by Bryan Coates

Created on: September 18, 2009   Last Updated: September 19, 2009

There is an old saying that says, "Those who can't do, teach." In many ways, this applies to movie critics who many will say criticise because they lack the talent to do anything creative of their own. In many cases this may be true. When you look at critics who simply slap their signature "two thumbs up" on to a title and that's that, their really isn't anything to it; especially when every movie they ever critique receives "two thumbs up".

The trend seems to be that many people don't trust their own instincts when it comes to deciding which movie to spend $11.50 to go see on a Friday night. Do you really want to rely on a critic who gives everything "two thumbs up" to make your decision for you? If you are going to rely on critics, then it is important to find one who has the same tastes as you. If you are a horror movie buff, you are most likely not going to be looking in your wife's magazines to find a good review. It is also a good idea to read whole reviews. Don't rely entirely on the half-sentence quotes you see in the television ads.

Something that is important to keep in mind is that people are smart. They know what type of movies they enjoy. For the most part, anyone can watch a trailer and say, "yes, I want to go see that!" or "never! that looks terrible!". The critics are there to give you that extra motivation you need to push you over the top and force you to spend that $11.50 for a movie ticket.

Trends come and go. Themes wear themselves out; and so do actors and directors. Critics know this. They see three or four comedies with the same group of characters and they decide they've had enough. So the next batch of comedies released will get less positive reviews: "been there, done that". But people know what they like. No one should refuse to go see a movie because it gets poor reviews.

If you see a trailer for a movie that you think you would enjoy, then go see it. If you are concerned about the admission price and worried that the movie might be really disappointing, then read a few reviews. See if you can find a "making of" documentary online so you can see certain aspects of the filming process; this may sway you either way, but even if you decide not to go see the movie, "making of" documentaries are almost always full of fun information about making movies. But don't rely entirely on the critics' voices. Only you know what you enjoy. You wouldn't want to miss a really good movie!

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