{"id":2032963,"date":"2025-09-18T23:12:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T23:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2032963"},"modified":"2025-09-18T23:12:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T23:12:25","slug":"the-purpose-of-critics-is-grossly-misunderstood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-purpose-of-critics-is-grossly-misunderstood\/","title":{"rendered":"The Purpose Of Critics Is Grossly Misunderstood"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Film criticism and talking about media in general is dirty work, but not for the reason you\u2019d think. The most common issue I encounter is fan reaction to opinion, where readers seem personally insulted by another person\u2019s known preference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Fundamentally, that\u2019s all film critics do: they establish their taste through their body of work. The more verbose and prolific the critic, the better the frame of reference you get. It\u2019s up to you to filter your own taste through what the critics say. Film criticism \u2013 and all criticism, really \u2013 isn\u2019t a ruler, it\u2019s a barometer.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>A Preference Is Established And Needs To Be Considered\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As of this writing, I\u2019ve produced over <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/author\/robertscucci\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:1,400 articles;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">1,400 articles<\/a> for Giant Freakin Robot. Most of these are reviews offering my subjective take on the media I consume. If you\u2019re new to me, you might think I\u2019m an idiot because I seek out so-called bad cinema in a never-ending quest to find redeeming qualities that may have been overlooked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">More often than not, I\u2019m pleasantly surprised by what I see, and I share those findings with whoever\u2019s interested in my assessments. I wouldn\u2019t call myself one of the great critics of our time, but I\u2019ve established my taste, and that\u2019s the entire point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">All critics work this way. They have hard likes and dislikes, and they use that context to help readers understand what they themselves might like or dislike about something.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Roger Ebert Was Tough But Fair In This Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/48.IFrPbS.Z5BYck5QiKqQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/5ccfbd912d23ea09bcf2f855d959a67b\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Roger Ebert is a prime example of what critics do. He devoted his life to documenting his preferences and sharing them with his audience. A lover of classic screwball comedies, Ebert praised films like <em>His Girl Friday<\/em>, <em>Bringing Up Baby<\/em>, <em>The Lady Eve<\/em>, <em>What\u2019s Up, Doc?<\/em>, and <em>It Happened One Night<\/em> for being character-driven, intelligent, and supported by well-placed gags that serve the narrative.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">At the same time, he publicly punished the genre\u2019s weaker modern attempts, unloading on films like <em>Bio-Dome<\/em>, <em>French Kiss<\/em>, <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/movies\/articles\/raunchy-over-top-buddy-comedy-181727779.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Tommy Boy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Tommy Boy<\/a><\/em>, and <em>Freddy Got Fingered<\/em>. If you\u2019re a fan of those movies, it doesn\u2019t mean critics like Ebert hate you personally or think less of you for finding enjoyment in them. His frame of reference still provides valuable insight. If he hated <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/movies\/articles\/raunchy-over-top-buddy-comedy-181727779.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Tommy Boy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Tommy Boy<\/a><\/em> for its over-the-top slapstick antics and dimwitted lead, and that\u2019s exactly the kind of media you\u2019re seeking out, then you can safely assume it\u2019s your kind of movie based on his negative review.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It\u2019s also what made his praise for <em>Major Payne<\/em> so meaningful. He gave the Damon Wayans comedy 3 out of 4 stars, writing: \u201cThe key to this kind of comedy is to go all the way with it, and Wayans creates a comic character out of narrowness, obsession, and blind commitment \u2026 Wayans is one of the most talented comic actors around, especially when he lets go and swings for the fences.\u201d Knowing Ebert\u2019s disdain for modern screwball comedies, the fact that <em>Major Payne<\/em> won him over says everything.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Critics Still Have Blind Spots<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/hBJVU5EF2aNM6tFt1r2iQg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/c2a247fb43ea1e52460d8bb567a7d772\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Critics have the same blind spots every human being has. A trip to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/opinion\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Rotten Tomatoes;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> for a proper assessment of <em>Five Nights at Freddy\u2019s<\/em> proves this. With a 33 percent critical score and an audience score of 86 percent, you\u2019d think reviewers were dogpiling for no reason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Why the split? <span><em>Five Nights at Freddy\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0is built on a massive backlog of lore from the video game, which attempts to adapt, that casual fans won\u2019t understand<\/span>. Critics knocked the film for being overloaded with Easter eggs and references that alienated general audiences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Fans of the game series were thrilled to see those details onscreen. That doesn\u2019t make the movie good or bad; it just makes it niche. Critics didn\u2019t get it, but the fans did, and that\u2019s all you need to know.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Use Their Judgment<\/strong> <strong>To Sharpen Your Own Opinions<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The entire point of critics establishing their preferences is to filter the quality of an IP through their personal taste. If you know a critic\u2019s taste well enough, you can use it to sharpen your own.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"mb-4 border-l-2 pl-5 italic text-tertiary\"\/><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Film criticism and talking about media in general is dirty work, but not for the reason you\u2019d think. The most common issue I encounter is fan reaction to opinion, where readers seem personally insulted by another person\u2019s known preference. Fundamentally, that\u2019s all film critics do: they establish their taste through their body of work. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2032964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[375100,375101,375099],"class_list":["post-2032963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-film-criticism","tag-frame-of-reference","tag-roger-ebert"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/The-Purpose-Of-Critics-Is-Grossly-Misunderstood.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2032963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2032964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2032963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2032963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2032963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}