We watch a movie, like it or dislike it and then just forget about it. It takes a minimum of 1 to 6 months to make a film OR more then 1 year to make a more complex film AND JUST 2 ½ hrs to judge it.
It’s a free world, a person walks in a theatre and gives his comments, good or bad. A filmmaker aware of all the risks in filmmaking business, produces the film and screens his creativity hoping that his film will be a box office success and fetches him some accolades. Fair enough.
When a film releases on it’s 1st day, critics put pen to paper and start writing reviews which in today's jet age takes no time reaching the public through various means of communication such as print, TV, radio, internet. Along with freedom of speech, critics have to earn their bread and butter. Again, it's fair enough.
Viewers just watch a film liking or disliking it, whereas critics watch a film and help diminish it's business from the very 1st day. I strongly feel curiosity level lessens when a person reads/listens to a film review before watching any movie, irrespective of the review, good or bad. The reader starts creating a "certain" image in his mind about the movie and if reviews are bad, it just expands the image. I guess it’s natural, if any product is bad I’ll will think twice before buying it. Similarly any movie is a product, which is presented to a wide audience and negative reviews will make a person think twice, if it’s worth the effort to visit a movie hall and buy a ticket for a particular movie which eventually affects a "certain" movie by robbing off it's "probable" viewership. Out of 10 movies released how many are truly box office champs ? 2? 3? max 4?......I don't deny, good reviews may increase the prospects of a film at the box office BUT since the probability of films getting bad reviews is more, it’s anyone’s guess what the final outcome be. A single man's judgement cannot be a final say on any movie.
There are people who don’t depend on reviews ( like me ) OR without regard to the reviews, positive or negative, film aficionados still head straight to movie halls to catch a "1st day 1st show". BUT sad part is, there are millions out there who depend on film reviews or word of mouth buzz. That’s where the fault lies. 8 out of 10 people watch a film for "pure" entertainment and are least interested in the “Technicalities” of the film. When lights switch off in a movie hall the viewers want to enter a different world for 2 ½ hrs forgeting their own. For these people if a movie manages to hook them for 2 ½ hrs and has “entertained” them, then a movie is “good”, if doesn’t then its “bad”. Period. These are the people who really make or break the film, that is, if they “REACH” the theatre, thanks to the reviews by our critics who sometimes I feel, write a movie review to showcase their writing skills.
I myself used to be a avid reader of film reviews in newspapers, on websites every fri/sat/sun, not that I was/am dependent on a review. But now I have stopped reading reviews of the films I wish to see, since reviews act as visualizers creating certain pictures in mind which increase or decrease our expectations towards a film and influences a mind to a large extent.
I feel it's really unfair for a film, which may find it's audience and "might be liked" by viewers, stay away due to negative reviews and most importantly that too in "FIRST 3-4" days, which are very crucial for a film to consolidate it's position box-office wise. Hence I feel the media - print, tv, radio, internet should not publish/telecast/upload reviews in the first 3-4 days which will give every film a chance to stand on it’s own merit. Good or bad. Let the people decide. Something to think about.
Kip expressing :)
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