"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" and the Disconnect Between Critics and Fans
It's that time of year again. Besides being known for Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanza and so forth, December is now known as the month a new Star Wars film gets released every year. This year, we get the second film of the newest trilogy, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Please note that what's about to follow is not a review on the film (which personally, I enjoyed but felt was overrated) and more an observation and critique on critical opinion and its validity in today's society.
At the time of this writing, the new episode in the Star Wars universe has made $450 million globally and ranks as one of the best openings in cinematic history thus far (so to say it's successful - at least financially - is an understatement). Along with that, critics have given it overwhelmingly positive reviews. Take a look below at its Rotten Tomato score and you'll see it's currently sitting at a "Certified Fresh" rating with 93%.
Image Courtesy of RottenTomatoes.com
But take a look to the right of that 93% rating and the "Audience Score" which is sitting at a much lower 56%. Even more interesting, take a look at the number of user rates they took these averages of (109,318) compared to the number of total critic reviews (311). Herein lies what I've come to find absolutely frustrating in today's society - we've given the power to say what's considered "good" or "bad" to (in this case) 311 individuals. Not just in government but we've now as a society given our voices over to this small group of individuals who believe they have the right to tell us that their opinion is right (and that if we disagree with them, ours is wrong).
Let's take a look at another example below with Warner Bros./ DC's newest film, Justice League.
Image Courtesy of RottenTomatoes.com
As you can see here, the Critics (in this case 292 of them) gave an average rating of 40% certifying the film "Rotten" aka not good. Take a look at the Audience Score (in this case 117,226 ratings) and it's a much higher 79%. The audience liked it! How could a film that so many critics have bashed and slaughtered actually be that bad if so many more people actually enjoyed it? Who's right - the critics or the audience?
In my humble opinion, reviews are opinions and opinions are just that... opinions. They are based off of your individual perspective and your tastes. What's good to you may not be good to someone else. And here's the thing - that's okay! Critics should not (and absolutely do not) have the power to dictate what's good or bad (they just want us to think that they do). We should not allow their judgements to affect our own. We need to remember the power that we have and the importance in our individual voices. This is especially important because when we do let this small group (especially one we have not validated in any direct way) obtain such influence it keeps us from experiencing something that we may have otherwise enjoyed. Imagine how many more people would actually have gone to see Justice League if we didn't allow the media to push the Critic's opinions on us? That doesn't just affect that lone movie but the future of the types of movies that will be made (and that we'll get to experience). These Critics are just people like us. The only difference is that they get paid to give their opinion.
Was Star Wars: The Last Jedi a good film? What did you think? The answer you give is completely valid.
Never forget - we have the power. Let's make sure to use it.