While our experience of watching a movie is subjective, certain elements of movie-making are objective.
If some of the dialogue fades in and out because the boom operator wasn’t paying attention, the movie is objectively worse than it could have been with an awesome boom operator. If an actor speaks in a monotone when trying to portray a character with no reason to speak in a monotone, the movie is objectively worse than it could have been. If most of the dialogue in a movie is too on-the-nose, the movie is objectively worse than it could have been.
There is no shortage of examples like this!
That’s why many movie critics tend to agree that a movie like The Shawshank Redemption deserves to be ranked so highly. It doesn’t mean that everyone is going to like watching The Shawshank Redemption. This movie is not for everyone. No movie is.
Star Wars: A New Hope is not the best movie ever made. Nevertheless, its impact on my life has been HUGE.
It captured my imagination like nothing I had seen previously! It was big and fun and exciting. After seeing the movie many times, I played with Star Wars toys, dressed up as Star Wars characters for Halloween, and even launched my own X-Wing rocket. It fed my desire to make movies.
We each have different beliefs, hopes, dreams, and life lessons. It’s no surprise that we each have a different subjective experience while watching the same movie.
Events in a specific movie that bother me may not bother you. A scene that makes me cry could leave you bored. This is as it should be.
Movies with the highest ratings or the best craftsmanship are not always the movies that impact your life the most.
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