I was watching one of the ridiculous movie critic shows the other day. I listened to them consistently slamming just about every movie I have ever found entertaining. This got me to thinking. What makes a good film?
Obviously, what I like in a film is likely different than what you like in a film. Now, I can only truly examine what makes a movie good to my taste, so that is what I’ll do.
First, and foremost, the movie must be entertaining. If I am not entertained, there is little point watching it. At least in most cases. My motivation in going to a movie is to be entertained thus this is the most important factor. If I were going to learn something about something, then, perhaps, information would be more important.
Beyond entertaining, I have no real definition of what makes a movie good. I enjoyed such movies as Shrek, The Thirteenth Floor, The Matrix, Message in a Bottle, and, believe it or not, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. I don’t mind really bad physics. I mean, that can be fun to pick apart. But a movie that is mostly correct but gets one or two important points glaringly wrong can be ruined. But not always. Humour helps, but is not required. Pure fantasy is great but can go horribly wrong. A good moral can help but can also hinder if there’s nothing else. Too slow of a pace or too fast can ruin an otherwise good film.
It seems to me that most people would agree that there is no single formula that makes a film good. While a particular formula may make repreated decent films, it can just as often (or more so) make duds. Predictability can be a drag or can be fun. You never can tell what will work.
And then there are films like Last Action Hero which I enjoyed but most people hate. On the other hand, there are movies which have nearly universal appeal such as It’s A Wonderful Life (which I also enjoyed). In any event, it seems to me that one should ignore the critics and simply decide what movie to go to based on one’s own taste. Don’t let anyone tell you what is a good movie and what isn’t.