve been pulled out of thin air. Who are these mysterious reviewers? You know the saying, ‘opinions are like belly buttons, everybody’s got one’? Well, film critics seem to just enjoy flaunting their midriffs more than most. While one critic gushes over a movie, calling it a masterpiece, another is shredding the same film to pieces with a few choice words.

The true test of a film is how engrossed it makes you feel, so watch what you enjoy, whether it’s a cult classic, an epic blockbuster, or a B-movie that’s so bad it’s good – no one understands your taste better than you do.