Kantor said:
Let me clarify what I mean. An objectively good film as judged by a film reviewer is not necessarily remotely enjoyable for a viewing audience. As you say, many of them are excellent film historians, and people who are passionate about the technical aspects of films. However, the majority of filmgoers are not. It is therefore the case that a well-reviewed film will not necessarily be a successful or even popular film, and the reverse is also true. A game reviewer, on the other hand, is really just a gamer, of similar gaming experiences to the majority of gamers out there. He therefore gives a more reliable opinion on whether or not you should like the game - though it is, of course, still an opinion, there are objective things you can look at which will tell you if a game is good, which correlate very well with whether or not the game is enjoyable. A well-made game is always enjoyable. A well-made film can be hopelessly dull. Just consider Another Year, which, while technically marvelous and all of that, was one of the most eye-wateringly dull things I have ever seen. |
I see what you are saying.
But I think both groups of reviewers can find a middle ground between elitism and populism. A movie critic who pans the popular and cherishes the off-beat regardless of quality is pretty useless. But so is a video game critic who panders to his or her audience.
As far as the other point, the one about enjoyment, I think that all boils down to taste. Movie critics have seen hundreds more movies than the average filmgoer. They've seen movies from hundreds of countries throughout the entire 20th century. As a result their tastes tend to be different from those who have seen fewer movies. When they give a perfect score to a movie that is seen by the majority of the population as dense, boring, or otherwise unwatchable, I believe the critics truly believe it to be great (and enjoyable), and truly mean to recommend it to their audience.
I happen to think movies like Citizen Kane, L'Atalante, and Ivan the Terrible are all-time great movies, but I imagine many of my peers would find them terribly mind-numbing. It's really all about taste. And tastes change as more media is consumed.